Vol. 4, No. 1, January 2007
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Bam from Bally’s
Chef finds success at Mohegan Sun
Richard Doucette pre-dated the flamboyance of Emeril Lagasse.
His “bam” occurred via personal consistency. Doucette spent 20 solid years at Bally’s, rising to the level of assistant executive chef before leaving in 2000. Long before celebrity chefs revolutionized the presentation of food, Doucette was busy cranking out numbers.
Doucette’s department produced $60 million - $70 million annually and provided the training that propelled him to a similar, yet larger position at Mohegan Sun. The former Linwood resident now directs 650 employees and does everything from purchase food and create menus to mingle with customers and schedule workers.
The schedule has changed from the frenetic swing shift to gentler daytime hours. Doucette appreciates the new life and the Atlantic City era that enabled it.
“The proudest thing for me is to have been part of that everyday excitement for 20 years in Atlantic City,” Doucette says. “The volume, the learning process and the people that I worked with made the experience fantastic.
“Atlantic City was a small town, culinary wise, when I left. You would see 20 chefs or assistant chefs that you knew. Now that’s changing (with the celebrity line of establishments).”
The Washington Township native had prepared for a life in restaurants. He graduated from the Culinary Institute of America and followed some friends into gaming. Doucette arrived in May 1980 when Atlantic City boasted just three properties.
“We were so busy, it was turn-and-burn back then in the casino restaurant business,” Doucette says. “We had the large feeding, the banquets, the breakfasts, the ethnic interests with the Italians and the Chinese and then there was the extra atmosphere of the high roller. Where else could you get all that in one building?”
Employees needed sharp skills in order to grow. Thick skin and the ability to handle a lightning pace were practically pre-requisites.
“You learned the little things, like not telling a customer ‘It’s good to see you AGAIN’ because maybe he wasn’t supposed to be here the time before this,” Doucette says. “Or if you see a Mr. Johnson, you don’t say, ‘Hello Mrs. Johnson’ because that might not be his wife.” A
nd of course, Doucette learned the details. The quick flow of business honed his organizational skills.
“I really learned how to get on the ball during that time,” Doucette observes. “Planning was huge. You had to be able to sit down, make lists, keep one in the pocket, one in the desk, and do anything to stay super-organized. It was the idea of look, see and react.
“Let’s say you are walking around a buffet and you see that the salad is not up to standards, maybe it’s tired looking. You go change that. Maybe the cook isn’t doing the recipe exactly right. You jump on that right away. You make sure the cooks are using the right ingredients; it’s a million things.”
A million laughs may have accompanied the grind. Doucette enjoyed the baptism of Atlantic City and its Roaring ‘80s implications. The era of youth, exuberance and loaded pockets was a rare one.
“It was the greatest time,” Doucette recalls. “You lived with people who were casino workers. You talked with the cooks, who were old-time guys at places like Zaberers and they told stories about back in the day.
“We’d get out at midnight, 1 a.m., go home, get changed and go out. If we wanted to eat someplace, we knew the bartenders and the waitresses. Everybody had a friend that had a friend. There was nothing like that time in Atlantic City.”
Doucette rose through the ranks of relief cook, sous chef, restaurant chef and assistant executive chef. He worked in a world—some 26 restaurants—within the framework of a casino. The high roller ingredient produced added logistics. Gaming customers would obtain special meals. Celebrities like Billy Joel and Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini passed through. Miss America Night meant “You prayed you did not have the winner staying in your hotel, because it meant providing food all night,” he says, laughing.
The rush seemed endless. But about six years ago, Doucette made a startling discovery.
“It had become a different group,” he says. “When I started, there were guys who were 41, 42 years old and I was 20. Now they were 60 and they were leaving. You look around, and here are people whose weddings you went to, then their christenings, now the children have grown up.”
For Doucette, it felt like time to change. While his children were still 12 and 9, Doucette took the relocation offered by former Atlantic City colleague Mike Luboff. He retains strong ties to the area, however. Doucette met his wife Jean at the Claridge. His brother Bob and wife Sheila are day-one employees of the Trump organization.
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