-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-As if the whirlwind of contract offers and panicked scouters swirling around Feast Fest tigress Lynn Avi's "1%" possibility of leaving before Thanksgiving 2013 weren't enough, scouters also struggled with contractual deals for Alexei Aiber.
Aiber's contract is not up yet, but it is at a critical hinging point. In 2008, Aiber was signed to a five-year deal with an option for 2013.
Now, the big question is whether Aiber will allow scouters to exercise that option. Aiber is a Feast Fest fixture (2012 will be his 15th Feast Fest) and a fan favorite, but the aging Aiber is considering "slowing down" and "caring for my ailing mother and my wife, who is battling MS." The comments sound uncannily similar to those of a fellow FF fixture and "Original 7" chef Marc Monde before he announced his choice to leave Feast Fest following the 2004 event.
Aiber says he "is 50/50" currently on whether he will leave or stay in 2013, but the scouters are pressing him hard to accept an offer. They slid toward Aiber a $21,447 bonus if he signs the option.
Aiber, however, says he won't be putting his John Hancock anywhere yet. "This is a decision I might not even make until next summer," Aiber said, and somewhat annoyingly added, "I think it's immature and unbusinesslike for the scouters to pressure me into making a decision so soon. Bonus or no bonus, I'll exercise the option only if it feels right."
Aiber refused a request from scouters to hold a private meeting between the two which would have been scheduled for Thursday morning.
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