FAMILY: His positive vibe on the job wins statewide honor
BILL LOHMANN
TIMES-DISPATCH COLUMNIST Dec 13, 2005
CHIP YOUNG AT WORK POSITIVE VIBE CAFE 2825 Hathaway Road, Stratford Hills Shopping Center, (804) 560-9622, or www.positivevibecafe.com. Open for lunch and dinner six days a week. Closed Mondays.
When you first meet Chip Young, you can't stop looking at it.
You don't want to stare, but you can't help yourself.
That smile of his is really something.
"He weighs about 70 pounds," said Garth Larcen, his boss, "and 69 of them is his smile."
You barely notice the tough, but frail, body or the motorized wheelchair that carries him around. You see only his spirit, beaming through that winning ear-to-ear.
Did we say winning?
Today, Young, 22, will receive the Virginia Hospitality & Travel Association's Restaurant Employee of the Year at the VHTA's annual meeting at The Homestead in Hot Springs. Not too shabby for a guy who a year ago didn't even work in a restaurant.
"I am so unbelievably honored," said Young, who was - you guessed it - smiling when we met the other day. "Wow. That's all I can say."
Young is the daytime host at the Positive Vibe Café, a pretty interesting story in itself. The restaurant in the Stratford Hills Shopping Center in South Richmond is a training ground and employer of people with disabilities. It also serves great food.
Young was born with a form of muscular dystrophy. After graduation from George Wythe High in 2001, he worked at Virginia Commonwealth University, conducting telephone surveys. He toiled in a small cubicle and never saw the people he talked to, a pitiful waste of his natural talent. He came to work at The Vibe last February as a temporary fill-in and never left.
"I love it here," he said. "I've always been a great-spirited person, but working here has shown me that I do have a purpose in life."
VHTA spokeswoman Rhonda Allison said the award "recognizes exemplary action and dedication." That's Young.
He looks forward to waking up every morning in the small apartment he shares with his sister, her boyfriend and his nephew and two nieces. He rides a city bus to work, but only after friends convinced him he really shouldn't be rolling his wheelchair through traffic on Forest Hill Avenue. He had overlooked the danger because he was so eager to get to the restaurant every morning that he didn't have the patience to wait for a bus.
"Chip is just flat-out amazing," said Larcen, who came up with the idea for The Vibe and nominated Young for the award. "He is the single most positive guy who works for us."
That's saying something because a lot of positive folks work at The Vibe.
If you show up for lunch on a weekday, you can watch Young in action. Once someone comes through the entrance, Young wheels from behind his desk to greet them. There's the smile, of course, but he also uses friendly banter to make the customer feel comfortable and welcome. He's not flashy, just genuine. Leading diners to their table is a seemingly mundane task but one he tries to make meaningful.
"It's not just a walk to your seat," he said, "it's a journey."
Did I mention he sings, too? He and his buddy, Solomon Miles, are The Goodfellas, a duet unafraid to perform their classic soul tunes a cappella. They've performed at The Vibe and other venues to rave reviews from those who've heard them. Young said when he and Solomon "blow up and make it big" he can envision a CD cover featuring The Vibe.
Meantime, for Young The Vibe is a comfortable place that accommodates him physically and emotionally. His co-workers are like family, the restaurant like home. He decided long ago no purpose was served by feeling sorry for himself. It is true he must often rely on others, and it is true he has difficult days, but he figures he can offset some of that by exuding a positive attitude. Or, as he puts it, "I want to make a change in the world."
He's off to a good start. He's prepared a few words to say at today's ceremony - "few" being relative with Young - and he will look sharp: Friends took him shopping for a suit, he said, "so I can dress like the Homestead guys." His reaction to winning the award is what you might expect.
"I haven't stopped smiling," he said.
Chef2Chef News Desk