She owns a cafe, but she might get fired

A local restaurant owner is trading in her apron for a power suit to take orders from one of New York City’s most powerful developers: The Donald.

Meet Summer Zervos, Surf City’s newest reality television star. The 31-year-old owner of Sunny’s restaurant at Beach Boulevard and Adams Avenue will be competing on the fifth season of “The Apprentice,” a popular prime-time reality show on NBC.

For those who haven’t seen the program, here’s a quick rundown: 18 contestants meet in New York and compete against each other on a series of business-oriented tasks. After each episode, one contestant is eliminated during a tense boardroom meeting that ends with Donald Trump’s signature “You’re Fired!” The last person left on the show is given a six-figure salary and an apprenticeship with Trump.

Season five has already been taped and Zervos can’t discuss what happens, but she did hint there might be some drama. The first episode is called “The Summer of Sam.” Hmmmm -- you be the judge.

“My dad said I was out of my mind to do this,” she joked during an interview at her restaurant early Wednesday. The television show was one of her first ventures out of the restaurant business. Her Greek family has been in the food industry all her life; Zervos said it’s the only business she’s ever really known.

“It’s what my family does -- it’s what we’ve always done,” she said.

The industry helped to make, then break, then remake her family. Restaurant entrepreneurs for many years, her family lost almost everything during a recession in the early 1990s. Her father, once a proud businessman, had to find work waiting tables while her grandmother made ends meet working in fast food.

“We went from well-off to nothing at all,” she said. “But my family got up and did what they had to do.”

The episode helped Zervos develop a strong work ethic and committed attitude, which she focused on her job as a waitress. She left high school early to earn money, working several different gigs before landing at Sunny’s. After a few years of working as a waitress, she was able to begin investing in the restaurant and eventually bought it.

Her parents also recovered from their own hard times, Zervos said, and still earn a living in the restaurant business.

It was through Sunny’s that Zervos first heard about “The Apprentice” auditions.

“You learn everything by spending a day at the counter of a restaurant,” Zervos said.

After attending an audition in Huntington Beach, Zervos got several callbacks for the show and went to Los Angeles for the final cut. After a brief group meeting with Donald Trump, she was selected for the show.

Beyond that, Zervos can’t reveal much more, although she did say she was relieved when the taping finally ended and she could leave Manhattan.

“I felt like I was a returning to a wonderful kingdom when I came back to Huntington Beach,” she said.

Friends say they plan to watch each episode of “The Apprentice” at the restaurant. The first show airs Feb. 27.

“It’s definitely been the thing to talk about around here,” said friend and employee Mandy Hesser. “We’ll most definitely be watching the show around here and cheering her on. It will be a lot of fun.”20060216iuqvv7ncKENT TREPTOW / INDEPENDENT(LA)Summer Zervos, owner of Sunny’s Restaurant in Huntington Beach, will appear on “The Apprentice.” The show has been taped, but she’s can’t reveal the outcome.