Chapter 26 #2
“I apologized for no notice and thanked him for the opportunity and wished him and the team well. Didn’t burn any bridges. Ya never know if I’ll need to buy some of their stuff for an event in a crunch.”
“Good thinking,” Ben said.
Ben and Gina set up the food table for the wake, made sure everything was just right, and Gina tapped the grieving wife and let her know she’d be back in about an hour to check in with her. The woman nodded as she wiped her tears.
They headed over to the industrial kitchen that was tucked away in a warehouse area with car repair shops and other businesses. Ben parked and they walked to the back, knocked on the door, and an old, bald man answered.
Ben extended his hand. “Hi, I’m Ben Prescott and this is Gina Sortino. I called earlier.”
The man extended his hand. “I’m Mike Daken. Are you the Ben your sister Linda called me about? We love her, such a talent in the kitchen. Are you a cook too?”
“I’m afraid not. I worked at City Hall for forty years and retired. My friend Gina here is a caterer. Her business is booming, and she needs to find a space.” They followed Mike inside as he asked about her business, but he stopped cold when she told him the name of their company.
“Last Bite, now that’s clever. I don’t think I ever heard of a catering company that just targeted funerals. Creative young woman ya got here, Ben.”
“Thanks, Mike,” Gina said. “We just did a big event for all the funeral directors over at Rago Brothers and our phone is ringing off the hook. I’m so excited to see what you have.”
“Rago Brothers, like in Louie Rago?”
“That very one.”
Mike started to guide them into the space. “If you’re in with Louie, you’re in. Never cross him and he’ll be loyal to you forever.”
“Good to know. I’m not planning on crossing him, ever,” Gina said with a laugh.
“Follow me in the back and we can walk through what space is available. We have several caterers who use our space, and this is where they create the meals for the public schools in this area.” He pointed over to one side of the room.
“These fine ladies, parolees from our own Stateville Correctional Center, are hard at work preparing the lunches for tomorrow.”
Gina looked over and saw muscle-bound women wearing hairnets, jumpsuits, and aprons with the name “Peggy’s Kitchen” on the front. I wouldn’t mess with them. I wonder if they did in any of Rago’s clients?
As Mike toured them around, he pointed out the entire layout.
Gina could see that the space was well organized, with dedicated areas for different food preparation.
There were multiple stainless steel countertops, cutting boards, and sinks for washing and prepping ingredients. She couldn’t help smiling.
“This is amazing. Everything is so clean and tidy. Do you have storage space we could rent?”
“Indeed we do. What caterer worth their own salt wouldn’t want good storage?” He walked them over to the area. “Here are our walk-in refrigerators and freezers.”
“Wow, this is beyond perfect. Do you have any space available now, like today?” Gina asked.
“Why don’t you and Ben come into my office and let’s discuss the logistics and costs?”
Gina and Ben followed him to a small room; it was super orderly and his desk was clear. Gina was trying to hold herself back from getting too excited.
Over the course of the next hour, Mike laid out the rules of the kitchen and the fact that they were visited frequently by inspectors since they prepared school lunches.
“Cleanliness and food safety are our top priority. We have a commercial-grade ventilation system to remove smoke and odors, as well as ample cleaning stations for sanitizing utensils and equipment. Our kitchen also follows strict hygiene protocols.”
It was important to hear all this, but all Gina could think was, How much, how much?
“So is there space available now and, if so, what kind of rent are we talking?” Ben asked, leaning in.
Mike took out a black leather binder and opened it to the contract page.
“We have a small space that just opened up. The caterer moved into their own brick-and-mortar.” He wrote down the square footage and fifteen hundred dollars a month on the paper and pushed it in front of Gina and Ben.
Gina held her breath and looked over at Ben and then back at Mike.
“That’s a bit high for our budget. Is there any wiggle room on the price?” Gina asked.
Mike took the paper back, flipped through a few other pages, made some notes, entered some numbers into his desk calculator, wrote down one thousand dollars a month, and moved the paper back.
“Since you’re Linda’s brother, I’ll give you a break.
I could give you a weekly or monthly rate and we can see how things go.
It’s a little higher but that way we can decide if it’s working for us, our other renters, and you. ”
“That’s a great idea. Any chance we can hire the lunch ladies to help us cook on occasion, when we have multiple events on the same day?”
“You’d have to ask their employer, Peggy Miggs. They’re her workers, and they’d have to ask their parole officer. It’s possible—if everyone gives the green light. Peggy is a bit gruff, but don’t let that intimidate you.”
“I’d like to suggest we try the kitchen for three months, and if it works then we can sign a lease. How’s that sound, Mike?” Gina asked.
“Sounds like a great start.” He pulled out some paperwork, put it in a folder, and handed it to Gina. “Fill these forms out. We always do a credit check, and if everything checks out then you can move in in a couple days.”
“Amazing. I’ll need to confirm everything with my business partners, Kim Yang and Angie Sortino, and get back to you,” Gina said.
Mike stood up, handed Gina his card, and walked them out. “Give your sister my best, Ben. Nice to meet you both.”
As soon as they got to Ben’s car, Gina let out a scream. “Yes! It’s happening, Uncle Ben, thanks to you and Aunt Angie.” She gave him a big, long hug, her heart still pounding from the encounter with Mike.
“You and Kim are doing all the heavy lifting. I’m proud of both of you, going after your dreams at a young age, creating life on your terms. Your uncle would be so proud.”
Ben drove them back to the wake, and Gina talked the whole way about the space and Last Bite. After they replenished all the food and drinks at the wake, Ben suggested they go to a nearby diner for a treat.
Over a celebratory homemade chocolate milkshake, Gina looked over at Ben and smiled. “Thanks for being there for all of us. I know you’re helping out Angie too.”
“You are my family. Vinnie was like a brother I never had. I’ll always be here for you. I have a surprise for you. Remember I told you I would invest in your company? Well I would like to pay for at least the first three months of your new space and then we can go from there.”
Gina’s mouth opened and a little milkshake dribbled out; she quickly wiped it off. “That is a miracle. I wasn’t sure how we were going to come up with the money.”
Ben nodded. “I know you’re short on capital right now, but I know you’re going to make this happen. I’m glad I’m in a place where I can help.”
For the first time since she had the idea for her own catering company, a sense of calm and ease washed over Gina.
They both chatted while they enjoyed their drinks.
Gina avoided asking about the Mario situation.
She didn’t want to put Ben on the spot since she knew there were things that only he and Angie shared.
If and when they wanted to tell her anything, she knew they would.
Ben helped her clean up after the wake was over and dropped her at her place. “Let me know when you and Kim decide to send your paperwork.”
Gina gave Ben another kiss on the cheek. “Will do. I can’t wait to tell Kim and Angie.”
Gina carried up the bin of empty dishes from the wake and went into her apartment. Thad and Daisy were in the kitchen and Kim was sitting on the couch, her feet on the table, eyes closed.
Gina walked into the kitchen and saw Thad and Daisy. “I can see you’re trying out the Triscuit recipe. How’s it going?”
“These things are the bomb, perfect combo of flavors with the pickle, cheese, and Triscuit. A must for my funeral,” Thad said, and popped one in his mouth and offered one to Gina, who tasted it.
“You know, it’s good. Thanks for test-driving this,” Gina said.
Gina put a few on a plate, went into the living room, and gently tapped Kim on the shoulder. “Ready for some awesome news, partner?”
Kim opened her eyes. “Yes, please, and no more First Communions, please. They are exhausting. But I have to tell you, the potato salad was a hit, not a drop left.”
“Score two for Scratch? My Ass! Try this Triscuit treat, our very own. Thad made it.”
Kim ate one and then another. “These are addicting. So what’s the news?”
“I found us an amazing kitchen. Ben took me over to see it; it’s super professional.” Gina recounted everything she and Ben learned from Mike, the whole layout of the space.
“This sounds too good to be true. What’s the damage?”
“That’s the best part of this. It’s one thousand a month for a three-month trial and … wait for it.” Gina could see Kim’s eyes widen at the price tag.
“Ben is going to pay our first three months. Then we’ll revisit how things are going.”
“Did you tell them absolutely yes?”
“No, I said I had to discuss it with my business partners and get back to him. It felt so legit to say business partners.”
“Where’s the paperwork? Let’s get it filled out and we can drive it over so you can show me the space,” Kim said.
They quickly filled the forms out, gave a quick call to Ben who wanted to be informed, and headed out to deliver the forms to Mike after they grabbed a few more Triscuit bites.
Mike was at his desk when they walked in. “That was fast.”
“Mike, this is my business partner, Kim Yang, and we are ready to close this deal. We know our credit check will pass. I should tell you I just quit Panera yesterday but that shouldn’t affect my credit; I pay all my bills on time and Kim does too.”
Just as they were handing him the folder, a middle-aged woman with short hair tucked into a hairnet, bright red lipstick, and large black glasses barked behind them, “Mike, I need to talk to you. I need more space, just got a few more schools signed up.”
“Ladies, meet Peggy Miggs. She runs her lunch program here. She’s the one who hires the parolees.”
“You girls looking for a job? I don’t care what you were in for.
You paid your debt to society. I pay minimum wage and you’ll be here on time or I’ll fire you, plain and simple.
” Her voice was gruff and she wore what appeared to be a permanent frown.
Gina watched Peggy eyeballing her and Kim.
“A little young for doing time,” Peggy said.
“Peggy, they are renting the new space if their paperwork passes muster. They have their own catering company.”
“Humph, are you out of middle school yet?”
“Actually, we’re out of junior college and we’ve already got clients. We’re looking forward to sharing space with you.” Gina tried to keep it professional and light.
“Yeah, you won’t last long. I’ve seen you youngsters come and go. Catering is hard work, and it takes tenacity to stay in the game. Stay away from my girls.” Peggy turned around and left.
“Her bark is bigger than her bite,” Mike assured them. “She’s a softy once you get to know her. You may see her son come by on occasion. He’s a Chicago cop, and the sun and moon sets on him, according to Peggy. He’s a rather large fella—you can’t miss him.”
Mike scanned the paperwork from the folder and looked up. “There shouldn’t be a problem. I’ll call you later this afternoon and let you know if you have the green light. I’ll need the first three months’ rent up front and then I’ll get you both keys.”
“We’ll be waiting for your call, Mike,” Kim said.
“Cashier’s check made out to me.”
Kim and Gina high-fived each other and in unison said, “It’s happening!”
“We have to celebrate. Where should we go?” Kim asked as they got in the car.
“How about we go to Murphy’s for a celebratory drink?” Gina asked.
“Sounds perfect, I always love their brats,” Kim said.