8 words to remember.

Although still a startup, the concept of KimBrûlée has recently taken off with the help of a few people that I was thinking about last night. One in particular was such an influence that she bears the topic of this blog entry.

Sometime back in the late 1970’s a family friend and I took it upon ourselves to take over his parents’ diner while they continued with another one. I had such limited experience in a commercial kitchen at the time, but my friend’s mother, Eleanore Calis took me under her wing, time and again saying 8 simple words that have stuck with me like glue to this day.

“Let me show you how I do this”

I’m a visual learner and these words not only told me to watch what she was doing, but also gave me confidence that I could do it myself.

I never told her how important those 8 words were to me and it’s unfortunate that I’ve lost contact with her family over the years. She was a great teacher and even though she never knew it, she was my mentor-to-be.

I have a new business mentor now. I tell her all the time how much I appreciate her help. But those 8 simple words from Eleanore Calis have never left my mind. Every time I learn something new or teach someone else, I hear her voice saying “let me show you how I do this”. It showed me that she cared and wanted to share her knowledge and her passion. At least that’s how I look at it. And now I pass that same culinary passion along to others.

I dedicate this blog entry to my former mentor, friend and 2nd mother Eleanore Calis. Also thanks to Joe, Aida and Amy. And of course, Jill and Anna.