Buddy the Cat doesn’t share with Vixen the Dog

We received word today that Buddy won the Cat category in West Paw Design’s True Fan 2008 Contest.

Buddy the Cat doesn’t share with Vixen the Dog

We didn’t even realize that Buddy had been entered.  Lisa just decided to send an email and some photos to the company after we bought a couple of their beds.  Oh well, Buddy will enjoy his new Bumper Bed and other assorted prizes.

Way to go Buddy!

More Press for Shelly’s Obama Mural

King 5 did a piece last night on the mural. You can see the video at

Obama mural to ward of taggers

From Barbarella to Obama

My friend, Shelly, has recently gotten some local press about the Obama mural she painted on her garage door. Here is her explanation of how the previous mural, the Space Virgin Barbarella, was defaced by a tagger, and then her subsequent decision to paint it over with a mural of Obama.

Waggle Labs: From Barbarella to Obama

Moving Again

We have a moving truck scheduled for next Saturday. It’ll be so nice to finally be back in our house, but… boy am I tired of packing/unpacking boxes, loading/unloading trucks, wrestling with large pieces of furniture, etc. At least this will be the last time for a good long while. I promise, it will be!

Long Beach

Just a quick update. We flew into Long Beach Airport yesterday, checked into our hotel, and then went down for a late afternoon at the beach. Dinner at the famous Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles last night. A leisurely morning of coffee and breakfast. We’re checking out of the hotel in a couple minutes and then taking a cab to the pier. Our boat sails at 5p and then it is on to San Diego tomorrow.

I Got A Job!

Sorry for the cross-post, but instead of retyping everything, you can just read about it on my pastry-focused blog, The Last Course Discourse.

Check out the post here – My New Family

Back in the kitchen

I’m starting a new stage at Le Bernardin this week.  I did a trail there on Saturday and it went very well.  It’ll be good to be back in the kitchen!

Two Jobs In One Day

Somehow I managed to land two jobs in one day. And each of them are supposed to be 20 hours a week. Plus I’m supposed to be staging in restaurants, which usually works out to around 30 hours a week. I also cater and that’s about 5-8 hours a week. Add that up and I’m working 4 jobs with a total of 75 hours a week. Ummm… something is going to have to change.

I guess I should back up a little bit and explain these two new jobs. Last week one of Lisa’s employees quit. This left her to pick up the slack and she has been working very long hours and has been under lots of stress. I hated to see her so stressed out and worried about whether or not she could handle all of the work. So I offered to work for her. I figured if I worked part-time then it would ease the burden on Lisa, at least a little bit. It’s the type of work I used to do before I switched careers, so it isn’t a stretch for me to be doing this. Unfortunately, she has taken me up on my offer. While I’m happy to be helping her and easing her burden, there was a reason I left this sort of work behind me. Anyway, I’m on the hook now and I’m going to start tomorrow at Crisp Wireless. Yeehaw.

The other job I landed today is, thankfully, within my current career choice, though it isn’t inside a kitchen. In fact, it is inside many kitchens. I’m not sure of my official title, but I am the NYC Promoter of Cacao Barry chocolate. It will be my job to go around the city and talk to pastry chefs about Cacao Barry’s new lines of chocolates, give them samples, and do whatever I can to get them interested in the product. It isn’t a direct sales role as they don’t buy from me. It is a great networking opportunity since I’m going to be meeting all of the pastry chefs in the city’s top restaurants. Also, there are quite a few perks of working for Barry Callebaut (the company that produces the Cacao Barry line). I’ll be able to take free classes at their school that is opening up in Chicago (they already have several schools throughout the world). They might be expanding this program of promoters to other cities, so there could be a chance to take this job with me to Seattle. I met with the sales manager for the NE region today and he offered me the job. We met at the Javits Convention Center where the International Restaurant & Foodservice Show was underway. He was able to get me into the show so I could look around.

So I can’t realistically work 75 hours a week, right? I guess what I’m going to do is finish up my stage at Gilt this week and then hold off on my next stage until Lisa manages to fill her vacant position and I can hand off my work to the new employee. She interviewed someone today that sounds promising and they said they can start in three weeks. Let’s just hope Crisp makes an offer and they accept! In the meantime, I’m going to be very busy.

Overheard

“Don’t be angry at the asparagus!”

“It’s not the asparagus I’m angry about…” 

This was a snippet of conversation between two cooks as they passed through the pastry kitchen.  For some reason it struck me as funny and I had to share it.  So next time you’re feeling a little miffed, just remember, “Don’t be angry at the asparagus.”

Timing is Everything

One of my concerns about moving back to Seattle is that I will have a hard time finding a job. Well, that’s not quite accurate. I’m concerned about finding a job that really interests me. See, the problem with Seattle is that while the restaurant scene is continually growing and improving, there still isn’t much space for pastry cooks. Sure, restaurants offer desserts, but they are usually made by someone who is also doing pantry work (aka garde manger) and not specifically focused on pastry. Very few restaurants can afford a pastry chef. The ones who can are the larger restaurants, possibly associated with a hotel. These are restaurants that are not doing the innovative type of cuisine that really interest me. I want to work in a small-ish restaurant with a focused and dedicated group of people who are passionate about food and pushing the boundaries of modern cuisine. There are a few places like that in Seattle and only a couple of them have a pastry chef. My friend*, Dana, at Veil is one of them, and even there she has to pick up some shifts doing pantry work just to stay full-time.

So imagine my delight (and frustration) when I see this posting on craigslist –

Pastry Cook/Chef Needed for High End Contemporary Restaurant

We are looking for an individual that is fired up about pastry. We are a small contemporary restaurant looking to do some of the coolest food in the city. We like to use crazy cool ideas and crazy cool, fresh ingredients like pop-rocks, yuzu, and cabernet grapeseed flour; making everything from scratch. Experience with foams, gels, bubbles, and all of the cool new techniques is a plus. If you are an individual that likes to push the boundaries of what pastry and restaurant desserts can be, and like to work in a professional, organized kitchen please let us know.
You would be responsible for the production and oversight of all pastry and sweet products and some of the fun savory things that also fall into that realm. You, along with the Executive Chef, will write and execute the dessert menu and all of the fun little things that go along with it. Most of our desserts are intricate and contain 10-15 components.
If this interests you please respond to this ad via the email provided. Please remember to include a current resume. Thank You!

Damn, why couldn’t they have needed someone about three months from now when we’re going to be back in Seattle!? I did decide to email them anyway just to make a professional contact. Besides, who knows, maybe they’ll still need someone in a few months.

*Dana and I have emailed a few times and met in person once at Veil. I hope she doesn’t mind me referring to her as a friend!