The Naked Chef
A local restauranteur bares all in an effort to save his ass.
How did you manage to rack up so much debt?
It's hard to make any money in the restaurant business in San Francisco, and I never managed to make a profit. Also, the price of just about everything has gone up. In 2002, I bought wild salmon for $2 a pound; now it's up to $14 a pound. The cost of produce, gas for the fishermen, and workmen's comp increased, and then there's the new minimum wage. My restaurant is small, too–maximum occupancy is 15–and I don't believe in turning tables.
You had to close your restaurant for ten days in May when you ran out of money. How did you raise the cash to reopen?
I called my friends and sent out a plea to the people on the restaurant's email list asking them to pick up the tab for some of my overdue bills. I found about 15 new investors who gave me a few hundred dollars each. Also, I had posed a year or so ago for EroticBPM.com and made some money, so I called them again to try to get some more work. In the end I raised just enough to get the lights back on–about $3,000.
Do you see any kind of relationship between your modeling career and cooking?
Nude modeling is something I can now check off the list. But if I have to whore myself out to make money as a chef, that's what I'll do. Health codes won't allow me to make sushi in the nude, but I might have bartended in nothing but an apron if it would've brought more people in the door.
What's next?
I believe I should leave the party while I'm having fun. It turns out that getting naked won't pay all the bills, so I've decided to sell the restaurant. I want to buy a truck and drive across the country selling sushi. The potential for disaster is incredible–the truck will break down; I won't find fish in Iowa or people to buy it. Then I'll write about the experience. As for nude modeling, I'm done. That is, unless another offer comes my way.
