Lessons from a Mentor I Still Remember After 15 Years

Before I got married, I worked as a pastry chef at a cake shop.

Looking at the words alone, it might sound like, 'Oh, what a cute job!', but in reality, it involves quite long hours and physical labor.

I would start work at 7:00 AM and get home at 8:00 PM. That's roughly 13 hours of work. I was given a one-hour break, and I only experienced pulling all-nighters during the Christmas season a few times, so I think it was still better than other cake shops.

That cake shop was my first job, and I learned a lot there.

Not just how to make cakes, but also customer service, how to work efficiently, and proper etiquette.

It was a small shop, so there were only about three staff members working in the kitchen. The relationships were quite good. The chef was terrifying when he got angry, but he was basically a friendly person, so we often joked around with each other.

It has been about 15 years since I left that cake shop, but I still visit during the Obon holidays and New Year's.

It's not close to where I live now, and I can only go when I return to my parents' home, so why do I still visit? If I had to sum it up in one word, it's because the relationships were good, but the fact that I was taught
the mindset for working is a huge part of it.

The first is how to speak to superiors.

It was my first job after graduating from vocational school. I was working a job I loved in a fun workplace. Because of that, I sometimes got carried away. I even spoke to the chef in a disrespectful way. Even now, when I think back on it, it's pretty bad. If I were in the chef's position, I would have lectured myself for 30 minutes. (30 minutes is a long time...)

When I committed what you might call the follies of youth, I was scolded by the chef, and I was able to properly understand that it was 'wrong' and reflect on the fact that I had 'done it'.

In the Reiwa era, I wonder how people respond to subordinates who speak to them like that. It seems like many superiors would just ignore it. If they said anything, it would probably be labeled as power harassment immediately. I don't know, though.

The second is one's attitude toward work.

I am basically a serious person, so I would work silently while thinking about how to finish the prep work smoothly, but there was a period when work had settled down and we were just waiting for closing time, and I would spend that time sitting on something like a kitchen shelf. Yeah, that was really not good.

The chef let it slide a few times, but one time he scolded me, saying, 'You're not done yet, so don't be lazy.' Of course he was right. Every word he said was correct.

If you have time, you should look for things you can do, like restocking supplies or practicing nappe (the process of spreading fresh cream on a sponge cake). Especially when you're a newcomer.

I was just a newcomer when I was sitting around lazily waiting for closing time. Hey, don't ever do that...

The third is the fact that you are working while being paid.

This is it. The most memorable thing about this restaurant.

At the time, this restaurant paid salaries in cash.

Every month after work on payday, we would line up in front of the chef, and he would hand them to us one by one, saying, "Good work."

On my first payday, when I went in front of the chef to receive it, he told me, "Don't use one hand, use both. I won't give it to someone who doesn't receive it with both hands."

Some of you might think, "What a Showa-era style???" But this is a "crucially important thing" that remains deeply rooted in me today.

You work for a month and earn wages. Through this interaction with the chef, I felt very strongly that we are working while receiving money.

When exchanging business cards, you generally receive them with both hands, right? I believe this is an etiquette equivalent to that.

Now, I outsource some work to writers, and when I transfer payments to them, I always send a message saying, "I have just transferred the payment. Thank you for your work last month as well.🌸"

When I am in the position of receiving payment, I have almost never received such a message. But since I cannot hand it over in person, I want to at least convey it via chat. I work every day with that thought in mind.

I am glad that this was my first place of employment. Thank you so much for teaching me so many things.

Recently, I have been broadening my horizons beyond writing projects, and I am also accepting work as an online secretary or remote assistant.

Please request work here.🌸
*I also have connections with reliable writers, so please feel free to consult with me about any kind of project.

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