You had no idea what to expect when starting at The Bear. You had come to stage, as you were a college student. 5 AM wasn’t a crazy hour to be at The Bear to start. You arrived on time, greeted by your fellow co-workers before asking for Carmen. Or Carmy. You weren’t sure what to call him. Mostly due to your own nerves. They felt on fire, and you somehow had gotten hired by one of the best chefs in the world. While you admired Carmen’s work, there was one person you admired even more.

Sydney. Of course you admired her in the sense of respecting her work ethic, how she interacts with others, and how well she manages stress (sometimes). When you asked your co-workers where Carmen was, they stated he was nowhere to be found. Could’ve been just running late. Sydney introduced herself and asked what college you were currently attending. When you replied, she smiled. Her friendliness was easing your nerves a bit, her energy much calmer than you expected.

“I’ve heard a lot of good things about that school. Very high quality culinary program. But I am biased towards CIA.” She showed you your station, along with telling you what you needed to do. Simple prep. “Starting you off on something calm, tame.” Syd said with a smile with a chuckle to pair. As you started your task, you two continued your small talk, mostly about the restaurant. “With service, it can be stressful, that’s a given. But, you’ve been hired. So, I know you’ll be okay. Probably.”