He’s loud. He’s lovable. And he’s becoming an ETSU legend. Every day until 3 p.m. he serves up sizzling, delicious food behind the sauté counter at The Marketplace, the campus cafeteria on the third floor of the Culp Center.

His name tag says Pete, and everyone calls him Petey, but his real name is Richard Wayne Crawford.

Why the nickname? “When I was about 18 months old, I drank a bottle of Texas Pete hot sauce and it put me in the hospital,” he says. “It scorched my throat. My daddy called me Texas Pete.”

Petey was born in 1959, the eighth of nine children. He graduated from David Crockett High School in 1977.

Though his first experience with his true calling came as a fry cook at Captain D’s during his high school years, another opportunity presented itself before his career as a chef could take off.

At the state championship in Murfreesboro during his senior year, talent scouts saw Petey play baseball and recruited him for the minor leagues.

Petey was the catcher for the Pulaski Braves for two years before moving back to Johnson City. He turned down a full scholarship to Milligan College in order to play baseball, a decision he regretted but rectified later in life.

Petey got his degree in business management from ETSU and then went on to receive a culinary degree from Johnson and Wales in Charleston, S.C.

His illustrious career includes working as a chef at Best Western Hotel and the Crumley House brain trauma rehabilitation center.

He ran the Parson’s Table in Jonesborough for nine years; in 1986, under Petey’s management, the Parson’s Table was ranked second in the nation for fine dining by “Southern Living” magazine.

Petey has also worked as a volunteer firefighter and sometimes plays guitar at local bars.

Petey’s favorite place to work by far has been right here at ETSU.

“Cooking for me and for anyone who enjoys cooking is an ego trip,” he says. “Who doesn’t like the recognition and the praise of something they’ve created themselves?”

The best part of the job, he says, is cutting up with the students. “I enjoy being around young people because they make a big deal out of an old man being as cool as I am.”

Petey may be a good baseball player and a great cook, but he’s best known at ETSU for his kindness, his outgoing personality and of course, his singing.

While he cooks, he often bursts into song, belting out tunes by Michael Jackson, The Rolling Stones and Nickelback, among others.

“I like all kinds of music,” he says. “I was raised on Motown. I enjoy southern rock, blues music and anything that has a good beat. If I can sing it, it’s a good tune. And if it’s not good, at least it’s loud.”

Petey reckons he inherited his personality from his father. “He was a jokester and a prankster and a politician,” he says, adding that his father’s gift of gab probably contributed to Petey’s love of people and the spotlight.

It’s hard to catch Petey in a bad mood. “He’s a lot of fun to work with,” says Penny Hughes, who runs the cash register at the cafeteria. Penny, known as the Pin Lady, is a bit of a legend herself, having worked at ETSU for 26 years. “He makes you laugh when you’re feeling sad.”

Petey has been married twice, once for 10 years and once for seven. He doesn’t see himself ever getting remarried, he says, because “I can cook better than most women I know, and I’m still handsome enough to get a date.” However, there is one special lady in Petey’s life: his pet Chihuahua, Ginger.

The only shows he watches are old sitcoms on TV Land.

“I like shows that make me smile,” he says. “I don’t want to watch TV to see how sorry people can be. If you want to see reality TV shows, walk outside.”

The most important message Petey wants to give to students is to be happy.

“I like to tell folks, right now is the best part of your day.

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