Who's Behind the Counter: P.K. Mincher at Reter's Crab House

One of two head cooks at , P.K. Mincher enjoys his job so much so that when his shift ends he’s likely to hang around a little longer and enjoy a beer or two with some of the regulars.

At only 25, he’s already nearing his ninth year at the restaurant. Mincher sat down with Patch to talk about what it feels like to be a veteran in the kitchen, what he recommends off the menu and more.

Patch: What do you like about Reter’s that’s kept you here so long?

Mincher: It’s a very close, family restaurant. Everybody here is very tight. There are not a whole lot of dramatics. It’s good because I’ve seen it grow from when we were just doing crabs to what it is now—being a fully established restaurant. Everybody knows about it now.  

Do you think it’s important to have that family feel to be successful?

This being the only place that I’ve been, I can say it’s important in relation to what I’ve heard about other places that are chains. It’s flexibility, it’s just tighter. People stay here for longer because of that, so you get to grow with them.

Being from Reisterstown, what do you like about working in the community and being close to home?

Family and friends, they’ll all come up here and eat all the time. It’s a close commute. It’s easier moneywise with gas and all that.

What are some things you’ve learned when it comes to working in an effective kitchen?

There were a couple cooks here before me that I’d go into the kitchen and help out from time to time. Then I just picked up on certain things. I think I felt that I would eventually move up from crabs to the kitchen because I knew it would grow into what it is now, and I knew that I was good enough and wanted to do that—be a lead. Once I moved up, I just took what I learned and then kept learning. Three-and-a-half years later, I’ve come a long way.

What some of your favorite things to heat off the menu here?

Any burger is awesome. All the wraps are good. Seafood’s great. Tuna. Fish and chips are as fresh as you can get.

Were there some growing pains in becoming a lead cook?

Yeah. Everybody burns something every now and again. You just try to limit your mistakes and set an example for everybody else because there are people that I work with now, that was me three years ago. I just try to teach them like I was taught, keep it going.

So is that interesting for you, this sort of role reversal? You were the young guy, now you’re teaching other people. What are you trying to pass down to others?

Accuracy, attentiveness. Really keeping peace in the kitchen and relations with servers and all the other employees. Keeping it civil.

After a long day, what do you like to do to relax when you get off your feet?

Some days I’ll come sit around the bar and talk to some of the regulars that are in here. Just talk about sports. A lot of people come in here for sports.

What does it say about this place that when your shift ends you hang around and drink a beer? You don’t bust out right away.

I like it, and everybody does. I’m not the only one. We all kind of hang out here, kind of like a Cheers type of thing.