If, for the most part, you follow the recipe, you’ll generally be pleased with the result. That’s true WHEN you cook. It’s also true if you ARE a cook. Eric Cook to be precise, who is coincidentally a chef and owner of Gris Gris on Magazine Street.
Eric’s story is uniquely New Orleans and quintessentially American. After serving his country in the Marine Corps, Eric Cook needed a job. So his sister new somebody who knew a guy who was able to get him an entry level job at Brennan’s. Everybody in New Orleans knows a guy who’s sister once worked with...right?
Eric could’ve grumbled about the work being beneath him, but he didn’t.
Instead, he applied himself and learned his craft from the bottom up. When he felt he was ready, he risked what he had to open his own restaurant, which has been quite successful.
He RISKED what he had, and he is now fully entitled to whatever rewards he reaps. That’s the way capitalism is supposed to work. It’s refreshing to see that it still does.
Success happens when preparation meets opportunity. The recipe consists of humility, obedience, patience and intelligence. Before you can run the place you should know something about how it operates. Some people fail to recognize that and are doomed to struggle all their lives, usually blaming everyone else along the way but themselves.
Listen to what Eric had to say about discipline, respect, opportunity and more as we chatted this morning.