Busboy, pizza jobs as youth paying off now

Jesse Martinez doesn’t miss Chicago winters, but he does miss the food.

“Before I left Chicago, I was a union carpenter. It slowed down a lot because of the Freddie Mac/Fannie May deal. There were no houses getting built because of all the bad loans. I was laid off for 2½ years and got by doing side work and handyman stuff.

“I was into the food and beverage area when I was a kid, so I basically knew everything about a restaurant: kitchen, front of the house, back of the house. In high school, I started from being a busboy and worked my way up to pizza joints. Washed dishes, manned the oven, food to go. You know, whatever was needed, that’s what I did working my way through high school. That’s something I was able to fall back on when I got down here as a banquet supervisor for JW Marriott.”

What’s the best part of your job?
“I enjoy the interaction with people. You don’t meet the same people every day. You see different personalities, you interact with different people from all around the world, different cultures, different status levels.

“We did the New England Patriots not too long ago. I got to meet Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski when they were in town to play the Texans. It was cool. To say that I was awestruck, maybe just a little. But they put their pants on the same way I do. They’re definitely big eaters, though. We got our marching orders and made it happen.”

— Jesse Martinez