One of the benefits of being a restaurant worker are the secret perks. It's a hard job, physically demanding, with long hours and low and/or inconsistent pay. But the perks can sometimes make up for that.
Perks include: being a known part of the industry, and getting freebies at other restaurants. Getting restaurant leftovers (stale bread, seafood that won't keep through the holidays, half-rolls of toilet paper), being able to purchase wine off the wine list at cost, borrowing cookbooks from the chef's personal library.
And sometimes, other perks. Like my new personal favorite: being able to purchase food, at cost, from the restaurant.
Not prepared food; not the menu items. I mean basic food supplies. Shallots, kale, mushrooms, celery, fresh rhubarb, shrimp, even the occasional steak. The walk-in refrigerator is so much more exciting when you can shop from it.
I've started bringing some things home, including some fresh ramps. (Next project: pickled ramps.) The great thing about this system is that the food is all top-quality and really fresh. It's not crappy supermarket produce, and it's cheaper than the farmer's market. It's also incredibly convenient. I can just grab stuff after work, right before I head home, and save myself a trip to the store.
Hooray for my job!
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