Katriel's Life Steps Part 5
After a year of working in Dubai, Katriel returned to the United States. He started looking for a job, and found, thanks to his resume, a chef who needed help opening a restaurant called "Salt Cellar".
From the very first moment, Katriel saw the opportunity to sell himself in the position he wanted. So he said to his future boss: "I'll start in the position you give me, and if you like the way I work, move me to the position of Sous Chef". His boss agreed, and in no time Katriel had already started working.
He went from frying potatoes to making fish and meat. And after that, he went to work on the grill. They tried it out and it stuck. For him, it was a place of creativity and freedom, because he could experiment with the tastes and combinations that were best for grilling. In addition to this, he began to manage the kitchen and organize costs, schedules, and numbers. He was able to do this because of the efficiency he had gained over the years and to show his best and earn the position of Sous Chef. Unfortunately, time passed and this was not granted to him. But at the same time, as a stroke of luck, he got an opportunity to go to work in Senegal as a consultant.
Once again, an adventure on another continent awaited him. And as Katriel's way of life would have it, if there is an adventure, you have to live it. So he boarded the plane and arrived in Senegal. A very nice restaurant called “La Pampa” was waiting for him, but it needed a lot of organization. He went with a menu and training program to sell and implement.
The challenge he found is that the employees working in those kitchens don't want to be chefs, they work for a living. This causes passion to be lacking and inevitably that reflects in the work. But on the positive side, they were eager to learn. Katriel knew how to find a way to engage them and capture their interest.
So that they could fulfill their day-to-day tasks in the right way and fall in love with the kitchen.
He did everything from scratch. He changed the recipes, the ways of working, and the systems such as how to receive the food and how to store it. He also did social media management. He worked 15 hours a day in this place. And after three months, he returned to the United States. So he searched tirelessly for a chef, who was up to the task of maintaining the team, and the work that had cost him so much.
As for Katriel's personal experience, he had a difficult few months away from his family and friends, in a very different culture. The history of Senegal is a challenging one, and the effects of slavery and political difficulties are still felt to this day. It was challenging for Katriel to understand and become accustomed to this culture, though now, these are some of the memories he holds dearest.
Among these difficulties, he has many fond memories of profound experiences. When he went fishing in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, where huge fish came out of the water. And where the sea looked super huge and full. Katriel remembers that he had a strong moment of connection with himself. He thought that, if something happened to him at that moment, he was already very grateful and satisfied with the road he had traveled. But it was only a thought because he could not imagine all that he had yet to experience.