Why don't you go home?

That question was posed to me today by Baker Bob.  I had worked a long day yesterday and I am not quite back to 100%.  So, I did go home and the rest was very welcome & I'm definitely going to try a bit more balance going forward -- sometimes I think we are slowed down for a reason...

However, back at the shop.... 2 waitresses, a runner / busser, a barista and full staffing in the kitchen --- all seemed OK.

However, we did not do justice to our customers with regard to service and timing.  For this, I apologise & recognize that managing the overall flow & timing of the "rooms"  is a major part of what I do.  That is not a skill I have transferred well yet.   

If you were with us today and want to share your experience, + / - ---I would really like to hear from you.

My work "to do" based on feedback so far will involve all the workers and much additional skill transfer,

So, "why don't you go home?"  has, at this point, some issues & after 4 months, we are still learning how best to run our little business to best service our many strong supporters.

Thank you all!

The telephone issue!

A number of our customers have been kind enough to let us know that our phone number is not listed with the 411 services. (As you may remember, earlier we had a number listed & it was our fax machine, so that was really distressing to those who called & go the fax "noise" in their ear -- sorry about that once again!)
We made a decision to have the shop phone (609 235 7539 -- as indicated on all paper collateral and hopefully now the only number on the website -- of this I'm not sure, my cell or Bob's may still be posted in one or two places --) be a cellular phone. And so it is, and so we are not listed with the land line carriers. (if anyone knows how we can be, I'd love to hear about it) I do have a google listing for us but I have not endeavored to fill out info about the shop on the myriad sites that are possible -- opinions on where we might do well would be very welcome.

But now to the current issue: When the phone is not answered, we are not great at the "callback"!!

Today I found a message from early in the week requesting confirmation of a tea reservation. No one had picked up the message, so needless to say, no confirmation was made and no tea was had. I am so sorry, because I know this mother and daughter and I know they really would have had a lovely time together over tea at the rooster. I also know that they are not ones to waste an opportunity for an outing.

We are strengthening our commitment to customers by putting the baristas (all 4 of them!) into a position of accountability for the phone - answered or not -- to get messages and reply on the same day.

I hope if you've had any phone problems (or others for that matter) that you will let us know -- blog, email or in person.

Our First Holiday Season

Here we are, coming to the middle / end of the 2008 holiday season.  The whirlwind of work from Sept 1st until now is now becoming part of life, and we are becoming clear about the need to build back all the other parts of life during 2009.  (first priority is for Bob & me to have actual days off in the week... look for this in January....)  

The prospects of a day off in the week becomes clearer & more possible now that Bob has a full-time baker's assistant!  Yeah Cory!  Cory has been with us in a part-time bread focused assistant for a while now and we are pleased that he has agreed to take a fulltime role.  More about staff later.

Right now, the peak holiday offerings from the Blue Rooster are not quite up to what we want them to be.  Full size pies, full size cheesecakes, gift baskets and a few more items like note cards and calendars from one of our favorite providers.  All this is great and you all seem to like them, however, we would like to bring some European holiday specialities into the BR and....

How about special cookies and cupcakes?  How about a more solid participation in Toys for Tots and offerings of food for the needy?  How about something like an English Wassail?  A  quick google on the topic is below - 

2009 - we will move into gear with seasonal planning & hopefully specialties, as appropriate!  Your thoughts and ideas will be most appreciated.

14 days -- too long!!

So, I am actually having blog withdrawal -- along with all else that's been going on!

Here's the scoop-- (mainly about me... more about other topics once this is down on "paper"):

First - I came down with a cold.  Normally, no big deal.  However, you are the public and you (& I) do not want to be greeted,  served, or to have your hand shook by someone with cold & flu symptoms.   So, I followed the advise I give to all our workers -- stay away until you are well or at least until you are through the worst of the symptoms.  This is not my SOP -- however, I left on Monday 15th late morning, stayed away all day Tues and came in midday Wed.  While away I mostly slept & I definitely needed that; hence no blogging.

The rest of the week seemed like catch-up time and although the thought "blog", crossed my mind, I didn't get to it.  I did get a chance to marvel at how well all the front of house staff work together & how well they know the importance of customer first & service.  I also see where some additional training will be useful for all.  2009 - opportunities for improving!

Then,  I was zipping around a sink in the kitchen, there was water on the floor, and I slipped & fell.  Bruised & aching -- I had to take another couple of days to get back into the fray!  For those who saw me on Sunday the 21st - Wed the 24th --- I may have said I was fine -- I have a tendency to say that.  I was not.  Thanks for your concern.  

Again, I rested & there was no blogging.

So, here we are the day after Christmas 2008.  I have a volume to share with you all and I will do that in a short series of blogs this afternoon, evening & throughout the weekend.  

Then, it is my intention to become a daily blogger.  I hope that some of you who come into the shop and say that you read the blog may decide to participate a bit with me.  

Jazz Sunday

We had our first jazz Sunday last weekend and at the zenith - 15 -20 people enjoyed music throughout the dining rooms & the library.  I would be very interested to hear from you about your interest in our doing this on a monthly basis -- thanks in advance!

100 Days +

Tuesday of this week was the 100th day since we opened.  So, with our Thanksgiving Day closing, Wed was 100th day of operation!

Time is flying by, mainly in a very positive way for us.  

We have evolved our staff in all areas --- we are now two great chefs (you know Peter & Lois), 2 great dishwashers (William & Robert),  a solid team manning the barista station & being the first welcome to many visitors, and of course our waitstaff & their support (new role -- runner).

A number of folks joined us early and due to school commitments, were unable to stay with us.  A couple have left due to new opportunities in their field of study / career aspirations.

All have left us with more knowledge about how best to staff and manage a small business with young employees.  Many have left us with great new ideas for how to improve our processes, make the BR work better, and generally have shown us that there is indeed good value in hiring young local talent!

Tonight we had our first serious "congratulations on your leaving" event.  Kristen, a college graduate in ceramics, had her last day working with us today.  A fabulous opportunity presented itself to her and she snapped it up.  We look forward to following her career growth and to saying, "we knew her when...".  Kristen will be working with a potter who is taking a new line of work nationwide and we look forward as well to seeing this work and perhaps connecting you all to it when we have a website link..... Kristen.....??

One of the more amazing points of learning I have gleaned from the staff is that commitment to the BR and to doing the best possible job comes in many different forms.  Kristen presented herself as a seriously experienced waitress when that was just what we needed and she quickly developed into a seriously committed member of the BR team. The word 'team' is bandied about so frequently these days that  the true value delivered by a true team often seems to me to be diluted.

No dilution here - Kristen learned and then led and she definitely left the BR a more polished, professional group providing a good level of service to our customers.    

First snow, Sat night, really enjoy cocooning @ home!

Do people still talk about cocooning?  

I did not truly contemplate nor comprehend how the days @ the BR would bring so much of the lives of our visitors into my life.  This week - a baby born & named, a fundraiser held and so many wonderful folks joining us to help their cause,  another baby shower in the works, a family gathering at home successfully held with food & service from the BR, many first time visitors reminding us again and again about how special they feel the BR is.   

And of course -- Friday night roasted chestnuts and hot cocoa for many who stood outside watching the treelighting & seeing Santa (!); today - many folks stopping by for a taste of the best olive oil going, used in a wonderful Greek salad & sauteed spinach & served by the import company's President -- Thanks for making the trip down from Connecticut, Tom.  

I met Jonathan; 4 yrs old, first time visitor with his Mom & with a smile and an openness that just can't be beat.  He very kindly left a crayoned  picture for our board.  

A regular visitor brought us a great piece of artwork and such a nice sentiment about the BR -- pictured are our Prairie muffin, cupcake, cookie and croissant -- with a message:  "The Blue Rooster Rocks - a place where smiles are served"   thanks Grace!  

And as many of you may have read in the Cranbury Press, our barista Karissa Stiglic is raising funds for the orphanage where she will be working in South Africa come February.  She asked if selling candy at the BR would be OK -- it is so more than ok, it is right in the core of our values and we couldn't be happier to have her present her project @ the BR.  

Day life at the BR is full of wonderful people -- those who work with us, those who visit and those who stop by to learn more about us.  Evenings are short, however tonight we went out to eat with my parents -- The Americana Diner -- something totally non-BR - --- I had a turkeyburger.  

On the way home the snow started and now, as the football games carry on in the background, the snow falls so quietly and looks so clean in the garage door light.  Contentment on two fronts is so amazing -- and today I have it!

December is upon us and we have made decisions about holiday opening/closing

As a new, small business this is a year of firsts for us.  For the holiday-laden month of December,  we have to determine when, if at all, we will be closed.  We thought about our customers, our workers and we thought about our view of work in the overall context of life(!)  

So, with that as background, here is our plan:   

(And this will be posted out front at the shop as well as on the main web page)

The Blue Rooster will close at 3 pm on Christmas Eve.  

We will be closed on the 25th & the 26th, December.

We will close at 3 pm on New Year's Eve.  

We will be closed on January 1st.

100th Blog

I had no idea that blogging about the BR would become a regular part of my worklife. The number of folks who visit the BR and say, "Oh, I read your blog" is always a WOW for me. When I logged in this afternoon, I see that what I am writing now is my 100th blog.
I look forward to the next 100.

For a certain someone who read regularly, I thought I could use this forum to let you know that the saucisson sec is $14.00 / lb, so the small piece you enjoyed would be $4.50. --

I think I may take a piece home and build a plate around the baguette, saucisson sec and a bit of cheese -- that makes a lovely end to a busy day. And we did have a steady flow of visitors today -- a good number here for the first time, partners bringing their "other half" for a first visit and of course families with members home for the holidays who hadn't been in town since we opened. The joy and laughter in the BR today has been wonderful. Thanks to all of you who share some of you time with friends and family with us!

Thanksgiving Day

What a lovely day to have as a first day away from the BR -- we hope each of you have had a Thanksgiving just as you want it - family, friends, or your own special manner of recognizing the day.

I played with our dogs for a good part of the day - walked one of them on her own and meant to walk the other two, however the day got away from me!  A bit of yard work, a bit of parade watching, some football and then of course the turkey and all the trimmings! (No, we did not cook!  Just took the rolls & 1 pie).

Back to the BR tomorrow with the hope of seeing many of you  -- fit in around your shopping, family outings or as you walk in town, checking out what's new.  

Thanksgiving Holiday weekend

We will be open our regular hours on Friday, Saturday & Sunday. Since it is a different kind of weekend for many, we will offer our full breakfast menu all day each day and we will offer a selection of our lunch items from 11:30 - 4 (or closing since we close at 2 on Sunday).

Peter, Lois & Bob are coming up with a number of special items for the weekend as well -- a smattering of appetizer size treats & the return of a few favorites -- berry crepes anyone?

Sunday is family gathering day

And we have a number of families coming to us for a meal as part of their gathering. If you plan to come in with a party of 6 or more on Sunday, you may want to call us just before you leave home to let us "scope out the dining room" and let you know what the timing may be for your party. Thanks, it seems to be working well for those who have tried it.

Twice in the last week...

Bob and I have had this Yogi-ism quoted to us:

"Nobody goes there anymore because it's too crowded."

This one may have been invented by someone else. Yogi said it regarding a restaurant that had become very popular.

We are adding to our staff in a meaningful way to make sure, even when we are busy, our level of service meets your expectations. With this service level consistently, we may reduce the wait time for a table during our busy hours - we hope you will continue to come visit!

Another way we are helping with wait time is -- we will take your cell # and if you want to stroll along Main St while waiting for your table at the rooster, we will text or call you when your table is ready. -- We thought this might be good for those who'd like -- perhaps a quiet contemplation at the lake or a quick purchase at Patina Home.. then a great meal at the rooster.

Bread baking schedule

For those of you who want to know what breads will be made on which days -- the schedule is close.  We piloted it last week and came out well.  Look for it here and in the shop in the coming weeks.

Menu updates

Thanks to all of you who have offered suggestions for the BR -- many of them provided on our feedback cards.  

We read them all and take them to heart.  A slightly revised menu is one tangible result of our listening to you.

We now have both a cup and a bowl size for our soups and our hot cereals.  We have added a breakfast potato to the menu along with an omelette.  We simplified some of the items' descriptions that caused confusion and we've  upgraded several items -- including the Full Irish Breakfast which is now complete -- we have the sausage or 'banger' on the plate.

We took your suggestion of a pate & cheese plate and we've made the cassoulet richer with the addition of a tradition ingredient (in some towns in France, not all!) -- duck.

The specials are richer these days than when we first opened and we attribute that to the creativity of our chefs -- both Lois and Peter enjoy bringing great tastes to the table and their knowledge and skill is evident daily.  

The ranges of savory tarts, quiches, pastas and risottos makes us feel we have a vibrant menu that will keep even a daily visitor interested and able to try something new each day.

Soups are a customer favorite and we continue to struggle with the disappointment of those of you who want to see Sweet Corn Chowder every time you visit -- hopefully it is available often enough!

The Baby Shower Teas

Afternoon tea is now in full bloom at the Blue Rooster.  Mon - Fri @ 4pm we have our fine china, our white linens and all the appropriate tea fixings and paraphernalia in place.

These last two Sunday afternoons, after closing, we have had two great tea parties, both in celebration of the birth of babies.  Much tea, laughter, scone and clotted cream and the enjoyment of friends' company has us thinking that tea is a great get-together event.  

We look forward to opening our rooms to others of you who have celebretory events where you feel a tea would suit.  The feedback is consistent with most - the ambience is great, the presentation and all that entails is top notch and the food matches-- give a call if you'd like to discuss a party at the BR.

Listen & learn..

sometimes the "rap" of the consultant is someone who asks a lot of questions to learn about your business and then proceeds to tell you what you already knew, using charts & graphs and 50 cent words. 

as a consultant in a prior life, the nuances, legwork, skill in listening and so much more that goes along with guiding a company to see what is often right in front of them.

We had a moment like that today at the rooster.  So simple a shift and yet it took a customer actively and vocally noticing one of our processes to make us stop and look at the change necessary.

At 2:30, the shift changes in the bakery.  And the process was to take the cash drawer away and count it --- leaving the bakery cashless for 5-10 mins.  

The chances of folks having to wait is there, however we didn't see it as onerous.  Today the frustration of this wait came up and the fix will be in place tomorrow.  So simple, so much right in front of us, yet it took a customer to show us that change was necessary.  

So, please don't shy away from a visit during shift change -- we will have the fix in place!

Thanks.

Friday night blogger

So, I'm thinking I may be a Friday night blogger.  A nice way to wrap up the week - and we have had a really good week.  After the great review of the rooster by Pat Tanner, we were thrilled to have another article written about us in the US1 issue this week.  The column reflects on the ambience, service and "feel" of a place and it seems they liked what they found at the rooster. 

We are seeing many new guests and many new folks joining our email list - thanks!

First Story Hour was today.  4 attendees, 4 stories (from Curious George to Cars Animals and a few poems) and a bit of fun for all.  We will have guest readers in the coming weeks and if you want to bring a story or two, we would welcome that too!

We will begin sharing our new menu with you all tomorrow.  A few suggestions from you are reflected in the menus - cups as well as bowls of oatmeal and soup, a breakfast potato all the time, omelettes all the time;   simplified salad selection at lunch and a totally revamped tea menu.

Speaking of our afternoon tea--- finally getting that offering together.  We will have 1 seating @ 4pm each day, Monday - Friday. Reservations required.  Please pass the word!  One menu for all with a great selection of tea sandwiches -- including smoked salmon, asparagus, pate, aged gouda and more.  Our lighter than light scones with Devon Clotted Cream & raspberry jam.  final course is a range of petit fours that include cheesecakes, cream puffs and wonderful little cakes.

Two other news bites:

We are offering Holiday Pies & Cheesecakes from now through the new year.  The pies are lovely and large - 12" and deep dish -- pumpkin, apple, pecan and mincemeat -- stop by and place your order soon.  

We are offering 3 great fullsize cheesecakes as well: vanilla, s'more and pumpkin.  

We are making holiday gift baskets -- think our great jams, olive oil, perhaps bread spreads; maybe coffee, chocolates  -- and for locals -- an "IOU" for a loaf of bread or some pastries.  

The bread is flying out of the kitchen and off the shelves -- Bob is close to a weekly schedule that we can all look to to know what will be made on which days -- it seems fougase & foccaccio are Friday breads.

The Irish Soda bread has come out twice this week, to very strong positive reviews -- toasts great and loves the butter!

Look for specials in the coming weeks -- salads as well as great hot dishes~!

and perhaps the best news of the week...

Some of you may have seen us carting soiled napkins from the shop to home each night. NO MORE!!!

The laundry room at the Blue Rooster is now in fine working order and we can launder napkins, runners, rags and more any time during the day! This is great news for me and not so great for the wait staff who see more folding time in their future or perhaps even a laundry run.

This actually will cut 2 hrs from my work day and I am thrilled!

Thinking ahead to the gifting season

We have been asked, and have created several Gift Baskets in our time open. So, we will offer this service during the season of gifts. If it suits you, we hope you will consider stopping by or calling us to help you create a gift or two.

Create your own from our well-stocked shelves and bakery or let us put together a mix of complementary products for your special gift needs.

Priced from $25.00 for a personal basket that might have:
Baguette / bread dip / olive oil

To $100. + for family or group basket that might include:
Breads / cheeses / pates / jams / oil & balsamic vinegars

Story Hour - Fridays at 10 am

November 14th we will begin a story hour for ages 2 - 5 (if you have someone younger or a bit older, they will most certainly be welcomed).

Stop by and enjoy the Blue Rooster while your little one participates in Story Hour upstairs, you might relax downstairs with coffee, tea, cider & friends.

We will have the stories, a reader and snacks, you bring the willing listener(s)!

One hour

Snacks: apples, grapes, animal crackers, milk

$3.00 / child

November 5th

I left the shop and had a quick manicure today -- for what it's worth, it made me feel a bit more in touch with the world outside the Blue Rooster. I love the inside of the Blue Rooster and all who come here (yes, I did come back after the manicure...) regularly. I am beginning to really remember names, family connections and the bits of life stories that are so kindly shared with me.
At least two of our regular customers successfully completed the NYC marathon on Sunday - what a great feat for them!

The buzz was particularly high both yesterday and today as we Americans took our responsibility to vote and to engage in discussion about the vote seriously. I loved seeing so many cars turn down school house lane from 6:20 am and on through the day!
For the first time in our 2 + months, the NY Times front section did not remain in the shop all day -- someone must have needed to finish reading an article or share it.

Vegetable Soup

We ran out of Vegetable Soup early today. A potential, and likely repeat customer was unhappy and left with nothing but her upset.
This is a tough part of a new business. We want to have everything that people want, especially what is on the menu(!), all the time. And we have no history, week to week is coming, month to month is almost possible, season to season, same day sales -- all are in our future, hopefully.
Colder weather = more soup, obvious and doable, however -- how much of what kind? should we try a new chowder this week or next? to keep it totally fresh and tasty, we need to serve it in a few days time -- a lot to learn and one of the reasons why we at the BR really appreciate the feedback and the supportive attitude of you, our customers.
Thank you all and I do apologize for those times we are out of something it would seem we should always have extra on hand -- we are learning about your tastes, your eating patterns and how to mold our kitchen to meet them to the best of our ability.
I am very sorry that someone left today unhappy because of the missing soup, we will be back on track with Veg, Black Bean and our chowder and a special soup tomorrow. Stew is still in the planning stages.

1st Day Afternoon Tea

We served our first tea today and the crowd was small, the reception was positive and we hope the service will grow over the next weeks and month. 

As a reminder -- 2 seatings:  3pm & 4:45pm --reservations required.

Cupcakes for the Cause: Oct 20 - 26 - final tally

880 cupcakes purchased.  We have a check for $550. ready to send to the Cancer Care for Kids organisation.

Thank you all for your generosity in participating with us.

Next year 1000 should be "a piece of cake".

Cupcakes for the Cause: Oct 20 - 26

You have purchased 749 cupcakes between Monday, Oct 20th and Saturday, Oct 25th. 

Thank you and we look forward to making a final push tomorrow!

Cupcakes for the Cause: 20th - 26th October, 2008

This is the week each autumn (for the last 5 years) that Cancer Care for Kids has asked bakeries nationwide to donate a portion of proceeds from their cupcake sales to Cancer Care.

Between Monday morning, October 20th and 6 pm October 23rd - you, our customers, have purchased 525 cupcakes.

Thank you for your generosity and I know that Cancer Care for Kids will be appreciative when we reach the end of the week and send off our check to them

Can we make it to 1000 cupcakes by the end of day on Sunday?

How did we come up with the name?

There is no fancy story behind the name. Bob and I spent time brainstorming names and with our first list in hand, we did a bit of test marketing. No clear winners. Back to the drawing board -- Bob became enamoured with the name: The Baker's Peel. Test market result: "What is that?" "What does it mean?" -- for those of you who fall in that camp - a baker's peel is the tool used to take hot breads from the oven!
Some of my best ideas tend to surface when I stop "trying" and let them come. The Blue Rooster came to me just that way. I believe it surfaced as a compilation of many of my favorite things -- the color blue (I love it) the bit of European influence of the cockerel and so we went to the test market with The Blue Rooster. The response for the most part was --- a smile, a nod, a positive "ummm". And so we took it to a wider audience and the response was similar.
Now, what I was asked then was -- what is the genesis of the name -- what is the story, why. You now have the actual story.

The newsletter

Thanks to the many of you who sent favorable comments on the newsletter. We will continue to publish that once every 2-3 months. In the last edition we included a recipe and we are likely to do that regularly -- comments about recipes would be most welcome.

Opening Hours

A question, hopefully answered by now but worth a repeat -

We are open as follows;
7 AM - 6 PM Monday - Friday. We serve breakfast from 7 - 11'ish and move right into lunch which we serve until 3 pm. From 3 to 6 we are happy to serve you soups, warm a quiche or tart and generally feed you what is available in the kitchen or bakery case.

7 AM - 4 PM on Saturday. We serve breakfast from 7 am - 12 noon and lunch from 12 noon until 4.

8 am - 2 pm on Sunday. We serve breakfast all day and at 12 noon we put on 3-4 of the week's favorite lunch items as well.

We are becoming more oriented to having "specials" most days -- so watch for our Pumpkin Pancakes, Cinnamon Raisin French Toast and Omelet on the breakfast front.

email woes

In the last week I found out that the email address associated with our newsletter was NOT being forwarded to what I think of as my "active" email. This changed yesterday, however I found 40 or so notes from the last number of months from well-wishers and folks with questions -- mea culpa -- I will be responding to each one in the next few days. And will post here a few general question / answers that came up.

Tuesday, October 21st is Day 50 open.

At 50 days, we feel good about our progress in many areas - the croissant and pain au chocolat are in preliminary testing before coming back into full production.  Our chefs are beginning to take hold of the basic menu and are adding many interesting and complementary variations and special dishes.  

The risottos, pastas, Mac & Cheese and Cassoulette continue to get rave reviews as does all the bread and all the breakfast dishes made with bread (have you tried the cinnamon raisin french toast?)

The staff and Bob and I are settling into a bit of a pattern -- busy a good bit of the time.  We are pleased to be learning the names and tastes of some folks who are becoming "regulars" and we are enjoying meeting "friend of friends" -- so many of you are finding us through your friends.  Thanks for that, it is a great way for our popularity to grow!

Gift Baskets

We are contemplating making gift baskets that would include some of the favorite jams, sauces and oils we use and sell and perhaps a bread or other fresh bakery treat(s).

We'd love to hear from you on this idea.

Thanks!

Bacon / Breakfast Potatoes

We had a comment about the bacon portion - 3 slices is what is served here at the BR as a portion. It is certainly possible that a plate went out with 2 and I apologise!

Same anon blogger is interested in breakfast potatoes -- we are exploring possible recipes and may try a special as early as this weekend.

Thanks for all the comments and helpful feedback.

Afternoon Tea

Finally -- we have a date for the start of our Afternoon Tea.  It will begin on Monday, October 27th.  We will have two seatings:  3pm and 4:45pm.  Reservations will be accepted at both seatings.

We look forward to welcoming you to tea where you and your friends will enjoy a wide array of treats both sweet and savory, the likes of which you would find in the country houses and top hotels in Ireland and England.

We hope it will be fun for all!

Mid-October, coming up on our first 50 Days

Just to let you know, our staff -- from William who washes dishes to Lois and Peter who create and cook to Advah who creates and bakes to all the baristas and waitstaff -- loves your feedback and your great enthusiasm about the BR.  We love that they love it because we think we have great staff and we want them all to continue on the BR team as long as possible!

We already have our first alumna -- Samantha Scott has left us after a stellar few weeks waiting tables at both breakfast and lunch.  Sam has taken a job in the field of study she pursued in college and we are all extremely happy for her.  (And we trust that she will visit and eat with us when she visits her folks in town).

Many of you continue to look for the croissant.  They are being test-baked this week and we are hopeful that they will go back into production SOON.  The problem with heat in the kitchen has dissipated with the change of season, so we will look at a more permanent fix in the spring. 

This week we have made great strides with varieties of breads:  Irish Soda Bread, Sourdough Rye, Fougase, Foccaccio, Cinnamon Raisin, Apricot Walnut -- along with our daily favorites:  baguette, pain de campagne, white and wheat pan.  We are a bread bakery!

The cafe is reflecting on your comments about the size of portions, the presentation and the price.  

Cupcakes, cookies, fruit tarts and cheesecakes are the mainstays of our pastry case and we strive to have a good variety most days --still working on this!

Our olive oil and balsamic vinegar are "wowwing" many with the clean taste and lack of bitterness.  It is our house dressing and we hope you will all give it a try!

Bob and I are beginning to find a rhythm to our days.  He is up and at the shop before 5 (since many of you ask me and I needed to confirm this with him - it is confirmed!).  I try to arrive with the staff at 6.  So it is working and we are thrilled with the support from all of you.

Thank you!

Cupcakes for the Cause: Oct 20 - 26

As we did last year, we will participate in Cupcakes for the Cause.  This year we will sell cupcakes all week long and will donate 100% of our profits to the Cupcakes for the Cause.

www.cupcakesforacause.org

We will have at least our standard three varieties:  red velvet, devil's food 

& vanilla -- all week long.  And we are likely to have a few special surprises throughout the week.

Stop in and try our cupcakes if you haven't already.  The cause is worthy and we look forward to seeing you!

Autumn Events at the Rooster

Saturday, October 18th -- 2 pm to 4 pm:  The CEO of School House Kitchens will visit the Blue Rooster and she will bring ideas and taste treats for using the 3 School House Kitchen products.  The Bardshar Chutney, which we serve on our Brie and Chutney baguette, will be featured along with a fabulous mustard and a great vinaigrette.

Wendy's business www.schoolhousekitchens.org

contributes to education projects throughout the country.

Stop by for a taste or two!

October 8th - general update

The days are flying by and I often think --- "write in the blog" -- however by the time the napkins are washed, dried and folded, the numbers are reviewed and a bit of play time with the dogs is slotted, it's usually time for some shut eye before starting it all over again.

News on a few fronts - - it looks like the weather is our immediate solution to a kitchen too hot and we will go with that for now.  IN the spring we will likely have to revisit our HVAC and make serious decisions on what is required.  For now, we are thankful for the cool weather because it costs us nothing!

News about tea -- so many of you are asking when we will be able to start tea -- it looks like October is the right month to start it and it is likely to be closer to the end of the month.  There are several components in play:  the bakers' need to produce all the petit fours and other mini desserts and tarts.  The cooks need to organise the tea sandwiches and savory treats and then we need to have knowledgeable and capable servers.  So, these are now top priority items for us all and we feel good about getting it organised before the end of the month.

Day 22

Wow!  The comments our visitors are giving us are fantastic -- thank you one and all.  ONe woman has come in twice and each time she showed concern about our sales tax / non-sales tax set up.  I told her the first time that I'd check with the state.   And days passed... The second time she came in, she voiced the same concern.  I do want to thank her here and hopefully in the shop as well.  We had work to do to get the sales tax situation right.  Thank you all for bearing with us through these start up issues.

Baguette, sticky buns, scones and all the tarts are hits regularly.  Breakfast and lunch have great appeal to many.  Our soups seem to really hit the spot and we are trying to keep up with the demand for the Sweet Corn Chowder - and so it goes.

Our staff is settling into the work and many of them are beginning to see the pattern to the day.  We especially like the late breakfasters,  the after school rush of school children and the last minute - is there still a baguette? - on the way home.

We do not yet have resolution on the HVAC issue in the kitchen.  We do yet have a firm date for restarting the croissant creation.  

Look here for the final word on when afternoon tea will start!

DAY 17 - some semblance of routine

We are beginning to see a bit of routine to the days at the Blue Rooster.  Casual breakfast eaters come in to relax, enjoy, perhaps read a paper, chat with friends and they like timbale of eggs, french toast and the fruit & yogurt parfait -- as well as the Full Irish.

We have a range of daily coffee and scone visitors and many who ask for our sticky bun (we are close to having them on a daily basis now -- stay tuned!)  Often a baguette is taken for later

Lunch is quite busy from just before 12 until 1:30- 2.  We have a wide range of patrons - and enjoy meeting new visitors as well as welcoming those who are fast becoming regulars.  We are able to provide soups and sandwiches for those who need to get back to their desks.  

Our soups and chowders are very popular and most folks seem pleased that we regularly serve a 10 vegetable soup, a black bean soup and so far the sweet corn chowder is a real crowd pleaser.  Today we introduced a split pea with rosemary and it is delicious!

Before we know it, the after school crowds joins us for lemonade, cookies, cupcakes, ice tea, ice coffee and the like.  And during the afternoon we sell lots of bread - baguette is the biggest seller and the white, wheat and pain de campagne have a number of followers too!

We have featured an olive levain, a tomato fennel and Irish soda bread in the last week -- stay tuned, stop by and see what's next.

Day 10 - what's new at the BR

Hi all and thanks for your great feedback!  In response to that feedback, we have a few new offerings for you, the customer,  and we are trying a few modifications  in the 'back of house".  

For those of you who love the soup and would like to take it away with you -- we can now do that! We have our Black Bean and Vegetable and this week we have the Sweet Corn Chowder and 3 Lentil Chili.  All are available until 6 pm for take away in either a 12 oz or 16 oz container.  

We are making more of our baguettes for take away lunches, too.  If you wish to call ahead, we can have them ready for you when you arrive.

Please keep letting us know what you'd like and we will do our best to be responsive.

End of Day 6, Grand Opening Week

The week has been stupendous!  Thank you all who have not only come in to see the shop, try our cafe and buy bread - thank you too for letting me know you followed the construction progress and enjoyed seeing the pictures of who and what made the Blue Rooster.  It's great meeting each one of you.

At this point, we have a number of highs for the week - several regulars!, strong positive comments about the food (thanks Mark & Lois) and raves about the pastry - led by quiche, savory tart and goat's cheese galette.  The baguette lead the charge in the bread area and one of my favorite comments was a long, contented -- ummmmm!

Our staff all have worked fingers to the bone keeping up with customer needs and learning the "ropes" of making the rooster hum.  We have work to do to make it more efficient and the learnings from this week are important to that effort.

We have one serious problem -- the heat in the kitchen has made it neigh on impossible to create and bake the top quality laminated pastries that we want to provide.  These are the croissant, pain au chocolat, all the danish and selected other items.  Until we can assess and implement the necessary changes, WE WILL NOT BE MAKING ANY LAMINATED PASTRY DOUGHS.

We are extremely disappointed and know some of you may be as well, however putting out a less than top quality product is not in any of our plans and we need to do the right thing with this situation asap.  As I know more, you will too.

Grand Opening Day 1

We opened our doors at 7 am, unsure just what might come next.  We have 150 brand new cloth napkins (made by Val down the street) --- by 2:30 there were no napkins.  busy, wonderful people, great craic (look up in the Irish slang dh

ictionary) and a lot of work for a very strong, dedicated crew>

And we are off to do the same tomorrow.  Bread for tomorrow morning is: baguette, tomato/fennel, and all else was bought up today, so Bob is restocking as I write this.  Pastries - croissant, cheese danish, cream danish, raisin sweet roll, sticky buns, and scones with raisin and lemon poppy seed.  All on offer tomorrow.  As the week goes on, the bread wall will have more and different varieties.  The ovens are tested, now they are being worked hard each day!

Thanks to each of you who helped us get off to such a great start.  Your patience and appreciation make a huge impact on each of us working at the 

Blue Rooster.  

Come on back!

\

Ah -- the soft opening is here

The last weeks have been a whirlwind!  Staff training in how to serve our customers, plate our meals and help one another make the BR run.  We are a group with great talents and a willingness to learn all that is necessary to be good at serving and making coffee beverages.

It must be real, we are serving breakfast to the first 50 respondents to our email distribution list invitation, tomorrow!

It must be real, the sign now hangs on the wrought iron hanger.

It must be real, the shelves are starting to fill with tasty treats, the walls are hung with an array of interesting art.

It must be real, the smell of bread is now coming regularly from the kitchen.

Join us next week if you can, we are so looking forward to welcoming all those who have supported us through the work of getting to these next days.

Thank you. 

bags and boxes, ribbon no bows

We are adding the final necessary purchases to make the bakery work - as noted in title.

The cooks and bakers are bringing ingredients into the kitchen and as early as Wednesday we may have aroma of bread wafting through the kitchen.  After the months of construction smells - spackle, saw dust, plumbers glue and PAINT -- a palatable odor is to be embraced!

Many of the staff are taking turns making espresso beverages, helping to organise the waitstaff area in the kitchen and in general 'getting comfortable' with the workings of the BR.

We say: "Onward to opening day!"

BR Opening Hours ++

A query from a blog reader about our opening hours, here they are:

Monday - Friday:  7 am - 6 pm

Saturday: 7 am - 4 pm

Sunday: 8 am - 2 pm

Plus:

On Saturday afternoons, starting in late September, we will host demonstrations by a number of our key partners.  We have firm commitments from:

Ariston - First Cold press Greek Olive Oil & Balsamic Vinegar

School House Kitchen - mustard, chutney +++

Ambrosial - granola

On Sunday afternoons, likely once a month, we will have live music in the afternoon.

So, hopefully something there will intrigue you enough to visit!

the windows are blocked...

Yesterday a friend of the BR stopped by and wanted a peek -- and I turned him away!  

It was hard to do, as any of you who have been subjected to my; "Do you have time to come in?, Let me show you around, it will just take a minute.."  

 

From the day we closed on the house, it has been open to all comers.  

Now, while the final decorations and set up is underway, the doors are shut, the windows are papered over and we look forward to welcoming you either during one of our pre-opening events or during our grand opening week.

• What are the pre-opening events?  Sign up on the website and you'll be invited.
  
• 
  
• When is the Grand Opening Week?  Soon to be announced.
  

And now the training begins

Staff training began today.  

The BRs were out in full force -  full of ideas, questions, and a willingness to learn from one of the best barista-trainers in the US.  

Wally came out from NYC to teach us how to use our espresso machine to the full.  He gave us all a  workout on the basics and some of the especially nice touches when making:  

• espresso
• latte
• macchiata
• cappuccino

Trieste espresso, roasted over wood, made in small batches is our brew and everyone test-tasting today agrees - it is excellent!

Whole milk and soya milk make phenomenal cappuccino, latte, and macchiata!

news

we now have a health inspection certificate, signed and read to be placed in the front hall.  It says: SATISFACTORY

Final Pre-opening pics

The windows are papered, the workers are just about done with the punch list, the inspectors are coming through and we are within weeks of opening the doors!

From now to opening day - we'll be focusing on the staff, the menu and the wonder of making it through the construction phase and into the open for business phase!

The little things...

So, a few of the little things that are done or underway:

1) the historic plaque - sent it out to West Pattern on Hightstown's Main St - they are the firm that does all the plaques for Cranbury.  Out plaque looks great!  You'll see it on the front of the house when you come visit.

2) hanging small shelves, throughout - so we have a spot to set the menus, the small "take-aways", the ???

3) planning for additional / alternate display tops for the daily bakery special -- it might be a small cookie for the after school crowd or a minin s'more cheesecake for that dynamite dessert -- or, or, or... what would you like to see?

4) coat hooks - check and check

5)which baskets will be used where and for what -- decisions being made

6) shelves starting to be stocked with a few of the goodies we think will go great with our breads - we hope you'll take some home and give it a try: jams, fruit butters, oils and more

7) Cleaning -- not really a little thing, however it is ongoing and a number of our future waitstaff are pitching in -- way to go!!

8) Where should the various roosters roost?

9) The music is set and sounds quite fine

10) Signage to help everyone find what they want:  cafe, coffee, bakery...is in development.

And so it goes these last few weeks.  

What little things??

If you have any thoughts on what we may likely not have ready for day one and should -- those little items that can be easily forgotten -- I'm all "ears" -- 

And the countdown begins...

We are less than 1 month from our opening.  

• The final construction and pre-opening inspections are scheduled for this week. 
  
• Finalising the menu and its pricing is underway with our cooks now onboard and in the midst of that process.
  
• Ordering the goods necessary to open is underway.
  
• Hiring staff for all positions and shifts is underway, and indeed close to complete for day one.
  

What encouragement we continue to receive from locals, walkers, those who sign up on the website-- thank you all for helping us keep the vision strong as we come close to the next finish / start "line"!

the railings, the new plantings, and..

Here are the promised pictures from the weekend's installations:  railings and plants

And this week is full of activity finishing many elements of many infrastructure jobs.  If you are someone who walks by, you may notice that the bay window chandelier is installed!  You may also notice that the chairs on the porch now match the railings, and (according to some) are quite comfortable! -- only thing missing is the beverage and treat.

Some of you may know this name:  Atmospheric.  If you do, you will likely have an idea about one visual treat in store for you when you visit the BR.  

Wrought iron railings, a step closer...

And a step safer!  The steps up from the sidewalk to the porch are not steep, they are not narrow, they are just fine.  However, with the flow of traffic into the BR and the number of folks who might need a hand up, the safety requirement for hand railings is hugely practical.  The key is, can it be both attractive, fitting for the historical district and meet the safety requirements.

I am pleased to say that Mike Toth has come through again with a welding team who crafted and installed a beautiful pair of railings.  Thanks Brian and Rob for working on Sunday.  (Pictures to follow)

espresso machine installed today!

A red letter day or coffee colored if you prefer.  Wally, originally from Costa Rica & now a longtime employee of Kobrick's Coffee, installed our San Marco e-85 and our Mahlkonig espresso grinder.  The set up was quick and the test espressos, lattes and cappucinos were extraordinarily attractive as well as tasty.

Wally is a consummate professional and he will be back to train our staff in the coming weeks.  As usual, a few pics:

7+ teams working today to bring the BR to opening day

Granite counter top installation

Marble fireplace surround installation

Heat in the kitchen installation

Carpentry -- baby changing stations installed in both Men & Women's rooms -- ++++

Access pathway removed, graded and reseeded

Neighbor's driveway "topped up" with crushed stone, looking good!

Kitchen equipment all placed, leveled, connected

Painting... continues......

Charlie, continuing to hook up plumbing

And, of course, Mike managed it all!

Here are a few pics from the day -- the transformation is close to complete

Pictures of the floor guys and the duct guys..+++

Who works at the Rooster on Sat?  This weekend it's the floor guys as well as the stalwarts - the carpenters.  The work is moving right along.  The floors look great and will have all but the final finish coat by the end of the weekend.  The carpenters are doing lots of "final bits".  As as you see, the kitchen guys brought in the final pieces of equipment yesterday.  Most all of it is positioned and hooked up -- it is amazing to see the transformation of space into the Rooster and its kitchen.  And let's not leave the duct guys out--- all important to the successful running of a kitchen - the duct work extracting air from the stoves and ovens is vital.  These guys did the final touches to assure all meets the requirements.  Thanks all!

The coming week is all about painting, installing counter tops, installing seating, finalising a few details of design and then... bringing in the official reviewers -- 

More on that as the week goes on.

Another good day at the Blue Rooster

Today the big ticket events were -- 

• Final delivery of kitchen equipment - the waitstaff prep area table and the chef station -- both custom made by Ed -- see prior posts for more about Ed
  
• Completion of duct work to/from oven and stove hoods -- the two smiley guys did that!  Thanks guys.
• And the hardwood floors throughout the original part of the BR are now sanded and 1st coat of sealant was applied today

The work continues tomorrow, yes more Saturday work to be sure we bring this business online as scheduled!  Thanks Mike.

and, oh by the way -- we are interviewing --- some great people want to work with us!  Hiring decisions are imminent.  If you know anyone who wants to join us, we have slots for baristas and for waitstaff.    We'd love to hear from you.

catepillar into butterfly

These next two weeks are when the caterpillar inside the cocoon will be doing the final and most spectacular part of its transformation.  Read no further if the parallel between our building and the wonders of nature do not seem natural to you!

To me, the vision inside my head has slowly been moving into the 3D spaces that are the Blue Rooster building.  Piece by piece - an enlarged bench for sitting with your coffee, tea, cocoa; a small counter top for you to add sugar, milk, or variations on them to your coffee, tea, cocoa; an exterior wall that will show all our customers how brick was used in the mid 1800's, what held beams together before steel nails; move a door -- make room for a marvelous oil and vinegar "station"; uncover a pumpkin pine floor and bring it back to its glory -- all of these pieces are complete and have happened over the last several months.

Now, the WOW is happening -- the kitchen is a huge WOW and you've seen those pictures and read about its installation (more tomorrow on that progress..).  Paint the walls, finish all the floors -- this is NOW and will bring a major part of the vision to reality.  By the beginning of next week, all this work will be complete ("we are always on schedule" --- MT).

So with that a given -- next week the cafe seating will arrive, the granite counter top that will support the espresso machine will arrive, the espresso machine will arrive, the mahogany counter top from which you will order your beverage will arrive, and the all important front porch hand railing will likely be completed (by a metal 'artist' - and you know artists -- they are not to be rushed...) and installed.

The butterfly is starting to move with alacrity, soon the break will be made in the cocoon and we will have full fledged flight.

Picnics - BR does a dynamite picnic basket

We are looking beyond the construction now, and toward some of the fun that comes along with The Blue Rooster Bakery & Cafe.  We have a selection of antique picnic baskets, all very solid and ready to make another set of picnic-ers day.  When you really love to put together good food for eating al fresco, it is great fun to do that for others.  That's what we plan to offer our customers -- those going to a college football tailgate; those looking for sustenance on the D&R canal while canoeing; those who just want to enjoy nature and do it with picnic food in tow...  Let us know how you like to picnic 

power to the Blue Rooster

PSE&G installed a new pole to provide the power we need for the Blue Rooster - mainly the kitchen equipment.  It is a multi-team task and actually was months in the works.  

First - what do we need?  An analysis was completed

Next - Where, what prep, when is it needed?  Team after team was involved in this --

Finally - let's get it done -- and they did.

We now have a pole with 3 transformers to support the type of equipment and the amount of 

electricity we are likely to use on a daily basis. 

When you walk by, look up and this is what you'll see.  My first experience with working this through from request to install -- all the guys were charming and for the specific task that they do, did it well.  The coordination and timing is really something else -- one storm and you might be put to the bottom of the 'list' for a week or more....

All's well, we have power and the equipment is on-site being installed.  Closer and closer we come to the day..

Just a few more pics-- to include "the guy who doesn't smile"

As the day wore on, the plumber, the electricians, the carpenters and the entire kitchen crew were involved in moving the BR closer to opening day.  There is such great energy around the place, even to the point of their all being willing to be positive about the many "tours" I give during the day.  If you walk by and want to know what's  happening, or give even the smallest inkling of interest -- I offer the walk-through.  And generally 4-5 people come through on any given day.  

Here are a few more pics -- including one of Mark, the electrician who lives on the fan platform...

Kitchen Delivery, Day 2

The crew, led by Ed, were back onsite early this morning.  One more truck to unload and then seemingly miles of packing tape, bubble wrap, cardboard and wooden pallets to be removed as each piece of equipment is unwrapped, inspected and positioned in the kitchen (or as close to position as possible --- this is a multi-week operation!)

here are a few pics from today's effort

Foodies - think about fresh bread in a gift basket!

Today, in the midst of the kitchen arriving, I got a call on the BR phone.  A lovely woman, daughter of someone in our vicinity, wanted to have a basket delivered from the BR to her Mom on her birthday --- today!

The "just say yes" approach has me well-caught.   I explained that although we were not yet open, and thus none of our best product -- the made from scratch in our own kitchen BREAD would be possible----- I thought I might be able to put a little something together.  And thus our gift basket line of business opened!  

Here's what was delivered, and the thank you call that follows says to me that we may have another way to please our future clientele.  Your comments would be most appreciated.

day one kitchen delivery - the pics

Three trucks, bigger than anyone thought; 8 guys, also big -  strong and able to lift and move heavy equipment - and a full day of unloading, lifting the equipment into the kitchen space and uncrating more than 20 major pieces to bring reality to the BR made from scratch bakery.  Here are a few snaps:

Baristas and waitstaff wanted

Craig's List and word of mouth are bringing a number of candidates forward for jobs at the BR; however --- with our opening time of August / early Sept -- we are no one's summer job and we are not hitting the incoming college crowd yet --- so we are still in need of help to be able to open the doors! 

If you are interested or know of someone who might be interested, we are looking for part-time workers to staff the cafe and coffee bar.  Our pay scale is above the industry average and all tips will be shared.  We need staff for breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea time -- 7 days a week.

All training will be paid time and will be provided starting in late July / early August (depending upon the completion time of the ongoing work. 

Job application is available on the web or on the porch at the BR.  Or if you'd prefer -- just give me a call -- number on homepage.

We will have two fantastic  baristas in to give us trainings

The kitchen equipment starts to arrive TODAY!!

The 7th & 8th of July -- these dates have been firmly implanted in our minds for the last few months. Now it is today & tomorrow!  The kitchen equipment -- from Bob's 3 deck oven to the hand sinks required throughout -- it will take 2 days for it to all be lifted into the kitchen space.  It will then take a number of weeks to set it all up and check it out.  Major progress toward opening, and a move from "space" (which most visitors think is: "wow--- huge!") to a highly functional artisan bakery kitchen space.  

We are actively moving the rest of the rooms to completion -- carpentry, floors, painting and if all continues to go well, these major lines of work will complete around the same time.

Pictures to follow.

A bit late, but a nod to the drywall crew

The drywall team was onsite  for a total of 4 days.  High skill and productivity - and such a major move toward completion!  These are the guys, some of whom wear metal stilts to do the work of placing, nailing, taping, spackling and sanding the drywall.  We had 3 or 4 on stilts at the rooster and one guy in particular stands out.  He was working in the basement stairway, in the original portion of the building.  The step are fairly narrow, the staircase is fairly steep and yet, there he was as if he were working on the flat -- moving from step to step in his stilts.  I am amazed.

This crew had members from Central America as well as the US and as always -- here are a few pictures.