Why I am here...

Hello all you folks! I really meant to write regularly, honest! But here’s some stuff to read and some pictures to look at, hope it’s not too boring…

(I have to share this with you - I just walked into the kitchen where my chef and sous chef were talking, Abigael turned and smiled at me and said, “We were just talking about how much we like you.” Hooray!! There’s been a lot of anxiety on my part in this job. I try not to compare myself to the other two interns but they are both more experienced than me, my knife skills need a lot of improvement, I forget things and get distracted. Because of all this I’ve been a little uncertain about how things are going, so it was very comforting and really nice to hear!)

So, lets see… do you wanna hear about work or life here first? (ow! I bit my tongue!) Okay, how about work today and tomorrow or the next day I’ll fill you in on life on an island in a tent.
I’m slowly learning about the history of the café and of the resort, the café building is very old, built about 1904 and shows it in some places, but it’s perched on top of rocks about 30 feet above Otter Cove (the little bay next to the resort). There are only 12 tables inside, seating about 44 people, pretty small. However, 44 people can make that tiny kitchen really busy!!

I worked my first breakfast lead shift today – Mike G. I have a ton more respect for you now, dude! – We were steady busy from 8:30 to 11:30, and I know that seems like a short time, but imagine, whatever your job is, doing it for the first time on your own and having to hurry for three hours straight. Fortunately Janay, my chef was working with me so she kept me from going under, but it was pretty intense. Got a good idea of what I need to do tomorrow to stay on top of things though.

In case I didn’t mention it, the café serves what they refer to as a pescetarian menu, vegetarian and vegan items and some seafood. The breakfast menu seems small but is pretty varied and kind of complex, especially for a newbie like me. The menu consists of; The Basic Breakfast – Two eggs, potatoes and bread
Biscuits and Gravy – vegetarian style, with smoked mushroom gravy
House-made Granola – served with milk or yogurt and our own lavender-infused honey.
Three Scrambles –
1. Curried Tofu and Vegetable (which leads to the question, why must vegetarians be forced to eat so much curried stuff? I am determined to improve the tofu scramble and relieve the masses from their hell of curried food. Rant over.)
2. Eggs and Veggies and White Cheddar
3. Local Smoked Salmon with Capers and Goat Cheese
A daily Frittata – today it was zucchini, fresh oregano and goat cheese, tomorrow, who knows?
Chai French Toast – fresh Challah dipped in a chai infused egg batter and served with our cinnamon-berry compound butter
There is also a cook’s choice daily special, today I did a pile, called it the Mount Constitution, breakfast potatoes sautéed with mixed veggies and topped with two eggs and White cheddar. Not sure what I’ll do tomorrow…
So, you can see, the menu is fairly varied with much done to order, so it keeps an old, new cook busy, it’ll get easier.

Dinner shifts have been equally busy and challenging, no lead shifts there yet. I think Janay has me in mind to be the primary breakfast cook, and that’s fine with me. I told her when I first came up to meet her to put me to use wherever it best suited her and the café. But until I am fully qualified for breakfast she has the schedule mixed with all three interns working a variety of shifts. The dinner menu is soon to change but right now we are serving:
Starters:
Carrot-Ginger Soup with Cumin-infused Yogurt
Doe Bay Salad – the greens include all kinds of cool stuff; edible flowers (at least 4 kinds) weird greens like broccoli leaves and sort of normal stuff like arugula, then it’s tossed with toasted seeds (sunflower, flax, etc.) in our Peppered Pomegranate Vinaigrette
The Cheese Plate – Humboldt Fog Goat Cheese (an amazing but goat cheese leaning towards the stinky variety), served with lavender honey, roasted Marcona almonds and fig compote.
Entrees:
Wild-Caught Halibut Delicious – an item created by Janay’s mom – Halibut filet topped with caramelized onions, dill and sour cream and baked
Herbed Chickpea Crepes – crepes made with chickpea flour and herbs, filled with herbed ricotta and caramelized fennel, artichoke hearts and greens, served over our house salad and topped with romesco sauce and a Balsamic reduction syrup
Porcini and Smoked Crimini Mushroom Risotto cakes – these are pan-seared and served over a salad of pea-vines in a truffle oil-lemon dressing and topped with shaved asparagus and Ricotta Salata (a dry, slightly aged ricotta)
Island Harvest Bowl – Green tea infused rice served with Arame salad (sea vegetable), braised wild greens, and sautéed mixed vegetables, served with either a peanut sauce or a ginger-plum sauce
Dessert:
Vanilla Bean Pannacotta – the menu says it’s made with rosewater, but lately we’ve been making it with Lavender. Really delicious! Served on a pool of rhubarb sauce with a drizzle of mint syrup
Chocolate-Mascarpone Cheesecake – served with cinnamon-chili chocolate sauce
And a variety of Lopez Island Creamery ice creams
Daily Specials - Recent offerings have included:
Caesar Salad made with heads of baby romaine, fried capers, crostini and seared sea scallops
Cajun-spiced seared salmon filet over creamy grits with lemon-caper sauce and pea vine salad.
Seared sea scallops served with shaved fennel and apple salad
And there’s usually a dessert special, this week we are offering a lavender-infused cherry cake topped with cinnamon whipped cream, fresh cherries and a chiffonade of lemon balm, served in a puddle of crème anglaise.
We also make one or two baked items daily, scones, muffins etc. The wine list is pretty complete and there are beers on tap and espresso too!

Okay, so don’t you all want to come here now?!

The staff is as varied as the menu, Chef Janay went through the same culinary program I am in about 8 years ago, and since has worked at several places around Seattle, honing her gourmet vegetarian skills at Carmelita’s and Café Flora. She is very funny and sweet and more than a bit silly, a nice change from the chef’s I have known or worked with. Her girlfriend, Rebecca, and their dog, Bella, live in West Seattle.
Sous Chef Abigael came to Seattle from New York where she was Executive Chef at a highly respected Vegan restaurant, she and Janay worked together at Carmelita’s. Abigael is serious about her craft but very easy-going and funny, she likes to end the night with a hug, (at least she hugs me!) how cool is that? Her boyfriend, Keith, is the site manager here at Doe Bay.
Interns Nathan and Sarah Lynn are from North and South Carolina, respectively. Sarah Lynn attended the Gourmet Natural Chef Culinary Academy in New York, same school that Abigael attended. Outwardly, Sarah Lynn is the cool, laid-back, neo-hippie type, but she is very into food, it'll be interesting to see where she goes and what she does.
Nathan attended the Cordon Blue Culinary academy in Portland OR. I like him very much, he is funny and self-effacing, easy to tease without taking it the wrong way, fun to work with. His boyfriend, Gil, just finished college and is home visiting family in Monterey, Mexico.
As for the café servers, some of them are local, others here for the summer, several have worked at the café during previous summers. They’re all babes.

It’s time to eat.

Oh, and it’s Movie Night! The Three Burials, cool!

Lance

(next entry: deers, bunnies, raccoons, kitties, doggies, seals and birds, birds, birds, birds birds birds……….. and a poke in the eye with a peg-board hook.)