Girls. Girls, girls, girls. You can’t live with them, you can’t live without them.
They really didn’t have much work and Jimmy Banquet Chef wasn’t into working very much. He and Bill spent two hours doing prep for Tuesday’s parties, but it was easy work. All the parties were prime rib, Duchess potatoes and broccoli. It couldn’t get any easier.
At a leisurely pace, they worked first downstairs in the butcher area taking the prime ribs out of the cryovac, trimming them, setting them into roasting pans and seasoning them. They covered the seasoned meat in mirepoix, roughly cut seasoned carrots, celery and onions that were sautéed in oil to get somewhat soft. Then they covered the roasting pans with film and set them in the walk-in ready to go for the next day.
The second part of the prep was making the Duchess potatoes. This was made easier because vegetable men peeled, cut and cooked the potatoes. All Jimmy Banquet Chef and Bill had to do was mash the cooked potatoes. This was done by machine in an industrial mixer. They added in, by the banquet chefs guidance, all the other ingredients, and once done and seasoned, the banquet Chef taught Bill how to use a piping bag and lay out the servings. All that would have to be done was “butter” them and bake them.
They didn’t work hard. They didn’t have to. They worked steady and easy and they left everything ready for the next day.
At nearly two-thirty Bill started setting up for The Falstaff Room. Jimmy G was in. He had gotten the truck but had not started any work. He waited for his cousin and his partner to finish what they were doing and he walked with them when they went out to where Kalista worked. There, before Bill and Jimmy G started the setup routine, they sat quietly, smoked a cigarette and drank espresso that Kalista made for them.
The three Greeks spoke among themselves in their native tongue. Jo Ann was in and Caesar was around. Jo Ann was setting up, making sure everything was in place for the service. They had left everything ready Saturday night, and now Bill saw her taking last-minute things to the different tables and straightening some things too. She also spent some time folding linens.
Jo Ann was wearing tight jeans and a blouse and she was still in street shoes which had heels. For her age, she did not look bad. For any age she did not look bad, Bill thought.
Bill had gone out into the dining room to see what was happening and he found himself looking at her ass. Of course he did not want her to know and he turned away from where he was looking at her and went back to where the Greeks were busy chatting.
“Like what you saw?” Jo Ann asked Bill when she came out to the pantry area to get some silver.
“What do you mean?” Bill asked.
“Don’t play stupid,” Jo Ann said.
“You want a real answer or an apology?” Bill said.
Jo Ann faced Bill and put a hand on her hip. “Real answer.”
“You look good,” Bill said. “I’m not flirting and I’m not making time. I’m just saying. It was natural for me to be looking.”
“Well thanks for saying I look good. I know you see a lot more in the uniform.”
“What color today?”
“Red with white lace.”
“Yummy,” Bill said.
“What I live for,” Jo Ann said.
Bill was happy that at least Caesar made himself scarce while they were hanging out by Kalista. It might have been different if the banquet chef were not there, maybe not. He wondered if Caesar had been told that he was the new first cook. He wondered if it would matter at all, thought probably not.
Finished chatting and drinking the coffee, they went back to work. The banquet chef told Jimmy G and Bill he’d see them later. Bill and Jimmy G went to start setting up for dinner. On the way, Bill told Jimmy G he was heading over to the laundry for a minute.
