ginna

Ginna | Manager

Pierpont's

Years of Industry Service: 42

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When she was 14-years-old, Ginna (pronounced Jenna) began her service industry career at H Salt Fish & Chips. Forty-two years later, she has worked in a variety of roles and positions and it has become a career she embraces. "I always say I wish I could get a job that gets me off my feet, especially at my age," Ginna said. "The restaurant business gets under your skin. I can't get away from it, but I do it for one reason. It's for the people."

For twelve of those years, Ginna has been at Pierpont's, where she was originally hired on as the day hostess, then hostess supervisor and now as a manager. When she first started, Ginna never thought she'd last this long. She says, "I didn't think this would be my last job, but I hope it is." Monday through Friday, every lunch shift, you could count on Ginna to answer the phone in the morning to find out if, after a heavy night of drinking, whether you could please, please, pretty please be cut from the floor. She has become friends with so many servers, bartenders, managers and kitchen staff alike, that there is not a person she doesn't know in the building.

Now that she's a manager, everyone still considers Ginna their friend and confidante. When she was promoted, Ginna was advised to distance herself from the staff, but she said, no way is that going to work. "If I can't be friends with them, I don't want the job." 

A server ends her shift by giving an envelope of money and credit card slips to Ginna, who checks her out for the day. She leaves quickly, but not before saying, "Love you, Ginna." That is a small, telling moment of the special relationships she develops with people. The friendships sustain her love for the job.

But family comes first for Ginna. She is the second oldest of four girls. Her mom, 78-years-old and her father, 84, are originally from Sicily. She has a daughter, a son and four grandchildren. They all live in Kansas City. "I have an awesome family. I don't know what I'd do without them. I have wonderful kids who have never given me any problems. My parents are alive and kicking, and they're old. I'm damn lucky they're still in my life." 

Ginna loves to travel. Like many people, she said if she she didn't work and had the money, she could live out of a suitcase. "But it has to be warm and be by the water," she says. "[The water] is serene and I love the sun. I love being tan." Her last vacation was a family cruise that included both her parents and all her sisters. "I had more fun with my mom and dad than I ever thought I could have."

Although she doesn't have much time for travel these days, especially around the holidays, she still dreams of her next vacation, a tour down the Amalfi Coast. She went to Italy for her 50th birthday, visiting Tuscany, Florence and Rome and it is a trip she will never forget. She would like to return to Italy with her boyfriend, who speaks the language fluently. Ginna and her sisters never learned to speak Italian. Although she didn't think anything of it when she was younger, she would give anything to know the language now. Her beau is encouraging her to learn, even if it's only a few phrases at a time.

When she's not working and dreaming of Roman holidays, Ginna's vice is gambling. She loves going to the casino and says she can spend more time there than at her job. Before she came to Pierpont's, Ginna worked at Station Casino. "I went to work there so I could quit gambling," she says. "But I just went to other casinos." She was hooked by blackjack, moved to craps and now loves the slot machines. You will most likely find her at Ameristar Casino because that's where she has built up most of her comps. "It's just fun." She also got hooked on Indy racing, embracing a sport that her boyfriend enjoys. In addition to the excitement of the vrooming-engines, Ginna says. "I think it was more the drinking that got me. It's a big party."

She smokes. She drinks. She gambles. And she tells you exactly how it is.

Pierpont's

Pierpont's at Union Station

Kansas City, Missouri » Crown Center/Crossroads

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Many restaurants have come and gone at Union Station, but only one has stayed true and fast through the years, Pierpont's. Opened after the renovation of the train station, like any restaurant, business has gone through its highs and lows. With the shuttering of the Hyatt and Crown Center hotel restaurants, they seem to be on their way back up. It has been years since I've stepped inside Pierpont's, but it was still wonderfully unchanged. The decor is just as beautiful and awe-inspring as the first time I was there. I spent my last year of college hostessing at Pierpont's and easily recalled all the questions customers asked. Like who the architect and designer was, Matthew Connelly and Paul Robinson. Or who made the hand-blown glass fish at the bottom of the lamps – Rock Cottage Glassworks in Merriam, Kansas. We saw plenty of marriage proposals and special occasions celebrated in the restaurant, but the actual asking of the hand in marriage usually happened under the clock in the middle of Union Station.

One of the main features of the restaurant is the 18-foot bar with liquor stacked to the ceilings. Once, years ago, the bartenders made a signature cocktail called the Library Ladder. The bartenders would climb to the top, make their cocktail in the shaker and slide down all the way down. It was quite the spectacle – cheers, applause and delight were a guaranteed reaction. They'll still make you the drink, but the show requires fool-hardy bartenders who will absolutely ruin their shoes for your moment of distraction. And those crazy bartenders, they've long left the building.

Library Ladder

1/2 oz. Licor 43  +  1/2 oz. Grand Marnier  +  1/2 oz. Bailey's Irish Cream

Shake and serve as a shot or over ice.

emmanuel

Emmanuel | Private Dining Captain

Pierpont's at Union Station

Years of Industry Service: 33

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Emmanuel has been at Pierpont's for a third of his career, but way, way back in the day, his first job was at Putsch's Coffee House (you can read more about Pustch's 210 here and see the old coffee house menu here) on the corner of 47th Street and Broadway. It was 1978. "It was booming. It was was busy," he says. "There were lines around the corner. People were spending money. They would have a martini lunch and then have lunch." After working on the Plaza for so many years, he rarely finds himself down there, or even at the newer Power & Light district anymore. He doesn't feel like it's in his age bracket anymore. A grandfather (not that he even looks like one!) of thirteen and a father of three, he's focused on family and work. Six of those grandkids belong to his son Ricky. "Remember I told you to stay away from him?" Emmanuel asked. "Now you know why."

Since he's taken over PDR, business has gone up 150%. In addition to leading the private dining service at Pierpont's, E-Man has also had a catering business on  the side, a secondary job he's been doing for 20 years. The catering flourished from his years working at a country club; some of his clients he's known for at least a quarter of a century. "A lot of their grandkids are in college now and I knew them since they were three or four," he says. "I'm like Mr. Belvedere....or Benson."  

Emmanuel is really into sports, but always, work and making a living comes first. He spent many years partying and going to bars after shifts and finally realized how much money he was throwing away. "You know how this business is, no rest for the wicked."

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On a side note: I used to work with E-Man at Pierpont's. He has HUGE hands.

  Make KC Better » Open my own restaurant, have my own food and show them how black people do it (....but it's cheaper working for The Man).