Just a small town girl

Sometimes I feel really boring. I have only lived in Lexington and Staunton. I have never traveled extensively (like my brother and Jack) or been invited to NYC Fashion Week (like a girl I went to school with). I don't make a lot of money (or really any for that matter) and everything that I do make goes directly back into the business. So I have to say that it is pretty surprising when people that have known me for a long time say that I am doing cool things-- because I don't notice it and God knows I have never been cool.

I get some really great bands in here-- traveling troubadours, electronic bands from Prague, famous metal acts-- and we have fun events like last nights Shakespearean monologue slam and magazine launch parties, but I look at those things as work, because without them I wouldn't have a job.

I have to say that it is really nice that while I frequently don't recognize what we do here as awesome it is really reassuring to know that others do. So thank you to everyone who frequents the Cafe and makes everything that we do here worthwhile. Without your continued support there would be no reason to keep having such a variety of "cool" events.

I'm leaving Monday, It's better than Sunday, I'm leaving younger, It's better than wiser

Among my friends and I has been a long running joke about the fact that I am an old man magnet. For some reason, old men just really like me. Yesterday I was slated to learn to cook traditional Hungarian food from a Transylvanian. I have to say waking up yesterday I was not in the mood for a tutorial on anything. I had a to do list as long as my arm and knew that none of it was going to get done.

Jack and I walked to work and Steve showed up soon after. We had to go to the store because being a predominantly vegetarian restaurant I don't have a lot of chuck roasts just hanging out. He drove and showed me exactly what I would need to make a real meal, not just the Americanized slop I served up the last time we did Hungarian night. Everything from the type of meat to use to the type of peppers was laid out for me.

As we were leaving he stopped to get gas. Since he drove I offered to pony up for some gas money. He filled up and said, "Ok, $20." I was more than a little surprised and said, "But you just drove to Martin's not Budapest!" but I handed him the cash. He got back in the car and handed me $10 back, proclaiming, "I'm a Hungarian, not a gypsy!"

We spent the rest of the day chopping vegetables. The whole place smelled divine. He showed me the proper way to trim meat which is much more economic than my hack and toss routine. The Happy Hungarian told me about his life, growing up during World War II, joining the merchant marines, cooking in the Hungarian army... It was truly fascinating. I could have gone without hearing about his hog butchering technique and the proper way to make blood sausage, but everything else was really amazing. His great disdain for porridge made me crave Cream of Wheat for the rest of the day.

All in all, this day that I did not want to deal with turned into an awesome learning adventure. I must remember to start each day in a more open frame of mind, because I grow much more that way. And now I can make a killer goulash!

Happy Birthday to you, Happy birthday to you...

Today is my one year anniversary. One year. It is such a small step when it gets down to it. After all, one is the loneliest number. It seems more like it actually feels when you break it down into actual days. 365. That's a lot of days. Out of those 365, I have been here for 345 of them. Out of an entire year, I have only had 20 days where I did not set foot in the cafe. Most of my days here have been great; not all of them, but most.

Let's face it, if I wanted to get rich I would not have started a restaurant. I'll never make a million dollars doing this, but I love it anyway. I have managed to take a business that was only open a couple days a week and turn it into a seven day a week operation. When I started I had a staff of 1 and a half and now I have 5 employees. As I said, I'm not setting the world on fire, but I am managing to turn a profit and in today's market there's a lot to be said for that.

Every penny that I have made has been reinvested to improve the cafe. I doubled our refrigerator space recently, which may not sound like a lot, but in a kitchen as small as ours every inch helps. I expanded the food menu and increased the number of local purveyors and farmers that we work with. The wine list has gone from 5 to 36. The beer list has gone from PBR and Bud Light to fine German crafted beers, microbrews, and imports-- 30 to be exact.

A lot of really good things have happened here since I opened. During our first week we more than doubled the biggest day that the previous restaurant had ever had. We have done that on several occasions since then. Also, we have become a venue. At this point, I don't even have to book bands anymore; they come to me. We have had people from all over the east coast play here as well as popular local acts and this summer we even have a group from Prague coming in. I have had 6 art openings, one of which was a sell out show. We have hosted bridal showers, baby showers, an engagement party, and the Blu launch party for about 200 people.

A couple of other pretty monumental things have happened in the year, too. I met Jack Morgan here shortly after I opened. He just happened to be in town from California to review plays and came here for some vegetarian grub. Little did the poor guy know that it was served with a side of sassy tea maiden. We carried on never ending transcontinental conversations and he ended up moving here in November. Since he's been here the entreprenual bug has bitten him as well and he has become one of the co founders of Blu Magazine, a local arts and culture monthly that launched to rave reviews.

It hasn't been easy and it won't get any easier. The more we expand and grow the harder it will get. I've learned that the hard way. But I am moving in the right direction. It might be at a a glaceral pace sometimes, but I'm moving nonetheless. So happy birthday to you Darjeeling Cafe. It's been a wonderful eye opening year. I hope to share many more with you. Now I'm going to close early and make a toast in your honor.

Hot child summer in the city...

It has been brought to my attention that I have been remiss in posting blogs, so here is an update on what has been going on at the Darjeeling (which explains why I haven't had the chance to blog much lately).

The music business at the Cafe is booming. At this point I have so many bands that want to play that I have decided to have music nights on Mondays as well as Friday and Saturday to accommodate all of the musicians that will be coming through this summer.

We have started doing a trivia night on Tuesdays that is really starting to take off. With the grand prize being a $25 dollar gift certificate, we have been getting a lot of regulars in to compete. It really is a blast and I would highly recommend stopping by at 7 on a Tuesday. I would play if I could, but a $25 GC here does me very little good.

One of my only gripes about Staunton is that there is nowhere to get ethnic food in town.
Being someone of action I decided that Wednesday nights are now ethnic food nights at the Cafe. Sushi nights have been such a success that we will do them every other week and on "off" weeks we will do foods from another country as well. We have done Moroccan which was fun and have Indian night coming up very soon. In June we will do Hungarian and Thai nights in addition to two Japanese nights.

We are also in the middle of creating a tapas menu for the patio during the summer. I am working with the health department and City to see if I can have an outdoor grill in which to entice people up the block and expand my menu because of the spacial limitations I have in the kitchen. So if you notice some great smells wafting through Newtown, more than likely they are coming from the Darjeeling Cafe. Regardless of the outdoor grill, we will have a tapas menu and I have greatly expanded the beer and wine lists to include a wide variety of high quality beverages at affordable prices.

Every other Thursday we will host a writer's group. It is open to all ages and people of all writing backgrounds. I know I am looking forward to having an open forum in which to share my work and recieve constructive criticism.

And speaking of writing, my boyfriend, Jack, and his friend Jason have started a new arts and culture magazine for the valley. Blu will include articles of human interest, a calendar and dining guide (by yours truly) and many other wicked awesome things. It's free and wonderful so check it out. www.theblumag.com

The Blu launch party for over 100 is being held here next week, so I have been running around like a chicken with it's head chopped off. Stop by the unveiling, hors d'ouvres and a champagne toast.

So that's that. The Darjeeling Cafe is in a constant state of evolution. I have the coolest staff in town and we are working really hard to make the Cafe an artistic community and eclectic place to come for health conscious and local foods, fair trade locally roasted coffee, organic and exotic teas, world class beers and wine, local artwork, and great music. It's finally all coming together. Come check it out.

I'm so excited and I just can't hid it/ I'm about to lose control and I think I like it-- Uh-huh

Today was one of my favorite days at the shop. Nothing spectacular happened. I didn't have record sales. I just got a lot done and I got to cook a lot. I didn't make one wrap today which was awesome because they are labor intensive and a pain to make. I did make a potato leek vichyssoise which I ended up selling hot (and sold out of), a borscht which I almost sold out of, and a creamy broccoli and cheddar soup. I also made fresh banana bread, southern style beet tops, sauteed spinach, and a ton of salads. I really do love making salads because they always turn out so beautifully.

There's nothing like a snowy day to bring out the tea drinkers in Staunton. I ran the gamut with the varieties that I sold today. It really was a little bit of everything.

I also sold lots of wine and several of the new beers that I got in. I think people are liking that I have an IPA now.

Doug Day is in the middle of playing an awesome blues set and I have Addison Brady rock and roll to look forward to tomorrow. Plus, I start staying open until 10 next week so I have that going too. Square will be on Tuesday and Thursday is another bluegrass jam session.

Now that I have employees I actually have to train them, so I wrote a training manual and did a full inventory for the first time in a long time. All in all, it was a really productive day and I hope it bodes well for the upcoming months.

Tea is good for you-- MSN says so

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/28982279/?GT1=43001&pg=4#Health_PVN_KillerImmunity

Tea in the morning, tea in the evening, tea at supper time

I sometimes forget that I have so many teas in the shop to choose from. Most of the time I stick to Genmaicha or Jasmine Pearl or Yunnan Velvet Tips, which makes drinking something different such a pleasant surprise. Today I had Lung Ching, a Chinese green, also known as Dragon Well tea. It has a unique nutty yet mild and smooth flavor and a great aroma. Because it is hand fired in a wok it takes on a flat shiny appearance.

This tea is considered the tea of emperors and is characterized by its jade green color and unique shape. This tea is of particular interest for me because it is only grown in the Hangzhou region of China, where my brother lived for a while. He has actually been through the tea fields in the area. He said that they were mountainous and woody.

Stay tuned for more tea blogs as I rediscover all of the teas that I tend to forget.

Sleepless long nights/ That is what my youth was for...

The past couple of weeks have been great ones for the Cafe. I have had some awesome music in here! Two weeks ago I had Red Satellites with special guests Addison Brady. I swear, those kids never cease to amaze me-- they are so young, yet so talented! And Addison Brady was a lot of fun, too. I am really looking forward to having them come back in March.

Detroit Lounge City was a ton of fun what with their costume changes and moving farm animals. Those guys are always good for a laugh and some good tunes.

Thursday brought The Darjeeling Cafe's second impromptu jam session. I had a great time, except for the ass handing that I received. I had just gotten a tetanus shot and was miserably suffering from a sore arm, hives, and flu- like symptoms that made banging out 27 dinners a little less fun than usual. I made it through and really enjoyed the fact that the cafe is not just a venue for younger musicians, but also older people who enjoy the comfortable atmosphere and lack of a "bar" feel. They do like their PBRs though.

Friday brought one of the best musicians I have had thus far, and, I must admit, a disappointing turn out for one so talented. Todd Schlabach deserves such accolades for his musicianship! His loops and ability to play percussion on a stringed instrument are absolutely incredible. While it may not have been the biggest crowd in the shop it was definitely one of the most appreciative.

Saturday's crowd more than made up for Friday's turn out! The three band line up was started by Preacher, one of Harrisonburg's burgeoning new bands. They were great, creative, and even made hand bills to go along with their snake oil and brimstone act. Thank you, brothers! American Tourist followed with an awesome one man band and lovely sound that I could have listened to all night. (Side note: He is the cousin of my childhood friend and kindergarden crush.) Mild Winter, the headliners, played a wonderful set. I am truely in love with their Old Crow Medicine Show meet the Pixies sound. I cannot wait to have all three acts back later in the spring. What a fun night!

Tomorrow I start Darjeeling Cafe breakfast-- it was supposed to be today, but I flaked because of the snow. I am excited and apprehensive at the same time. My butt typically does not see 7 am unless it has been a carry over from the night before. I am really looking forward to offering healthy and GOOD foods to people who are looking for an alternative to bacon and eggs. (Don't despair-- I'll still serve eggs.)

Lots of exciting things are going to continue to happen here at the shop throughout the spring. After we get the breakfast thing down, we will start to work on evening hour expansion and really start to create the artistic community spot that I hope the Cafe becomes.

I use my dress to wipe up my drink/ You know, I care less and less what people think

I so want to be one of those "together girls." The women featured on the pages of Real Simple and Domino. Those bastions of Martha Stewartism who run successful business, have pretty white kitchens, make fabulous meals from scratch, and keep everything organized in neat little white boxes with perfectly labeled script telling them where their tax return from 2002 is.

I, unfortunately, am the antithesis of these women. Having some semblance of a great desire for the pretty white boxes and neatly organized perfection that said boxes represent, I buy all sorts of things to get me organized-- boxes, day planners, magazines, carts-- all in a failed attempt to get it together; always falling several steps from the mark.

Couple these organizational failings with a depression era mentality of "waste not, want not" and you have a severe problem. I reduce, reuse, or recycle everything from old milk jugs to tee shirts that I have had since middle school and belonged to my mother before me. I save clothes for fabric even though I can't really sew. I drain my olive oil bottles but invariably come back to find an oily mess oozing off the counter top. While this is seemingly great for the environment, it leaves my personal environment more than a little cluttered.

This has become more and more evident to me since Jack moved here. Much to my (and his) chagrin everything that I didn't want him to know about me has begun to surface. My inability to put clothes in the hamper and propensity to read online celebrity gossip instead of doing actual work, the fact that the dog pees on the carpet more than he does on grass and while I have an entire closet devoted to shoes most are in the floor, all of the things that I knew would expose me as a fraudulent together girl have appeared and now he knows.

I would like to say that my resolution for 2009 is to become organized and lead the life of a Real Simple woman. But I fear that it will be another year of dragging around a purse full of receipts and unfinished to do lists much like my mother before me and her mother before her. You see, this is an inherited flaw and while I may attempt to over compensate for it by buying compartmentalized bags it's going to show through just like my clumsiness. Try as I may to be graceful and lithe, somehow I always tend to drop the disorganized bag.