SHOP “CHLOE” BY KATE RAY ON ETSY
I met Chloe during my employment at Applebee’s in Seminole, Florida in 2021. She was hired as a hostess and she was the best. She had drive to learn, drive to grow; a very innocent and sweet girl. She couldn’t do anything wrong or questionable. A true mature adult. And she was barely 21. There were times when she took care of me. After about a year, she was ready to become a server.
Chloe reminds me of myself at my first restaurant job during my time in New York City. I started as a hostess and worked as a hostess at two different places for about two years. I was the head hostess/maître de at my second restaurant and was in charge of all party and event planning and seating the floor each night. I, too, wanted to switch to serving after I had timed out my hostessing skills. The restaurant I was currently working for trained me to serve and trained me to bartend (which I am very grateful for that time), however they would not give me enough serving shifts, because the owner and the GM knew I was the best hostess they’d ever have and they liked me in that position. So I put my two weeks in and I found a new restaurant and was hired as a server. In New York I bounced around jobs often… many restaurants, many bars, even a pool hall. I learned everything I could about the industry.
Anyway, Chloe wanted to serve. So I took this “mini-me” under my wing. I trained her and mentored her and she was my second-in-command every night. I closed the restaurant five nights a week as the “closing server”, and she was my “late stay.” In a restaurant you start out with numerous servers for the busy parts of the night. As the night winds down you start to cut servers and they do side-work, claim their money, I check them out, and they go home early. I never cut Chloe. She wanted to be there and wanted to work, just like me. Everyone else asked to go home. Chloe and I were at the top of our game for a while at Applebee’s. I am no longer there, however Chloe has taken lead charge of the team now and I have never been so proud of someone. She was me when I first started, however she’s more innocent than my past.
I hate birthdays. In April of 2023, she found out it was my birthday. She got mad at me for not telling her. I’m not a birthday person… Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday/event. The next week I came into work and she had bought me a birthday present. Lots of different things: candy, chocolate, candles, a hand-written card, and two boxes of mixed beads. My hobby of beading bracelets was really big during my Applebee’s days, I often shared friendship bracelets with my coworkers and even had some regulars request to buy bracelets. I wasn’t serious about selling them or making a business at this point. She knew me so well and bought me beads for my birthday. Her’s was the ONLY birthday present I received that year. One box was a “glass beads mix” and the other box was a “wooden beads mix.” So, I have named this collection after her and this collection is a thank you for her having my back as my second for two years.
SHOP “CHLOE” BY KATE RAY ON ETSY
