My First Job

>>At 14, I took a job as a short-order cook in a local bar and grill three doors down from my house in Harrison Township, Mich. The Blue Boat Inn served both the neighborhood and boaters, since it sat on Lake St. Clair, an interconnecting lake between Lake Erie and Lake Huron.

I typically cooked there during the summer. The grill was right behind the bar so I was right in the middle of all the activity, cooking hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken and shrimp. The place was kind of famous for its burgers. We'd literally take an ice cream scooper into a 25-pound box of ground round, hand pat it and cook it fresh.

I remember making about $100 a week, and at 14, you can't spend anything because you can't go anywhere to buy anything, so I saved my money. When I turned 16, I bought a car-and that was my last day working [there].

It was a challenging job. I used to say it was the hardest job I'd ever do, and even today I stand by that. Being a local tavern, there were people that would literally come in and drink every day. They'd sit at the bar and tell me their stories, and their stories were heart-wrenching. That was tough [for] a 14-year-old.

What I liked was that I was doing work that was well beyond what kids my age were doing. The sense of accomplishment and earning were rewarding, and knowing that I was responsible for all of the food prepared in the restaurant was nice.

That job taught me that hard work and acceptance of responsibility for the outcome will bring success and good results. I also learned there's a difference between being a short-order grill cook at 14 and being a real cook. I never really developed culinary skills.

-As told to Lauren Bernaldo