Kitchen and Dog Parks
Presented by Society Insurance
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By Rebekah Goldman
As soon as my dogs hear the sound of my keys jingle, their ears perk up and tails start wagging. It’s almost as if they stop breathing and stare patiently for the invite of “do you want to go for a ride?”
In the car, they must wonder where we are going and what adventure awaits in the near future. When we make our turn into the neighborhood near the dog park they have come to know and love so well... all hell breaks loose in the car and they realize...we are going to the dog park!!
We put their leashes on and can hardly get them out of the car without being twisted and turned 90 million ways as a result of their extreme excitement and we do our best to make our way to the gate.
Once inside, we remove their leashes and let the beasts go free. As fast as they possibly can, the dogs run into the park and look back with smiles as if they're shouting “Thanks, mom! Friends!!!”
What’s beautiful about this sacred place we call the dog park is everyone is welcome. There are big dogs, little dogs, rescues, and dogs of every color, shape, age, and background. For some reason, this is a place where they get to be themselves. Where the walls of protecting their owners and homes come down, where they learn how to play and work together as a team, where the one bad apple has a crew of other dogs trying to control them against foul play. This is where our misfits come together and smile the biggest smiles they will ever have simply by being surrounded by other dogs they probably would have never met or liked in any other circumstance.
When I think about working in kitchens, I’m reminded of how it’s our version of the dog park. We have different types of people of all ages, races, religions, and backgrounds, and yet when we all come together and none of it matters. It’s just as much a sacred place for misfits to come together and in those moments, the bills, the worry, the outside circumstances that exist fall away and it’s just a bunch of culinary folks doing something great.
Kitchens bring people together who normally wouldn’t find one another and when they do, they stick by one another.
I recently met some of my old coworkers for dinner. I remember sitting there, looking around and reminiscing about how we all had come together so many years prior. During that time working with one another, we cried, struggled, laughed, and created some of the most amazing memories of my life together. We have all gone our separate ways professionally but I promise you this: if one of us ever needed anything, we would all be there in a heartbeat, no questions asked.
We are now family because of the kitchen that brought us together.
Headquartered in Fond du Lac, Wis., Society Insurance has been a leading niche insurance carrier since 1915. As a mutual insurance company, Society focuses on the small details that make a big difference to its policyholders while offering top-notch insurance coverage, service and competitive pricing to businesses in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Tennessee, Colorado, Georgia and soon Texas.
Rebekah Goldman is the founder of Taking The Wheel Consulting. She is a Hospitality Consultant and Business Coach that specializes in leadership, management, and team development.
With over 20 years of experience, she had witnessed the industry take over so many lives and knew the solution to this problem was investing in teams and effective leadership.
She launched her business, Taking The Wheel, to help coach business owners and leaders on how to “Take the Wheel” of their life and their business by using a “Leave Your Ego at the Door” training method. She also provides business services such as recipe development, menu execution, inventory management, and cost control to name a few.
Opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Best Served. To achieve our mission of bringing more voices to the table, we are committed to sharing a variety of viewpoints across the industry.
