I met him twice and he was very nice. But I've met Chefs that have worked for him and they said he was a very nasty man.
The attitude of a chef I worked under when I was a kid put me off kitchen life. That and the insulting pay. Dude was aways stressed to breaking point. During service this guy would boil over all the time (no, not just at me
) and it was just inefficient. Service had to make way for the tantrum.
Even during prep this guy was an ass. Chinese guy, and he used to come up behind you and slap you on the back of the head and shout, "Chop Fasta!! Fasta! Hurry!" then move along and do it to the next guy. Somebody probably stabbed his ass by now.
Props for getting through those early years Tim.