Sold Out are two magical words.

Several years ago, when I was working at The Rainbow Room, there were too few reservations for the big New Year’s Eve dinner. A full page ad was designed for The New York Times. It listed all the fabulous goodies the guests would be receiving: free champagne, top of the line entertainers, big bands, phenomenal food, fantastic view of the fireworks on the East River.

Joe Baum reached for the designers’ ad lay out.

Across the entire page he wrote: SOLD OUT.

“Run it,” he demanded.

We gasped.

“Wait,” he instructed. And left the room.

Instantly the phones rang.

Incredible lies were told: “I am the chef’s mother, I made my reservation six weeks ago…I’ve been coming to New Year’s Eve every year for 35 years…”

The reservations desk responded: So sorry…we’re sold out…but we can put you on a waiting list. It’s an additional $25 per person cost.

The room filled immediately.

The lesson I learned was that Jobs Baum knew to whom he was speaking. In Manhattan, if a place is sold out, it is the only place to be.

The Cookbook Conference that begins on Friday in Manhattan is sold out…Ha…I have already received four requests asking me to use my (zero) influence to bypass the system…I didn’t (couldn’t) though fully expect to see the callers there.

The Cookbook Conference is completely sold out, and there is a long waiting list. Everyone will be attending: writers, literary agents, publishers and all the big nobs in the writing/blogging universe. I will be speaking on Lisa Ekus’ panel. Our topic is THE FUTURE I love this subject….

To make the content available to those unable to attend, ten panels on Friday and Saturday, February 10-11, 9 am-6 pm, will be webcast. Anyone can tune in, watch the panels, and tweet questions.  In addition, all 28 panels will be filmed and will be up on the same website a week or two after the conference. The broadcast schedule  is available on the conference website:
www.cookbookconf.com <http://www.cookbookconf.com>

The url for it is:

http://cookbookconf.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/FINALFINALSCHEDULE.pdf

The meeting is taking place at the Roger Smith Hotel in NYC is the site. This is a small hotel near Grand Central Station. It is a  welcoming and quite inexpensive place to stay. I like it a lot.

Because you’re good at math should you work in a bank, be an accountant, or an economist?  Not necessarily. Instead, decide what it is you most want to do. If you like standing up all day, begin by looking at the options that are available; you could be a train conductor, an orchestra conductor or a waiter. If you are good with your hands, you could be a pianist, a watch repairer or a pickpocket. If you prefer to lie down on the job, you be an auto mechanic, an astronaut, a hypochondriac — or a thinker/food writer.