The Chester-Rouer

Growing up at the beach on Long Island gave me the opportunity to be an ocean lifeguard when I became fifteen years old. To this day, I still say that it was the dreamiest job I’ve ever had. To sit high on a lifeguard bench, in the summer sun, watching the waves, was exactly how I wanted to spend my days, and I still think about it often. I also think about the Chester.

On breaks from “saving lives” at the surf club in Quogue, we would get exercise by running down the beach. It just so happened that a neighboring private beach club had a burger called the Chester Special on their lunch menu, which I craved. We would run down the beach, scarf two of them as fast as possible, and run back to work.