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.