How to Land Your Dream Cooking Gig

Welcome to the Chefs Without Restaurants podcast. I'm your host Chris Spear. On the show. I have conversations with culinary entrepreneurs and people in the food and beverage industry who took a different route. They're caterers, research chefs, personal chefs, cookbook authors, food truckers, farmers, cottage bakers and all sorts of culinary renegades. I myself fall into the personal chef category as I started my own personal chef business Perfect Little Bites 11 years ago. And while I started working in kitchens in the early 90s, I've literally never worked in a restaurant. So this week, my guest is Chef Bob Aungst. This episodes unlike any I've done before, as it's essentially a job opportunity. I've wanted to have Bob on as a guest for a while but this episode isn't about him. Bob is responsible for finding chef's for some of the most amazing experiences in the country. Would you want to cook at the Kentucky Derby? How about the US Open? These are just a couple of events the Bob has been responsible for staffing. If you're a chef and you're looking for a temporary or even possibly permanent gig, then this episodes for you. These jobs pay great and are all inclusive. You don't have to pay for travel expenses, lodging, or any of that. This isn't one of those scam type opportunities that us chefs get emailed to us all the time. I've known Bob for a while and I also know many other chefs who've worked with him. On the episode you'll hear all about the jobs compensation package and how to apply. You do need to be able to hold your own at these events. Bob's looking for those starting with at least sous chef level experience. So for those out there who have a week or two to spare and want to make a couple $1,000 this is a great opportunity. Bob's contact information is in both the episode and the show notes. And now a word from our sponsor savory jobs. Are you shocked at what it costs to post a job ad. Instead, imagine a job site for restaurants only where you could post as many jobs as you wanted. And it only costs 50 bucks. Not for each job you post. But for all the jobs you post for an entire year. Well, my sponsor savory jobs has made that a reality. They've launched a revolutionary easy to use job site just for restaurants. And it only costs $50 for unlimited job posts for an entire year. Plus, for our loyal listeners use the code savory 10 and get 10% off. That's s a VORY one zero. So you go to savory jobs calm and discover the job site that's shaking up the restaurant industry. Forget the big corporate sites like indeed and monster during the revolution at savory jobs calm and remember to use code savory, 10 for 10% off. And now on with the show. Thanks so much and have a great week. Hey, Bob, how's it going? Thanks for coming on the show.

Oh, you're welcome, Chris. This has been awesome. I've enjoyed our conversation so far. So I'm excited about this one. Yeah,

I had talked to you a little bit over the past year or so about coming on as a guest for the show. And I want to have you back on to find out a little bit more about you and what you're doing. But for all of our listeners, we have a really interesting conversation coming up. I think it's not necessarily about you and your experience, but you have a really cool job opportunity. And I've never done a podcast like this where it's kind of like a job posting, if you will, but I think this is so cool that I wanted to get you on here and talk about this. So why don't we jump right in what is this job opportunity that you have

well as with talked about and I've talked with many people, I think the biggest impact of the pandemic for our industry, the hospitality industry has really been the decimation of careers and livelihoods. And, you know, we've seen it so often. And while I believe the industry needed a calling, I also believe that we lost a lot of great people. And as we roll back into it, one of my spaces is the large event, VIP world, you know, the Breeders Cup, the Kentucky Derby, the Masters, the US opens, you know, those, if it's on ESPN, and it's on TV on the weekend, likely, we're there. So that's a really cool world. And what we found is that we do not have the support staff in that world that we used to have. And so that created an opportunity for me to give back. And for me to actually be a conduit to help the chef's and the culinarians that are still up and standing in our world to get back to work. And to do something that they may not have even thought existed or thought was an opportunity, or really was an opportunity because they were in a restaurant or they were in a job or they were in a hotel, or they were they were working. So you can't just drop everything and jump on a plane. So for me, it created an opportunity to help show.

Yeah, just recently, I saw you were at the Kentucky Derby. And I thought, Wow, what a cool experience, like how did these guys end up going to the Kentucky Derby and cooking that sounds like a once in a lifetime opportunity. And now, it sounds like it's really not that hard if they get connected with you that there might be similar opportunities like that.

It is it's really, you know, I built my 30 year career on relationships. I've built relationships, you know, I've been blessed to be working and associated with some of the best chefs in the world and some of the greatest companies in the world. And it's afforded me the opportunity to build the relationships that are now going to help a lot of people. And it really is that just being immersed in that world has created that network.

So who would be the ideal chef candidate for something like this?

For something like this, it's a different animal. It's, it's really, it's your sous sous chef, executive, sous chef, Executive Chef level. And these are really the chef's that I can drop them in an island on an island. And they have no idea what they're going to walk into. And they somehow walk out the other side of the island as a rock star. Those are the chefs we need. And, and they're kind of the guys that thrive on that environment where they're excited, you know, I can give I can give you if you were that chef, I was having that conversation with you. I'd say chef, I don't know exactly what you're going to walk into. But I can give you a really good idea. This is what you're going to walk into. And so it's the chefs who can think on their feet. It's the chefs who never say never is the chef's that that really just walk in and rock it out.

Sounds fun. I know a lot of chefs who I think would fit that mold, well, what kind of things would they be doing when they get there?

When they land, they're going to you know, they're going to go directly to the property, wherever that might be. Let's say it's the Kentucky Derby, for example. They're going to land in Louisville, they're going to go right to Churchill Downs, they're going to get acclimated associated get their credentials, they're going to start work almost immediately. And then they're going to and then they're going to rock it out for X number of days. And then they're going to, again, drop the mic, get back on a plane and go back to their wife.

Was there an average time commitment, like how long are people staying in places like this,

it's usually a minimum of, I don't think I've sent anyone anywhere for less than five or six days. And it really can be anywhere from that five or six days to I have a team that I just staffed up in Minnesota for two months. So it was for a season, and you commit to the season, you and you run the place for the season. And then you leave when the season's over. And we also have a lot of folks that are looking for permanent placement. So again, some of those folks that are in Minnesota for this two months, they're figuring out if they want to stay in Minnesota for the rest of the time, and Minnesota is trying to figure out if they would like them to stay. So it's really every one of these opportunities is a full time job opportunity as well, because you're going to be immersed with some of the best chefs in the world, from all over the world. And you're going to have an opportunity to build your reputation as well first.

Yeah, and you're talking about relationship building. I think this is a great opportunity to make some of those connections as well where, you know, you maybe didn't know these other chefs you're working with but now they've seen what you can do and vice versa and I can only imagine the other opportunities that this would lead to

Yeah, exactly. If you're if you're in the headspace of wanting to be an independent, contracted chef like that, for these events, this is exactly where you want to be.

Well, what kind of compensation? I mean, does it pay pretty well to do this kind of work?

The pay is great, you know, I don't think we're ever paid enough for what we do. But the pay is really excellent. They really cover all of your expenses, they pay for your transportation, they pay for your travel, they pay for your hotel, they give you a per diem every day, you obviously we're chef, we don't need to be thin, they take care of all of that they really take care of everything down to luggage, you know, we're paid a good bit of money to go places that other people pay an exorbitant amount of money to be at. And for me, I always take the experience as part of compensation.

For me even just looking at like the short term type things where next week, I have no work right now. I mean, I know you don't really do it on short notice. But just like if you had like a week to fill with something that you can just go and work for a week, and then come back to your normal life, I think is amazing.

Yeah. And to that point, there, actually, now are those opportunities I, I am getting inundated with requests with last minute requests. Hey, Bob, do you have a guy who can go to a casino in Oklahoma? When, like tomorrow? Well, let me see who I have. So what this is, is a database building opportunity for me to put those folks in our intake system that says they're available on call. And so the process is really simple. So if I had that opportunity coming out, it would go out to everyone. But there are so many last minute requests chef that that that does happen. Now. Typically, we're forecasting now. I'm forecasting right now for the end of August. For the rest of the year. I have dates, I need two or three chefs for every week between now and the end of the year.

That sounds awesome. Well, I'm so glad that like we could talk because I know a lot of people who I think would jump at this and it sounds great. And and you have opportunities for people to start almost immediately kind of once they screen through with you correct?

Yeah, exactly. We have an interview process. We have a vetting process, you know, you're representing yourself as well, as you know, the League of Extraordinary chefs, you know, we have a reputation our our company is called rock star staffing. We've had our rock star staffing company for at least 15 years. And we started it because there were no real rock stars, there were attempts and, and and our tagline is, if you want to rock star, call us if you want to temp call somebody else. So the first part of that process is making sure you really are a rock star. And you'll be paid like a rock star, you'll be treated like a rock star, and you get to live like a rock star for at least a brief period of time.

Rock Stars, we'll get you all the info on where to apply. Well, what should people know that we haven't talked about? I mean, that sounds really great. Sometimes, you know, I even maybe won't say like too good to be true. But I know you and no, that's not the case. What else should people know?

You know, I get I get this question a lot like, it does seem too good to be true. And honestly, my honest answer to me is it really is too good to be true. Because I have been so blessed across my career, that I just this last Kentucky Derby was my 19th Kentucky Derby. I've done nearly every premier sporting event in the world because of these opportunities. And so, you know, it is an opportunity that that I don't think comes up very often. But for me the Why is at the end of the Kentucky Derby, you're there for 12 1314 days, you have worked an average of 14 hours a day for 14 days. And at the end of the derby, you stand on the roof of Churchill Downs with 200 of your now brothers and sisters in arms. And you watch the Kentucky Derby for two minutes from the roof of churchill downs. And I cannot express the feeling that you get when you look across at those other chefs that you've gone to battle with. And you created this environment and this experience for 200,000 people. And in that two minutes. You get to watch the race. And it is incredibly emotional and incredibly satisfying to be in that position. And that's really the why everything leads up to that moment. And that's the why

I'm on a lot of Facebook forums for personal chefs and private chefs and people always post these like spam ones. There's this one guy or a couple guys are always sending these emails saying like, we're a Hollywood director and we want you to come caterer or the set of our you know movie and it's going to pay this much. And then we sound amazing. And everyone's always so disappointed that these jobs are just not real. So I'm so glad I can share. You know, again, I know you, I know these are real. I know a lot of people who've worked with you, and that this is kind of the thing that I think so many people are looking for. So everything's covered, right? Like they don't have to pay for all the travel, it's all part of the compensation package, is that right?

It does not cost you a thing. It's, it's all worked out into it. They pay you they pay for everything. There's no like hidden fees, there's no Oh, God, I have to pay $500 to be a part of this. No, there's none of that. It's, it's literally if you want to go to work, I'm going to put you in contact with someone who wants you to work. And then you're going to go to work. And that's it, they're gonna pay you all of those things to take care. And we don't even have any out of pocket. Like they literally, you'll have to pay for your baggage fee, but they'll reimburse you when you land. So there is a luggage fee, but I'm pretty sure that that's going to be okay with most most folks. And

yeah, that's a very minor detail, right?

Well, 30 bucks to make a few $1,000 a week is a pretty good deal. So it's a really cool opportunity for folks in the culinary industry to dip their toe in this world. And it's a it's a whatever commitment, it is a six day or a two week commitment. But you're done at that, at that point. If you love it, and you know you love it, then we'll we'll keep putting you to work doing that. If you don't love it, you've had a great experience, you made a good amount of money, and you're and you're okay to walk away, you can at least try it. And I think today's environment for Hospitality has afforded everyone that unique opportunity to be able to do that where they weren't able to do it before.

Well, what's the best way for people to get in touch with you? And we'll put all of it in the show notes. But how do you want people to reach out if they're interested?

Best way to reach us is through staffing at Rock sticks in hell calm. And my cell phone number, which you have, and I'm sure you're going to post and just give me a call shoot me a text. It's It's me, it's chef Bob, I don't have a giant team working with me, unfortunately. And but shoot me an email. And we will we will start having the conversation that can get you to those events we have. We have right now. 24 chefs staffed around the country doing this work as we speak.

If anyone out there is listening, and you've gone and you've actually gone and worked with Bob, and you're listening to this after the fact let me know like, I really want to hear how this worked out. Because I'm hoping to hear some some stories, you know, maybe even I think it'd be really cool to do a round up. So you know, go and get this job and then come on the podcast, I'd love to hear your experiences, because I think these things are really cool. And I'd love to share the stories of people who you know, work at some of these events. And we're gonna get you on the show, Bob, I want to hear your whole story, get into your backstory and find out how you got started. So can we do that another time? For sure. Absolutely, we,

I'm personally hitting the road in a couple of weeks for an eight week period at once. I'll be at the western Southern open in Ohio. I'll be heading out to California in the middle of that. Then I'll be at the US Open in New York for tennis. And then I'll be in upstate New York. And then I'll be in New York City at Jacob Javits for the fancy Food Show. So anybody would like to join me on any of those adventures. Please just reach out, we'll see what we can find.

So thanks again for coming on the show. I think this is great. I'm so glad you could share this opportunity with the Chefs Without Restaurants community. And to all of our listeners. As always, this has been Chris, you can find us at Chefs Without restaurants.com.org and on all social media platforms. Thanks so much and have a great week. Thanks for listening to the Chefs Without Restaurants podcast. And if you're interested in being a guest on the show, or sponsoring the show, please let us know. We can be reached at Chefs Without restaurants@gmail.com Thanks so much.