Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeffrey Pittrof.
Jeffrey, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
When I was 13 I worked on Lucille Ohlstrum’s Pickle Farm in upstate New York. It was a small 20-acre farm that would sell their vegetables to local restaurants. I remember making deliveries in an old Ford Country Squire Wagon with wood paneling on the sides and the Chefs would examine all the product carefully before making their selections. I was fascinated by what took place behind the scenes in a restaurant kitchen, observing what could only be described as controlled chaos. By the time I reached high school, the TV show “Hotel” was on and I had been working as a busboy and night supervisor in a small local restaurant named “Bill Gray’s”.
I think it then I realized I loved this industry and decided to go to school for Hotel Restaurant Management. In 1990, I graduated from Florida International University and moved to San Francisco to work as a Restaurant Manager for Far West Concepts. After six years in the Bay Area, I was offered a Manager position in San Diego on the Ruben E. Lee, I fell in love with SD immediately. I actually flew in several hours before the interview and went and found myself a loft downtown before I officially got the job! After working for Far West for 10 years, I decided to leave the company and started to work as a General Manager at Paradise Point for Baleen.
After a couple of years, I was promoted to Director of Restaurants and learned that I truly missed free-standing restaurants. In 2003, I had one of the best phone calls of my life, it was from David Cohn, he asked me all about the “old boat” and what I thought about the property, We had a couple more phone conversations and he asked if I would be interested in coming in to talk with him and Chef Deborah Scott. Without even thinking twice I told him I would love to. I The first time I met Deborah was at her restaurant Indigo Grill. We sat at Table 36, a booth right by the kitchen, and we spoke about our dogs and our love for the industry.
It was about 4 minutes into the interview when she said, “I already know I’m going to hire you, but we should probably finish this interview”. I’ve always been very fortunate to have had the best bosses and mentors, but there was something special about Deborah. She instantly treated me like a brother and respected my thoughts and ideas and the rest is history. Fifteen years later and here I am still doing what I love… how many people can say that? I’m lucky enough to be one of them.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There are always struggles, right? Otherwise, how would we learn and grow? I think the most challenging part of this industry is the hours. When everyone else is playing we are working trying to make sure they are having a good time. If the passion isn’t there it can be tough, but when you love what you do, it is extremely rewarding.
Please tell us about Cohn Restaurant Group.
As David Cohn says, “People celebrate their lives in restaurants. It is our job to create an experience worth remembering.” I think that says it all.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Growing up my Grandparents had a summer home located on Cranberry Lake in the Adirondack Mountains that was built by my Grandfather, Father and my two uncles. We never missed a Memorial Day, 4th of July or Labor Day weekend. My Dad and Step Mom would pick up my Sister and me as we would make the 4-hour drive, which at that age seemed like six days in the car with my sister telling me not to cross over the line in the back seat.
The weekends were spent, swimming, hiking, boating and water skiing followed by big family dinners made by my Grandmother, which always included an incredible dessert, (German Chocolate Cake being one of my favorites!). Times were different then, my Dad never had to ask anyone to put their phone away and we actually had quality family time together. It was pretty amazing.
Contact Info:
- Website: dinecrg.com
- Phone: 619-814-1300
- Email: jeff@dinecrg.com
- Instagram: cohnrestaurantgroup
- Facebook: /cohnrestaurantgroup
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