Shaw, AM
Been really busy lately.
Developing a new menu for my new job.
Hundreds of new recipes to enter into my database so I can play around
with them and different combinations with instant price consequences.
My twice-the-size finger is making things difficult still.
One month to go before I start and my nerves are already stressed--fear
of the unknown. Surprising it banishes all confidence.
On top of everything after two years of searching for a job while
working for myself, I finally find something which is perfect and I get
jury duty for the day I'm supposed to start. Chances are the case
will settle out of court--they usually do. But it's just my luck.
When I get some more work done on a menu I'll post it here. I'm sure it will also appear at:
Whalen's Cafe at some point as well.
Meanwhile I've been sorting out crossing the boarder 4 times a
week--twice up to work and twice on the way home. It didn't work
so well on Saturday. My fourth and final time I had to wait an hour to
get through and I ended up being overloaded for the last ferry
home. Had to spend a night in a crappy motel on the
mainland. An unexpected wrinkle which shouldn't have happened,
and won't happen again.
Still it will be cool working in the shadow of Vancouver. I've
lived out here for years and have never been. Can't wait to get a
taste and hopefully cook with ingredients which aren't available around
here.
Better get moving--my pc is full of viruses I've got to remove to keep
working on the menus. I wish all my software was available for
the Mac. So much easier.
ttfn
Shaw, AM
I see from the counter that people are
reading this drivel. That's good. I know I have strayed far
from my original objective--to record the ideas and doings of my
catering ventures and expansionist vision. However purging the
soul of daily baggage is useful as well.
To plug into the Kitchen Garden theme for a
minute. The chicken we got so long ago are quite big now.
The roam freely about their yard dining on our vegetable peelings,
grains and bugs. They should be laying next month, so with any
luck we will have our own eggs to decorate this Easter. I'm sick
of the pale, insipid store eggs. Even the free-range, minimally
processed eggs are weak and flavorless compared to the ones we get
fresh every day.
Last Saturday we planted peas in the garden.
Shelling, edible pod and snow. It's a month earlier than we
usually do it, but a good friend we know says he always has a great
crop. We are planting in the raised beds close to our
house. The big, hot garden further away is still too wet.
We reserve it for the bulk crops which need time and heat. Peas,
lettuces and other things which are best picked daily we grow in our
potager close to the kitchen. The tomatoes and basil we started
in the house have all sprouted and are reaching skywards with gangly
tenticles.
Good news came yesterday in the form of an
unexpected phone call--a job offer. It is close enough to make it
worthwhile, and far enough away to make a difference. I am hoping
to investigate it this weekend, but I am mostly sure I am going to take
it. A waterside restaurant on the BC/Washington border in a
popular spot. Just the sort of thing I relish.
Meanwhile, planning the wedding later this
summer--things seem to be going well. I had a snag, though,
trying to track down a decent price for disposable cameras. We
like to suggest to the bride and groom they put these out on the table
and let their guest take candid shots of the reception for them.
It has worked great in the past. I prefer to buy them with
processing included as it makes for a better package. I asked a
big company if I could get a discount for buying in bulk. The
email reply was no. I don't take no lightly. Especially
from an underling. I found out the phone number and posed the
question to someone higher up. It makes good sense to give me a
discount to distribute their product to potentially new
customers. They saw the sense. I get a 15% discount--not
great, but better than nothing. I love agitating the system when
an nonsensical answer meets a perfectly resonable question.
People just don't take time to think. There is always a way.
posted by: ChefNeal at February 20, 2004 10:16 |
link | comments |
Shaw, AM
My finger is healing
enough to be really painful. A deep bruise is spreading around
it. Combined with constant numbness keeps me wondering if the
circulation is okay. I nervously checkit several times a day.
I an act of purest optimism I emailed a realtor
about a vineyard property we're interested in OR. We are
expecting an offer, or not, on our estate but I'm not holding my
breath. I just wish we knew one way or another. Meanwhile,
I thought I would find out more about this winery so I can rule it out
if it is not what we want. It sounds just the thing we want, so
there must be something wrong with it.
The verve I caught in London is feeding a need to be
creative on a large scale. There's just no outlet. I would
love to start up a gastropub-a warm homey place to eat and have a
realxed drink. Something fun and casual, but serving top shelf
food. A place which would remind of the best in the student
hangouts we used to favor; but not a place for students per se.
I'm just not sure anyone around here is ready for such a thing--even if
I could find a location and money to do it with. Reading Terance
Conran's book on Restaurants is not helping me quell this rising urge
much. There used to be a restaurant for sale on another
island. I spent 45min yesterday trying to see if it was still
available to lease. It would have helped if I'd remembered the
name correctly. I might go back and search for it today now that
my memory is working again.
In the meanwhile I am trying to develop some ideas
for cooking at some of the local farmer's markets which should be
opening up late next month. Any profit from these would be
welcome. I'm just not sure what to do. Paella came to
mind. Buy a plateful while you shop. Cook it live in front
of everyone--could work. It would drive the other vendors mad
anyway. I really wanted to do a stand for the giant Tulip
Festival which happens on the mainland. However, I missed the
meetings, etc and don't stand a chance of being picked for the limited
vendor space. The one person I spoke with about my idea was a bit
narrow minded and snooty about the thing. Protecting her
territory I'm sure.
The gang is up and making a racket which sound like breaking crockery. Time to put this to rest.
posted by: ChefNeal at February 17, 2004 09:09 |
link | comments |
Shaw, Am
Yesterday came and
went. It never got much better than making the pancakes.
Soon after I hit my bandaged finger and sent my hand into spasms of
pain. I had to re-wrap the whole mess and repack the wound with
ointment. It led to a fairly cranky day with not much getting
done. I am hoping today will go better. I paid bills this
morning and still had money in the bank--that's good for a start,
although not all of the bills got paid--I'll save the rest till their
closer to being due. Perhaps by then I'll have a wedding deposit
in the bank and our tax refund will be here. I haven't been this
close to the edge in a long while--there was the time I entered a large
deposit twice and paid several past due bills with the "extra"
money--the checks were bouncing around my head for months. But
that's been years, and here I am cutting it fine again. Too out
of control.
posted by: ChefNeal at February 16, 2004 10:52 |
link | comments |
Shaw, Am
I'm going to try to sneak this in while I'm making pancakes for the kids.
Friday the 13th struck with a vengence. Whilst preparing our
dinner--a humble fried rice of leftovers--I ended up gashing my left
index finger. I never actually got beyond getting the rice cooker
going and gathering a few ingredients. I hadn't even picked up a
knife. I was reaching into the middle shelf of the fridge when I
tipped over a quart of cream. As it fell off the shelf, and I
fumbled for it, a ceramic bowl contianing lemon pickle (for
curries) fell out and somehow broke and sliced my index finger
before it shattered amidst a rain of blood, on the floor just outside
the fridge.
Two hours later, a 911 call and a trip by boat to
the emergency clinic on another island I was stiched up and feeling
woozy and stupid. I don't think the cut went quite to the bone,
and I was lucky I didn't sever the tendon. I still am not sure
exactly what happened--it was all very fast and very surreal. It
has severely hampered life this week end.
Much of this weekend has been spent cleaning up our
muddy dog and trying to get him to remain calm in the house. He
was booted out a few years ago when the toddlers were infants and has
remained a house guest ever since. Now that the youngest kids are
bigger, dog can rejoin the crowd in our tiny house--unless the
mountains of hair drive my wife over the edge.
The rest of the weekend has been spent trying to
come up with a database system for the business, and writing a contract
which will be thourough and work for a range of events and
weddings. I've been flying by the seat of my pants until
now. But I want to use the contract, not only to secure an
agreement and protect myself, but also to cast a more impressive and
professional attitude.
Well, competition between 2 computers and 1 dial-up line has made me
the looser once again. I'd better get off before war breaks out.
posted by: ChefNeal at February 15, 2004 10:52 |
link | comments |
Shaw Island, PM
Well, things are
going from okay to worse. Just got hit with another bill.
Haven't secured the wedding for later this summer and haven't heard
about the other one either. Perhaps I will have to make the next
move on that one under the guise that space is going quickly. . . .
We had a nibble on the property, and suggested we
would work with an offer they had in mind, but we haven't heard back
yet--it is all needles and pins around here at the moment. Meanwhile
business ideas push on.
Spent the whole day yesterday traveling to pick up
ingredients and some co-op items to sell. For 10 hours of work I
made $76 which by the time you deduct lunch and 4 bottles of wine
I bought pretty much makes it a write-off. Still I was able to get my
ingredients without actually having to come up with a $500 minimum all
on my own, and I did cover my main expenses.
On the plus side the weather is absolutely beautiful
here. The ground hog must have stuck his head up his ass because
winter looks like its ended here.
Shaw Island, AM
Well, I
stalled as long as I could. I just couldn't bring myself to do
it. Why throw away an opportunity of a lifetime. Still,
there was nothing for it. I couldn't bring myself to take it
on.
The job in England which I went to and had a
cracking good interview was mine. It just didn't pay enough, me
thinks. Granted, with the exchange rate being what it is, I might
have done better there than here. However, it is expensive to
just head over there when there is a family staying behind. I'm
still not sure I made the best decision. Just have to live with
it I guess.
Meanwhile, I'm well chuffed. Just landed a
small wedding account for late summer. The first one this
year. I'm expecting another one to follow for the early
Autumn. Now I just need 10 more events of that size and I might
just be able to survive.
No other events or dinners on the books just
yet. I do have two demonstration classes coming up mid-March and
the first week of April. Spring foods to pull us out of the
winter blues. I had someone interested in hiring me to teach a
cooking/team-building workshop, but they have dissappeared off of the
face of the planet for the time being. They probably tuned into
this Blog and realized what a scam I am. Smoke and
Mirrors--fooled them again. Problem is, I've been squeaking by so
long I'm actually good at what I do, ready for bigger and bigger
challenges.
Meanwhile, keep your fingers crossed. Someone
may, kind of-sort of, be interested in making a low-ball offer on our
property. The sort of thing we can just barely work with.
We'll come down a bit, if they come up a bigger bit. It would be
so nice to get off this rock and own a place where we didn't have to
struggle to grow things and I could travel to jobs without taking two
days for 8hr of work. I am hopeful, but not confident that this
will lead somewhere.
I'd better get some work soon--I just got my credit
card bill from London. I knew I was spending a bit, but the
exchange rate really screwed me. A bit humbling.
Escpecially when I need to pick up some new software which will
hopefully make it easier to keep track of all the work I'm not getting
right now. Catch-22. I have the time right now to develop some
business strategies and put them in place, but not the cash to take
advantage of the time. I am seriously thinking about selling a
few shares in the company to raise the funds to take this thing to the
next level. Top of the wish-list: a catering van.
Well, i'd better get the day going. It is
windy today. The rain beating a steady patter on the windows. So
much for working on the compost heap. I'd better rework my
website a bit instead.
