In January 2008, I was completing grad school and began babysitting for a family who had relocated from NYC to Toledo, Ohio, due to the father's job. I met them while working as a waiter and room service porter at the Hilton Hotel. I was 25.
By June, I moved to NYC after accepting a position in the NYC Teaching Fellow's Program. Before I left, this family offered their support, saying, "If you need ANYTHING in New York, please please please let us know."
However, I quickly realized that the cost of living in NYC, combined with my student loan and credit card debt, made it impossible to sustain a life as a public school teacher. I reached out to the only people I knew in the city—this family in Toledo—to see if they could connect me with anyone hiring. They introduced me to several friends in the hospitality industry.
One of those friends, and this is WILD in retro, was
Danny Meyer. The father of the family introduced us over email, and my response was so laughably green, essentially saying, "Nice to meet you Mr. Meyer! I heard you have a restaurant or two?!" Danny replied promptly, inviting me to the Union Square Hospitality Group's home office for an interview with their HR team.
In July 2008, just three weeks after moving to NYC with $40K in debt, no friends, no job, no romantic prospects, no permanent housing, two suitcases, and $800 to my name, I began working at
Gramercy Tavern, where I stayed until 2015.
Fast forward 18 years, and
Ironclad's new office is located in the exact same building, just two floors below where I interviewed with USHG as a newbie to NYC. I am filled with awe, wonder, and gratitude.
Thank you to everyone who ever took a chance on me. If you are out there looking, don’t hesitate to ask for help. You never know how things will turn out.