876 The Joy of Service

This is Five Minute Friday.

We've got an incredible guest on. His name is Shep Gordon. And in the course of his legendary career as a manager, agent, and producer, Shep Gordon has worked with and befriended some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry. You're going to hear some of those names in just a moment once I bring him on. He is also credited for inventing the celebrity chef. He's worked with Nobu, Wolfgang Puck, and many others and kind of helped them position themselves in the market to become these celebrity chefs. And it's incredible to see how he did this for so many people and how many people credit him and thank him for giving them the opportunity to build their platform in that space. He's also worked with many other individuals, including his holiness, the Dalai Lama. And he's revolutionized the food industry and turned the culinary arts into a multi-billion dollar industry that it is today.

What seemed to bring him the biggest joy of all was service. In all forms. His manifested in that night at the dining room table. But I saw the way he dealt with the farmers and the way he dealt with the staff and the way he dealt with my friends and the way he dealt with this just He put everything before him, but not in a condescending way, not in the most high-spirited, conscious way I had ever seen. And I remember saying to him, one of our first meals, we had eaten maybe four or five restaurants at this point, and the meal wasn't very good. And I ate half of my plate, and he finished the plate. I said to myself, I said, that's really interesting. I wonder if it's my taste that far off.

Right, right.

And when we left, I said to Mr. Verge, did you think that was really good? And he said, oh, Chef, it was terrible. And I said, well, why did you finish my plate? He said, no, Chef. The Chef will be waiting at the door to watch the plates more table coming back. I'm Roger Verge. He's wanted me in his restaurant for years. he will be standing there. I cannot send back anything on the plate and ruin his night.

Oh, my gosh. And he finished your plate.

And for the rest of my time with him, did that. I remember I got served at a Leon. After that, I. I ate every meal till we got to Leon, which was about two and a half years later. And we went to a restaurant called Leon de Leon, and they served me a pig's face. The ears, the nose, the lips. No. and I looked at him and I said, I can't even stay at the table. I don't know if he finished it or not, but that was the end of it.

Oh my gosh.

But I love that thought. It was such a beautiful, such a beautiful thought, such a beautiful way to go through life, to really think about, you know, not you in this moment, but how is you in this moment affecting the circle of life around you and how easy it is For him to finish that plate and make the guy happy was nothing. You know, one extra burp.

Right, right, exactly. That's powerful.

And that's what made him happy. So that just, you know, I was lucky enough to be around him and experience it and slowly, sort of like osmosis, it moved into my way of life, you know, and I found myself expressing my passion for life. through my dinner parties, which is what he did. Except he did it in a restaurant, a really direct way of service and of really feeling good about your, you know, I love when someone tells me what they like and what they don't like. That's what Mr. Verge used to always say to me. Oh, Chef, I am so happy when a guest tells me what they like, because then I know how to make them happy.

Right.

That's what he's there for.

Sure.

You know, so.

And so you started doing dinner parties after that?

Yeah, after they, when I met him, I was a macaroni and ketchup kind of guy. Sarah Lee, frozen cheesecake.

Sure.

I couldn't care less about food. Nathan hot dogs, which I still love. I couldn't care less at all about food. And through my respect and love of him, came to really appreciate the culinary artists. And so much like a show, you know, they have to give you their hits. like if you go to Spago and they don't have a pizza, you get really mad. If you go to an Alice Cooper concert and he doesn't do schools out, you get really mad. So as an artist, you are so bored. How many times Alice has played schools out?

Thousands.

How many types Wolfman's, Wolfman's made a pizza. Oh my God.

But it's not fun for Hammer creative, but it makes everyone happy, makes people happy.

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