[blue_wolf]

Today was my last day at the brew pub I've been at for the last few months. I'm moving up and on to the soux chef position at the Sheraton hotel here in Madison. The brew pub has a tradition, to which I was victim to. Finishing my drink after work up stairs at the bar with a few of the other cooks, I was assulted with a cream pie. Luckly, I knew this was tradition and brought an extra set of clean cloths to change into. It's all in good fun and just showing the love and respect you get from your co-workers. This is, however, the first kitchen that anything like this has happened in, that this occures to almost everyone who leaves. Just kind of wondering if anyone else has experienced similar happenings or has traditions of their own for sending someone off to bigger and brighter fields.

[Pete]

Most restaurants I have worked in do with copious amounts of alcohol!!!!!

[Andrew563]

I have had my toolbox filled with mayonnaise and bits of vegetables, and large amounts of beer. Not my toolbox, but my belly.

[Chef Mike]

When I left the Biltmore in '74, we all went to our nearest, favorite pub, and Jacques brought his accordian. We got real loose singing Lili Marlene and dozens of other chestnuts. I got the "cream pie" treatment at Jenny Lake in
'75, but all the supplies had been packed up & sent to the main Lodge, so they had to make the "pie" out of mayonnaise! e-e-u-hh!
The EC at Hyatt-Regency Atlanta and I were not too pal-sy, so he was glad when I asked for a leave of absence (knowing I'd never be back). Willie the broiler man asked him if they were going to throw me a party. He replied,
" We'll throw him a party when he comes back." Funniest thing I ever heard him say.
On my last night as evening sous, 1977, directing a bunch of eastern Iowa brats, I was tipped that they planned to deflate my tires, so I took my pick-up to the gas station next door for a lube job, and made them guard it.
After 9 years as Food Director for a small hospital, they all brought pot-luck, organized a lunch event in the Multi-purpose room with decorations and all, and had the administrator give me plaque, taking photos, etc.
It was real nice, but I still had to train my replacement, cook lunch, plus cater my first dinner of the business I had just purchased, not to mention clean out my office and close escrow.

Mike

[Txacoli]

We are social caterers. One of our workers left to get married this summer. She is a Mormon....so no besotted tearful goodbyes. The day before her flight, I called her up, desperate. "Rachel, please help me, just for a few hours. Everyone bailed on me....."

Sweet thing that she is, she dropped everything to help. I sent her to a friend of a friend's apartment. I arrived without most of our stuff, late. The friend was a really good fake jerk....grinding us, especially Rachel: "Are you always this disorganized? How long have you been doing this? I hope this gets better, because I am not impressed....... ''etc. Then I deliberately burned a tray of crostini in the broiler, filling the place full of smoke....
Rachel was ready to run for it.

Then the doorbell rang, and all her co-workers poured in......A really good surprise.