Hope's Many Hats

[Jim Hope]

When I arrived at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in 1979 there were 80 full time employees at the Lab. When a new Lab employee was hired, a stop in the kitchen was always on the agenda. During the winter months we served afternoon tea in the fireplace room with a daily batch of homemade cookies. In 1981 I rented a house in Bayville for a few years and made several commutes to and from work via water on my mahogany lake boat. That made for an enjoyable end to long 10 to 12 hour days.

Along with the daily meals for the staff, we served banquets on the back lawn under tents, dinner parties and special events at Banbury, and even the CSHL Centennial Celebration. The most hectic times were preparing for multiple events at one time. All of this, from a kitchen built in 1906. I wore many hats back then including purchasing, receiving, cooking, personnel, payroll, and event coordination. And loved every minute of it. Still do!