First "real" day open

Alright. We were open on Friday (yesterday, though it feels like 2 weeks ago) for lunch and late afternoon. We didn't have anyone come in or call. Dave left to go get some groceries at the meat market. As soon as he left (no joke) calls started pouring in for delivery orders. People were coming through the doors for take out and dine in. We got 5 orders for about 10 different plates for delivery. We had three 'to go' orders and had about 5 couples in at lunch time. We were swamped!

All this, while our boss and head cook was out getting meat! We cooked and served and he came back surprised! We finished the plates and shoo'd our delivery lady, Shauna, out the door! We sold half of my apple pie and three slices of my vanilla bean cheesecake! Sad part was they were all 'to go' so I couldn't see their faces or ask how they enjoyed it. Bummer.

It was a good day. We had a few more couples trickling in during the afternoon for meals. It was nice. I served a bit, washed dishes, cooked where needed, assembled to go orders and catering stuff. It was a BUSY day but it was so great to have so many people come in!!

Later in the afternoon, Lynn (head honcho) from Federal Foods (Our foods distributor, where we buy our food) came by to show us a cinnamon bread loaf. You can cut it into slices or just chop into thirds to make cinnamon loaves (I baked it later and it was delicious! I felt like I was cheating though...you know, letting the bread rise and then baking it not having anything to do with actually making the bread.....ahah!). I thought I'd give him a few pieces of my vanilla bean cheesecake. I sent them with him, not thinking a thing of it. I then had to call Federal to place an order for corned beef and the lady I talked to said that she hasn't had a piece of cheesecake that great tasting in a very long time. It lifted my spirits!!

Dave mentioned he has been trying to collaborate with Lynn and Federal Foods to offer coffee cake, banana bread, salsa, and my cheesecakes to all the restaurants/coffee shops across town. Having friends high up in the food distribution service when you are an aspiring cook is sure handy. I might have to bake a few more cheesecakes and take it to Federal again just to drive the nail in the coffin!!!! Imagine, my cheesecakes being offered in restaurants across town! Grabbing a cup of coffee and a piece of my key lime cheesecake on a nice warm summer evening. Mnn... Dave hope to sell his salsa by the 5 gallon bucket to all the mexican restaurants across town. That'd be awesome!

Overall, the first day was a bit shaky with Dave being gone and us running around figuring out how to run the restaurant, but we were so gracious for our customers and we are getting the kinks worked out!

Almost open!

Good morning, earth!

Good afternoon, earth!

Today, oh today. It was truly a beautiful morning. As I was driving into town I couldn't help but admire the mountains. Fog descended upon the city, spilling over the mountain tops. The blue mountains turned into grey sky. You could see every ripple and dent in the mountains. The city was moving with cars and people, animals went back into hiding. I tend to feel a bit out of place in the mornings and evenings as the mountains change color and size. I feel small. I love it. I love Colorado for that.

Well, we didn't get our food order in today either. The investors didn't give Dave (my boss) the check until late yesterday afternoon. So Dave called the food order in today. We'll hopefully get it tomorrow morning and be fully functioning in a few days!

Today, thankfully, we got our coke machine in! YAY COKE! It's a huge setup. To the left of the machine is a wall, and just around the wall is all the tubes, cases of syrup, and the nozzles and adjusters. It's quite an ordeal...

It's been a long time coming. The restaurant was in shambles before we got in there. We've spent so much time and energy fixing the place up! We're very excited to bring in customers to try our delicious food. We've already got a few catering jobs lined up and people are coming in to eat! It's a bummer we have to turn them away right now. Really. I hate to do that. It doesn't make for a good first impression, you know? I hope people won't take it too personally, and I hope they return when we are open.

I finished baking my goodies for the restaurant yesterday. The dessert menu is as follows:

Apple Pie

Cherry Pie

Key Lime Pie

Vanilla Bean Cheesecake

Chocolate Mousse Cake

Carrot Cake

I'll be making those for the everyday menu and I'll make other specialties *this week, it's reese's pb cup cheesecake* on a weekly basis.

THE BEST chocolate chip cookies in the world. Yes. I've tried them ALL and I can speak in a confident and nonobjective manner: Absolutely and positively, I say that these are THE best.

Pretty sweet coffee cups.

Spices!

The front of the restaurant!

The inside of the restaurant facing outwards.

Today, Sam stopped in for some lunch. The BBQ Brisket was frozen so I had to make something quick. I turned on the grill and slapped a few hamburger patties on it. I felt a bit out of place to be honest! The grease from the hamburger made the fire angry. The flames would lick at me and reach towards me. Silly Jenna. I was too close to the grill! I am so used to leaning into the sweet welcoming bowls of frosting and smiling back at the little chocolate chip cookie dough rounds. Thankfully I didn't get burned...but I remembered then why I deal in sweets. I got all nervous about toasting the buns and grilling up onions and mushrooms. I guess it's been too long since I've worked a grill. I'll just slink back to my stand mixer, my unrefined sugar, and my bottle of Tahitian Vanilla Extract...

In other news college has been taking a bit of energy out of me. A few classmates and I are to collaborate on a paper, due next week. No one has taken charge and stood up to lead the group. I usually would be that person, but I wanted to give someone else the chance. After one and a half weeks of no one stepping up, I finally mentioned a proposed course of action for my group. I just tire of always being the one to step up. Sure, it's what a leader does. All the same it's nice to have a break and let someone else lead.

Orchestra is going well. We didn't seem to have practice last night, which was fine. I didn't have time to practice my cello. The concert is a little over a month away. I'm getting so excited! It's been 5 years since I've been with an orchestra. It feels so good to play classical music again. I forget how much I LOVE it.

I hope to move into a music major in the next few years. Since I am taking classes half time, my degree will take longer than usual to complete. This is fine...I'll stick with an English major for now. Perhaps I'll get both. We shall see!

I'll keep you posted about the restaurant! Thanks for reading! Have a great day!!