(no subject)
WHO: Blaise and Stephen
WHERE: Circe's
WHEN: Midday, Friday (last week!)
WHAT: An interview!
Stephen was not the sort of person who enjoyed wearing a suit and tie, and therefore tended to look out of place and uncomfortable in such attire. Yet despite knowingZabini - albeit at a distance - from being at the same year at school, Stephen felt it was important to take this interview seriously and look the part. After briefly considering hisbartending uniform (hey, it had a tie), he chose a blue striped shirt and dark trousers, both of which were well cut and relatively expensive, and most importantly not faded, fraying or torn in any way. A little spell work darkened his bleached hair to a slightly browner hue and he removed the chain from round his neck but kept his earring in. One final assessment in the mirror and Stephen was satisfied. He looked professional, but still like himself.
With his resume and other relevant material placed in a folder, Stephen departed his flat and apparated to Circe's. On entering, he looked round for Zabini.
Blaise was, and always had been, a punctual sort of person, and it had only became more necessary that he be punctual now that he had the responsibility of getting the banquet hall off the ground and open. And, a part of that, was finding staff.Ames , his grandfather, had said that talent was the most important thing when it came to the food. Worry about the food first, and then the design. A place could be the best looking in the world, but if the food didn't attract guests, it'd end up in the hole within a year. And as this wasBlaise's one chance to fix what his mother had done, he was very adamant that this succeeded.
Which was why he owled Stephen Summerby, actually. He had the talent, and had yet to find a job in that field, which made hiring him a brilliant thing to do actually. Possibly the most brilliant thing he could do at the moment.
Smiling lightly to himself, he lifted his glass of wine and took a sip as he waited for Summerby to arrive at the table.
Spotting Zabini, Stephen made his way to the table, glad that he was on time and looking presentable. Zabini had, always, been one of the well-dressed set and Stephen would have felt uncomfortable if he was at a disadvantage. Even so, it still felt peculiar being interviewed by a man who was the same age.
"Mr Zabini," he held out his hand. "Stephen Summerby."
Although the introduction might seem redundant, there was a chance Blaise didn't really remember him. Stephen had moved into the flats only shortly before Blaise left, so they hadn't encountered each other there and Hogwarts felt like a lifetime away. And people often had a mental picture of a European in their head when they heard Stephen's name, the Asian features weren't expected.
Blaise noticed Summerby as he approached the table, and set down his wine glass in enough time to stand and shake the other man's hand. His memory of Summerby erred to the side of virtually nonexistent, and most of what he did know was from his time at Euterpe's Corner. Other than the slight eyebrow raise he gave upon seeing him, there was nothing he was exceptionally surprised about.
"Mr. Summerby, I'm glad you agreed to meet with me."
"Thank you for arranging the meeting," Stephen smiled. "And please call me Stephen," once his hand was released, he sat down, his folder on his knees. "I'm certainly interested in what you have to say about this opportunity."
Blaise only returned the smile pleasantly as he retook his seat, folding his hands on the table. "Yes, well, I'm not going to pretend that the first year won't be the hardest of all, but it's very important to me that I build up a strong reputation for the right reasons, starting with the kitchen."
"Of course, I may be biased, but the food is certainly the one of most important factors of a catering hall," Stephen opened his folder and drew out his CV, along with testimonials from people he'd recently done some casual catering for. "As you see, although I have been working as a bartender during the last few months, I've kept up my culinary skills, and while I was overseas I also worked in several kitchens," the CV also showed that while Stephen had done a variety of jobs, they all revolved around the hospitality sector in some manner, whether it was cooking, waiting tables or being a host in Japanese club.
Blaise took the CV as it was handed to him, skimming it initially for the important details, though he would be sure to look at it more closely at a later time. "Your amount of experience is impressive." He commented, though his gaze remained on the material he had in his hands. After a moment, he set it aside. "I'm fairly set on the fact that I'd like to hire you. And that I currently have no concerns to address regarding that. Are there any concerns of your own?"
Stephen raised an eyebrow slightly, a pleased expression in his eyes. Of course he was happy that Blaise wanted to hire him, it was a nice balm to the ego after all. However, there was still plenty to settle. So he leaned forward, not aggressive, just clearly engaged. "Well, that's good to hear. Naturally I have a great deal of questions regarding the nature of the employment. First of all, what place will I have as a chef in the kitchens - will it be a small or large team - do you have a Head Chef, and will I be sous chef or chefde partie?"
Great deal of questions, Blaise thought to himself, was possibly an understatement if there were anymore questions to follow. Blaise, of course, had been prepared for them. His dedication to this project was that high. "As we're starting out somewhat small, the kitchen staff will reflect that a bit. As of now, a few chefde partie stations have been combined, but with the expansion of the banquet hall, the staff will be accommodated. There will indeed be a Chefde Cuisine, picked out by Mr. Ames Moreau himself. As for which position you're being offered... though initially, I was considering a chef de partie position, that is easily negotiable."
"Chef de partie suits me," Stephen smiled. "I may have kitchen experience, but I'm still a beginner in many respects," he was glad that Blaise was taking this seriously. He'd been concerned that he might turn out to be some rich kid who didn't really care about the project. "I have no particular preference for which station I am in, since I'm interested in all aspects of cuisine," he sat back slightly. "My next questions are more mundane. When would you wish me to start, hours and of course, pay rate."
Blaise nodded, making mental note of that for when he returned to his office later. "We're scheduled to open at the end of July, so I'd prefer if the staff met at least the week beforehand to get used to working with each other. I want the first weekend to go smoothly. The hours may range between six and eight hours, with a starting salary for a chefde partie, of course with options for a pay rise in six months' time."
"That timeframe suits, it gives me enough time to give notice at Sirens and the hours are fine, I assume that will be the regular sort of shifts?" Stephen nodded, fully agreeable to meeting the other members of the team earlier and considering it a sensible plan. He considered the pay rate with slightly pursed lips. A starting salary for a chefde partie was to be expected and it was on par with his current Sirens salary, although he wouldn't be making extra money in tips which would make things tight. "If there is a six month review then that rate is acceptable."
Blaise was pleased to find that this meeting, so far, had been easy and amicable, and they had yet to come to a disagreement on any such topic. Truthfully, he hadn't thought of the idea o actually reviewing his chefs, but the idea did have merit. And made sense. "There will be a review to determine raises, and amounts, yes."
Stephen was thinking along the same lines as Blaise and it made him feel much more comfortable about the future. "In that case, I feel confident that I would well in your business," he said, after running through any another immediate concerns. It was really his station in the team that had been of major concern, followed by hours and pay, which were very normal concerns for any individual who had to live on what they earned. "I will, of course, like to have time to review any contract before signing, but at the moment I can say my acceptance for your offer is very likely."
Blaise smiled at that, pleased to have one more thing to mark off his to-do list. "Lovely. I'll have one drafted and owled to you sometime next week?"
"Perfect," Stephen nodded and held out his hand for Blaise to shake. "I look forward to it."
-fin-
WHERE: Circe's
WHEN: Midday, Friday (last week!)
WHAT: An interview!
Stephen was not the sort of person who enjoyed wearing a suit and tie, and therefore tended to look out of place and uncomfortable in such attire. Yet despite knowingZabini - albeit at a distance - from being at the same year at school, Stephen felt it was important to take this interview seriously and look the part. After briefly considering hisbartending uniform (hey, it had a tie), he chose a blue striped shirt and dark trousers, both of which were well cut and relatively expensive, and most importantly not faded, fraying or torn in any way. A little spell work darkened his bleached hair to a slightly browner hue and he removed the chain from round his neck but kept his earring in. One final assessment in the mirror and Stephen was satisfied. He looked professional, but still like himself.
With his resume and other relevant material placed in a folder, Stephen departed his flat and apparated to Circe's. On entering, he looked round for Zabini.
Blaise was, and always had been, a punctual sort of person, and it had only became more necessary that he be punctual now that he had the responsibility of getting the banquet hall off the ground and open. And, a part of that, was finding staff.Ames , his grandfather, had said that talent was the most important thing when it came to the food. Worry about the food first, and then the design. A place could be the best looking in the world, but if the food didn't attract guests, it'd end up in the hole within a year. And as this wasBlaise's one chance to fix what his mother had done, he was very adamant that this succeeded.
Which was why he owled Stephen Summerby, actually. He had the talent, and had yet to find a job in that field, which made hiring him a brilliant thing to do actually. Possibly the most brilliant thing he could do at the moment.
Smiling lightly to himself, he lifted his glass of wine and took a sip as he waited for Summerby to arrive at the table.
Spotting Zabini, Stephen made his way to the table, glad that he was on time and looking presentable. Zabini had, always, been one of the well-dressed set and Stephen would have felt uncomfortable if he was at a disadvantage. Even so, it still felt peculiar being interviewed by a man who was the same age.
"Mr Zabini," he held out his hand. "Stephen Summerby."
Although the introduction might seem redundant, there was a chance Blaise didn't really remember him. Stephen had moved into the flats only shortly before Blaise left, so they hadn't encountered each other there and Hogwarts felt like a lifetime away. And people often had a mental picture of a European in their head when they heard Stephen's name, the Asian features weren't expected.
Blaise noticed Summerby as he approached the table, and set down his wine glass in enough time to stand and shake the other man's hand. His memory of Summerby erred to the side of virtually nonexistent, and most of what he did know was from his time at Euterpe's Corner. Other than the slight eyebrow raise he gave upon seeing him, there was nothing he was exceptionally surprised about.
"Mr. Summerby, I'm glad you agreed to meet with me."
"Thank you for arranging the meeting," Stephen smiled. "And please call me Stephen," once his hand was released, he sat down, his folder on his knees. "I'm certainly interested in what you have to say about this opportunity."
Blaise only returned the smile pleasantly as he retook his seat, folding his hands on the table. "Yes, well, I'm not going to pretend that the first year won't be the hardest of all, but it's very important to me that I build up a strong reputation for the right reasons, starting with the kitchen."
"Of course, I may be biased, but the food is certainly the one of most important factors of a catering hall," Stephen opened his folder and drew out his CV, along with testimonials from people he'd recently done some casual catering for. "As you see, although I have been working as a bartender during the last few months, I've kept up my culinary skills, and while I was overseas I also worked in several kitchens," the CV also showed that while Stephen had done a variety of jobs, they all revolved around the hospitality sector in some manner, whether it was cooking, waiting tables or being a host in Japanese club.
Blaise took the CV as it was handed to him, skimming it initially for the important details, though he would be sure to look at it more closely at a later time. "Your amount of experience is impressive." He commented, though his gaze remained on the material he had in his hands. After a moment, he set it aside. "I'm fairly set on the fact that I'd like to hire you. And that I currently have no concerns to address regarding that. Are there any concerns of your own?"
Stephen raised an eyebrow slightly, a pleased expression in his eyes. Of course he was happy that Blaise wanted to hire him, it was a nice balm to the ego after all. However, there was still plenty to settle. So he leaned forward, not aggressive, just clearly engaged. "Well, that's good to hear. Naturally I have a great deal of questions regarding the nature of the employment. First of all, what place will I have as a chef in the kitchens - will it be a small or large team - do you have a Head Chef, and will I be sous chef or chefde partie?"
Great deal of questions, Blaise thought to himself, was possibly an understatement if there were anymore questions to follow. Blaise, of course, had been prepared for them. His dedication to this project was that high. "As we're starting out somewhat small, the kitchen staff will reflect that a bit. As of now, a few chefde partie stations have been combined, but with the expansion of the banquet hall, the staff will be accommodated. There will indeed be a Chefde Cuisine, picked out by Mr. Ames Moreau himself. As for which position you're being offered... though initially, I was considering a chef de partie position, that is easily negotiable."
"Chef de partie suits me," Stephen smiled. "I may have kitchen experience, but I'm still a beginner in many respects," he was glad that Blaise was taking this seriously. He'd been concerned that he might turn out to be some rich kid who didn't really care about the project. "I have no particular preference for which station I am in, since I'm interested in all aspects of cuisine," he sat back slightly. "My next questions are more mundane. When would you wish me to start, hours and of course, pay rate."
Blaise nodded, making mental note of that for when he returned to his office later. "We're scheduled to open at the end of July, so I'd prefer if the staff met at least the week beforehand to get used to working with each other. I want the first weekend to go smoothly. The hours may range between six and eight hours, with a starting salary for a chefde partie, of course with options for a pay rise in six months' time."
"That timeframe suits, it gives me enough time to give notice at Sirens and the hours are fine, I assume that will be the regular sort of shifts?" Stephen nodded, fully agreeable to meeting the other members of the team earlier and considering it a sensible plan. He considered the pay rate with slightly pursed lips. A starting salary for a chefde partie was to be expected and it was on par with his current Sirens salary, although he wouldn't be making extra money in tips which would make things tight. "If there is a six month review then that rate is acceptable."
Blaise was pleased to find that this meeting, so far, had been easy and amicable, and they had yet to come to a disagreement on any such topic. Truthfully, he hadn't thought of the idea o actually reviewing his chefs, but the idea did have merit. And made sense. "There will be a review to determine raises, and amounts, yes."
Stephen was thinking along the same lines as Blaise and it made him feel much more comfortable about the future. "In that case, I feel confident that I would well in your business," he said, after running through any another immediate concerns. It was really his station in the team that had been of major concern, followed by hours and pay, which were very normal concerns for any individual who had to live on what they earned. "I will, of course, like to have time to review any contract before signing, but at the moment I can say my acceptance for your offer is very likely."
Blaise smiled at that, pleased to have one more thing to mark off his to-do list. "Lovely. I'll have one drafted and owled to you sometime next week?"
"Perfect," Stephen nodded and held out his hand for Blaise to shake. "I look forward to it."
-fin-