Gentle cabrones:
I have seen chefs come and go the way families see the tide on a summer day.
I have seen great chefs fail and shitty chefs become rich. I’ve seen chefs self-destruct, and chefs find salvation in their dishes.
I’ve hung out with many a chef, and befriended next-to-none. I’ve had chefs tremble when I walk into their place, and others actively hate me even though I’ve never written about them (and that wasn’t the reason).
But there will only be one Chef Blurb
He was a mere line cook when I met him, young and eager and humble and talented. He moved on to another eatery, where he became the sous chef, then was able to parlay that gig into becoming the chef at a spot that wasn’t his.
The food kept getting better and better, and I always appreciate new talent, so I suggested to someone at the Infernal Rag to give them a shoutout. Chef Blurb deserved it, and I knew what the Infernal Rag’s imprimatur could do to a new place.
It happened: People started showing up, and people started knowing who Chef Blurb was.
That’s when Chef Blurb…changed.
The guy I once knew as kind and focused became arrogant and addled. He parlayed the Infernal Rag’s plug into a bigger gig, then took a step down in title but a step up in prestige by working for a famous OC space.
He became insufferable, then unmanageable, then unemployed…all because of the tiniest bit of praise.
The last time I saw him, he was drinking too much at a bar, his career effectively over before he hit 30.
Chef Blurb saw me, and turned his eyes away in shame. I didn’t bother to say what’s up.
Iskender kabob at the ever-great Istanbul Grill in Fountain Valley — gracias for the lecture, NelCYN
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I’ve written about the perils of believing in your own hype — but this canto isn’t that.
Rather, this is more about eyes on a prize that will never come — because it shouldn’t.
I’ve written before about my peculiar celebration whenever I unlock an achievement that truly impresses me: Strawberry Quik, yellow Zingers. This canto isn’t that. Nothing’s wrong with celebrating wins.
The problem happens when you think a win means something. It really doesn’t. A win is a win. It’s not a championship, it’s not a legacy. It’s a step in the right direction on a road to a somewhere you might not ever get to — but you stay on the road because that’s the point. The journey is what makes us and defines us, not what we ultimately get.
And journeys aren’t a quick thing. It’s a LYFE thing.
Chef Blurb’s foolish mistake was that he thought a small win was enough. Yes, it got him promotions — but he mistook the promotions for the end. When you win, that’s when the WERK starts. Homeboy not only didn’t up his game, or rest on his laurels — he regressed. His hype only took him so far before it destroyed him.
In journalism, we’re taught to always keep moving forward, like a shark. Don’t look back, because Satchel Paige might be looking at you. I know some wokosos feel this is too martial an approach — that you should enjoy your achievements.
Meh.
The real winners know you have to trudge on, have to continue. The trophy you want might never come — but it’s how you comported yourself and WERKED that people will remember.
I sometimes feel bad about telling my former colleagues to write about Chef Blurb. He wasn’t a bad person at all when I knew him. But I should’ve seen that he needed seasoning — some lumps, some defeats, so that when a win came, it was the fuel for what should’ve been next instead of the trophy that wasn’t. I sometimes think that if a year had passed, that writeup would’ve been the push he needed to level up instead of the poison pill that brought him down.
Then again, no.
Chef Blurb, you had it — ni modo!
**
Enough rambling. This was the semana that was:
Not visible — the decal of Hook and Cosmo on her helmet!
IMAGE OF THE WEEK: My media chica on Motohook after a quick date at Alebrije’s in SanTana
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “Money is like manure; it's not worth a thing unless it's spread around encouraging young things to grow” — Thorton Wilder (with a shoutout to Rick for flagging this one!)
LISTENING: “Cuando Salgo A Los Campos,” Los Alegres de Terán. Not my favorite Los Alegres song, and I actually think Luis Pérez Meza sang it better — but man, what a confessional weeper! The slow bajo sexto, the mournful accordion, the plaintive lyrics that just can’t shake their machismo — a beautiful song I always listen to no matter the version.
READING: “Who Ate Where”: New York and its verticals is never a not-great magazine — but when they bring it, they Bring It. This package! A history of New York, told through the people who have eaten at its restaurants. Delmonico’s, Katz’s, Toots Shor’s, La Côte Basque, Elaine’s AND Cositas Ricas — one of the best packages I’ve read in a while, with the writing and archival photos to prove it.
BUY MY NEW CO-BOOK! People’s Guide to Orange County tells an alternative history of OC through the scholarship and reporting of myself, Elaine Lewinnek, and Thuy Vo Dang. There’ll be signings all year — in meanwhile, buy your copy TODAY. And, yes: I’ll autograph it!
Gustavo Events
April 17, 6 p.m.: I’m going to be in conversation with Profe Natalia Molina, Macarthur genius and author of the splendid A Place at the Nayarit, which is now in paperback. We’ll be at the Whittier Public Library, 7344 Washington Ave. It’s a ticketed event, and apparently it’s sold out — but I can’t imagine them turning you away if you give them a 20 as a donation, you know. Tell them I put you up to it!
April 21: I’m going to be at the L.A. Times Festival of Books at USC— for sure in conversation with author Hector Tobar, but probably more events as well. Attendance is FREE, but you gotta make reservations for at least Hector — details next week!
Gustavo in the News
“The Impact of 99 Cents Only Store Closures; a Shady Voting Tactic by Democratic Lawmakers–Coachella Valley Independent's Indy Digest: April 11, 2024”: The Coachella Valley Independent shouts out a columna of mine.”
“Here's Why It's A Travesty That Dollar Stores Like The 99 Cents Stores Are Closing”: HuffPo shouts out a columna of mine.
“Part 93: Bad Journalism in Los Angeles – Oceanwide Plaza as a Symbol of Political Corruption”: Legendary whistleblower Zachary Ellison recounts my tagging beef with Rick Caruso.
Gustavo Stories
“Immigration activists raise alarms about OC ICE transfers”: My latest KCRW “Orange County Line” commentary talks about the latest Sheriff Don Barnes pendejada.
“Frosted Faces Foundation”: I record my honey and have a cameo as we take Cosmo and Hook to visit Frosted Faces Foundation to see the banner we donated and give them a $400 donation from the Guti Gang stickers we have sold at Alta Baja Market!
"IRS Direct File Is Up And Running–What’s The Rollout Been Like For Its First Year?”: I appear on AirTalk to make Larry Mantle laugh about my time at the Infernal Rag.
“99 Cents Only stores: Can ‘fellowship of frugality’ be saved?” Press Play with Madeleine Brand has me on to talk about a columna of mine.
“More than just a store, 99 Cents Only gave a fair shake to all who entered”: My latest L.A. Times columna eulogizes the discout chain. KEY QUOTE: “Those of us in this fellowship of frugality seek out bargains because we know that California’s booms inevitably end in bust.”
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