Installment # 2 of
Diary of a madwoman uh, I mean chef, in the throes of opening a restaurant…
And I thought cleaning the
grease trap would be the worst of it---no, not so! Having completed the cleaning, painting and
repairing of the dish and rest rooms, my team and I spent last week alternating
between painting the front of the house (dining room) and searching the upstate for appropriate
equipment and furnishings to bide our time while waiting for contractors (sheet
metal, carpentry, and plumbing). And a
successful week it was!
Our first stop was an abandoned
restaurant in a mill town where the only occupants for the last 18 months had
been four legged and furry or six legged and nocturnal. We had not thought to bring a flashlight and
without power, we were forced to use the light of our phones to work our way through
the once bustling kitchen, now a graveyard of sticky stainless steel and crusty
grill work. The owner, however, was only
too willing to let us have our pick of cooking apparatus as long as we removed
it without any help from him. And to our
delight, we found two gems, a char-grill and a griddle, both table top versions
in recognizable condition, a small prep table and an odd assortment of baking
sheets and pans. What a haul, except for
one minor detail, the grease was as thick as that purposefully applied to
automotive parts to make them move effortlessly. For a brief second, I longed to return to the
dish room and clean the grease trap for a second time.
My experience has been that
Craigslist is the best place to shop for bargains, better than any auctions or
used restaurant equipment stores, online or brick and mortar. But, since I am not the only chef looking for
bargains on the site, I also know from experience that, as we used to say when
we were kids, you snooze you lose. So, Saturday morning, when my search for
commercial refrigeration (coolers) returned a used two door True stainless
steel cooler for an unbelievably low price, off we went. And since the seller naturally expected this
to be a cash transaction, the first stop for me was the local bank.
Here’s a riddle. What bank in
this country does NOT have Saturday hours?
MY BANK! Okay, so the local branch in
Central was closed, but surely, the main branch in downtown Clemson would be
open. Nope, the sign posted on the door
read Mon to Fri 10 to 5, ATM in lobby
open 24 hours. Yes, of course, the
ATM, and I entered the lobby. Although
the seller wanted more than I was allowed by the only bank in America closed on
Saturdays, to retrieve from an ATM, I fortunately had two accounts flush with
cash at the only bank in America closed on Saturdays. And between the two of them, I would have the
funds needed to buy the damn cooler.
I withdrew my first card, and
completed the transaction, entering all of the information required. Now, as I waited for what I thought was waaay too long, I could hear the inner
workings grinding and squealing as the ATM tried to push the bills out the
horizontal door. I say tried because unbelievably, only the
bills that I could see on the top of the pile made it all the way out the
little opening. Those who know me well, know
that I have exceptional eye hand coordination, and I am fast, but even with
both hands free to grab those bottom bills, that door clamped shut before I had
a chance. Never have I ever experienced
such frustration as I did when I read the words that appeared on the
screen. The bills were not removed in the allotted time. Please see your financial institution for
assistance. What? Financial institution? The only one in America that is closed on
Saturdays? My second attempt at the ATM
in Central, the one that sits prominently in the square in front of the only
bank in America that is closed on Saturdays, was just as unsuccessful. There the screen read, The allotted daily amount has been met
We are unable to fulfill my request.
Fortunately due to the intercession of my husband who uses a bank that, unlike mine, IS open on Saturdays we paid the seller and
the monster cooler was tied securely into a utility trailer with the help of
several of the seller’s neighbors.
Euphoric at the success of our latest acquisition, I called upon our business
neighbors to assist in offloading and moving the giant into our
establishment. Here is another first,
right up there with the grease trap! How
do you get a refrigerator which measures 33 inches deep by 54 inches wide and
84 inches high and weighs 500 pounds, through a standard size doorway and into
a room with 96 inch ceilings? Well, I am
not going to bore you with the details, but after 45 minutes, the cooler was
upright, inside and the only wound was in the ceiling which will be scarred for
life.
In addition to a cooler,
char-grill and griddle, our only other score for the week was made in a place I
should call home---the local Goodwill store.
I think the reason that I am so fond of that store is twofold. First, I am an antique lover and self
recognized authority on certain period pieces and therefore, appreciate all things
older than I am. And second, some of my fondest memories of time spent with my
mother were those when we dressed in our Sunday best including hat and gloves
and went downtown to the local Salvation Army store. It was there that I watched in awe as my
mother found the diamond in the midst of quartzite and managed to talk the
clerk into accepting half the price on the ticket. The poor salesman never had a chance. And so in the spirit of my mother, I came to
be the owner of a barely used, very expensive DVD/CD/MP3/tuner with 4 speakers
and sub woofer, all for half the ticket price of $ 15.00. I think our on-premise diners will be quite pleased!
‘Til
next week, keep an eye out for a natural gas convection oven, sandwich station
and steam table, all looking to relocate to BTB in Central, SC. And a degreaser wouldn’t hurt either!
Eat Smart, America!
Buon Appetito e Buona Salute, Chef AngelaB.
As anyone who has worked on a
long term project that includes the coordination of contractors, leasehold
improvements, inspections and so on knows, there are times when there is
nothing more that can be done but wait.
I have never been good at waiting so I use the time to write, scour the
upstate for great deals on equipment like these recently purchased coolers,
designing signs, banners and marketing brochures and my favorite pastime, of
course, I cook. 
Recently there has been
a lot of waiting, so I have done a lot of cooking, practicing and
experimenting, refining, and standardizing recipes. Those who benefit the most from this are friends
and members of my household, my husband, and my loyal companion (not my husband, although he is also loyal) who at this moment lies under my desk, sleeping with his wet,
black nose warm against my bare skin and soaking my flip flop.
