So here’s the thing: I’ve been accused of being smart, handsome, charismatic, inspiring, athletic, insightful, clairvoyant and most of all, too modest. (That was a joke.)
I grew up on the central coast in California in the 80’s, when the internet didn’t exist and social media was getting together with some friends and watching Hollywood squares. If you don’t know the days of “the pager”, we might not have too much in common. What we do all have in common is food and beverage. The food and beverage world has given me some of my most favorite memories and some of my best friends. That being said, it can be miserable, at least for the ones working. Let’s face it, when you work in the service industry part of food and beverage, it can be rough, stressful, and exhausting; but it can also be rewarding, fun, and reliable. It just depends on the day.
In the restaurant business, I started as a really handsome young dishwasher and rapidly moved up to the position of “sauté cook”; from there I was a busboy, then bartender, then manager, and finally back to bartender. So, for twenty-five years I’ve been dealing with people that always need another side of ranch, or want to know “what’s good?” These people are maddening, I know, but we’ll get to that.
I left California when I was twenty and found myself in Alexandria, Virginia, cooking at an Outback Steakhouse and enjoying the parking tickets I kept getting in a new city. Although I’m not much to look at, I’m actually a pretty good cook, and have an outstanding jump shot too. My nickname in the kitchen was “all mighty whitey” seeing as how, well, I was the only white guy working in the kitchen, and I’m a damn good grill man! Virginia was about two years of my story, and then it was time for another change.
Denver seemed like as good a city as any other, so with no real agenda, I made my way back west and set up shop in the Mile High city. I moved to Denver around 2000 and have been here ever since. I made a brief attempt at getting out of the business with a stint working for the City of Aurora Forestry Department. That was a short-lived career for me, but at least I know now that my least favorite tree in Colorado is the Russian Olive.
I started working for a father and son from Philadelphia managing their Philly Steak and Sub shop. Fast forward twelve years to my early thirties, and I found myself managing four restaurants, two that had bars, and I had unknowingly started a career in the restaurant and bar business. I made good money, and had the authority to run things pretty much how I saw fit. Things were pretty good, but it just didn’t feel like I was where the universe wanted me to be. It was time for a leap of faith – that leap was broadcasting school.
I decided that of the million things I excel at, talking seems like the one that would be the most difficult to get paid for. So to broadcasting school I went. At the time, a nine-month course in broadcasting felt like the perfect time frame for all my dreams to come true, plus it could afford it. When I say, “I could afford it,” that’s exactly all I could afford – with nothing left even for a side of ranch dressing. That awful credit card machine in the financial office of the school released the worst sounding beep in the world, indicating that my financial wellbeing had been reduced to Ramen noodles. That was a scary feeling. Again, leap of faith.
Broadcasting school got me a gig for a six-month internship on the morning show on 630 KHOW here in Denver, and that led to producing and co-hosting The Modern Eater Show on iHeart Radio. Ironic, considering I went to broadcasting school to get out of food and beverage.
Every Saturday night we do our show live from 6-8pm on Denver’s Talk Station. That’s two hours on the microphone, but the work doesn’t start until we turn them off. There’s never ending content here in Denver, as it’s food and beverage scene is always growing. It’s a lot more work than people might think to make The Modern Eater Show rock ’n’ roll every week, and I think it’s fair to say that I like it.
I’ve been working in the restaurant and bar business for over twenty-five years, including today. That’s right, I still bartend a couple nights a week at a local sports bar in my neighborhood. In my forty-one years on this earth, I’ve come to the realization that I don’t have all the answers to all the questions in life, but I can tell you why your bartender hates you.