Sep 07 2008
Well I’ve dined with kings and I’ve seen some things that a woman ought not to see… I’ve been to Paradise ,but I’ve never been to me.
OK I know! Ouch! If I haven’t lost you with the title, thanks for sticking it out. It will be worth it I promise.
Today I wanted to go a bit deeper into the Glorified side of a Chefs life. I have two stories I want to share with you today.
They both take place many years ago but are still interesting now! It was the winter of 1990 and I was on my first internship from school. I went to the U.S.V.I., St. John, where I was working at a Resort called Caneel Bay. My friend at school and I saw it on “the lifestyles of the rich and famous” we applied, and they accepted!
The Resort is beautiful… 170 acres, 7 private beaches, 171 bungalows, 3 restaurants. A cooks dream… the rum was cheaper than potable water. I was in Paradise! The guest list was a who’s who list for sure. The only ones I really cared about though I could count on one hand. Alan Alda and family, Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft, and George Michael( hey it was 1990). As it turns out Alan and Mel are long time friends and vacation together every year for Christmas and new years at Caneel. I fed them every day and ran into them regularly on the beach or around the tennis courts.
One day After an early shift I ran to Turtle beach to get some sun and enjoy the ocean. who was there but Mr. Alda and by this point I was no longer star struck, I said hello and went for my swim with the rays that always hung around the cove. When I came out he was still sitting on the beach so we struck up a conversation. After the usual ..Whats on the menu tonight? where should I eat? Small talk, we both just stared off at the ocean for a while when he turns and says to me (pointing at an Island ) “You know I own half that, Isn’t it beautiful”, I did know this already, but I didn’t make a deal of it, instead I just looked at him and asked… Why aren’t there then? He smiled and responded we haven’t built on it yet and where would we eat? We both laughed and gazed at his own personal Island. I didn’t really think much about it at the time, but it was like ( for that moment)we were friends sharing a time together.
My second story involves two of my favorite people, Mel Brooks and his lovely wife Anne Bancroft. Now they are a couple, He is I think the funnest man I have ever met (always on ) cracking jokes and acting like an oaf all the time. She on the other hand is reserved and glamorous, with her floppy hats, big dark sunglasses and scarves, always dressed to the nines! They loved each other and it showed.
This story starts with me finishing a dinner shift and starting to head home for the night. It was at 10:30 I was tired, sweaty, stinky gross and covered in food. I step out of the kitchen onto the veranda and started walking down to where I catch the shuttle into town, when I notice a group of people gathered, more like huddled around each other. I see Anne (well I see her hat ) and think to myself Mel is holding court again. As I approach I notice that no one is laughing… Their not even talking, or looking up and I hear what seems to be a radio. Now you must know that at Caneel Bay much like Gilligan’s Island.. No phones, no lights , no motorcars. Well yes lights but you get my point. We had no televisions, no computers, nothing to connect us to the rest of the world. so this was big! I reached the group and they all simultaneously looked up at me. The expressions on their faces ranged from terror and disbelief to shock! No one said a word, they just stared at me or the tiny transistor radio in Mel’s hand. I stopped and listened for a few seconds before Mel looked up at me again, so I asked “whats going on” ?
He responded.. We just went to war in the Middle East!… “My brother is in the Air force” I said. Anne looked up at me. touched my cheek, and in a soft sweet voice said ” say a prayer for him tonight, I know I will”! I don’t know if it was just this horrible news or my being tired from the day , but I started to tear up. I dropped my head in Embarrassment and Anne gently grabbed me and held me and whispered in my ear “it will be ok ,your brother will be ok’.
Every day for the rest of their stay at Caneel they both sought me out and asked if I had any news from home. I was for those three weeks a part of their family.
Now I hope you can maybe see where I was going with the “worst song of all times” as my lead in. I have been around some of the wealthiest people and Biggest stars, and I could not even pay my rent. I must say, at times, It made me feel like I had been to Paradise, but I had never been to me!
Stumble It!
Did your brother have to go to war? Did he come out of it okay?
It is interesting how our society is still so divided - the working class, middle class and upper class never went away.
Travelling Blackbird, thanks for your concern. Yes my brother did “go to war”, but he was deployed to a hospital here in the states! He was a medic in the Air Force so even though he didn’t go overseas he was part of the war. I say this because the time spent in his deployment kept him from attending officers training which he needed to complete before going into flight school. He missed the opportunity by one year to fulfill his dream of flying a fighter jet. He is good now
It is interesting about the social standings, We could truly be friends but for us to hang out was impossible. I couldn’t afford their lifestyle, therefor becoming more of a parasite (loved and welcome maybe) but Not equal!