Have you ever had a job where you feel like the experience has stayed with you for decades? Do you feel like the knowledge you gleaned was far more valuable than those paychecks that were cashed and have long since been spent?
Well, this is exactly how I feel about the days that I worked at Ina Gartens Barefoot Contessa on Main Street in Westhampton Beach. Ina has long since sold that store and moved on to bigger and better things, but the lessons that I gathered in the 1980s while slicing, serving, and dicing at Barefoot have withstood the test of time.
Back in the 1970s my parents purchased a lovely little summer home on Main Street in Westhampton Beach. I spent a better part of my childhood helping them restore that 1920s home and property. When I got tired of weeding, mowing, mulching and spackling, I would walk along Main Street into town. On more than one occasion, I found myself peering into the windows and surveying the display cases of Inas specialty foods store.
Intuitively, I knew that Ina was well ahead of her time. All of her deli dishes and baked goods were made from scratch and displayed beautifully. She cared about her customers and clearly her New York-weary customers adored her. They looked to her for comfort and trusted her menu suggestions. Of course, she always seemed to have a delicious solution at the ready! I found her shop fascinating.
One winter when I was in college, I mustered the guts to apply for a summer job at Barefoot. Much to my delight, they called to schedule an interview and I soon found myself being interviewed by Ina in her New York City loft. I think I was hired as counter help or deli person and started as soon as school got out. To this day, I remember my first day at Barefoot. I wasnt shoved behind the counter and told to get to work. Instead, I was handed a big binder and was instructed to read it. The binder featured the beautifully simple Barefoot Contessa logo and on each page of the manual I learned the ins and outs of the shop and how to treat the customer. However, my culinary education didnt stop when the binder was closed and put back on the shelf.
Without a doubt, my culinary education really began when I donned a fresh white apron and was sent into the trenches behind the counters! This is where I learned endless nuggets from Ina herself. Highly energetic, Ina was a hands on teacher. She didnt just tell her staff how to do something, she would demonstrate or do it first as an example. She is a natural teacher and a fabulous food marketer.
After reading Rebekah Denns interview with Ina Garten yesterday in The Seattle Times, I decided to create a list of some of my favorite lessons learned while working with Ina. Here are just a few:
Keep the coffee pots full and always use cold water when making coffee!
Keep the muffin baskets loadedNo one wants to feel like they are getting the last muffin left in the store.
Slice off a piece of the pound cake before displaying ItNo one will ask you to make the first slice just for them!
Slice the cold smoked salmon thinly on an angleThis is the only way the customers from New York will want it!
Dont be Stingy! Ina told us that volume sells volume so make sure that the bowls and baskets were refilled and looking abundant! Indeed, this made a huge differenceCustomers who saw a half full bowl of salad would inevitably slither along the counter to another option!
Cut flower stems on an angleThe angle lets the stem absorb more water and keeps the flowers fresher.
Cut brownies after they have completely cooled--Warm brownies dont cut cleanly!
Poach chicken correctlyHard overcooked chicken was a definite NO NO in the Barefoot Contessa signature chicken salad...or any chicken salad for that matter!
Honor the Customer! At Barefoot, we learned that the customer was always right.
I learned countless other things while at Barefoot during those beautiful balmy days of summer. Clearly, they have withstood the test of time and been Foolproof!
--Melissa A. Trainer
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