Multi-Tasking

At Frank’s Kitchen,  we’re at the forefront of a trend _ multi-tasking.

The Wall Street Journal did a story recently about employees being asked to do more work and tasks unrelated to their job title. In this still tight national economy, employers are thinking why hire if you can get more out of fewer people?

The WSJ interviewed Eric Dale, the amazing pastry chef at Denver’s Rioja restaurant who is also handy with a set of tools. I interviewed Dale for a story for Nation’s Restaurant News a couple of years ago. He is a sweetheart whom I know Chef Jen Jasinski appreciates. But this got me thinking. I’ve got my own multi-tasker at Frank’s Kitchen whom I deeply appreciate.

Since we signed the lease, Frank has done the following:

• Reconfigured the gas line after the wok stove was removed to accommodate a new stove, fryer and a future char-grill.
• Patched a broken window.
• Installed new locks and door handles.
• Fixed the back door and attached threshold sweeps.
• Plumbed the waterline for the coffee maker and espresso machine.
• Installed a new garbage disposal.
• Extended the stovepipe on the smoker.
• Moved the water heater to a more logical location in the kitchen.
• Removed the broken, crusted, blackened wall fan and boarded up that window.
• Replaced the broken swamp cooler with the newer one that was just sitting on the roof, unconnected.
• Replaced the gaskets on the cold table refrigerators and the under counter fridge for the espresso machine.
• Built the espresso machine counter and the condiment counter in the dinning room.
• Built all five dining tables and rebuilt the window seats.
• Buffed the dinning room floor.
• Built extra shelves in the utility room.
• Replaced a fan in the bathroom.
• Installed new light fixtures in the kitchen, pantry, utility room and bathroom.
• Removed the graffiti-marked empty telephone pylon in the parking lot and the old Plexiglas phone sign hanging over it.
• Painted and caulked, and caulked and painted.

Most of the remodeling is finished. Frank will install our signs when they finally arrive. But soon he can tuck his toolbox away in the utility room and spend most of his time cooking _ and purchasing, and accounting and training and marketing, and hauling trash and mopping floors, etc.

A caulking cook