14
On Tuesday, Lou started work at Coast. She was surprised how nervous she felt, but it was a long time since she’d started a new job and she wasn’t used to being the clueless newbie.
She reported to Annie, the front of house manager, a tall woman with a regal bearing and a brisk, somewhat aloof manner, who showed her around the different sections of the restaurant, assigned her a locker in the changing area and gave her a branded Coast shirt. Lou was already wearing black trousers and shoes, which had been outlined as the uniform in the employee details Aidan had given her at her interview. After giving her a copy of the employee handbook and going through it briefly with her, Annie took her around and introduced her to everyone.
She’d already met Ingrid and Maria when she’d come for her interview, and she recognised Teresa, who’d been their server when they’d come for lunch. In the kitchen, lunch prep was already underway, but everyone paused briefly in their work to greet Lou. They were all very friendly and welcoming, from Aidan himself to the pot washer, Joe, a fresh-faced youth with an angelic face and the KP, Con, a robust, ruddy-faced man whoLou judged to be in his fifties and admittedly looked more suited to the job than her. Aidan’s sous-chef and second-in-command, Shane, was solidly built with a mop of sandy hair, full lips and slightly chubby cheeks, giving his face a soft, boyish look. The line cook, Mark, was lean and gangly, while Ian, the commis, was a skinny youth just out of school, with a clear case of hero worship for Aidan.
Maria was charged with taking over Lou’s training and showing her the ropes. She was older than Ingrid and Teresa, probably in her mid-forties, and seemed to be the most senior member of the wait staff, telling Lou she’d been at Coast since it opened. After taking Lou on a tour of all areas of the restaurant and walking her through the different sections of the dining room, she gave her a brief rundown of the ordering and point-of-sale systems. Then Lou was to shadow her for the rest of the shift.
As service got underway, Lou felt a little awkward simply following Maria around, watching instead of doing anything to help, especially as the restaurant got busy, and the kitchen transformed from the oasis of calm it had been when she arrived to a bustling hive of activity.
‘F-fudge!’ Mark groaned as Lou followed Maria from the tranquillity of the dining room into the clamour of the kitchen. He threw a spoon onto the worktop with force, so it clattered along the metal surface.
‘That sauce is split,’ Shane said calmly, looking over Mark’s shoulder.
‘I know. Sorry, Chef.’
‘It’s fine. Just toss it and start again.’
‘I’ve never heard such language before in a professional kitchen,’ Lou whispered to Maria, clutching an imaginary string of pearls to her chest.
Maria laughed.
‘I mean it, I’m genuinely shocked. What kind of chef uses “fudge” as a swear word?’
‘The kind who never knows when a five-year-old might be listening in,’ Shane murmured with a smirk as he brought a couple of plates to the pass.
‘Ah, right. Bo.’
‘She has the run of the place,’ Maria said as she loaded plates onto her tray. ‘Treats it like it’s her home. Which, of course, it is.’
‘She joins us for the pre-service meeting sometimes,’ Shane said, with a fond smile. ‘Brings a notebook and a very serious attitude.’
‘Aidan’s very strict about language,’ Maria told her as they went back to the restaurant carrying trays.
‘Good to know.’
‘So watch your fudging mouth,’ Maria said with a playful smile.
There was a lot to learn, with new ordering systems and routines, and menus and drinks lists to memorise, and Lou felt a little at sea for the first few days. She hated not feeling fully competent and efficient and was impatient with herself for not being able to pull her weight, even though Maria kept reminding her that she’d only started a few days ago and no one expected her to be up to speed that quickly. It was frustrating, but everyone was very warm and helpful, and more forgiving of any mistakes she made than she was with herself.
But as the week went on, she began to find her feet and settled into a rhythm, and she started to enjoy the job. She loved the buzz of the restaurant, thriving on the fast-paced, dynamic atmosphere, and it was fascinating watching Aidan in his element and the kitchen team at work. It was satisfying too, knowing you were serving great food and seeing happy customers enjoying themselves and leaving with smiles on their faces.
The team were great, and there was a wonderful camaraderie in the kitchen, with everyone pulling their weight and helping each other out, and they were all very friendly and welcoming to Lou. By Friday, she already felt like one of the work family and part of something special.
‘So how’s the new job?’ Karen asked Lou when she phoned that evening after Jack had gone to bed.
‘It’s great. I love it.’
‘And what’s the boss like?’
‘He’s good. Tough but decent.’ Lou could also have added that he was dreamy, but she decided not to mention that. ‘There are none of the histrionics you get in some professional kitchens.’
There had been a lot of things that had surprised her about working at Coast. The lack of swearing was just the beginning. The kitchen was unusually calm and relaxed. Aidan had high standards and was strict about maintaining discipline, but he wasn’t given to the temper tantrums so many high-end chefs were known for and all the staff seemed very happy.
‘So, how about you?’ she asked Karen. ‘Any news?’
‘Not really. Except…’ She hesitated.
