RESTAURANT LIFE
I started working in the restaurant business as a teenager in 1976. It’s my passion, for sure. In 1988, my business partner Mike and I opened the Deli Lane Café and Sunset Tavern, a side-by-side restaurant and sports bar in South Miami, FL, near the University of Miami. Thirty-two years on, we’re still going strong. Our restaurant prepares nearly 200,000 meals a year, which keeps me busy six days a week.
My days vary, but I am back and forth from the dining room to the kitchen all day long, running food in the prep room, working on the menu with my chef and doing the books—I am literally all over. Sunday brunch is our busiest day—1,000 to 1,200 customers—it can get crazy, so I am on the line cooking all day. I’m hands-on for sure.
BAD BACK
Restaurant work requires long hours on your feet and lots of lifting and reaching. It’s hard on even the strongest backs. Unfortunately, I have had a very problematic back for most of my life. I was born with scoliosis and the base of my spine curves inward. When I was 14, I started having sciatic nerve pain.
As an adult, my scoliosis discomfort went from mild to much more severe. Nine years ago, I was diagnosed with osteoarthritis in a number of joints, with my back and right ankle being the worst; I also learned I have degenerative disc disease—I have four herniated discs. And no doubt, the two-car accidents that I had as a young man didn’t help either!
I couldn’t take ibuprofen ever since suffering a severe allergic reaction to it following rotator cuff surgery in 2004, so it was a real challenge finding something that gave me relief.
SOMETHING STRONGER
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Finding New Momentum
Overcoming obstacles caused by the pandemic, the virtual version of this popular festival still achieved its goals.
Carola Trier's Extraordinary Journey
In his authoritative biography of the first woman to open a studio, Reiner Grootenhuis delved into her personal papers to tell the harrowing story of her time in a prison camp during World War II.
Racism in the Pilates Industry
Incidents of police brutality and the ensuing Black Lives Matter protests have shed a bright light on systemic racism in the U.S., including in the Pilates industry. Here, Black instructors share their experiences.
For Self-defense
Moves of the Month
Comfort Food Made Healthy
This fall, cozy up to tantalizing comfort food that’s also healthy. A new cookbook from Kristin Cavallari shows you how.
Pilates Postcard
A Pilates teacher shares how the method is making waves abroad.
The Ultimate Gift
One year ago, Kahley Schiller’s life was completely upended by an extreme health crisis. But thanks to her 20-year Pilates practice, the 40-year-old was able to recover quickly.
Revelations
For Sarita Allen, a star of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and a protégée of Kathleen Stanford Grant, Pilates was key to her decades-long career.
Meaning WITHIN THE Movement
The Five Elements of Chinese Medicine help you go deeper into your practice, promising plenty of play along the way.
PILATES IN THE HOOD
Though she’s trained many top stars, Kim Carruthers says she’s most proud of her work as the founder and director of a nonprofit bringing the method to underserved communities.
