5 days-- picking up steam

Is that  not the most gigantic red onion you've ever seen? It weighed in at nearly 2 lbs.

You'll be eating it next week. Know your food!

Well, the speed of prep is certainly picking up and the excitement is escalating to a dangerous level. Thanks to the feedback from the survey we did, we now have the prices for our menu. I think you'll be pleased.

I am committed to using only quality ingredients. To that end, I am trying out cooking our own roast beef for the deli sandwiches. I could not find one on the market that had decent flavor that wasn't processed using nitrates. I cooked it last night and will try to slice it this morning. Medium rare, right? Fingers crossed.

Each day the UPS  and Fed Ex drivers have been making deliveries. Yesterday we had to go to another cafe to pick up our initial order of  TO GO containers. Those suckers take up a LOT of room!

Yesterday we got the credit card machine that will allow us to take your plastic--debit or credit. This will allow fast transactions and simplify phone orders.

We are planning on having a small dining courtyard complete with fountain to give you an al fresco opportunity mid-day. While it may start out somewhat crude, I hope to add a firepit, lots of greenery and even some yard art. We'll even pipe in some Parisian accordion music. Well, maybe not. Anyway, it should be a nice oasis and a cozy place to enjoy your lunch.

Jon has been working hard at the menu layout for a flyer. If you think the people where you work would like a copy, just  email me and we'll make sure you have a copy for your menu drawer. Today's big plan for Jon will be to get the web site populated. That's techy talk for having something to look at on our website. We'll be linking in the blog to that site and plan to add social media to the marketing. Talk about a learning curve!
I think we'll even be able to text you when your order is ready. 21st century--here we come! Limping maybe, but making the effort. At 56 I feel like an old fogey learning this stuff.

Speaking of techy stuff, I'm just glad it will be Jon who gets to program our new cash register. This may sound quite silly. But I remember playing store as a kid and the idea of having our own cash register just sends goose bumps of kid-dom up and down my spine. MUCH more fun than a cash box.

I've been speaking to various suppliers and learning the ropes as far as locally raised meats, inspections and what I can use. We'll be using grass fed lamb in our Gyros. That was our test meal yesterday. Oh my! I'm using Greek yogurt to make the Tzatziki sauce along with my home grown mint and local cucumbers. The "salad" portion of the Gyros is made up of locally raised tomatoes, onions and fresh feta. I'll be happy when I can get a local source for cheeses like feta. If you know of one, please let me know.

For me today, I'll continue to work on my painted sandwich boards which we will place near the street to mark our location. We've ordered a light up "open" sign so you can see from the street when we are open.
Our friend Kevin will be here to help create free standing lattice sections that will wall off our courtyard from the rest of the property thus creating an "intimate space".

If you have access to any rubber roofing remnants, I'd like to talk to you. I want to create a small fountain and that is my chosen pond liner. Wanna trade for food? We can do that!

Ok. It is time for me to get back to that pre-launch check list. Next? Oh yeah-- building the grocery shopping list. This is very much like prepping for a large party. Only instead of using the list only once, I'll be using it weekly as a basis for my shopping.