Room For All - S2E9 - Quinn Jones

Quinn's Inspirational Journey: From Trainee to Accomplished Chef

In a special episode of 'Room For All,' hosts Andrea Comastri and Saraya O'Connell celebrate Andrea's birthday with an extraordinary guest, Quinn Jones. Quinn, one of the original trainees from the first intake back in 2021, shares his inspiring journey from a shy, reserved individual to a confident apprentice chef at the Fairmont. The episode delves into Quinn's unique upbringing by activist parents, his struggles and successes in various roles at Hotel Etico, and his ambitious goals, including buying multiple properties and aiming to make $100,000 a year by age 30. The emotional episode also highlights Quinn's perseverance, resilience, and continuous quest for self-improvement, making it a compelling watch filled with heartfelt moments and valuable life lessons.

00:00 Introduction and Special Guest Announcement

01:53 Birthday Celebrations and Toasts

03:24 Meet Quinn Jones: Background and Early Life

09:30 Quinn's Education and Volunteer Work

14:39 Joining Hotel Etico and Early Impressions

27:56 Transition to Fairmont and High Tea Challenges

36:08 Starting an Apprenticeship in Commercial Cookery

36:45 Learning Process at TAFE

38:30 On-the-Job Training and Program Duration

39:34 Personal Goals and Achievements

41:46 Investing in Real Estate

44:21 Challenges and Support in Real Estate

51:20 Driving Milestones

59:00 Future Aspirations and Reflections

01:09:49 Final Reflections and Gratitude

Transcript

Intro: [00:00:00] Okay. Today we have a very, very, very special episode for you all. Our guest is, a unique young man who was part of our initial group of trainees. The OGs. The OGs. The OGs. His name is Quinn Jones, and you're in for a treat because Quinn the type of person that you want to speak with for four hours, six hours, eight hours, forever.

Intro: I think we could have. Go Yes, it could have been a Joe Rogan show. It could have been, but we did manage to get it down to an hour and 10 minutes. We did. Uh, the last 10, 15 minutes of which Andrea stuffed up because my phone was not fully charged and we can't see what it's recording and the camera that we use is the camera phone and at the moment until we upgrade.

Intro: Which I'm sure will be next, next, 

Intro: week now. Okay.

Hotel California: the

Intro: basically the phone died 

Hotel California: ahead [00:01:00] in 

Intro: minutes, uh, which is the most emotional part of the podcast. which 

Intro: I'm not, um, a hundred percent, um, angry about because I was crying and I do. You will hear the audio and you 

Intro: will hear, uh, real tears of joy and 

Intro: emotion. And I think it's proud. 

Hotel California: for a drink. 

Intro: unbelievable. He's an amazing man. Thank you guys so 

Hotel California: She stood in the doorway 

Intro: unbelievable. Um, so. 

Hotel California: the mission bell 

Intro: um, 

Hotel California: I 

Intro: uh, you're in for a great treat. Welcome to Room For All, because this is 

Intro: really what it's about. There's no doubt that

Hotel California: be 

Intro: be back at 

Intro: Hotel Etico in some other 

Hotel California: the candle And she showed me the way 

Intro: I just never want to 

Intro: lose him, and um, I don't 

Hotel California: corridor 

Intro: will. Yeah. 

Hotel California: Thought I heard them say 

Intro: so that is today's episode. So we hope you enjoy. Totally 

Intro: unscripted. Um. Completely unscripted. We just, uh, and it's on a special day for

Hotel California: love

Intro: because it's my birthday. And so we have a couple of toasts, uh, [00:02:00] during the show and, uh, we'll do another one now.

Intro: And um, so yeah, 

Intro: enjoy. And, uh, this is, I will say that, 

Intro: um, I've loved all of our 

Intro: guests. 

Hotel California: here. Well 

Intro: me, this one was really, 

Hotel California: Maggie's Tiffany 

Intro: special. And to do it on your birthday, I think very special, very, very special. This is exactly what Room for All is about in this 

Intro: episode. Absolutely. And I'm so looking forward to next year when we will have all of our trainees and graduates.

Hotel California: courtyard In sweet summer sweat. 

Intro: buckle up and have fun. You're in for a wild 

Intro: ride. 

Hotel California: some dance to forget. So I called up the captain, said, please bring me my wine. 

Andrea: And we're live.

Quinn: Perfect.

Saraya: I think. 

Andrea: Welcome back to the studio in our library of Room for All for another amazing [00:03:00] episode. Fantastic. We're really, really excited. My name is Andrea Comastri and I'm one of the two hosts and I'm here with my co host Saraya O'Connell.

Saraya: Hello. How are you? 

Andrea: I'm good. Today is a bit of a special day.

Saraya: It's your birthday.

Andrea: It's my birthday.

Saraya: And we have Quinn here. 

Andrea: We have Quinn. Today, Quinn.

Saraya: Which, it was his birthday last week too.

Andrea: Yes.

Quinn: So it's the 5th and what is it today? The 11th,

Andrea: yes. so Quinn, is a very, very special guest for us because he's one of the OGs, one of the graduates from the first group, the first intake.

Andrea: back in 2020. 2021, 2021. You started in 2021 and you finished in 2022. And so we're really excited, uh, because this is really what it's about. What we do, is just, 

Saraya: You. 

Quinn: you're going to make me blush. 

Andrea: Well, there'll be plenty of opportunities to make you blush. So, I think we start by doing a, [00:04:00] Toast.

Saraya: To your birthday birthday.

Andrea: To me, 

Saraya: And Quinn, it's his birthday too.

Andrea: No, it's my birthday. Quinn's past.

Saraya: I went to breakfast with Quinn on his birthday, so we didn't toast. 

Quinn: It was my birthday first.

Saraya: Okay, happy birthday Quinn.

Quinn: Thank you, happy birthday.

Andrea: Welcome back. And just for the,

Quinn: it is sweet.

Saraya: It is sweet, you're right.

Andrea: It is actually sweet Cause I asked, no it's not sweet, it's dry.

Quinn: It is sweet.

Andrea: No, it's not very dry, it's prosecco. So for everyone out there, prosecco means dry. So in Italian it's called Prosecco Sonnino from King Valley. And it's stocked in our bar.

Andrea: Fresh, zesty, sparkling white. Balances subtle citrus and pear notes. it's the pear notes that make it sweet. And fine, soft bubble. Definitely it's not the driest, so. It's sweet.

Quinn: Pears are sweet.

Andrea: Yeah, that's right. That's that's right.

Saraya: So What I'm hearing was Quinn was right. Um, in our previous conversation. 

Quinn: It's his birthday, okay,

Saraya: So we let him be right.

Andrea: Yes.

Quinn: Okay. You're right. It was quite dry.

Andrea: I have, [00:05:00] the feeling that this episode will be, uh, an extra level of banter.

Saraya: Well, it's good because, um, Quinn is very good at banter. and I mean, a couple of our, trainees are very good for banter. 

Andrea: The new Quinn is good for banter. 

Saraya: There is no new.

Andrea: When I first met, when I first met Quinn, he wasn't good for banter.

Saraya: Oh, 

Andrea: Very shy, 

Quinn: I don't know what I was, the old Quinn was like, I don't remember.

Saraya: That's amazing. Let's talk about that, Quinn. So, um, 

Andrea: So, we normally ask the first question is, who is Quinn? Yeah. Who is, who are you?

Saraya: Who are you?

Andrea: Tell us a little bit about you. 

Quinn: Oh, We're starting this already? 

Saraya: Yeah. 

Andrea: Yes. 

Saraya: Straight in. 

Quinn: Okay. 

Andrea: Who is Quinn Jones? 

Quinn: You want me to do like the whole thing? My biography right here? 

Andrea: Yes. Give us a, a shortened bio. 

Quinn: A shortened bio? I was born in Tasmania. But, like, pretty much as soon as I was born, I was moved to Sydney. I lived in Sydney. My mom's, uh, So it's a hippie. She did, she, uh, was one of those [00:06:00] people that would live in a tree for a week.

Quinn: So um, so people wouldn't cut it down, and people would bring her food. 

Andrea: Okay.

Quinn: My father, Yeah, she did the Tarkine trees. So she quit, her, she was actually doing culinary arts. And she quit halfway through to go to Tasmania to fight the Tarkine trees. Um, I think this was before I was born, obviously. And my father was an anarchist.

Quinn: So, a bit of an anarchist family. Um, my father was pretty famous. He was known for the, uh, the, uh, he was known for being in the Rum Jacks, which was a pretty famous band. They did Poland Woodstock 2013 or something. 300, 000 people. It's on YouTube. And, um, he was also known for the, the Australian movement. What was it? Uh, Punks for West Papua. That was a movement, a charity sort of movement thing where they, uh, played music. A lot of, came pretty, there's a documentary on it, I think. [00:07:00] Um, and he also recently, was in the, uh, Australian band heroes or something. Recent documentary like two years ago. 

Andrea: Wow. 

Saraya: Amazing. 

Quinn: But yeah, 

Andrea: so that's your parents. That's where you come from.

Quinn: that's my parents. My parents. And, uh, we've lived in Sydney for, I lived in Sydney for probably like five, six, eight years, maybe went through multiple places. Uh, Annandale was probably the last time I was in Sydney. And then we went up to live. I lived in Faulconbridge after that. And then we moved to Hazelbrook.

Quinn: And then we moved to Springwood, and that's where I live now. We were always moving quite suddenly. I wasn't very rich family. My mom right now at the moment, well, probably, uh, since Sydney, she did, uh, she has a diploma in Chinese medicine. So she has her own business.

Andrea: Runs her own business. 

Quinn: Yeah, And, and it is Chinese medicine. And, um, My father was obviously in a band, so they didn't make any money cause she was brand new.

Quinn: She doesn't know how to run a business. [00:08:00] She got very not many people. And My father was constantly in a band. and He also did other jobs, but so we were basically whenever the rent went up a little bit we'd have to move. 

Andrea: Right.

Quinn: So we were renting, we'd probably move once or twice a year. So we probably lived in like four different places by the time we moved up to Blue Mountains. And, um, 

Andrea: and is that only you single child

Quinn: No, So it's me and my brother. So, uh, my brother, he's six years older than me. So he'd be about 28 at the moment. 

Andrea: Is he still living the mountains?

Quinn: Uh, no, I think he lives in Melbourne. or so.

Andrea: Okay. There's a guy that I see every time I go to my gym in Katoomba. He's the spitting image of you. Like it brother.

Saraya: it's probably Quinn. 

Andrea: No, like he's, sometimes I actually looked at him and I said, Quinn .No. 

Saraya: So you have a doppelganger?

Quinn: There's a guy at my work, and he started working me recently, and he's got a ponytail. And everyone's like, it's Quinn's father. 

Saraya: Well, you know [00:09:00] what though, You've cut your hair. When you were here

Quinn: I haven't recently it's gone out of control. 

Andrea: yeah. Then he went shorter. I don't know. It's yeah. I prefer it long like this.

Quinn: Actually, I'm just lazy to be honest. I've been needing to cut it for months and months 

Andrea: probably does it for money. He doesn't cut it because it costs money.

Quinn: I've seen People like, oh yeah, I cut it. It was going down to here and I cut. it. I had all this hair. I'm like, oh, you donated it. to The blood thing. I'm like, oh no, I can make money out of it. 

Andrea: That's what happened to me. It was all greed, , 

Quinn: of course of course.

Saraya: it was not.

Andrea: So you grew up in the mountains after 10 years or something, and then, yeah,

Quinn: yeah. So I was actually going to, uh, Faulconbridge school

Andrea: Primary. Yeah.

Quinn: Until grade. 3. I finished grade 3 and then I became homeschooled after that. So my mom, I used to go to the afterschools and everything. Um, But it just, I wasn't learning. I wasn't, I was having trouble. Even the afterschool things, they tried to teach me a different way, which ended up not working [00:10:00] for me. And my mom thought was influenced by her friends quite a lot and decided to do homeschooling and she would teach me herself. Um, but she didn't really quite know what she was doing either after a few years. So she gave up and got me private tutors. Okay. So I had a few private tutors I did music, Uh, overall basic math and um, uh, English, English, math, and music. Yeah. And that's, I have a very limited, um, education because of that. everything else is self learned. I just, if I can't, if I don't understand something, I'll learn it. I'll read a book. Um, it wasn't until recently that I've actually. properly can write fast. Like I could write before, but I couldn't write fast under pressure.

Quinn: I struggled with that, but at work now, constantly writing things down. 

Andrea: And now you're doing an apprenticeship, which we'll go, we'll go over. 

Quinn: Yeah,

Andrea: [00:11:00] obviously there's a bit of formal learning. 

Quinn: Yeah. So then I did, uh, so yeah. So tutors, then I started doing some, I wanted to like, when I was 16, I didn't want to get a job.

Quinn: Not because I was lazy, but because I just felt that it wasn't worth it, because there was a lot of rumors of people that are 16, at that time you could pay them whatever they wanted. There was no, uh, there's no There was no awards for people that were aged. So basically you could charge them to do whatever you want.

Quinn: So there was a lot of kids getting overworked because the parents obviously were like, Oh, we need our kid to start working. So he becomes independent. And then they overworked the kid on the stupid job, getting paid nothing. And I decided to do volunteer work instead. I thought if I did volunteer work, I wouldn't get paid anything, but I would be building a lot stronger connections.

Quinn: And I would, it wouldn't be a hard job. Volunteer work generally wasn't very [00:12:00] hard, so you wouldn't be overworked, and people would like you, and it's a good atmosphere, and you'd get a lot of connections. I built a few connections after that, so I started that also. led me 

Andrea: What type of volunteer work What were you doing?

Quinn: Oh, One of them was the co op.

Quinn: At, uh, Katoomba. That was hardcore. Like that was, basically they had a cleaning thing every fortnight they'd clean it. They'd clean the entire thing. And it was mainly older people. It was just me and this one guy doing half the whole thing by ourselves. That was hardcore. But the other volunteer work I did was for a, an actual, uh, disability supports team.

Andrea: Okay. 

Quinn: Um, in spring, in uh, Hazelbrook, It was disability supports. Um, local, and I just went there and set up a barbecue. So they would bring the barbecue I'd set it up, I'll make all the food for everyone. Some of those people actually came to hotel to go, so I actually knew some of them before. When I [00:13:00] came out, uh, Dominic was one of them.

Quinn: A few others anyway. Um, yeah. and that was great. I actually said, you did so well. I started paying me. With cash, actually, a few, like, a bit later, quite a lot, actually. 

Saraya: Cash?. 

Quinn: Yeah. 

Saraya: I don't think, I think that's frowned upon now. cash. 

Quinn: It was a while ago, anyway. 

Andrea: Not by the receiver. 

Quinn: Anyway, no one I didn't say cash.

Quinn: I said Bitcoin, anyway. Um, But, uh, I did that for a while, and then I think, what was it? Maybe COVID happened or something? Um, I can't remember. COVID happened and it was cancelled. I don't remember the reason, but I ended up not getting back into it. And then, I think around after that time, 

Quinn: Anyway, uh, I started working I think I got I don't remember how I got to Able 2. But, um, they're 

Saraya: Able 2, for those that are listening are uh, uh, service provider here in the Blue mountains. They do fantastic work, um, plan management, support coordination.

Andrea: And a few of our initial graduates, uh, trainees, 

Saraya: They [00:14:00] came two nights ago for their Christmas party. 

Andrea: they had 50 people here. Nice. 

Quinn: They were the original, they were the original before anyone else. 

Saraya: They're a great organization. 

Quinn: When I first met up with them it was two people and we were sort of, uh, Their business was behind a shop.

Andrea: Yeah. Husband and Wife. Yeah. 

Quinn: It was really small. And then now it's massive. 

Saraya: It's huge because people want good support. 

Quinn: Mm. A lot of people, their staff actually left able 2 and create their own business and actually took Yeah. Some of the, anyway, It was, uh, 

Saraya: again, frowned upon.

Quinn: Anyway, controversy. I probably shouldn't be talking about it.

Andrea: So, Quinn, um, how did you find out about. Hotel Etico. Was that through Able 2? 

Quinn: That was through Able 2. So, Patsy and Sam were working at Able 2 along Yeah, it was Patsy and Sam working at, uh, Able 2, and they also started working at Hotel Etico. And 

Andrea: Patsy and Sam, used to work here, that's right. 

Quinn: Yeah, and they said, uh, they started mentioning it, and they gave me this big massive book that I didn't read. I think it was this thick or [00:15:00] something, um, and it regarded everything, cause it it had hotel, 

Saraya: It would have answered all your questions. 

Quinn: Etico hadn't actually started yet. 

Andrea: No.

Quinn: So what you guys did was you wrote these massive books and you sent them out to everyone so people would understand it before they started.

Saraya: I've got one on, um, my desk, actually I've got the original.

Andrea: Do you?

Saraya: Yeah, do you want it? Do you want it? You can read it.

Andrea: I don't know what are you talking about?

Saraya: Yeah, I've got it on my desk.

Andrea: Okay.

Quinn: You should take a look at it. 

Andrea: We would have changed so much. 

Saraya: Yeah. It's not relevant anymore.

Quinn: Stella must have been the one to

Andrea: Uh, you know, that's what we had at the moment at the time. And so, But we've developed so much.

Quinn: Yeah, yeah, yeah. So It was a big book.

Quinn: I don't, I don't, I'm surprised you guys had that. anyway. Anyway, I, I accepted. I didn't read the book, but I accepted anyway, because, um, they were very enthusiastic about it, and I thought, well, maybe it's a big thing. 

Saraya: You were the very first accepted. I looked back on all of the records. You were the very first person. 

Quinn: I heard that I was the first application. 

Saraya: Yeah, first application, first accepted into the hotel. 

Andrea: I remember meeting you here with you and your support worker. [00:16:00] 

Quinn: I didn't, uh, it Wasn't really my support worker. But no, but yeah, she was my music teacher. Yeah.

Andrea: Okay. Okay. 

Quinn: she's like my mentor. She's, I still see her.

Andrea: Yeah. 

Saraya: She's really good.

Andrea: And so, do you remember that day?

Quinn: I do actually. 

Andrea: So, and what did you, how did you feel like, where you, 

Saraya: yeah. What was your first impression of Andrea? 

Andrea: No, 

Quinn: um, yeah. it was a while ago. and I have, I usually generally forget things quite easily over time.

Andrea: I can tell you what my first impression of you was. 

Quinn: But I think I was probably, I would assume, based on my past self, I was probably very nervous. And I was also probably very excited. Because I wanted to 

Andrea: Look, I think, um, from, from my memory, uh, you could, it was obvious you could tell that you, you would shine.

Andrea: but you were quite reserved, quite, um, reflective. Um, uh, and you took your time in terms of providing [00:17:00] answers, thought about it very carefully. And, you know, one of the questions that we were asking in an informal way was, you know, what do you want to do? What's your dream? What's your aspiration? And you're saying, well, you know, I'd like I'd like to buy a house, but I don't know how it works. I don't know, you know, where do you get the money, how does it work? You know, like well, what do you need to know? and so that was your, that was your objective at the time. And then you were saying, you know, I don't really do much. I play music. Uh, Yeah, I play guitar, but I don't really play. uh, Really, um, um, I stay at home. I don't like to talk to people. I don't like people. 

Quinn: I still don't 

Andrea: Yeah. Um, well, you hide it very well. 

Saraya: But you talk to people.

Andrea: Um, I don't like people I like to be on my own. I don't have a lot of friends, a lot of connections. you know, I just, he was just very reserved and very, um, And so, yeah, look at you now. Like, unbelievable.

Saraya: I remember the first day I met you, Quinn. I Um, it was my very first day. And Andrea must have been trying . I think you'd been [00:18:00] doing the program for about three months. Um, but it was my very, very first day and Andrea had organized lunch, so the chef cook lunch, um, and you came. You weren't meant to be here. I don't believe. Yeah, it was great. Yeah, so that was my very first impression with you.

Saraya: We had a great conversation, we had lunch together, um, and then, you know, I, the program started back up two weeks later, so. 

Andrea: Yeah.

Saraya: it's Good. 

Andrea: And you had a great bunch, you know, great group, six people, um, lots of different personalities, you had four, four boys, two girls, uh, all sorts of different personalities. And we had one academy only set of two apartments. And, uh, it was obvious from the beginning that you were sort of, the, The, the one that would provide mentoring or support, you know, sort of, you know, like, uh, reassure people because the others, quite a few, had sort of lots of different personalities, up and downs, and, and, and emotions and stuff, in you It was just. calm. 

Quinn: It was kind of like that at the start, but by the end, uh, it, [00:19:00] it wasn't like that. anymore. a lot of them were themselves though. 

Andrea: Yeah, absolutely. 

Quinn: But, I think at the start I was so focused on getting things right. Whereas they were trying to figure out where they were. 

Andrea: Yeah. Yeah. 

Quinn: It wasn't necessarily, They were more focused. They was kind of distracted.

Andrea: Yeah. 

Quinn: And so, I kind of was ahead with some things, getting things done and with my work. And obviously they took that as a, as a reason to make me their mentor in some ways. Yeah. Or at least in ways when they were confused of from an emotional point. Yeah, much more. 

Saraya: But I also think you still hold that. You still hold that mentor position, like the other day, I Kale. you spoke to Kale because he wants to work in the kitchen, and he wants to be a chef, and you know, they actually, they really look up to you, I look up to you. 

Andrea: The feedback we got was amazing, um, so yeah, And so because, during the program, um, at the time we were exposing [00:20:00] all of you to all the different areas of the, of the hotel, but, There was a bit of a focus in the kitchen at the time, the chef was sort of very keen on training and so it was actually getting on the tools. and I was like, Were you always interested in cooking?

Quinn: No. So when I first started, I hated cooking. And the first thing I wanted to do was work as floor staff. Because I really hated talking to people and I was very socially awkward. And I was very shy, and I wanted to face my fear by cooking. jumping in the deep end. So I said I wanted to go work on the floor first, because I said to myself, Well, if this place needs to work, if I truly want to change myself, I need to do what I think I can't do and face my fears.

Quinn: So I did that first and that was very hard because it was, I was doing all the things I couldn't do. I was writing dockets, which I really struggled with writing. 

Andrea: We don't do that anymore

Quinn: but I really struggled with writing. I'd run, I'd write a docket. I'd run up to the chef. I'd give it to him and he [00:21:00] would say, Quinn, I can't read this.

Quinn: Rewrite it. Rewrite it. Send it back to him he says, I can't read this. Rewrite it. Rewrite it. Rewrite it. And I'd run up to guests and I don't know how to talk to them. Like I, I kind of, I know how to talk to them and I know what to do, but it felt horrible.

Andrea: But also I didn't know what we were doing.

Quinn: But I was, after a while though, I felt Very good because I knew that I had changed a lot and I was able to develop a lot and that gave me a lot more confidence Going into housekeeping. I think that was the next thing. I went well the thing is housekeeping looks pretty easy for me personally Yeah. So if i'm able to do

Andrea: and you don't have to talk to anyone.

Quinn: if I did the hardest part first, right?

Saraya: Which is what what's

Quinn: the floor stuff right? working on this the floor, it did the hardest part first So I thought everything else after that, I had a lot of confidence because I did the hardest. part first. After that, I just needed to basically just go and just make sure I would give it my all. And that's all I did. I just gave it my all after that.

Andrea: But then you ended up in the kitchen. 

Quinn: Yeah, I think I did. I I worked, [00:22:00] uh, as a a floor staff. And then I worked in housekeeping. And then I worked in the bar I think, maybe?

Saraya: You're pretty good behind the bar. I'll say that.

Quinn: that's all right. Yeah,

Saraya: not bad.

Quinn: I didn't have my RSA though, so I couldn't really do much.

Saraya: Yeah, yeah, you could pour water.

Quinn: I could pour water and make coffees. I was all right at making coffee. 

Andrea: Technically you wouldn't have been allowed to be behind the bar. 

Saraya: but for the coffee machine, yes, absolutely. He can be. 

Quinn: Um, well, as I was saying? And then I moved to the kitchen. And when I moved to the kitchen I said to the chef I hate cooking. I said. I I've always hated it. I don't like the action of making cook of food. I don't particularly like eating food. I didn't really care for it. Um, 

Andrea: you like food, you eat a lot.

Quinn: I eat a lot because I'm hungry.

Andrea: Okay. 

Quinn: Because I needed, I didn't really, actually, I wasn't excited by food at all.

Quinn: I wasn't excited by food. I wasn't excited by making food. I just, and I just, I didn't know anything about the kitchen. My my, going back to my parents. My father worked in kitchens and he told [00:23:00] me lots of horror stories. He wasn't a chef. He was just someone that worked in all those shady places. And he knew Kitchens are another. Really really shady places like I mean like they had one chef 10 microwaves 

Saraya: Yeah. Yeah. The dodgy of the dodge. 

Quinn: And then one of the mic and then the owner would grab all the microwaves from the tip So he didn't have to pay for them.

Quinn: One of them ended up breaking and my father went to hospital He said he could hear his brain sizzling after like, Anyway, let's move on. He also um 

Saraya: You have lived a life. Quinn.

Saraya: I wasn't, it was my father. All right But, um, but my father was also childhood friends with, um, with, uh, Steve, uh, you ever watch that show, uh, The Cook and the Chef?

Andrea: Yeah, 

Saraya: yeah. 

Quinn: Yeah, the chef in that show, he was my child, my father's childhood friend. So he would be constantly, Over, and we'd talk to him. He, and my father worked at the Hilton. He was the head chef at the Hilton or something like that. at the [00:24:00] time. My father worked under him for a bit. And they were friends. I think he's an executive chef in Adelaide now, I don't know, But, I knew him a little bit. But besides that, like I didn't really know anything about kitchens. And when I came here, I said to the chef, I don't like kitchens at all. and I don't like cooking. And he said, Um, after I'm done with you you'll love cooking. I'll make you love cooking. And, he did. He definitely did.

Saraya: He taught you a lot.

Quinn: He taught me a lot and it made me go

Andrea: Turn the spark on.

Quinn: Yeah, and, you know, the Housekeeping was boring for me. And working as floor staff was stressful. But when I went to the kitchen, it wasn't boring and it wasn't stressful. It was

Saraya: You don't find a kitchen stressful? Oh my. 

Quinn: Going to the Fairmont. 

Andrea: You can focus. 

Quinn: When I went to the Fairmont, it was very stressful for a bit. but It's not stressful anymore. And when I first started here, he wasn't giving me hardcore tasks, So, I wasn't stressed. It was just, it was entertaining. [00:25:00] It was fun. And um, I was interested in learning. And there's so much to learn in the kitchen. Like when you're, there's stuff to learn, um, working behind the bar.

Quinn: Like I really was interested in coffee and that was, that was a lovely. 

Saraya: I know, there was a point in which where you were making so many coffees. I was worried because you were drinking like 10 coffees a day. And I was like, oh, Quinn, 

Quinn: Yeah, it didn't help that the head chef was crazy about coffee. He once drunk like 28 shots of coffee in a day. Yeah, it's, and he was like, sometimes I would be working with him and he'd be like, double shot piccolo run over the bar, make a piccolo, run back three hours later, double shot piccolo, 

Saraya: That's a lot of coffee.

Quinn: It's a lot of coffee. But, uh, but I liked making coffee, so that was good for me.

Andrea: So you were here for a little bit longer than a year because of the shutdown with, um, COVID. Um, and then when you were approaching graduation, you were already developing the idea of wanting to [00:26:00] be an apprentice or to do something or to work in a serious way, right? 

Quinn: I liked working in the kitchen, and I didn't know what to do with my life. So I decided that rather than go home and do nothing, or do nothing in general, I should decide to do something. And I liked the kitchen the most, so I decided to work in kitchens. Like It was just based on a whim. I like kitchens. Working in kitchens. 

Andrea: And when you graduated, you started working here 

Quinn: Yeah, so I graduated and then at that time the head chef left it took some of the staff. So we were understaffed. And you guys, I can't remember if I asked or if you offered, I can't remember. 

Saraya: Probably both. It was Probably just a conversation. 

Quinn: But I decided to stay longer.

Quinn: And that was great. because it was a little tricky. though because you didn't Have a license as well. It was very tricky. But the, last chef that left, when I started with him gone, there was a lot I needed to pick [00:27:00] up. Yeah. And there was a lot of self learning, a lot of Googling, a lot of figuring things out and like self teaching. And it was a good experience. I did some things there that I wouldn't like I have never done at the Fairmont. Right? Like, I've been in the Fairmont for like two years and I've done all this stuff. And even stuff I had, like, I've done here, but I didn't do at TAFE or at the Just cause, like, it's manageable, and I was basically by myself.

Quinn: Amanda was there, and Amanda was, was the head chef, but she was, she was, uh,

Andrea: she learned on the tools. 

Quinn: She learned, She was self, she was teaching herself as well. So we're both working together almost. Yeah. 

Andrea: And so as much as we loved you and we wanted you here, we wanted to push you out into the big white world because we knew that that's where you were going to get the good value.

Andrea: And you wanted that too because you wanted to learn. and you wanted to, so we sort of got together with Fairmont and find you an opportunity to work in the kitchen there. Um, and you started first as a, what, what, what [00:28:00] role did you have like in some kitchen. 

Quinn: When I first started the Fairmont in general, I was working floor stuff.

Andrea: On the floor? 

Saraya: With work experience? Yeah. Yeah. 

Quinn: Yeah. work experience. I was working, um, they don't call it a maitre d there, they call it something else. I was working the front desk for breakfast, taking people in, making sure that.

Saraya: Hostess?

Quinn: Yes. 

Saraya: Hostess? 

Quinn: Yes. 

Saraya: Every hotel is different. 

Quinn: Yeah. Um, So yeah, my job was for the breakfast, uh, Jamison for their, their breakfasts, Some people had complimentary breakfasts, some people didn't. So I had to check their room IDs, make sure, check my book, make sure that their room ID says yes, they have complimentary uh, complimentary breakfast. You'd be surprised how many of them go, Oh, no. I'm with that table over there. We're the same, we're the same room.

Quinn: I'm like, really? do You have any, what room number were they again? Oh no, not that table, That's a, you know. Anyway. [00:29:00] Um, 

Saraya: Well, yeah, for a free breakfast. and a pretty good breakfast.

Quinn: They do, they have a very big breakfast. And, um, it was very, a lot of people trying to get their way in.

Quinn: Anyway, I was a hostess, but I was also running around, and picking up plates, doing all the normal stuff. After that, I did, um, high T's. High T's were horrible.

Saraya: I've never been to a high T.

Quinn: Very stressful. 

Saraya: Have been to one? Have you actually sat at one?

Quinn: I've sat at one, and I worked at one at, the, uh, Fairmont. I did that for a few weeks, maybe a month or so. Uh, was was a while. I worked there a lot and it was really, really stressful because these people were, were important. They're the most important people at the Fairmont. not as in social status, but going to the high tea, you're expected to be the most important person. That's why you pay so much money. It's for service.

Quinn: And so every single little thing is really important. They have to get their coffees to their [00:30:00] standards. One third cappuccino, ice on the side, served in a gold cup. You know, it has to be absolutely perfect. And so as someone who wasn't really good at serving, it was really stressful. And I've had my times where it was, this was much later when it was, it went all wrong. Anyway, end up pouring some champagne on one of them. Lucky they were very nice people. But yeah, that was, that was, it was very good learning experience Cause I learned how to properly serve a table to a really high level All the different cutlery and all what they all do and how they, what side they should be on and how to fold the napkins and where the glass should be and how you should arrange a table and also how you should be treating these people differently, how you would treat normal people.

Quinn: Um, That being said, it was real. and like when you bring the high tea, you have to explain every single detail. So. You go, I got the muff, you got plain [00:31:00] scones, fruit scones, then you've got the gluten free this, with this, with this, 

Saraya: You have to remember it all. 

Quinn: Every single, so every single cake was different in its own way, and you had to remember every single detail of the cake.

Quinn: Gluten free, with this, with that, made in this way. Next one, next one. Then you go to the bottom, and then you go, uh, then you do the sandwiches. Sandwiches, chicken, with mayo, with this and this. Chicken salad with this. So it was a lot to remember, which I have horrible memory and it was a lot of stress, but That was also a good learning experience.

Quinn: So that was really really stressful. You know, 

Saraya: You say that you were horrible at service, Um, but I have had. And experienced just service here. you're not horrible at service. You're actually very very good at it. Very, very good. 

Andrea: You just don't enjoy it. 

Saraya: Yeah, 

Quinn: I just don't enjoy it. 

Saraya: Yeah, fair call.

Quinn: The, I think she was the I don't know, if she, I think she's a food and beverage man at Diana at the time. [00:32:00] 

Saraya: Yeah.

Quinn: Food and beverage manner. I believe. Uh, She really liked me. Yeah, And when I said I was walking over the kitchen, she fought the other managers. She brought them into the room and screamed at them. I want this guy. He started here. He does good here. I need this guy.

Quinn: Like for every week she was fighting them. Yeah. Until this day, every time I see her, she goes, I know this guy. He worked with me. Like every time, like I walked past her, she's like, I worked with this guy. He was just first. 

Saraya: She's got a good memory too. Yeah. 

Quinn: She star. He started with me first before he went over 

Saraya: It's good to be loved.

Quinn: Mm. No, Diana

Saraya: Good to be fought for 

Quinn: diana was great 'cause she was very Really 'cause she's really tough on people.

Saraya: Yeah. 

Quinn: But also I was okay with that 'cause I wanted to learn and so she was willing to push, everything. 

Saraya: I wouldn't say she's tough. I'd just say she has high standards. There's a quality of service that is expected. But yeah, she's, she's pretty tough.

Quinn: She's tough. 

Saraya: She's tough. Yeah. Right. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. she's tough. 

Andrea: And you're a great. learner. So 

Saraya: yeah,

Andrea: the best learner I've ever met. 

Quinn: [00:33:00] So funnily enough I went from high Ts after that to working pastry High Teas so I actually made the high teas. So, from one way to the other. And that was, I worked in pastry. I think it was breakfast pastry. And, um, this was after I left, I think. Um, I think I left Hotel Etico. to go, and then I started working 

Andrea: Yeah, Cause you were doing both for a while. 

Quinn: But, I was doing pastry. And that was also really difficult. probably easier than working. It was probably easier than doing the high teas themselves, but it was a different level of difficult, and the chefs were constantly shouting at me, and it was it was really hard, but that I also learned a lot, because it was really, everything has to be perfect, and if you do even slightly something wrong, you just mess up the whole recipe, and I knew nothing when it comes, because that was my first time walking into that kitchen, working that kitchen, and their standards were really high.

Quinn: And every single person is qualified, Cert 3 [00:34:00] or Cert 4, or Diploma, all of them, every single staff member. At that time, there was one person that wasn't, and there was like 17 chefs. 

Andrea: That's an amazing level of trust

Saraya: that they had in us. Yeah, absolutely. And they did, they had a lot of trust in us. they fought.

Andrea: The general manager was Ben Mellor at the time, right? 

Saraya: and Karen, Karen was the HR. And Beth, who's still there. Um, She's now head HR. Um, They they put a lot of trust in us. But they also believed in you. So I remember having a conversation with Ben. Um, There's actually a photo of us having this conversation. cause you and I look so intense And I'll have to find it. Um, but we were standing there and Quinn was sitting to the side and we were having the conversation saying Quinn wants to go into the kitchen, literally, Cause I I remember that. Um, and they had a, he said okay. Like, they had a lot of faith um, in you. They knew you, they knew what you were like, they knew that that you would go far. 

Quinn: Well I had to have an interview with the head chef before any of that happened. Right? So I think, [00:35:00] uh, I think, Karen was there with the head chef at the time.

Saraya: I was sitting upstairs fine. 

Quinn: And obviously she had, you know, obviously she was one of the main bosses, but at the same time it was his decisions. Yes. And when I went to see him, he was very down to earth, really cool guy. Like, obviously he's tough on people, but like I just told him how I felt and how I wanted to do it and how confident I am, and how I really really wanted to work there. And he said, great, you can do that. You know, I said, I wanted to become an apprentice eventually.

Quinn: And he said, yeah, right. So without Patrick being there, I think he was a head chef at the year at one point. 

Saraya: He was, yeah, he won it. Um, we were at the awards when he won. 

Quinn: Yeah. Um, but yeah, we've, he definitely, I think any other chef might've said no. Or if they did say yes, it would only be because.

Andrea: Well, it was a gamble. 

Quinn: Yeah, if, he did, if they, another chef did say yes, it might have been because they were being pressured, but Patrick [00:36:00] wasn't under pressure Like he held his stance. I think he just simply wanted me to stay there. 

Andrea: Good. 

Saraya: It's good. 

Andrea: And so then, so you've been there for two years now. And you now started an apprenticeship in, what's the official name of it?

Quinn: Commercial cookery. 

Andrea: Commercial cookery. And you do that at TAFE in Wentworth Falls. 

Quinn: Wentworth Falls. So CERT 3, commercial cookery, full time. 

Andrea: Okay. What does that involve? In a nutshell.

Quinn: So Commercial cookery is a broad, so everything. A a little bit of pastry, a little bit of baking, a little bit of like butchery, a little bit of, it's sort of like a jack of all trades, master of none, a little bit of management.

Andrea: Um, how do you, how do you learn? 

Saraya: I love it. That's a great, can you say it again? 

Quinn: Jack of all trades, master of none. 

Saraya: That's me. 

Andrea: but how do you learn? What is the process of learning? Is it in class? Is it on the job? 

Quinn: [00:37:00] Yeah. So it's, it's at TAFE, so they have, they have a practical and a theory. So when you come in on the morning, which for me, it's nine o'clock. You've got practical, so they would have several recipes that they're making. It depends on the teacher. Every teacher is different. I know it shouldn't be different, but depending on the teacher you've got, they've got a different, like, way they do it. So they've got usually three or four recipes, three or four items, and they would show, you, they would demonstrate how to do it, and then you would have to replicate what they did.

Quinn: And they would explain what they're doing, why they're doing it, and why we're doing it and what this, uh, what this is used for. So you do all four of them or three of them or whatever and the next week you have to redo it But without any help, so you would have to make yourself based from memory and based on the your own recipe uh, Based on the recipe that you've been given and everything like that So you have to remake it some chefs actually make a give timeframes. 

Quinn: So you'd have to make them in order and a timeframe. [00:38:00] like you would do in a restaurant entrees first mains, then desserts, very similar.

Andrea: Do you get to eat it?

Quinn: Yes, yes, you do. So you would usually, you would give, 

Saraya: Some of that food would be really good. 

Quinn: Yeah, so you would give it to your, the chef, he would try a little bit, he would check it, and then he would give it back to you, you can eat it after that. Okay. If you want to take it home, you actually have to pay for it, which is horrible.

Saraya: Yeah, because they pay for the food, right?

Quinn: Yeah. 

Andrea: And how many, how many days a week do you do that? 

Quinn: Full time, it's one day a week. 

Andrea: Okay. 

Quinn: I think if you're part time, it's like two days a week or something.

Andrea: Okay.

Quinn: I can't remember. 

Andrea: And then the rest is on the job? 

Quinn: Rest is on the job. But the on the job is on the the job is just normal. Yeah. Like you're just normally working.

Andrea: And you're being supervised.

Quinn: You're being, Yeah, so you have to have a certified chef to have an apprentice. 

Andrea: So so how long is the program? Three three years?

Quinn: So the program is uh, two years at TAFE, three years at work. So there's something called, proof of proficiency. [00:39:00] So you do two years at tafe and then you need to do your proof of proficiency, which is three years. pay slips At a job under the award of chef. Oh, sorry, uh, working as a cook or chef. So, but if I've already worked there for two years. At, at Fairmont for two years. And next year will be my third year working there.

Quinn: And also that will be my second year at TAFE. So I should be able to just, as soon as I finish TAFE, I should be able to Be to like instantly say, yeah, I got my three years of proficiency. So 

Andrea: are you into cooking shows? Do you watch cooking shows? 

Quinn: my family was quite poor. We didn't have tv. Or internet.

Andrea: And now, yeah. Do you don't watch MasterChef?

Quinn: no Ah, no, not really. No. I, we didn't get Internet until I was 14. 

Andrea: You didn't get what? 

Quinn: Internet until I was 14. 

Saraya: How old are you? Quinn? 

Quinn: 22 

Andrea: what a great story. 

Saraya: It's not finished. No, no. Because there's so many [00:40:00] other accomplishments. It's just the professional bit. I know, that's just the professional bit. I want to talk, there's a few things.

Saraya: Because you said something to me very interesting the other day when we were at breakfast. 

Andrea: And we're already up to 40 minutes. 

Saraya: I could talk to Quinn all day every day. Um, you said something to me the other day, like you've got goals, right? So your goal, Andrea, first day you met him, you said you wanted to buy a house. Which you have bought a house, you've bought two. Which which is unbelievable. 

Andrea: So you worked out how to do it.

Saraya: Yeah. 

Andrea: Cause that was your big question mark at the beginning. 

Quinn: Yeah, so I was, Basically, I can't remember when I started doing it. Um, Probably somewhere between, I was working here. 

Saraya: You saved every bit of money, right?

Quinn: I saved everything, yeah. Uh, all the money, the first place I bought, I used only what I made from Hotel Etico and that, that prior stuff I did with that, uh, disability support team, cause they also gave me some money. a little bit.

Saraya: I know, It's Unbelievable. I get, [00:41:00] goosebumps.

Andrea: I am crying. 

Quinn: And also after I started working at, after I finished our grad, my graduation, I started working here.

Quinn: And I was making money for that. So, and I was also working at the Faimont at the time, making money. from that. So it wasn't a year after I left. maybe.

Saraya: There was also another job in between you. I remember. getting, 

Quinn: Oh yeah. I went at Auntie Eds 

Saraya: I remember getting up You, because I kept calling you and I was like, Quinn, you can't work seven days a week. You need to slow down. 

Quinn: I was working seven days a week, 60 hours a week. 

Saraya: Yeah, it was too much. You needed to slow down, which you've learned that lesson, right? To slow down and you're not gonna work seven days a week again. 

Saraya: You just telling me what I want to hear. 

Andrea: So you bought a house. What did you do? Like without disclosing private stuff, but what did you buy? 

Quinn: Yeah. Yeah. So after a few years, I ended up saving $40, 000 

Saraya: Unbelievable. 

Quinn: and um, oh. 45, 000 maybe. And I started, Well, I was, before that, I was just [00:42:00] researching everything I needed. I was just like, what the hell am I doing? And, um, before that, my math teacher was also teaching me finance, but she wasn't teaching me real estate.

Quinn: She would just mentioned you could do real estate. And that sort of sat in the back. I said it to her at that time, there's no way I could do that. That's stupid. And she said, well, one of my students did it, I went, no, there's no way I could do that. But it sat in the back of my mind that she said I could do it. And I said, well, let me start doing research.

Quinn: Because at the time when I worked here, I actually was investing my money. I was investing it in bonds, treasury bonds. So not to be confused with company bonds, where you you, with the money, you basically giving money to the company, you're giving it to the government. Mm-hmm .So the idea is that it's the government's a lot more trustworthy, 'cause in order to lose all your money, is it order money? So the idea, is money. Got it. if you give, if you buy treasury bonds, the only way you could lose it are two different ways. One is human error. 

Saraya: Which there's a lot of that in the world.

Quinn: You'd be surprised how like dumb you'd have to be though. 

Saraya: How dumb?.

Quinn: Yeah. uh, so [00:43:00] if you put your money in treasury bonds as a maturity date? Which means that at the maturity date, no matter what the value of the currents, no matter what the value is, you'll get all your money back.

Quinn: But if you sell before the maturity date, if the value has gone down a lot, that's what you'll get it as So if it went, if you, if you bought it and then it goes all the way down to rock bottom and then you sell it, you lose all your money. But if you wait until the maturity date, you get all your money back.

Saraya: Got it. 

Quinn: The other way you could lose all your money is if the government collapses. Which won't happen 

Andrea: in Australia is unlikely.

Quinn: Unlikely. yeah. so those are the two ways. Selling it, being dumb, or waiting for the, like, government to collapse. But anyway, yeah, I I invested in that. And that was good because at the time, uh, term deposits were 2%. Okay. They were horrible. 2% annually. Mm. And the Bonds were 4%. So it was double and you could realistically if they actually went higher than what you paid for them, you could sell [00:44:00] them early if you chose to. Like if they went up in value, you could choose to sell them early and get your money back before the maturity date, which in, you know, in term deposit, you can't do.

Quinn: Um, but yeah, so that was, that was great. And, but I decided that when I sold them, I actually decided, let's see if I can do real estate. And, it was really difficult to start, but I found a starting, uh, a company that was just starting up. Which probably wasn't a smart idea to use, but it was, it was even maybe really not smart to do because the person in charge of it was a celebrity.

Quinn: And, he was known, yeah, he was known as the, the youngest person in Australia to get 30, 30 properties. So he was on the news constantly. Was it 21 before 30 or something like that? Uh, 21, uh, 30 properties before 21 or something. and He [00:45:00] came from poor. And he made a business where he would find properties and then he would set up all the mortgage brokers, all the everythings, and you just need to give him your money.

Quinn: It was more of a simpler way to do it. So the idea is you go up to him and say, This is how much money I've got. uh, Can you get me a mortgage broker? See how much I can use. You get a mortgage broker. You talk to the mortgage broker. He finds out how much you can do. And then he says, Okay, so what type of property you want?

Quinn: I want this type of property. And so he'll give you a list of like five different properties. And you choose what you want. And then he just starts sending you documents. Because he gays, he goes, all right, you can choose your own. You can get your own solicitor. Or we'll get your own conveyancer. But these are the ones I recommend. You just get whatever you want and then after eventually just keep sending you documents and then you have to read every single little bit I probably signed 50 documents. I probably read 150 pages of documents, every single detail. 

Saraya: Yeah, yeah, you are one for detail. 

Quinn: There was a [00:46:00] lot of information you had to read to make sure everything was perfect, like perfected.

Quinn: You'd be getting called every single day for like four weeks. It takes about like three months. took me maybe three months to get my first one. And that three months is just everyday emails. Every day calling people. 

Saraya: I'd be so overwhelmed. 

Quinn: It was horrible.

Quinn: I

Saraya: remember when we were searching for a house, like, it was just overwhelming.

Saraya: And the real estate agents are ruthless. They call, they text, they call, they text, they call, they text. Like, they are full on. We get calls now all the time saying, do you want to sell? 

Quinn: What's what's even worse is if you don't live there and you have to deal with a tenant and the property manager which is the same time.

Quinn: Yeah, that's horrible. I still have to deal with that. But, um, anyway, so, that was, that was, I was, had to deal with all the, they said, oh, we've got worries about this, worries about that. I had to figure out whether I wanted to go through with it. It was pretty horrible, but the first place I bought It was 36, 000.

Quinn: 330, 000, [00:47:00] 360, 000 and it was a 36, 000 down payment, which was 10%. And the rest of my money went to the, um, all the expenditure. 

Saraya: Yeah. 

Quinn: And that was all my money. So I was poor after that. I had no money. 

Saraya: Lucky you had a job.

Quinn: Yeah. And then, uh, I was able, I got, cause, uh, probably two years before I started Hotel Etico, my father died.

Quinn: So, I got an, it wasn't an inheritance, it wasn't an inheritance, but it was actually a life insurance. Yeah. Okay. Because he was a skeptic, and he saw that he was going to die, so he did a life insurance. 

Saraya: I think life insurance is really important. 

Andrea: So, I remember, just to set a track a little bit because you brought up your dad, um, for your graduation, you were wearing a very special jacket, I think, that was your dad. Yeah. You were wearing a, uh, a blazer 

Quinn: Oh, yeah.

Andrea: that belonged to your dad.

Quinn: Yeah, I just wear that generally, every day when it's cold. [00:48:00] Well, but. But it was special, yeah. So, my, um, cause we weren't that rich, my family had a habit of lots of hand me downs. Everything was hand me downs. I don't think I ever bought anything and they don't probably never even bought anything. Everything was hand me downs. And whenever some my father grew out of something he would give it to me, and these were expensive jackets. 

Saraya: Yeah, well. 

Quinn: These were expensive clothes.

Quinn: So, everything I was wearing, um, until now, of course, was basically hand me downs. at that time, I was working his blazer, which was a really high quality.

Quinn: jacket because he couldn't fit it anymore. 

Andrea: So how proud do you think your dad would be of you? Would you, would he be proud? 

Quinn: He would definitely be proud. That's, when, I feel like, when my father first died, I wasn't thinking that much. It was, it was horrible because I had to set up the funeral. And all that type of stuff, like I was in charge of all that stuff.

Quinn: And there was a lot to think about. But I wasn't thinking cause I was busy, and I was doing things. But after, how it works is, every time you do something, that makes you think about your, you do things that make you think about [00:49:00] them. You do something, you think, I wonder how my father would think about it, if he saw me right now.

Quinn: I wonder he would think about this, my new jacket that I bought. Or the new knives that I bought. This cool thing, this new cool car I bought. I wonder if he would like it or if he would hate it. You know, so every, Whether it's like or hate, Regarding what he would feel, like you're thinking, I wonder what my dad would think about this. And that's just constant.

Saraya: That is constant.

Andrea: It's a great feeling, but it's such a feeling of loss and grief. and sort of 

Quinn: Well, you never forget people. It's something that stays with you forever. And it depends if you truly love someone, you'll never forget them.

Saraya: I think there's a great quote, and I often refer to it, um, grief and is is the, I think it's, no grief is the sign that you truly loved somebody. Um, and it's true cause I, I know when you go through grief, like I have the same with somebody that died. Um, that I was super close with and I, I [00:50:00] often, if I'm doing well, I'll have that thought of, oh, I kind of, I really hope I'm making, he's missing and actually.

Saraya: I get really angry at that. Like, still, like if somebody, um, yeah, like, I just think just really like, I'm, I'm angry that they're not here anymore, but I mean, that goes away. 

Andrea: And your mom is obviously very proud of you. 

Saraya: She's so proud. She is. Um. Bringing us to another achievement which I was lucky enough to witness, um, and I think you got very embarrassed by me and your mom. um, but I think one of the biggest, um, challenges obviously working in a kitchen and working in Leura, having a license.

Saraya: Get around the Blue Mountains, you've got a train. but 

Andrea: I remember the first few times you would go in there, You said you were getting, once you got lost through the golf course. getting there. You probably don't remember. 

Quinn: Oh yeah, yeah 

Andrea: like you cause you're catching a train and a bike. And then you got lost through the golf course and you got there like an hour later or sweaty or something 

Quinn: So I was, yeah, I think I was probably late my first few days working at the [00:51:00] Fairmont because I didn't know where I was going. Yeah. And I kind of, Yeah. I just like, 

Saraya: had to walk to most of the time. 

Quinn: Yeah. It was, it was a long walk. There weren't really any buses at that place. still isn't. 

Saraya: Yeah, no, there still isn't.

Quinn: I was walking. there and back included. it was 13 kilometers a day. 

Saraya: Yeah, that's a lot. and now. Um, which was truly remarkable So I remember getting a phone call from you and you said, can you check your calendar? I'm booking my Ps and I know you want to come. And I was like, 

Andrea: first, there was a photo with the L's. I remember.

Saraya: Yeah. So you did get your L's while you were a part of the program here? Yeah. That Quinn said to me the other day, he goes, you know. Saraya. That photo haunts me everywhere I go because it's on the one it's on the wall here. but two, it's been posted online. Yeah, It pops up on my phone all the time, It pops up all the time. but um, people still congratulate you on getting your L's. Like, it haunts you.

Quinn: I want you to think about it. If you go [00:52:00] the, if if you're walking up the road, and you want to go buy a pie. 

Saraya: so sorry. 

Quinn: And people walk past you down there and they're like, congratulations on your L's and You're just like, you're thinking to yourself, I want a pie. I don't want to talk about this. I don't know who you are. I just want to grab my pie. and go, Especially because I don't like, I don't like bringing attention to myself.

Quinn: I haven't told anyone about this podcast. including My family, or my friends, or anyone at work. Because I don't really want them to see this just because I don't like bringing attention to myself. 

Saraya: No, I know you're very 

Quinn: Yeah, but I want to be here because I want to be. here.

Andrea: Thank you. 

Saraya: We want you

Andrea: It means a lot to us.

Saraya: yes, the Ls you got here, which I'm sorry, I promise I will share like maybe your Ps photo or something so you can get congratulated on that. But it just shows the community of the Blue Mountains that really believe in us. 

Andrea: And then what happened with the Ps? 

Saraya: So I was so nervous. I think I was just as nervous for you going for your Ps. [00:53:00] Then I was going for mine, 

Andrea: but you got a call.

Saraya: I got a call. Yes. So Quinn said, check your calendar, booking in my P does this time work for you.

Saraya: And it was amazing. And I was, I wouldn't have missed it for the world. It was something that I would never have missed. Um, and then go to Springwood for you to get your test And Your mum and I were ridiculously nervous. So we were sitting there and like, um, I don't know if you know this, Andrea, you know this, but Quinn, you have a poker face, like one I've never seen, like I can't read your mind like you have the best poker face and when P's test, we were just sitting there and we were watching the window and like we were literally sitting there watching window and so you get out of the car.

Saraya: And a driving instructor generally has a poker face because they don't tell you if you've passed until you go inside. And so we were like, trying to read your body language and we're trying to read his body language and we we got nowhere. We were like, this is, like, did he pass? did he fail? And then, um, [00:54:00] you passed.

Saraya: And on your first go, might I add, which is unbelievable, I failed my first Ps. Um, but you passed and you just looked at us and held it up. And your mum and I just kind of screamed really loudly and jumped from our seat. I think we embarrassed you a little bit. 

Quinn: Everyone clapped. 

Saraya: Everyone, I can understand why that's embarrassing.

Quinn: Yeah, it wasn't about, that was fine. I, um . Before it was really hard to get the hours for my hours. Because there was no one to drive me. I had some of the support workers here gave said, Hey, when your day's off. I can drive you to places and stuff, and friends and family did that, but it was really hard for me to get my hours.

Quinn: It took me a year plus. 

Saraya: Yeah. 

Quinn: It takes some people when they get, when some people that do it daily, it takes them a month or something.

Saraya: Yeah. 

Saraya: But how many hours do you need to get now? 

Quinn: 120. 

Andrea: 20 of which at night? 

Quinn: Yeah. 20 hours at night. 

Saraya: I only had to get 50.

Quinn: Yeah, everyone keeps telling me. 

Saraya: Did you even have to get any? Sure, I'm an excellent driver.

Saraya: You, however, are not. I would [00:55:00] like to point that out. You are not a great driver. 

Andrea: been driving for much longer than you. 

Saraya: Yeah, well maybe it's time to retire. 

Quinn: It's because you're Italian 

Saraya: It's it's probably. He, he just like, um, like, Rides really close to the car in front. Like I've always, I like, I hit my, like, imaginary break every time he's driving. 

Quinn: My father drove a lot, and he was a horrible driver. But it was mainly because he was just impatient. And it was once I've I've been in so many accidents, almost accidents with him. Almost, like, death accidents. And, and he was and one day it was just like, the car battery was dying. I can't remember why, it was just it was dead, it was dying.

Quinn: And every time he changed, um Put on his uh, indicators. The car would just turn off. So he said, he said, Quinn. we won't indicate Quinn, I can't afford a tow truck. So we're going to have to get home. This was nighttime. He turned off all the lights. [00:56:00] said, we'll turn off all the lights. He says, he says, he says, if we have the lights on, not enough power can get to the spark club, Spark plugs. so the car won't drive. So I'll just turn off all the lights, and we'll get home like this. And we're driving, and then we got to an intersection, He says, Oh, come on. I have to turn on my indicators to get through this intersection. He turns on the indicators, half the spark plugs stopped working in the car. It started backfiring.

Quinn: Getting through the, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang. Getting through the intersection. and then got home and he was like, yeah. 

Saraya: Should be right.

Andrea: Wow.

Quinn: He's like, oh, fix it in the morning.

Saraya: Oh my God. That would make me so anxious.

Quinn: But yeah, no, my father was a horrible driver, and my mother was the opposite. She was a really, really, really safe driver.

Quinn: So, but yeah, anyway, I was trying to get my L's, and it was really horrible to get my hours, But, uh, the people upstairs from the Service New South Wales were Able 2.

Saraya: Yes, yep. In Springwood. So they're, um, They're right up above it, and they came out to the balcony and they were waiting. for you. Um, which was [00:57:00] really great. And They actually asked like, please, has he gone?

Andrea: And now you've got a car. 

Quinn: Yeah. So, yeah, so I knew the people upstairs. Able 2, And they said, tell me when you're going to do your tests That way we can see you. And we can look at you.

Quinn: And so I, I, um, and they said, we know all these things. If they do this, then you won't be, you won't get your license. if You do this. Anyway, I um, when I did my L's on my test it was horrible because the guy was trying to pressure me.

Quinn: If I sat behind a truck he would make noises and groan. and, Oh, fucking, go faster. Like he would. he would. try, he would try, The instructor would try and make me overtake it. He would try and pressure me into overtaking the truck. If I overtook the truck, he would immediately fail me. But he was trying to, he was trying to get me to do it.

Saraya: The one at your Ps?

Quinn: Yes, the instructor.

Saraya: Uh huh.

Quinn: So he was making all these sounds and groans and I thought, he's going to fail me no matter what. He's just, he's really angry. He just looked really upset. I went to do my, uh, parallel park and hit the curb slightly. [00:58:00] And, uh, but the rest I did fine. I missed, I missed one of the, he said turn now, but it was too late.

Quinn: And so I missed one of the things. And he was like, oh, he's making all this. 

Saraya: Oh, it's nerve wrack racking.

Quinn: oh my God. You know, he is making all these sounds. He was so angry. But I was really calm.

Saraya: You are very, calm.

Quinn: and that's probably why he passed me and I, but I thought I was gonna fail and when I got back I'm like, yeah, he didn't look at happy. I don't think I failed and I

Saraya: you both just looked like, there was like, we were like trying to read your faces. Yeah. And I was like, what is going on?

Quinn: But then we, then he said, come to me. Come with me to the front desk and went, oh, I passed. Because they told me that if they don't pass you, they won't go to the front desk.

Quinn: They'll just say, come back next week. Okay. That's it. 

Saraya: You know you have to wait three weeks now, to retake your test. 

Quinn: It was two weeks at the time.

Saraya: So you so I screamed, and your mum screamed very loudly in cervical, and then as we exited, Quinn, what happened? 

Quinn: Oh yeah, and then all the people from able to upstairs were like cheering me on and clapping.

Andrea: That's so good. That's so good. [00:59:00] Now, Quinn, so just want to ask you, um, maybe one last question each. Um, yeah. Um, future. So at the end of the apprenticeship, um, what's your dream? Where, where, what are you going to be in five years time? What's your dream apart from owning five properties or more?

Saraya: Well, he's already got two, so that's not far off.

Andrea: What's your dream? 

Quinn: More about. Making long term goals, which seem Not unrealistic, unrealistic, but difficult. And one of my long term goals is making, uh, 100, 000 a year before 30. That's one of my goals.

Andrea: By working or by passive income? 

Quinn: Just in general. 

Andrea: Okay. In general.

Saraya: So 100, 000

Quinn: a year before 30.

Saraya: Before 30.

Quinn: And I've done the math and actually before I say that, so I'm at the moment though, I'm like right now, my [01:00:00] more, I'm trying to do goal, which I absolutely think is possible is buying a third house. So the first and second house were easy, but the problem is once you get to your third house, um, which is top 1 percent by the way, and the reason it's top 1 percent of people is because, um, 

Saraya: people overextend, right?

Quinn: It's because you're in too much debt. You've got two mortgages, a bank won't allow you to get money. So it's become really difficult to buy a third house. But that being said, it's going to take me a while, but at the moment I can, it's just a massive pain in the ass. So I'm just. At the moment, that's my goal at the moment.

Andrea: Work wise?

Quinn: Work wise, I want to finish my apprenticeship. But that's not a goal, that's just a thing that's going to happen.

Andrea: Yeah. 

Quinn: I feel like if a goal is something I'm trying my best to get to, that's my, that's my go to.

Andrea: Do you want to be a head chef? 

Quinn: Uh, I don't know. That's not a goal.

Saraya: I think you should be head chef of Etico.

Quinn: Of course.

Saraya: Hotel [01:01:00] Etico, yes, absolutely. 

Andrea: Maybe not this site. Of a, of a different side, bigger side, bigger restaurant, bigger kitchen.

Saraya: He can be executive chef over all of them for all. 

Quinn: Well, I'm going to be the head chef of Hilton first. 

Saraya: Hilton? Wow.

Quinn: You guys will have to fight for me. So I'm going to say.

Andrea: We know people there.

Saraya: We know people there, but I can't compete with the Hilton.

Andrea: In terms of introduction to hotels, we definitely can open a lot of doors for you. Because

Saraya: you want to be the head chef of the Hilton.

Quinn: I'd love to work at the Hilton. No, I was just joking because I was talking about that last guy I knew that worked there. But I would love to work at the Hilton.

Saraya: Really? But which one? There's two in Sydney. 

Andrea: Do you know the Hilton? Have you been there?

Quinn: No.

Andrea: Okay. So you know the name, the, the, the aura that there is 

Quinn: yeah, yeah, yeah. Very well known. 

Andrea: But there's a, it was very famous and it was the standard in the eighties and nineties.

Saraya: To have a famous head chef. 

Andrea: No, the Hilton. 

Quinn: The Hilton, yeah. 

Saraya: The Hilton's beautiful. 

Andrea: Yeah, yeah, no, it's still amazing, but it's not any, like now the industry is so varied. Um, it [01:02:00] used to be like, you know, it feels like I'm staying at the Hilton.

Quinn: It does. Yeah. It doesn't matter where you went. 

Quinn: It doesn't matter where you went to America or Asia, Hilton was the number one.

Andrea: Now there's so much. And so you'll definitely get there. But so. 

Quinn: So yeah, at the moment I'm focusing on finishing my apprenticeship and getting this house within the same level. And after that, um, I'm basically just focused on growing my career. Um, that's it just growing my career and learning and becoming better.

Quinn: Um, I'm not really particularly thinking of going cause once I finished my apprenticeship, I should become a commie chef, which is the lowest ranked chef. Um, and then if I want to become a Demi chef. Most likely I'll have to move to a different hotel. That's generally how it works in order to go up ranks would require a lot of effort and I'm competing with really, really good chefs.

Saraya: You're a really good chef. So you're competing with people [01:03:00] exactly at your level. 

Quinn: I'm just saying it's faster. 

Saraya: I've got so many questions. Um, And then I've got thoughts. Can we have questions and thoughts? A reflection? Um, 

Saraya: For me, I, I mean, we spent a full day together last week. So, I mean, I drilled you full of questions, but, um, one thing that I was trying to say before that stood out to me, one of your goals is to be more sociable, right? Which you're going to kill me for mentioning.

Quinn: Well, I, I really love learning. 

Saraya: Yeah. 

Quinn: That's like my go to thing. It's, it's not a goal, but it's just some, it's my passion is learning. I love learning. And if I find something that I'm interested in, I'll push it and push it and push it. 

Saraya: Yeah, you do. 

Quinn: I don't like particularly Dealing with people, talking with people.

Quinn: Small talk I hate, but I like the psychology part of it. Before I went to Hotel Etico, I was interested in technology and psychology. [01:04:00] Um, psychology was more of just something I, both psychology, I was interested in psychology and technology was a habit, was a hobby. So I built a computer and I would constantly learn about things and.

Quinn: I was really interested in computers, but I was, I was equally interested in the human mind and how it works. 

Saraya: How does my work, Quinn? Don't answer that.

Quinn: I'm not going to answer that. 

Saraya: Yeah, you don't answer that. 

Quinn: Um, anyway, I've, I love just learning how people work. I don't necessarily want to talk to those people.

Quinn: It's just that I'm interested. And how they work and how I can use what they know to improve myself as a person. And I have been reading eBooks on, uh, reading body language.

Saraya: I know you pulled me up on my body language the other day, 

Quinn: anyway, 

Saraya: on my smile, he goes, you know, when a woman smiles without their teeth, it's fake.

Quinn: I wasn't talking to you particularly. I just thought it was interesting.

Saraya: I do often do it [01:05:00] and it is, I am now conscious of it because last night when I I was happy to be in that photo and I was like, so yeah, no, but it's true. 

Quinn: I was simply interested in that most people, um, most women knew about this, just overall, that's how it works.

Quinn: They knew it. And when they see other women do it, they know they're faking it. 

Saraya: Yeah.

Quinn: Whereas men. Absolutely know nothing and are completely in the dark. And it's funny how different, like, uh, girls and boys minds are in that way, where it's like just completely, things just inherently are completely different to that level.

Quinn: And I also love learning about that things where people will lie. If people lie, they'll look to their right. 

Saraya: What do you mean their right?

Quinn: Their right. Something about the right part of their brain and the left part of their brain is different. And they're more likely to lie. If they, if they look to their right, they're more likely to be lying.

Quinn: Whereas they [01:06:00] look to the left, they're more likely to be genuine. Just all these interesting things that you don't really think about and might not even really matter, but it's just simply interesting stuff. Yeah. Like I don't, I don't,

Saraya: but you have to be around people to examine that.

Quinn: Yeah. Well that, that's, that's the thing.

Saraya: So we're gonna to the pub. That's what you said? We're gonna go to the pub.

Quinn: Only if you're paying. 

Saraya: I got breakfast the other day and I'm pretty sure I have to buy his,

Quinn: My birthday .

Saraya: I got your breakfast. But yes, no, um, you're becoming Harry. That's why Harry makes me pay for his beer all the time if we go to the pub.

Quinn: Is there a woman in your life?

Saraya: No. Will there be?

Quinn: My mom

Saraya: A partner in your life?

Saraya: She's a good woman. Your mom 

Andrea: do you want a family?

Quinn: I want a At the moment, no. 

Andrea: No, not at the moment. 

Quinn: But I know I probably will want a family, and I probably will have a family. I'm making assumptions I will, in the future.

Quinn: At the moment, though, I'm not even thinking about it.

Andrea: Yeah, no, you don't. Don't.

Saraya: Hey! 

Andrea: At 22? A family. Come on.[01:07:00] 

Saraya: I had Lylah when I was 24.

Andrea: Well, too early. Um, nah, 22. He needs to make 100, 000 a year. 

Saraya: Ah, 100%.

Andrea: Which he'll make way before 30. 

Quinn: Well, remember when I was talking about my math and what not. Well, if I get three properties.

Quinn: Uh, the idea is that, uh, properties double over a year and a little bit. So, both the properties I own at the moment together are 700, 000. They'll pay them off over 10 years, plus they would've doubled in value, which means there'll be 1. 1, 1. 3 million or something. And the, basically just like the income alone from that is roughly 40, If not, that's like, that's minimum.

Quinn: That's minimum. So my current job, my, when I was a cook at the Fairmont doing 60 hours of making 70, 000 a year. So, that's what I was making two years ago.

Andrea: That's what I mean.

Quinn: Plus adding those houses. That being said, 

Saraya: Apprentices don't get paid as well.. 

Quinn: Yeah, apprentices get paid a lot less. It's like 33 percent less.

Quinn: But, that being said, I [01:08:00] still am not making a hundred thousand yet. So my job, 

Andrea: You will make it within three years. 

Quinn: That's my goal. Cause 100, 000 a year is actually a lot of money. It is a lot of money. It's not many people can make that much. And if I can simply, if I can get that, it's just a goal. You know, I just want to give myself a goal in order to make money, that much money at least.

Quinn: You need to be, uh, you need to gain, gain skills. You need to, it's not just about getting a job and making a lot of money from it. It requires networking to get that job. It requires confidence. It requires a mindset of being confident in yourself. 

Andrea: That is unbelievable. I want to be Quinn when I grow up. 

Saraya: I want to be Quinn when I grow up and I'm never growing up, but I always want to be Quinn.

Quinn: But yeah, it's, it's,

Saraya: I always want to be Quinn. 

Quinn: It is, it's a, it's a long term goal, but not for the reason of just wanting to make money. But what I would learn in making that goal happen.

Saraya: It would be a proxy of the fact that you are learning and you've learned.

Quinn: And let's say for instance tomorrow, [01:09:00] I could become the head chef of the Fairmont and I make a hundred, more than a hundred thousand dollars a year.

Quinn: I'll make a new goal.

Saraya: Yeah. Two hundred.

Quinn: And it might not necessarily be money because let's say I get to a hundred thousand dollars a year and I become very, uh, socially impressive. I don't know. If I become impressive in the ways that I wanted to, maybe making money, more money might not necessarily.

Quinn: improve me, I might be fine in that way. I might have to make a new goal in a new way, in a different area. So a 100, 000 is just one of my goals to improve myself as a person. My next goal might be completely different. I have no idea. I haven't thought that far.

Saraya: It's unbelievable. Like I've got tears in my eyes.

Saraya: I've been crying the whole time. What's my body language saying Quinn? 

Quinn: I have no idea. I said I'm interested in it not good at it

Saraya: I've got reflections. I just want to say Quinn, um, and I'll probably cry because everybody knows here I get very emotional. Um, [01:10:00] but you inspire me daily and I don't think I've, I know I've said that to you.

Saraya: Um, watching your transformation from my very first day here to where you are now. Um, it's just amazing. It's unbelievable. It's, it's you and your fellow peers, um, in your cohort, in the six, the OGs. Uh, you brought back my passion for disability. Um, and I just think that that's something I need to thank you for.

Saraya: Always inspiring me and for always allowing me to embarrass you. Um, and I'm going to be on social media with the L plates, but also just to be a part of your journey, because I will always be your number one biggest advocate and I will always help you go wherever you want to go. 

Quinn: Well, you're thanking me, but you know that without you and Andrea, I wouldn't even be here.

Quinn: So I'll just let you remember that. Don't cry. 

Saraya: I'm really going to cry. And I wasn't going to swear in [01:11:00] this episode too. No. Wowza. Wowza. 

Andrea: Thank you. Thank you, Quinn. My reflection is that I'm just in awe with you. I just think you are. And I love learning.

Saraya: I'm glad this episode is coming to an end because now I'm crying.

Saraya: You two are very similar in the love learning.

Andrea: I love learning. But his ability to learn, his focus, his passion, he's like, you're just relentless. I don't know. I mean, you've got the youth on your side. That's all. 

Saraya: I can't wait to see.

Andrea: Um, I just think your potential is infinite. Um, don't forget to have fun.

Saraya: Yes. That is one thing I will always be on your back about is to slow down and have fun. And I know every time you see my phone calling and

Andrea: because you don't need to impress anyone. You're already impressive. So don't forget to have fun and to have fun means playing, going out, having [01:12:00] friends.

Saraya: Quinn did agree to travel with me and do public speaking with me. Last, last week I said, I have a way to get you more sociable. You can come and do public speaking with me. And then I said,

Andrea: I know that you have fun working. You have fun learning, which that's me as well, but let's not forget to have fun. Um, that's very important.

Andrea: Um, And then, yeah, I'm sure like, you know, I, I could be your father. Um, so I'm sure

Quinn: both Italian,

Andrea: there you go. And I'm sure your father would be incredibly proud if he was still with us. Um, so I think that you can tick that box and, um, yeah. Thank you. And I'm learning a lot from you. I've learned a lot from you.

Andrea: You're just amazing. And I want you back, um, in some sort of capacity. 

Quinn: Yeah, he did. He promised me that he would come. 

Andrea: In many ways. Yeah. And then let's have dinner tonight. 

Saraya: Yeah. So we are wrapping up. So let's wrap it up because it's Andrea's birthday dinner and I'm crying and I hate crying [01:13:00] in public. I mean, I'm one of those ugly cryers.

Saraya: Um, but yeah, let's wrap it up. So Quinn, thank you for coming.

Quinn: Thank you for having me. 

Saraya: And I promise not to tell any of your family that you've done this and it will only go on the social media that we have. I don't know. And then they'll see it, 

Andrea: with the L photo? 

Saraya: No, let's put the P's. Let's put the P photo.

Saraya: You know what? Promise me you'll put the P photo. Because people need to stop congratulating him. 

Quinn: Well, you know what? I actually think I'm ready to go on my, uh, greens. I'm pretty sure. 

Saraya: Can we get a photo in front of the greens? 

Saraya: How long do you have to be on your reds before you get 12 months. 12 months. And then two years of greens.

Saraya: Yeah, but the greens is just a But I've been on my reds for like two years. You haven't. It's only been a year. Yeah. It's on the veneer. Okay. I trust you. It's in my calendar. I

Andrea: I join Saraya in thanking you, um, for everything, but in particularly being here today here with us and, um, as for us, let's keep making room for all 

Saraya: and keep fighting for inclusion.

Saraya: Cheers.

Quinn: Cheers. 

Saraya: Yeah. Do you have any left? Yeah. One more cheers.

Saraya: I, sorry, we didn't point out that Quinn has got the actual, 

Andrea: the boss. The lady boss.

Saraya: And what's yours?

Quinn: I've got the effing boss. 

Saraya: Yeah. Say that again, Quinn. 

Saraya: What was it?

Quinn: I'm not saying it again. You made me say it once [01:14:00] already.

Saraya: You are the boss.

Saraya: Cheers to everyone. And a hundred percent will always be.

Andrea: You are a boss.

Saraya: I'll say. 

Andrea: Thank you Quinn. 

Quinn: Thank you. 

 [01:15:00]