 |
| Sam taking a break from his non-stop 15 hour work day. |
“It all started back in Belgium, I was 14 eldest of 5 kids, I was walking home from school and I see an ad in the door saying: apprentice wanted and I walked in and said how old did you have to be? He told me 14 and so I got the job. I went home and told Mum who at that point was working from 5am to 5pm that I was leaving school and going to help her out.”
The aroma of expensive coffee beans linger as Sam takes a seat and a break from his ritualistic 15 hour day to reflect on his journey. Brushing the residual flour off his hands and unbuttoning the top few buttons to his dirtied chef’s uniform his unshaven face breaks into a cheeky grin and those piercing bright blue eyes prepare to tell their story.
“The pressure of being the eldest was too much, from 10 years old I was looking after everyone and by the time I was 18 I cracked it. They were going to put me in a home. It was then that I got in touch with my Dad who was living in Australia and it was him who convinced me to leave.”
Not needing much more persuasion, Sam ended up in Tamworth with his Dad, however it was not long before things didn’t work out and with his poor english he found himself in the heart of Sydney knowing that he would have to make a life for himself here.
“The pressure of being the eldest was too much, from 10 years old I was looking after everyone and by the time I was 18 I cracked it. They were going to put me in a home. It was then that I got in touch with my Dad who was living in Australia and it was him who convinced me to leave.”
Not needing much more persuasion, Sam ended up in Tamworth with his Dad, however it was not long before things didn’t work out and with his poor english he found himself in the heart of Sydney knowing that he would have to make a life for himself here.
As Sam speaks there is not a flicker of a doubt to say that he is not Australian. “I taught myself how to speak English…I had no choice but to learn. I taught myself by reading comic books: spiderman, phantom.”
Being a fluent speaker of Italian and French and a self taught English speaker, the inspiration behind his story evidently becomes clearer. “I did it all for my Mum. I wanted to make her proud. I always felt inadequate.”
After working for 10 years in a nearby patisserie and consistently working for someone else, the freedom is endless for Sam. “I am being myself – I let my personality run wild….before you could see I was a bit of a larrikin but now there is no stopping me. I can do whatever I want.”
“After only properly opening the business two weeks ago having moved from my last cafe, here I am doing the business I thought I would do in a month’s time. I would say this is my biggest achievement.”
The self described “cool, sexy and strong” persona shines through the cheeky grin and it is not hard to see the gleaming pride behind it. For what seems like a life long effort of hard work, the best part is only just beginning. His eyes find mine and it only takes one look at his face to see how the fifteen hour days are taking their toll but then he is the first to acknowledge “this is my time – it is worth it.”
No comments:
Post a Comment