From minimum wage to restaurant owner 1

I had never been to a Skipper's Seafood and Chowder House until I was hired on at the Grants Pass, Oregon Skippers in November of 1993. I had relocated to the Grants Pass area in 1992 and rejoined the work force in 1993. It was nice to take that year off, and I have great memories of the time I was able to spend with my Mom and Dad. It was a time to focus on my life and a fresh start. After relocating from Southern California it was time to put my party 24/7 lifestyle in the past, and enjoy more sober moments. At the time Grants Pass was a thriving plywood mill town and supported at least 4 different mills, If you did not work at the mill it was most likely to get hired on at a service based job - such as a restaurant or a bar.
My father and brother both worked at the mill, and it was a good job, it just was not for me. Grants Pass did have lots of restaurants though, and restaurants had always interested me. When I was in high school I had worked at Burger King(only a couple of weeks) that was a horrible job. I spent a couple months at Numero Uno Pizzeria and that was a little better but not much. I then went to work for my chef uncle at the Buena Park Black Angus and that is where I found the magic of working in the kitchen and working with fantastic people. Fantastic Spanish people! I worked in a kitchen of all Mexican guys - and this is where I learned to cook and to clean.
These were some of the most humble and hard working people I have ever met. I have great memories of the teamwork cooking at the Black Angus.
When I turned my application in to the manager at Skippers in Grants Pass - he turned