What a 22-Year-Old Server at a Michelin-Starred Restaurant Eats on $18/Hour in New York

1 a.m. Speaking of freshly milled and whole wheat, I eat a handful of Lay’s potato chips when I get home from work and then head straight to bed.

Thursday total: $0

Friday

9 a.m. Breakfast today is ambitious. I build a breakfast sandwich out of a toasted dinner roll and a fried egg, Cholula, swiss chard, and pork sausage. I find frozen blueberries in my freezer, let them break down in a saucepan to make a compote, and pour in steel-cut oats and oat milk. I let this simmer and top it with pecans, cottage cheese, sorghum syrup from upstate, and salted butter. I eat this with half an orange and a warmed cup of Monday’s bone broth.

12:30 p.m. Time for weekly wine class. These are taught by our sommeliers, and it is a real treat to bask in their depth of knowledge even though it can be intimidating. Today, we learn about South African grapes and we taste a white Chenin Blanc blend (on the palate: crisp, quince) and a Muscat dessert wine (peach rings, melon). I almost absentmindedly say aloud, “I am getting notes of white grape juice” before thinking through that one a little more.

2 p.m. I make coffee and tea for family meal and drink half a cup of coffee. We do a lot of pickling and fermentation at the restaurant, so it is always an interesting project to explore what leftovers I can use to flavor the tea.

3:30 p.m. At lunch, I pile rice, ground beef, salad greens, scallions, and pickled hakurei turnips on my plate. The dill and fennel and ryegrass in the salad greens and the pickled turnips offer a lovely brightness to today’s lunch.

4 p.m. At lineup, we sometimes taste new menu additions. Today, we try this ultra-light fresh tallow, which is the rendered fat of our grass-fed retired dairy cows. Our sous chef rendered the fat enough of a solid so that it is ever so softly spreadable, and it’s been swiped onto pieces of whole wheat levain. The food prepared here is in small quantities and with incredible precision and thoughtfulness, so while I don’t get to take home menu items per se, it is an ultimate treat to taste ingredients throughout the week. Besides, I think three bites provides enough satisfaction to explore a flavor.

6 p.m. When I can slip out to the service bar for a few moments, I make my first espresso of the night.

9 p.m. Second espresso. If I am planted at the polishing station, I observe the kitchen as much as I can, how they plate and mise en place and communicate and cook.

10:30 p.m. Sometimes there is extra food on the pass that is up for grabs. I tear off a chunk of an available gluten-free rice bread.

1:30 a.m. Right before I go to bed, I eat a handful of potato chips… and a Reese’s. I try to read before bed every night, but tonight I doomscrolled for a little bit and there is nothing that puts me in a worse mentality.

Friday total: $0

Saturday

9 a.m. I wake up dazed, again, because of another work dream. During service, we yield to a guest if they walk past. In my sleep, I dreamt that a guest had walked into my room and I recall myself sitting upright in my bed and nodding at the imagined guest walking by. I may never know peace.