My folks lived near Brookhurst and Katella while I was in high school (Garden Grove in the 9th and 10th Rancho Alamitos in the 11th and 12th). I remember summer vacation had just begun after my sophomore year and I was already bored so my father suggested, as the song goes... "Get a job"! Never before having a job and not knowing even where to begin that process, but knowing I loved Disneyland I figured that would be the place to start looking. I hitch-hiked east on Katella to the park and paid the general admission, I don't recall that price (June of 1959). While passing Hills Brother's Coffee House and Garden on Main Street I happen to notice what appeared to be several teenagers working there as buss boys. I went up the hostess and asked if they were hiring and she referred me to a guy named Julio who was the manager but, at that particular moment was at Aunt Jemima's Kitchen in Frontierland. I later learned a firm called "Food Services Inc.", run by two brothers (Raul and I forget the other’s first name) Grisanti, were contracted some how by Hills Brother's Coffee, Quaker Oats (Aunt Jemima's) and Welch's Grape Juice to run their concerns in the park. Julio was a manager for Food Services Inc. I think Food Services Inc. may have later managed the Red Wagon Inn and possibly even the Tahitian Terrace but I am not sure.
I hustled over to Aunt Jemima's Kitchen and there met Julio. He asked me my age I answered 15, he asked when would I be 16 and I answered August. He looked at his watch, it was about 9:15 AM then he said to me "Well you look 16. There is a kid that was supposed to start work for me here today and he hasen't shown up yet". He reached under the counter and handed me a partial used book of ride tickets and said "...go on a couple of rides and come back at 10:00 AM, if that kid hasn't shown by then you can have his job". I took the tickets and just walked around wishing evil things upon that kid in question. At 9:55 AM I reported back to Julio and as the restaurant was extremely busy, he gave me an apron and I went to work right then and there as a buss boy. I didn't even know what my pay was and I truly didn't care because after all, I was working at Disneyland. I found out later it was $1.10 an hour and I was independently wealthy.
My most memorable moments occurred occasionally on Summer days while working the opening shift. Walt himself was frequently out and about in the park prior to opening and he would stop by Aunt Jemima's Kitchen for breakfast. After ordering he would sit at a table by himself in a small gazebo adjacent to the Rivers of America and "A.J.", as we called her, would deliver his order to him herself. (She was absolutely delighted to have that privilege and jealously guarded it). It was a quiet and peaceful few moments for him while he enjoyed his breakfast. During this same time of course the park's main gate opened and the day's guests began to stream onto Main Street. It wasn't long before guests trickled into Frontierland and shortly thereafter one or more would recognize Walt and approach him. Those first few guests were fortunate as he would greet and converse with them. Then as one might expect, the throng of guests rapidly began to grow and Walt would mosey toward Aventureland and to a graceful and grateful exit behind the scenes.
It was fun to watch the reaction of folks when they first noticed the "Man" just hanging-out in that gazebo. There were whispers, shakes of the head and doubletakes, it was as if they couldn't believe it was really him. What a kick for them when they discovered it was truly him and for us working at Aunt Jemima's Kitchen 1959-1962 who were privileged to watch it happen.
Next door to Aunt Jemima’s was the Silver Banjo Barbeque. I was, as we all were, aware of Don DeFore because of his celebrity and saw him in person once. I remember we often exchanged food items with their crew as we tired of our menu items as they did of their's. We shared a common pedestrian passageway to the rear of the Burger Stand (UPT operated), the Silver Banjo, and A.J.'s. We met back there often during our work shifts while taking out the trash or heading to the break area etc. That passageway was narrow, paralleled the guest walkway to Adventureland and was separated from the guests by an 8' wooden screen/fence. I remember we even exchanged food items with the Casa de Frito's crew on occasion.
Over the next 2 years while working for Food Services Inc. I worked as a busboy, dish washer, back grill cook, and front grill cook at Aunt Jemima's. At Hills Brother's I served as a relief busboy and relief kitchen worker. At Welch's Grape Juice Bar in Fantasyland I served as a relief counter service person.
During my 3rd year with Food Services Inc., I ran their warehouse located back behind Tomorrowland, processing orders for supplies from all 3 locations and delivering said orders to the locations. I received and stored orders from our suppliers primarily S.E. Reykof & Co. I ran related erands outside the park in the company's Chevy Greebriar van. Other duties included maintaining/repairing every Bubble Globe fountained grape juice dispensing machine in the park. At that time United Paramount Theater (UPT Consessions) operated several fast food stands in the park, each having several of these grape juice dispensers and all of them, at one time or another, requiring maintenance service and that was my job. To this day, I don't like the smell of fermented grapes nor do I like the smell of wine.
The whole Disneyland work experience was great. I spent every weekend, holiday, and summer there for three years. Fond memories of my youth. |
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