It was 24 years ago when Bill Hill walked through the doors of The Coeur d'Alene Resort.

Not as a guest.

He was going to North Idaho College, was married, with a child on the way. He needed a job.

"I couldn't just go to school," Hill recalled, chuckling.

He was hired as a dishwater. Not glamorous, but it provided an income. And besides, he was good at it and liked life in the kitchen.

"Probably within a year I started prepping and cooking and learning how to do things, being trained in the convention center," he said. "When the golf course first opened up, I went out and helped open the kitchen there. I was working Dockside and Beverly's, helping out wherever needed."

In 1993, he earned a sous chef title. In 1995, he was named executive banquet chef of The Resort. It has been his role since.

"It was real exciting," Hill said.

The 44-year-old today leads a staff of 40-60 dishwashers, prep cooks, pastry chefs and line cooks, depending on the season. He is the man behind the creation and service of more than 1,000 meals each day. He's responsible for breakfasts, lunches and dinners in the convention center that boast annual sales of around $6 million.

Hill, who grew up in Wallace and was a self-proclaimed "junk food junkie," works upward of 60 hours a week. His days, 5-6 a week, start around 7 a.m. and usually extend 12 or 13 hours.

The responsibility can be overwhelming at times, so Hill has a secret ingredient to handle the stress. It's simple, but effective.

"I try to keep it a fun place, so I'm cutting up all the time, trying to make people laugh," he said.

Did you have restaurant experience before working at The Resort?

No. I went to NIC and I was studying business, I just needed a job so I started learning. Our corporate executive chef, Rod Jessick, he's been a great mentor and great teacher. I've had the opportunity to work with a lot of other chefs. The resort's paid for all of my education. I've gone to Spokane Community College for nutrition and management courses and for all my advanced training. I learn as I go.

Did you ever return to NIC?

No, I worked for about six months, and I thought, I've got to make more money - I was earning $3.50 to $4 an hour. So I left work here and moved over to the coast to Forks, Wash., and went logging in the middle of winter. I thought, I really don't want to do this again, that's why I went to college to begin with, so I wouldn't have to do that. I moved back here and got hired back and started prep cooking at that point.

Were you thinking this could be your career?

No. When I started prep cooking and kind of working my way up, we had a sous chef, his name was Jim Huckabee. He told me, 'If you learn this trade, you can go anywhere in the world and get a job, and you'll never go hungry.' That was it. I was sold.

When I was little, I grew up in Wallace. My parents got divorced, it must have been about 1982. We were a poor family. All the mines were tanking and everybody was moving away. That's what we thought, growing up, that's what we would be. There was nothing else to do, and those guys made a ton of money. All the sudden, everything takes a dive. There we were, all of us, poor and nowhere to go.

Does that help you from being overwhelmed by your responsibilities today?

It gets stressful at times, but you know, don't let them see you sweat. If they don't see me panic and worry, they stay calm and everything just kind of works itself out.

Are you the guy behind the different dishes in the convention center?

Yes, myself, through the direction of our corporate chef. Any time we have guests who need special attention, we'll sit down together and brainstorm, start from ground zero, maybe something we saw lately, whatever the trends might be. Just start building the whole menu off of that.

What would you say is the most rewarding aspect of your job?

At the end of the day, I look across the kitchen and it looks like a tornado's been through there, we just fed 3,000 people in the Ironman tent out behind the resort here at dinner, or we just put out 3,000 dinners on the cruise boats. That's a good feeling.

How about your toughest challenge?

Being able to build a crew and keep a crew each year. I'll have my base crew of about five or six people, two or three chefs and some supervisors. We rebuild every year.

Over your career, have you been hurt or cut in the kitchen?

I've had lots of stitches, particles in my eyes. Probably the funniest one, I was cracking lobster, a piece of shell went under my finger nail and it got infected. It swelled up like a plum.

What do you see for yourself down the road?

I'm just waiting for my boss to retire so I can have his job. (laughing) Someday, I'll be promoted to corporate chef of Hagadone Hospitality. That's my goal.

Are you a finicky eater?

Actually, no. My favorite thing is to barbecue in the summer time. People always ask me, 'Do you cook at home?' If the family wants barbecue, I'll cook at home. If not, then usually my wife does all the cooking. I'm not finicky. I love every type of food.

Is your wife a good cook?

Yeah, she makes the home style, real food, mom food.

Do you give her advice?

No. I try not to. I just let her do her thing.

When you go out to eat, do you become a restaurant critic?

I am to myself. I try not to be verbally. I think sometimes people expect me to be. When we go out with family and friends, they ask me to critique food. I don't want to do that. I just want to enjoy my meal.

Date of birth: June 24, 1967

Education: North Idaho College for a year, culinary training

Family: Married to Sirena, we were high school sweethearts. Two children.

Number of hours on average you work in a week: 60

Number of hours on average you sleep in a night: 5-6

Hobbies: Golfing, hunting, fishing, riding four-wheelers.

Favorite movie: Comedies

Favorite book: Any cookbook

Favorite spectator sport: Football

Favorite team: Dallas Cowboys

Best advice you ever received: The grass isn't always greener on the other side.

Any one thing you consider your greatest accomplishment: My family

Quality you most admire: Honesty

Person who most influenced your life: My mom, Helen. She was a single mom who raised four kids on a minimum wage job.