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.



  

7 days out- really! Tomato Squash Herb Soup

I've been wanting to try this soup ever since I got the New England Soup Kitchen Cook Book. This vegetable heavy soup starts with fresh Butternut squash. I got mine at the Thayer

Farmer's Market from Bill. It has lots of onion(local), garlic( local) & carrots cooked with fresh tomato (local). After simmering and getting soft the broth-- veggie or chicken--gets added as well as some wine or sherry. I used some chardonnay, but really couldn't taste it as an addition. Then gobbs of fresh chopped basil and cilantro. The whole batch is pureed to a fine texture.

While most vegetarian soups can seem a bit thin, this one has a bit of umph due to the thickening caused by the squash. If you like, this can be a regular part of our line up.

More about our soups--

Each day I plan to serve one vegetarian and one meat-eater soup. Made with a homemade veggie stock created by simmering lots of veggie parts for many hours, the above soup would be the vegetarian option. I plan to always use stocks and broths that are completely free of added MSG and preservatives. I'll use fresh or frozen options and resort to canned tomatoes only in the dead of winter. My chicken soup will most often be created while simmering the chicken for our sandwiches, salads and entrees. I am hoping to establish a good working relationship with a local meat processor to save me the shin bones to make real beef stock. Done right, the bones are first seasoned and then roasted until very dark in the oven. This gives beef stock its deep coloration.

While the sandwiches made from fresh bread are wonderful, and salads are always popular, it is the soups that get my creative juices flowing. I know that sometimes it can be a stretch to chow down on a hot soup during mid summer. But it is that very soup which truly celebrates all the fresh ingredients. Most of the time, those of us who are in the workforce are in an air conditioned environment, anyway.

We will be offering soups 2 ways. A large bowl of soup (12 oz) will come with a slice of homemade bread or cornbread. If you "pick two" you'll get an 8 oz serving with a small salad or a half sandwich. Soups on!!!