This week as a Chef
May 7, 2019
After 6 months of scheduling and rescheduling three different contractors to repair the decking and rotting trim on the front porch of the restaurant, I finally found someone to come and do it. I had painters working inside at the same time, painting the ceiling, all the wood work. The contractor and the painters both […]
“Babette’s Feast”
March 27, 2019
The movie, “Babette’s Feast” was on television this morning. My husband woke me up just in time to watch the food scenes. How did I miss the Blini pan? I’ve seen it 20 times. I was playing the movie in the kitchen last time we plated up the dinner? Oh how my life would have […]
Let’s Start with Vegetables
June 8, 2018
Having returned to the kitchen after a spell, I have found that vegetables are one item that young cooks often don’t deem worthy of their time and effort. This is a big mistake. I worked at a French restaurant in my youth and had to prepare the six different vegetables that accompany a Rack of […]
Memorial Day 2018
May 29, 2018
It’s 2018 and for 49 years, on each and every Memorial Day, I think about a young classmate from Churchill Rd Elementary School in McLean, Virginia. We were in 5th grade. He was a friendly young kid, but we weren’t close friends. He had a plethora of brothers, sisters and cousins in our school and […]
Flunking Retirement
May 20, 2018
I’ve written a couple long letters over the last few years about hiring a Manager, Chef, etc. I wrote how I wanted to learn the names of the plants in my yard, travel with my husband, read more, get in shape, write more…. In October last year, I found myself ironing sheets on a Saturday […]
Dear James…Southbend
April 23, 2018
Dear James, I hope you can help me. I have a Southbend cheesemelter that I purchased in 1997, used. It is a “double wild”. It has worked well until this last year or so. Been having problems with the burner staying lit on the left side. My regular repair guy comes in and cleans out the lines and it works […]
July 4th. An owner’s holiday.
July 4, 2017
Usually I join everyone for 4th of July festivities. But this year I did the restaurant owner thing. We were closed Monday, as usual and now closed on Tuesday since it’s the 4th. Monday I went in around noon to do some sprucing up. I had just been on vacation the week before and thought […]
Not your mama’s Apple Store…
March 28, 2017
I enjoyed a lovely day off in my garden on Sunday. Really, I am just moving plants around right now. Plants I put in last April ended up with the wrong kind of sun later in the year. I had been listening to a pod cast of All Things Considered with my headphones when my […]
A Comedy…..
March 18, 2017
I ordered a new work top freezer for the restaurant kitchen in January. Our old one was starting to suffer and the repair man kept shaking his head. There were things he just couldn’t fix. It has been a work horse in our kitchen for close to 20 years. It is referred to as the […]
Today marks 24 years.
October 13, 2016
Babette’s Cafe opened 24 years ago tonight. Seems like yesterday…. Thanks to everyone who has supported us over the years, some of you since the beginning. No, we’re NOT closing. Babette’s continues to bring me joy, pride and challenges. But I am trying to step back a little bit and I’m finding it harder than […]