Former Google head chef recalls 'humble,' fashionably late Steve Jobs
Google's first head chef this week offered a rare glimpse into the personal life of late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, recalling that frequent visits to his restaurant showed the tech guru was a humble, if not fashionably late, individual.
Charlie Ayers recollects that Jobs was humble and accommodating patron who was well-respected by guests at the Google "super chef's" restaurant Calafia Cafe, which is frequented by tech industry giants, reports Forbes.
Jobs sometimes texted Ayers with last-minute reservation requests, though knowing that the restaurant was busy, he wouldn't expect to be seated immediately and instead waited patiently at the bar until his usual table was open.
"[Jobs] would walk in and it would be like Moses parting the Red Sea," Ayers said. "He would see his table was occupied and he'd go and sit down and relax. People knew and they were like 'I'll move,' but he was a very humble person in terms of that. He didn't ask people to move or anything, he waited."
The chef tells the story of an Easter Sunday where Jobs called asking for a dinner reservation. Ayers knew the restaurant was full to capacity, so he set up a makeshift table in the small market attached to the dining hall. Despite the less than ideal seating location next to the food coolers, Jobs was reportedly content just being able to share a meal with his family.
Calafia Cafe opened in January, 2009 and hosts the "who's who" of technology, being so busy that the restaurant will normally serve 250 meals even on a Tuesday night.
Ayers said that the patrons of his restaurant were always very respectful and would often offer to give up their seat if eating at Jobs' usual table. The former Apple chief was mostly left alone even though many customers knew who he was, though Ayers notes one incident when Jobs was interrupted during a meal.
"Only one time did we have a guest come over and approach him at his table, and it was a little boy," Ayers said. "He wanted his autograph and Steve was very obliging to him and very nice."
Ayers, formerly a personal chef to a family of 14, first began his stint at Google in 1999 after a successful audition for founders Larry Page and Sergei Brin. As Google expanded, his 50 meal a day job turned into serving between 10,000 and 15,000 employees per day. Ayers left the tech company in 2006 to open his restaurant where many Google employees, including Page and Brin, still eat.
Charlie Ayers recollects that Jobs was humble and accommodating patron who was well-respected by guests at the Google "super chef's" restaurant Calafia Cafe, which is frequented by tech industry giants, reports Forbes.
Jobs sometimes texted Ayers with last-minute reservation requests, though knowing that the restaurant was busy, he wouldn't expect to be seated immediately and instead waited patiently at the bar until his usual table was open.
"[Jobs] would walk in and it would be like Moses parting the Red Sea," Ayers said. "He would see his table was occupied and he'd go and sit down and relax. People knew and they were like 'I'll move,' but he was a very humble person in terms of that. He didn't ask people to move or anything, he waited."
The chef tells the story of an Easter Sunday where Jobs called asking for a dinner reservation. Ayers knew the restaurant was full to capacity, so he set up a makeshift table in the small market attached to the dining hall. Despite the less than ideal seating location next to the food coolers, Jobs was reportedly content just being able to share a meal with his family.
Calafia Cafe opened in January, 2009 and hosts the "who's who" of technology, being so busy that the restaurant will normally serve 250 meals even on a Tuesday night.
Ayers said that the patrons of his restaurant were always very respectful and would often offer to give up their seat if eating at Jobs' usual table. The former Apple chief was mostly left alone even though many customers knew who he was, though Ayers notes one incident when Jobs was interrupted during a meal.
"Only one time did we have a guest come over and approach him at his table, and it was a little boy," Ayers said. "He wanted his autograph and Steve was very obliging to him and very nice."
Ayers, formerly a personal chef to a family of 14, first began his stint at Google in 1999 after a successful audition for founders Larry Page and Sergei Brin. As Google expanded, his 50 meal a day job turned into serving between 10,000 and 15,000 employees per day. Ayers left the tech company in 2006 to open his restaurant where many Google employees, including Page and Brin, still eat.
Comments
How is this information deserving of any mention anywhere?
Thanks for sharing this. Somehow Walter Isaacson failed to interview Ayers, and we're left with a biography that highlights Steve's jerk wad side. For shame. He was a complex personality.
I sort of agree with this...the biography did seem to dwell on his peculiarities!
Oh the irony of Click to Flash!
"His" table was occupied so he waited. That's "humble?" It's more like what is expected of everyone. Thus, it would also be correct to say he wasn't a jerk about it.
How is this information deserving of any mention anywhere?
For those who appreciate Jobs and what he did it is just a another tidbit about his life, the man that most of us never heard about, so we are grateful for these little articles.
As for you, why did you bother reading it or commenting, troll be gone.
"His" table was occupied so he waited. That's "humble?" It's more like what is expected of everyone. Thus, it would also be correct to say he wasn't a jerk about it.
How is this information deserving of any mention anywhere?
In the same way that you don't have to read it nor comment...
"His" table was occupied so he waited. That's "humble?" It's more like what is expected of everyone. Thus, it would also be correct to say he wasn't a jerk about it.
Hear! Hear!
As for you, why did you bother reading it or commenting, troll be gone.
You don't agree with him, so he's a troll?
P.S. I am also UNfashionably late. Oh, well.
"His" table was occupied so he waited. That's "humble?" It's more like what is expected of everyone. Thus, it would also be correct to say he wasn't a jerk about it.
How is this information deserving of any mention anywhere?
For someone of his standing in the tech industry, going to a restaurant largely patronised by tech industry people, I'd say his actions were indeed humble.
With all the anecdotes, positive and negative, coming out following his death, I don't see why we shouldn't read about his one. Perhaps it's only worth a mention for you if it paints Jobs in a negative light?
"His" table was occupied so he waited. That's "humble?" It's more like what is expected of everyone.
You would think but that isn't the way a lot of people are. Many see people in the service industry as nothing but slaves and treat them accordingly. I've seen some awfully bad behavior from people expecting to be treated with preference.
Thus, it would also be correct to say he wasn't a jerk about it.
That is a good sign, it paints an entirely different picture than some here would like to paint.
How is this information deserving of any mention anywhere?
Slow news day?
Seriously it is no different than picking up the local paper to find a bunch of filler material because nothing is happening.
It would be so hard to be someone who has a ?usual table.?
For a long time I worked nights and thus would get up literally in the afternoon. I'd go to one restaurant where good Thai food was served. Obviously all the working people had left the restaurant for the rest of their work day. So the good lady running the place would seat me in the same place - the usual table.
I can go to a restaurant and sit anywhere that?s available! I am thankful for this, and my heart goes out to those who can only sit at one spot
I don't think of it that way. Maybe you are trying to be funny. In any event the article was pretty clear Steve was willing to sit anywhere.
P.S. I am also UNfashionably late. Oh, well.
I wish I could do that. I feel very very uncomfortable if I'm late for anything.
Reading the rest of the article, it discusses that he sometimes requested tables on short notice--but this is neither here nor there on the fashionably late issue...
the table i wanted was occupied by 6 men. one man, john gotti, was sitting with his back to the wall. nobody asked him to move or to hurry up or asked for his autograph.
waiting his turn... what a saint.
Who here or in the article said he was a saint? Sure as heck if the story was about him barging in and making a scene because he couldn't immediately sit at his usual table there would be articles all over the web about him being an a-hole.