“Through interviewing you learn about others and what they know, counsel or get counseling from others, and get or don’t get the job you want” (DeVito, 2017). Interviewing is a great means to get to know another person, especially in situations where one is trying to complete a research or trying to get to know someone to hire them for a prospective job. This paper will be presenting the findings from a one-on-one interview done with an upcoming chef in Miami Beach named Michael Ben-Aish who is a good friend of mine. The interview explored Ben-Aish’s journey in becoming a successful chef in a luxury catering company without having any culinary background or training, and his determination in continuing education while pursuing the hobby he loves.
Ben-Aish explained that he had a wild childhood with a lot of adventures, some of them which got him in trouble, a trouble that eventually lead him to go to a child detention center. However, through this challenging experience, Ben-Aish was able to generate some good out of it by leaving himself out of further trouble within the detention center and involving himself in the offered cooking classes there to make himself busy. Through these cooking classes, Ben-Aish noticed that only is he staying out of trouble in the detention center and learning a new skill, but he actually loves and enjoys this new skill his learning. Moreover, Ben-Aish had goals of never repeating his mistakes and returning to school as soon as he was out of there, which he supported by getting his GED within the detention center.
Once out of the detention center, Ben-Aish relentlessly attempted getting cooking jobs, and finally landed one in Buffalo Wild Wings, which he stayed in for two years. Although he was getting m mum pay and horrible treatment by his bosses, Ben-Aish was happy to be cooking on the line and doing what he enjoys. After meeting his partner, Ben-Aish returned to school, and his partner who was involved in working in hotels provided a pathway for him to leave Buffalo Wild Wings and enter Hilton hotels, where his skills flourished even more, and he gained substantial experience. Nevertheless, Hilton was yet another business taking advantage of Michael’s amazing work ethic. Ben-Aish was the only prep cook in the whole hotel, and the days he were off, no work was done, and everything would be piled up. By the time Michael was back to work, not only did he have to do the day’s job, but also do the two days of work that nobody did anything about. Although being continuously promised a higher pay and more hours, these things were never fulfilled.
After discovering the company ShiftGig, Ben-Aish had the courage to quit Hilton, and began working at events that ShiftGig sent him to. These events varied from simple ones such as small parties in the Wynwood Yard in Midtown Miami to luxury catering events like weddings in the Vizcaya Gardens & Museum in Coconut Grove. Next thing Ben-Aish knew, he was being offered jobs left and right from the clients of ShiftGig; they didn’t want to hire him through ShiftGig anymore, they wanted his skills for themselves. However, Michael had already experienced two jobs where he wasn’t appreciated and where his energy and time weren’t treated as they should be. So Ben-Aish was cautious and careful in making his decision of where to work next. He turned down various jobs including that of working at Barry University, University of Miami, Miami International Airport, the Edition Hotel, among many others. Ultimately, Michael got a job offer that he couldn’t turn down, which was the job offer by Chef Dewey from the Food Network who is in charge of Bill Hansen Catering Company. Michael now happily works for various luxury catering events that take place all across South Florida, and regardless of his lack of culinary background and education, Michael is well-liked and regarded for his amazing work ethic, his unstoppable curiosity for learning, and his determination.
What’s respectable about Ben-Aish is on top of all the events that took place in his life, he never put education on the back burner. As soon as he had the opportunity, Michael enrolled into college, and is also currently pursuing a Bachelor’s in Computer Science. Michael made it clear to me that cooking was a hobby that he loved and enjoyed, but he never sees it as a career for his life. Rather, Michael wishes to engage in coding to keep up with the ever-growing technology and sciences of this world. As can be seen, my interview with Michael Ben-Aish allowed me to see and understand his inspirational story as well as comprehend what the art of one-on-one interviewing can accomplish.
References
De Vito, J. (2017). Essentials of Human Communication (9th ed.). Pearson Education, Inc.
