W/e August 31st Preparing for blast-off!

This week you might be startled to see changes toward the back of the annex. I am re-configuring my Propanels (moveable display panels for artwork) and bringing in the lighting to set up for a full gallery display of my artwork. It'll pretty much be a retrospective of my artwork. The intention is to show off my work in a gallery setting to showcase it and hopefully find new homes for several pieces. My work has always been for sale, but I never made a big deal out of it since we were focused on creating the cafe. Now we are showcasing the artwork so we can fund our next expansion.

The plans include adding a taproom in the annex which showcases craft beers—local and regional ones, primarily. In order to do so we need to raise several thousand dollars. You may have read last week that for the first time EVER, my art quilts are on sale at 20% off through the end of September. Next Friday, September 6th, we'll be a stop on the September Artwalk. We'll include beverages and hors d'voeuvres and invite you to mingle amongst the artwork and friends. Several folks have expressed an interest in specific pieces. If you have had your eye on any, speak up! It would be sad if the piece you wanted most was snapped up before you acted. I am happy to work with you to extend payments over several months for you if it would make a difference in your ability to acquire my work.  I have a pretty large resource here that has been largely ignored while we have been stabilizing the cafe. Now it is time to make it work for us. In addition to lots of large pieces, there are several more moderate pieces available, as well. Become a part of our history! Own a piece of art by Rebel QuilterTM, Susan Leslie Lumsden.

I don't usually make a big deal about my art as we are surrounded by it every day. But I have earned quite a few awards, a few of them national ones—like a Niche Award for best textile and third place in the Fantastic Fibers. For many years I was on the board of Best Of Missouri Hands and the chairman of the Jury Committee. I have taught in national venues like Studio Art Quilt Associates, which is a big part of Quilt National's opening venue, the Dairy Barn Arts Center, as well as smaller venues like the Folk Life Center in Mountain View, Arkansas. I have not done a show of any size since 2009, nor have my prices been raised in that time. QUITE an opportunity for a good deal. But art must speak to you in order to have a perceived value. Art is seldom a good value if you don't like it. Choose based on your heart.

We are looking toward a theme of water for the annex. Water is one of our most vital resources and most vulnerable to degradation. Many people in our immediate area are dependent solely on the water quality coming from their wells and live water. Hopefully, this will evolve into a place where the community can learn and be made aware of water quality issues while enjoying local craft beers. We are inviting your name suggestions and feedback on those ideas. One name we are highly interested in is Watershed. Also in the toss up are Agua, Ozark Oasis, Aquifer, and Karst.  I am leaning away from names that are over used or corny—like Watering Hole.

Did you notice that the Quill has had articles about us three weeks running? Wow! Thank you to Terry Fuhrman Hampton for taking the time to interview me and for including my articles on ingredient choices we make here at the cafe. Terry has a remarkable ability to capture the essence of those she interviews. I was honored to have her attention.

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^

The seasons are moving along and with it the produce coming in. Last week we added patty pan squash, okra, and beets to the summer stir-fry. Suddenly, it was very colorful. I am still hoping to buy local foraged Coral mushrooms. Please check your property for clusters of it. It looks JUST like coral in the ocean. I was delighted with the response to the scallops last week. We sold every portion we had—I didn't even get any. (pout)

This week everyone is chomping at the bit to get into the action. Vincent is creating 2 of this week's lunches. Amy is doing 2 and I'll be highlighting one of our salads. Amy is bringing back one of her most popular ones so those who missed it last time can get into the action—FRIDAY.

So here are the lunch specials~~
Monday~ Thai Basil Tofu $6.99
Tuesday~ Solstice Salad~Romaine, tomato, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, wood-fired chicken $7.29
Wednesday~ Hot Pastrami Sandwich $7.59 with side
Thursday~ Pizza made by Vincent $7.59 with side salad. I failed to get variety.
Friday~ Bacon jalapeno popper grilled cheese plus gazpacho $7.59

Flavor Journey—France! I love it when we get to use local, grass-fed meats. This week we'll use beef chuck roast from Spring Creek Beef to make beef burgundy—aka Boeuf Bourguignon. Normally I'd wait until colder weather to pull out this French standard, but I simply refused to wait. Grass-fed beef raised without hormones or prophylactic antibiotics is a precious treat. Combining it with carrots, mushrooms and onions, tomato paste, red wine and brandy for a slow cooked tenderness gives it a special treatment seldom found in these parts. Look for it served over buttered egg noodles with our summer stir-fry. $15.99

The seafood entrée is from one of my favorite restaurants on the planet—Fonda San Miguel in Austin, TX. It is Camerones en Crema De Chipotle (Shrimp in Chipotle Cream Sauce). While it CAN be very spicy, we'll keep it not quite so hot. I'll serve it over rice, accompanied by stuffed zucchini as well as cilantro lime slaw. $16.99 ¡Olé!

Well, that's it for this week. As always we appreciate your business and look forward to seeing you. Bringing along a friend or family member just adds to the joy. Have a toasty week—summer finally arrived!

~~Susan