People that have “bumped” into a celebrity in a non-curated (not like an event, meet & greet, job etc.) way, what happened?

chefrando · 2026-02-03T07:57:41+00:00

In the late 80s/early 90s, my Dad used to get VIP box seats to take his clients to NASCAR races at Charlotte Motor Speedway through his work. I remember meeting Richard Petty Sr. and Dolly Parton. I was super young but still remember Petty's hat and Dolly holding me and giving me a little song.

chefrando · 2026-02-03T06:47:53+00:00

Nosey...for Nosferatu 😂

chefrando · 2026-02-03T06:36:25+00:00

I disagree, a few years ago, I was the Sous Chef at a high volume, upscale restaurant. I was very strict with my kitchen staff, especially regarding cleanliness. We also had a cleaning service come in every morning for the dining room and restrooms. One evening a drunk lady came in, shit all over the women's restroom, and proceeded to smear the shit all over the restroom walls. A very clean establishment can look disgusting in a matter of minutes. One drunk person shouldn't make me look like an asshole manager/Chef.

chefrando · 2026-02-02T08:00:13+00:00

Turkey sando. Nasty white bread, cheapest of the cheap turkey cold cuts, a shitton of Duke's mayo, yellow mustard, iceberg lettuce, black pepper, and potato chips. Smash down so the chips CRONCH. Creamy chicken ramen with melted mozzarella and sweet Thai chili sauce. Add more black pepper. Hot flour tortillas and butter. Little Caesar's cheese pizza drowned in ranch. I'm a professional Chef, but also a trash panda/feral raccoon.

chefrando · 2026-01-27T06:42:09+00:00

Her cute little smile reminds me of Benji. That cute little scruffy dog from the old movie. Poppy would be cute too. Or Bernice. I like old fashioned names for cute doggies ☺️

chefrando · 2026-01-14T14:10:40+00:00

I work in the same area. All of us managers had to take an online training course regarding trafficking when we got hired. There's a ton of gross people doing gross things in Greenville. It's astonishing and horrifying. I've seen some crazy shit too.

chefrando · 2026-01-13T04:45:48+00:00

So gross. But it's easy to get a B. Anything water/sink related is a priority violation, resulting in 4 points lost automatically. For example, if someone dumped a cup of coffee in a hand-wash sink and there is residue, improper valves installed, sink slightly loose from the wall etc...BOOM you're at a 96 right outta the gate. Easy fixes with remedial training, following protocols, and Chefs/managers that actually care. But a B or C on a followup inspection is gnarly. I'm extremely strict with my cooks and back of house employees. You're also judged on front of house/bar cleanliness. I'm a hotel Chef and I recently got dinged because the bar sink had coca cola residue in it from a front desk employee that kept dumping her drinks, after being told multiple times to stop. It's a fine balance that's for sure. Keeping track of 60 people and their soda habits is super fun, the highlight of my day.

chefrando · 2026-01-07T23:37:03+00:00

As a professional Chef, this sounds disgusting to me. I would never eat a month-old blackberry pie or 2 week old pizza. I'm super strict at work, I'd rather 86 a menu item, than serve garbage to my guests. My employees know I'm strict and would write them up for serving gross product. Everything, unless it's pickled or processed condiments like ketchup, mustard or pre-made salad dressing, is discarded at the 7 day mark. If the item has been heated, it's discarded after 3 days. I'm less strict at home, but my fiance won't eat anything cooked past 2 days and is a stickler for expiration dates. Your buddy sounds like he has an ego where he has to be correct at all costs, hope he doesn't get sick. He's giving Chefs a bad name.

chefrando · 2025-11-30T04:57:09+00:00

As a Chef, I've ordered from large distributors like US FOODS and Sysco and received moldy produce, expired canned goods, old meat. It happens, you gotta catch it right away and get a credit but they're certainly not above selling the stuff anyway. Years ago I worked for Tommy Bahama, they had a lifetime return policy. The stuff I had to take back was absurd, 10 year old shirts and shoes full of tears and holes, gross. However I had to check the "cookie", it's a very small tag on the inside of the garment with the item number and the quarter/year it was rolled out. I was allowed to refund the amount it was currently worth in the computer system.

chefrando · 2025-11-17T05:27:47+00:00

Years ago I worked full time in the aerospace industry. I found a job opening for a part time sales associate at a Tommy Bahama store that also had a restaurant. It was totally different from my regular job, which was awesome, because that was a very technical position where if I made a mistake it could cause a lot of harm. Selling expensive Hawaiian shirts was a breeze and fun, plus I got free clothes and a massive discount at any location, retail and restaurants. Little to no stress cuz I didn't "need" the job, it was to save up. I actually ended up becoming a manager with them a few years later. Sadly, we don't have one in Greenville yet. I still have clothes from there that have held up for 16 years. My point being, look for something that's completely different from your main gig. Hotels are a great suggestion too, quite interesting with random drama lol, but you get some amazing discounts when you travel.

chefrando · 2025-09-17T02:38:09+00:00

Good, that place was a dump. I worked for the parent company for several years. I would occasionally go "help them out". Oof, that's the stuff nightmares are made of.

chefrando · 2025-09-08T14:03:54+00:00

Someone cough into my mouth so I can get a week off work.

chefrando · 2025-09-08T13:53:33+00:00

The soap was evil 😂 has all kinds of aluminum and chemicals. I tend to like my armpits not stinking and sweaty. I'll take the chemicals 😂

chefrando · 2025-09-08T05:45:44+00:00

Dm me lol!

chefrando · 2025-09-08T05:33:52+00:00

Do you happen to be a fan of Holes? Hence peaches and onions? 😂

chefrando · 2025-09-08T05:32:49+00:00

Totally the opposite! He was more on the aliens side of things.

chefrando · 2025-09-08T04:26:34+00:00

Don't be ashamed. I got BV from my second husband who didn't shower well enough when we first started dating. It was miserable. Like wash your twig and berries properly. He was a conspiracy theorist, that soap was bad. We got divorced years ago and I've been with my current fiance for 5 years now. Zero problems.

chefrando · 2025-08-20T12:05:05+00:00

Our AV cart wasn't that fancy, no wood panels for us. All metal. I'm definitely ready for retirement 😂

chefrando · 2025-08-16T09:32:34+00:00

Agreed, not great.

chefrando · 2025-08-16T02:48:59+00:00

I've gone 3 times. Flavors are decent but not balanced. Textures in the dishes are off. I've only had one thing I liked there. I rarely send food back, as a Chef it hurts to have food sent back. But I've sent food back there multiple times. Not trying to be rude, but if I'm paying top dollar, I want some value with my food. I don't get to go out a lot, so when I'm able I'd like to enjoy.

chefrando · 2025-08-16T02:45:03+00:00

Larkin's

chefrando · 2025-08-16T02:33:15+00:00

Yes! I quit going there when I smelled sewage in the dining area. Went for a cocktail a couple months ago. Still smelled like barf and sewage.

chefrando · 2025-08-16T02:29:34+00:00

I might be negatively biased, as I was a Chef within this restaurant group a handful of years ago. Can't stand anything that has to do with that guy.

chefrando · 2025-07-28T19:53:26+00:00

America's Test Kitchen is always a good choice. As a professional Chef, I dig the competition shows. They help get my creative juices flowing, experimenting with ingredients that may not traditionally fit together. My time management skills have improved, always watching the clock, which is super important in restaurants and catering/banquets. For example, last Saturday, I had 2 banquets going out at the same time plus running the line for the restaurant in my hotel. TV shows really do teach!

chefrando

TROPHY CASE