Cokesbury was an upscale retirement community run by the Methodists.

I started at Cokesbury as a full-time dish and pot washer but shortly became a 3rd cook responsible for breakfast, lunch and prep chef . The two very experienced elderly chefs Bill Bouche (French chef) and Sonny LaBoy (Latino and American chef) who both taught me a lot so that I could help them prepare the menu. Also, I studied the top restaurant school books and worked at other jobs to learn the trade more. Also, I took some cooking and food service classes. My goal was to be a head chef.

At Cokesbury we had many adventures. We had many themed events such as Hawaiian Day. During blizzards we would often sleep there. We were a big family at Cokesbury. This job helped me transition from teenager to responsible adult.

Later I left Cokesbury to work in restaurants to pursue my goals but I enjoyed working at Cokesbury very much and it was a good time of my life.

Coworkers I remember

Bill Bouche (chef), Sonny LaBoy (chef), Debby Becker, Sandra Dey, Shirly (secretary), Bob Andre (manager), Jim Court, (manager) Pat and Andrea (dietary), JB and Joe Lucier (cooks). Some waitresses were Veronica, a young high class black girl from a good family, Junko a very short Japanese girl who I sometimes hung out with but found her too short to date.

There was a young woman from Pakistan who bussed tables and a pot washer from Puerto Rico whom didn’t speak English. There were many others that I don’t remember by name. I recall a few young woman apprenticing as food service managers.

Before work I would feed the staff in the employee cafeteria. One morning George Smith, head of maintenance, came in all scratched up. He told everyone that he was cutting a lawn in the morning and ran his mower threw sticker bushes. Later that day, the Pennsylvania State Police came in to get him for killing the wife of a doctor of whom he was cutting their lawn and decided to kill her. He also had a pack of children. I recall my youngest sister complaining of a man who would slow down and watch her walk home from the school bus. One time I was at my parents’ with her and he drove by and slowed down. I recognized him and told her “Don’t worry. That’s George Smith. I work with him”.