"A Rolling Stone"
"You cannot dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and forge yourself one". Henri David Thoreau
I teach and mentor and I make the best of each hour of each day. This is how I give back.
It all started in the early 70's when I'd get on a Greyhound Bus in Harrisburg, PA on a Saturday morning at 6am and arrive in Saskatoon Tuesday night at 9pm to work on my Uncle's farm each summer. North Battleford was the last leg of the trip but being picked up by family is always cool and I was close to my final destination.
I'd travel with 2 suitcases every summer. One full of Hershey's chocolate ( remember my Dad was the Captain of The Bears and he was paid in chocolate ) and the other were my clothes.
It was a grueling bus ride but I found ways of killing time. The Chocolate bars ( Golden Almond Bars ) were worth their weight in gold when it comes to bartering in the Mid West. And one summer I met a girl in her twenties in a red velvet jump suit. That's not the story. Focus.
My Uncle was the biggest exporter of sunflower in N. America. We measure land in hectares in Canada. At the age of 13 I'd get to drive a state of the art tractor that had air conditioning, power steering and an 8 track player. The tires on this tractor were 2 stories high. I remember my first time at the wheel. Richard told me to just follow the line. Ok I said. That sounds easy enough.
I plugged in some ZZ Top and hit the gas. I'm cruising along and started making my first turn and I hear yelling over the extreme loudness of the tractor's engines, the AC blowing and ZZ Top's "Arrested for driving while blind" blaring. It was Richard running frantically behind the tractor waving his arms and screaming at me because I took a really wide turn and I was in the next hectare taking out crops. Lesson learned.
We would work from 5am till the sun went down ( around 10pm ). It was tough work and we needed energy. My Aunt Margaret always made us breakfast, brought us lunch in the field and awesome wholesome dinners. We ate really well and trust me there is nothing... I repeat nothing like the fresh air on a farm. You want to get in shape? Work on a farm.
One day my Uncle handed me a shovel and told me to get into the Silo and make sure the grain was level as he filled it from the top. He said I'd pop out the top when it was full. Ok I said not knowing that this was really not a good idea. I mean c'mon people. I'm lucky to be writing this story right now.
Canada and my Canadian Family were instrumental in my work ethic. Everyone just worked hard at what they did with honesty and integrity.
As I got into my Culinary career working along side some of the finest European Chefs in 4 and 5 Star Hotels solidified my work ethic. These guys were maniacs. I never wanted to take a day off. I'd always cover for other cooks and work their shifts instead of being off. I was learning so much I didn't want to miss a minute. I only hope to inspire the next generation of this.
To this day my neighbors will tell you I never stop. If I'm not at the Club I'm at my home doing landscaping, hardscape, or working on some kind of project.
Remember a rolling stone gathers no moss right?
Yours truly,
Chef Keller