Heeji Kim

I have worked both in the kitchen and in the dining room, and I still don’t know if I am utilizing my skills to their fullest potential, but I just love learning about all the different professions and perspectives of the hospitality industry, and there isn’t any other industry I would rather be in.

It’s the first greeting from the host, to perfectly polished glasses by the polisher, to clean plateware that was washed by the dishwasher, and to the bartender who made the drink. One individual couldn’t do 1% of what the team did to create the experience for the guests, and I appreciate everyone’s role and hard work. Everyone has their part in making the experience possible, and the service could not be possible without every single one of them.

These are the books that I always go back to whenever I am feeling down and need some motivation.

It’s important to know how to de-stress to reduce the chance of burning out. I have been burned out before because I was focused too much on the negativity. I now realize that I need to focus more on what I love and what is important in my life. A couple hobbies that I love for de-stressing are baking and drawing.

I always struggled with trying to make everything perfect, and when things didn’t come out the way I planned, I would get frustrated easily. Justin taught me that there is no such thing as perfection, but what we can do is work towards a better outcome every time to get closer to the perfection that we desire. It stuck with me for years, and now I always try to do the same task a little better each time to get closer to perfection.