Teasers!!

Trends change all the time in this industry as in most businesses. The key is staying one step ahead of the trend I guess. But I also feel like getting too roped up into a trend can be a bit treacherous as well. As a Trend is a trend. That's it plain and simple. They come and they go. As quick as they came, it's yesterdays news. I am thinking constantly about what is gonna keep my business going strong? How can I continue to stay in the game? What do I have to offer the public to please their palate and their wallet? How do I get my guests to become regulars? How do I get them to come weekly? We do the small plate/large plate concept so people can eat big or on the lighter side. We have done nightly specials, but for us the menu changes so often every night is special!! lol 

What about a Teaser of sorts??!!

 Giving our guests that full fun of flavors, but in a smaller portion and less cash out of your stash!!   

Maybe you are just coming to have a cocktail with friends and want to try a little something while gabbing with the girls or you are heading home but stop for a beer after work with the guys and need a little something to nosh on! Above is our blackened shrimp (hints of curry & cumin) served with jasmine rice, and brandy jalapeno apricot butter, and buttermilk dressing. Priced at $6 for 2 large shrimp can you beat that!! Still made with many local ingredients!! We still will always hold true to our farm to table concept. We have another small plate teaser which is a house made honey biscuit with Dominion Valley seared ham, and local honey. Simple right?? But so good to eat, and nice on the wallet again at only $6!! 

I love this idea. I'm one that when I go out I want to order like half the menu. My husband is always like really Jodi. Yup!! I want to try lots of different things, I love Food!! It's a perfect trend for those that can't decide. I could care less about the cost, but I know I'm not the norm on that end of things. So come on out and try out our Teasers this weekend and let us know what you think!! Feedback is great! Let us know if you want us to keep Teasing You!!

A look back.... Celebrating 8 great years!!

Wow this is opening night 8 years ago 11/21/07!! Man my kitchen looks pretty much the same. I still occasionally sport the braids. Have ditched the white chef coat(per request of my staff) & the hat (per request of my husband) and have moved on to a more suiting bandana and vintage apron!! A bit more me!

 A big thanks to my mother for scrapbooking this night cause back then I never took pictures, heck I didn't even text. (my kitchen kids had to teach me how to do that! lol)

As I look back this week as we are on the cusp of our celebration party (really it should be next weekend for the actual date but I hate competing with hunting) I think about all the wonderful people that have been here over the years, staff and customers, all the changes we have made, all the awesome food and service we have put out, and all the goodtimes. It has been a crazy 8 years!! The stories I have to tell.....

But really I thank each and every person that has ever worked at the café and been part of its success!! Each person was a piece of the puzzle to the success of this restaurant! Whether big or small and good or bad. It all made it what it is today.

I have a crew now that I think is gonna help make 2016 be an amazing year!! Some are new, some have been here for years and some have come back and made a second run. Some just patronize and enjoy!! (like a few of the faces here below)

HaHa this picture brings back memories that I can laugh at now. Moments after this picture was taken the coat rack filled with coats broke free from the wall and a restaurant full of guest coats were laying in a heap on the floor. I was mortified. I walked out of the bar and into the kitchen, I had no clue how to deal with this on opening night. I believe my brothers and staff started hanging all the guests coats on the iron gate at the bottom of the stairs. My brothers came the next day and rehung the coat rack with anchors. Mind you the coat rack was existing I never did anything with it when we came into the space. My husbands response was apparently no other restaurant was ever that busy to have that many coats hanging on it!! This was an amazing response from my husband who is a glass half empty kinda guy. He surprises me sometimes. After 8 years of this old building and just the restaurant business in general I can handle just about anything I get thrown at me.
Customers you have made this journey happen. I don't know what else to say other than Thank You!
On the eve of this night I just hoped people would come through the door and continue to. I really was scared I wouldn't make it a year. It was a giant gamble. This business isn't easy. I was the new kid in town and now Im the oldest exsisting restaurant downtown. Sure don't want my time to be up. I fought kicking and screaming to keep this going and I'm gonna continue to bring you all creative fun food! I want to keep you all guessing what's up my sleeve and wanting you salivating for more!!Come Celebrate and Share Memories and Make More this Saturday Night!!!!!
Thank you to you all!!

Wow Factor!!

So I have been recently reading a book about customer service. It is actually about the Ritz Carlton. After Reading this book, it so much helped me to realize I needed to change some of the ways I handle and think about things with my customer service. Another restaurateur gave me the book. I'm so glad he gave me the book. I felt that even my employees could benefit from this. So I bought a bunch of copies and have asked them all to read it. I think there is only a small handful of them that have actually started to read it. But those that have are already having a new mindset!!
So last night I sit down and have a glass of wine with one of my servers. We are chatting about the evening. The goods and the bads. She didn't want to tell me the bad but we talked and tried to learn from it and she handled the situation as best she could. Then she told me she also had a "Wow" moment!! I said "Really"??!!
A "Wow" moment is a reference in the book. First off I was elated that she is reading the book, and then that she is really doing things from the book.
Ok so I'm sure you are wondering what is a "Wow" moment??
Well basically it is doing even the smallest thing to make a difference in a customers experience. Going that extra inch or mile, doesn't really matter how big or small. Just that little something extra to make a guests experience that much more special or memorable.
So I guess we had a couple in our bar for cocktails, people that have been here before. Last night they just had cocktails and had told the bartender that the wife wanted Mexican so they were heading down the street for dinner. Well they finished up and left. A little later while the bartender realized they forgot their credit card. The bartender told this server they forgot there card and said where they were headed. This server took it upon herself to grab the card tell the other servers to watch her tables and literally ran down the street to the other restaurant, find them and return there card. She didn't want them to have a nice evening out and then go to pay for their meal and not have their card to pay for dinner. They were so appreciative.
She truly did have a Wow Moment!
Funny thing I knew nothing of this as I was out talking to guests in the dining room and never even knew she was sprinting Main St!!!

A night out on the town!!

Last night was the husband and I's first evening out without our little guy since he arrived!!
I got a recommendation from a few people of a place to go checkout in Milwaukee. So we did! We went down to Walker's Point to Morel!! It was a gonna be a great evening regardless because it was our first date night! On facebook today I posted that we went out, someone commented where does a chef go eat??? Well this chef does have her favorite places to dine, but I wanted something new because last night was a big deal for us! I asked some people I trusted with an upper hand in the Milwaukee scene! Both responded with Morel was a great place and it was!!
We had a reservation, but upon arrival I asked if we could sit and have a cocktail first. After sitting there a bit I said to the hubby, "lets eat here". When is the last time we got to sit at the bar together!!
So our evening began, we sampled small plates, had entrees, and finished with desserts and craft cocktails, microwbrews, and great wine throughout! Everything was top notch! I couldn't have been more pleased with our whole evening. Funny thing happened at the end of the evening, I payed the bill, tipped my bartender and also gave him a cash tip to divide between the kitchen staff. Yes the kitchen staff. Please don't think I'm asking you to frequent my café and tip me. I'm not at all. Even when I bartend behind my bar I give all the tips to whoever I'm working with. I'm the owner you choosing to dine/drink with us is all I need! Back to tipping the kitchen, so this place has an open kitchen. I have worked in these types of kitchens before I hated it. It is not easy for me to keep my mouth shut, not swear, and not be able to listen to my own music preference while cooking. Oh and hoping I don't do anything to make myself look stupid. These 4 guys last night had to cook for a dining room full of people, execute everything perfectly (no where to hide from the public), and entertain. Not my cup of tea. But like I have said in previous posts that Hollywood has changed this industry. These 4 chefs did a great job, so yes I threw them a tip too. It was great the bartender walks over gives the sous the tip I over hear him tell him they got tipped the sous says, "whatever?" bartender says "i'm serious" Sous says "you're f#@$%&* Serious?" they talk a bit more I over hear again "nobody has ever tipped us" he then comes over thanks us, shakes our hand, tells us that was awesome asks if we want to do a shot together! We declined explained we had a 45 min drive and tell him everything was great and buy himself something other than a Miller high life (we saw them grab out of the cooler a bit earlier for the kitchen staff). All in all we had a great evening and everyone there was part of it! We in the industry work nights, weekends, holidays, long shifts, don't eat dinner till midnight or later cause we are helping strangers have enjoyable evenings and making memorable meals. I just wanted these guys to know I appreciated it! Sometimes the smallest gesture makes the biggest impression!

Good Times & Good Eats

So people ask me all the time, "where do you get inspiration for your cooking?" 

I also here a lot that my food is kind of weird for West Bend, WI. 

I guess I'll give you that, it is a bit different. But not that different I think I just put a bit of a different spin on a lot of traditional dishes. It isn't mainstream cooking I'll give you that. I toy with all the time do I change what I like cooking? Would that make my restaurant more profitable? Probably. It is a battle I deal with daily. I love different flavors and different ethnic cuisine. I am on the cusp of celebrating 8 years of business. Man it has been a long road I tell you. Trying so many things to try and stay afloat. Well the last couple months have been a whirlwind in really soul searching my future of the cafe. I want to focus so much on putting out items that hit the mark every time and with every bite you want to come back again for it. I want our service to be the best in town. I want you the customer to fall in love with Cafe/Underground. With all that said where does my culinary inspiration come from? Sometimes it's purely just what I have on hand, what's in season, and sometimes it's life and memories. It's weird I associate food with memories of my life. I thank my father for having me travel with him as a kid on business trips. I was pretty lucky to be exposed to what I got to expirence and eat. I can tell you exactly where I was the first time I had caviar, 12 years old in Asheville, NC. I didn't like it but I tried it. I remember being on bourbon street at maybe 8 or 9 years old and having pralines! Later in life I recall having a walleye cake that was to die for in MN at a jazz restaurant. Eating on a ranch in the middle of nowhere with a crew of pedorthist enjoying great steaks and BBQ. Eating along the riverwalk in San Antonio and being in Philly eating at top of the line restaurants with an old Jewish couple (friends of my fathers). 

College saving up to eat at Aquavit! 

Usually a $200 venture! But totally worth it! Ethiopian food mixed with Swedish and French! Most recently falling in love with real Mexican food. Not Americanized shit. My husband builds low rider cars, summer time is filled with car shows and good eats! Our fellow club members  (good times car club) have exposed us to some pretty amazing hole in the wall places with out of this world food! One in particular was a place that served tongue tacos. Omg, I know you are saying to yourself tongue?? Really Chef Jodi? Yes it is like the best beef taco ever. So on the menu right know I'm featuring my version of tongue taco, it isn't what you would get at a taco truck,  I of course had to make it my own and make it so hopefully you might step out of the box and try something new! Don't worry it doesn't look like the tongue anymore, no tastebuds are on it, it won't taste you back😀 but honestly if you try it I think you'll be hooked! Life is what you make of it and if you don't go out on a limb once and a while, what's the point?! 

Goodtimes & Good Eats!!

I know who grows my food!

I originally started this post on Saturday but got a bit busy to work on it and as it is I'm glad I didn't have time to write, that means we have been busy!! Also it made my thought topic develop even more.

Today was one of those days that puts a big smile on my face. While shopping at market on Saturday, I set up a delivery order of produce to be delivered today from Witte's farm. So I'm sitting here paying bills this afternoon like I do every Tuesday afternoon, not my favorite thing to do. If you know me at all sitting at a computer for hours is not my kinda fun. Well like 2pm Gus Witte with his helpers deliver my order, one of the things I ordered was 2 bushels of sweet corn. Which is the second week in a row I have ordered that much. Gus says to me, "Jodi what are you doing with all this corn?" I said "Freezing it for winter!" He looked back at me and said "Ok, hmm.." Yup folks besides all the canning we do, we freeze things in the peak of the season to use later on in the year. My poor dishwasher/prep cook tonight says to me "I'm so glad you didn't make me peel, and cut corn tonight!" (he had that task last week). I said "na, Wednesday night kid can do it this week, lol!"

So what put a big smile on my face tonight was, I was cleaning up butter spilt by a server on the floor in dining room that I heard the metal cup hit the floor, and as I'm cleaning it up someone says to me, "don't you have people for that?" I look over and it is Gus Witte with a young lady having dinner!

I absolutely love that the farmers I buy from dine at the café! I love that I know them, their families, and I get invited often to come see their farms!! It just means so much to me. There is so much love, dedication, and care taken in what they provide us every week, besides the fact that it just tastes so much better than produce purchased from a big purveyor that was picked not ripe and trucked in from other states, even countries. It's funny today I just peeled the last of the apples I bought last October from farmers market to make some apple butter, they were just now getting a little soft. So that was the last 1/2 crate of the 8 crates from last year. Once again does that tell you how old your apples are from the store. We store those apples in a walk in cooler, nothing special. The pictures in this post are of some of the other farmers I buy from hard at work last Saturday morning! Well hope to see you all at market on Saturday!

Comment Cards, tell me how you really feel!

I'll keep this one nice and short. I like to look at our comment cards for constructive criticism and to see what people liked to make sure we keep that level of service and food I want to be known for. Well sometimes you get some really odd things. Like we forever get people that tell us the food was excellent, service excellent, overall experience excellent, but menu variety we will get like so so. It puzzles me time and again. If everything is great than what more do you want to see on the menu? Recently I had our graphic designer change the comment card to include a line under menu variety for suggestions, so I guess we will see what people suggest from now on.  It makes me giggle when our regulars write sassy things on them just to get a rise out of me! (Every week, John Pankau!)
I think the funniest one we got was this last weekend, I don't think it was meant to be funny. I think this table was totally serious. But I didn't even know what to say to this one. I'll let you read it for yourself. I couldn't even make this shit up if I tried. I told my husband about it and he said you gotta be kidding me? What? Cmon?  This will stay stored away in my brain for some time, I'm sure my sarcastic ass will whip this out periodically when my staff is getting stressed on a busy night and I need them to remember to have fun!

Apricots & Shrimp!!

Apricots!!! Lots of fresh apricots!! So we have a signature dish on the menu called spicy garlic shrimp served with an apricot butter. No it is not an apricot purée with cow's milk butter whisked in, if that's what you are thinking. We buy fresh apricots from our downtown farmers market, and cook them down to make a sweet sauce from a fruit you should only be able to get a few weeks out of the year here in the good old Midwest! 

That is a giant pot of our apricot butter in the making! We then can our apricot butter during these weeks in the peak of the season to lock in the flavor!

We are then able to offer this dish through out the whole year! Yes it is a lot of work but sooooo worth it! If you haven't tried this dish yet it is a must. One of my personal favs! Spicy garlic shrimp paired with this sweet apricot butter, house vanilla pickled fennel, mashed yukons, and pea shoots!

 

A chef's job is not just cooking anymore.

So this is my assistant, Tia and I. Café would not be where it is right now without her and all the other employees! Tia being my assistant allows me to deal with all the things I need to do behind the scenes and in front of the camera!!

 

Back in the day a chef was a chef because we created amazing culinary masterpieces. We were confined a lot, (by our choice I think) by the 4 walls of our kitchens. Our creative side lends us to be social when need be but most, back when I started were very satisified by perfecting a dish, seeing it plated and having the server tell us the customer was so pleased with it! Now in the last 8 years of having my place times have changed. I partially blame the food network. Nothing against them at all but they have "hollywoodized" and "romantized this industry. Any Tom, Dick, and Harry is now a chef and will open a restaurant! I still find it weird when people call me "Chef".  I feel like you really need to put your time into this industry to have that Title. It's strange to me cause I refer to the chefs I trained under as "Chef" and I'm not quite sure if I'm really at there level yet. I have so much respect for them and there talents. I still have more to learn I feel.

 I digress once again, back to how Hollywood and technology have changed this industry. Instead of just creating you also need to be in the public eye. It's just so different now.

Recently we had a tv crew here filming. It was totally different than anything I have ever done before. I was so nervous but I think it went well! It is crazy to invite a film crew and then viewers on top of it, into my safe place , "my kitchen"!

Such are the times and guess I just have to roll with it and hope to not only entertain your palate but your minds and sense of humor as well!





Signs of Spring!!

This is a picture of our New Salad featured on the menu this week, 

Pickled Ramp & Sweet Rhubarb Salad.

 What are ramps you ask? Rhubarb not in a Dessert?

Well Ramps are a Wild spring onion/leek. They have a pretty mild flavor and are wild forged. We like to get a whole bunch and refrigerator pickle them with hints of mustard seed and thyme as to be able to offer them longer to our guests. Here I paired them with fresh rhubarb that was tossed in sugar and oven roasted. This is a perfect play on tart/tangy & sweet with these two simple sure signs that mother nature is ready to let us enjoy some sunshine and green grass.

This time of year is just amazing to me. When I get calls from farmers that asparagus is popping up and ready to be cut. Literally it is cut and within hours is in my cooler!! Featured all over our menu right now! It didn't come from thousands of miles away like Peru or something. (that's how far it travels when eating asparagus not in spring time) Another spring favorite is Morels, I happen to be married to a great Morel hunter although hunting was limited to one day this year due to our little guy. But my hunter found a few for a special on the menu. In my garden at home garlic planted last fall is growing by leaps and bounds so a few weeks and garlic scapes will be on the menu.

 Here in downtown West Bend last Saturday was our first farmers market, it was like a homecoming. I was overjoyed to take Drake to market to meet all the great farmers. After not seeing some of these folks since last October it was hugs and smiles all around, seeing old friends!

 I'm praying for just the right temperatures, sunshine, rain, and pests to stay away for all these hard working farmers this season. Thanks to all the farmers for all you do to put good eats on the table!!

Spring has Sprung and Summer is close behind!

What's "my style" you ask??

So I was approached yesterday by a customer/foodie on the street, he said Jodi have you been to Wolf Peach? I said not recently but love the place!! He said well I crave this certain dish from there. I said awesome! He said yes so and so place in west bend is doing the same dish! I respond with ok cool. He says you should do this same dish and I would be down by you all the time.

Well as you can imagine this was hard for me to respond without sounding rude. I responded with well it's cool you like that keep going there for it. Try something new and different  by us. He says I know your menu changes all the time and I like that. But he seemed a bit disappointed by my response. 

I have strived over the years to be my own and unique chef. I don't want to copy what someone else is doing. My menu is reflective of what flavors I like together, what's in season, taking something old school and putting a new twist on it, or simply cause I just want to experiment!! I'm not gonna say I don't see what is trending out there cause you have to in this industry. But I sure wouldn't copy something someone is doing a block away from me. So hopefully this customer continues to go there for that and by us for whatever I happened to be in the mood to cook that day!!

 Let me jump back for a moment. One of my styles in cooking is sweet and savory balanced together. I never realized that was "my thing" till a Chef friend said to me " why do you always have to put something sweet with you meat? I mean I like it but why all the time Jodi" I laughed and said  "I do not" he responded with " bullshit you do it with everything!" 

Well I guess I do, I giggle to myself now when I realize I'm doing it! Yes Chef Greg, I guess that is "my thing". 

Well this weeks menu has a few of those perfectly paired sweet and savory dishes. The picture posted is a seared scallop with a smokey butternut black bean ragout and finished with a drizzle of carmely maple syrup!! Yup smokey spicy wintered butternut and beans with delicate sweet scallops and mother natures nectar of the first sign of spring!! A perfect balance of sweet and savory and of the transitional time we are currently in, between the last cold days of winter and the budding of spring waiting to bloom! Enjoy all, and hope to see you soon.

Paying it forward!!

Here I am with my little guy again!
A year ago about this time I contacted a local successful business man that was a good customer of mine about possibly helping me to get my business stuck from the financial plateau it had been stuck at. Six years for a restaurant was great I was still keeping my head above water but that was it. We made it each month to go on but weren't really increasing. Oddly enough the day before our first initial meeting I found out that my husband and I were pregnant. So I go into this meeting and this gentleman starts to read an inspirational excerpt from a book and I lose it, start bawling. Mind you I was never a crier before pregnancy and baby, now I cry at everything! lol! He had no clue why I was crying, and I told him I was pregnant. He then asked " is this a good or bad thing?". I replied with "good, we were trying, just overwhelmed". He then responded with "everything happens for a reason". True that! This restaurant was no longer just about making enough money for me to survive I was now going to have a family. He said another thing to me that day that has stuck in my head for the last year, You create what you believe. I always said "If I could pay the bills then I was happy" well that is exactly what I created and nothing more. That was when my mindset changed. Of course my passion and culinary creativity is always number one, but I needed to get this business to be financially successful for myself and my loyal employees.
 So 2014 came with a lot of changes to the business and meeting a lot of other really great people to help me down this new road. At another one of our meetings this gentleman introduced me to another restaurateur. I was just floored that these two guys would take time out of their busy schedules to help me with my business. I asked that meeting what they would like in return and they said "pay it forward someday, that's all we ask".
Over the last year in addition to these two special people, I have so many people that are willing to help with keeping my passion/business going and moving forward. The Café has so many customers that want to see us continue doing what we do here, with the food and supporting our local farms. I have one customer that continually helps me with my computer issues, I'm learning but I shouldn't quit my day job! Another recently that is helping with our marketing out of the kindness of his heart, says it's what he does for a living and helping me is fun! I have musician customers that call and just ask to play & I have to force them to take compensation, silly starving artists. Not really they always leave with full bellies. I'm blessed to have such a great staff that continues to believe and support in the changes we make and continue to give 100%. Recently we had a farmer from a farm we get product from ask to work at the café, hell yes can you get any more farm to table! But honestly she believes in what we are doing here. I have another gentleman friend that helps do maintenance work at the café and continually refuses pay. Valentines day morning he comes in for an emergency maintenance issue and we were talking, while he was working on stuff and I hadn't seen him in a while, which is good means nothing had broke for a while, but he wanted an update on how things were going. I'm going on and on about all these awesome things we have in the works and telling how blessed I feel to have all these amazing people around helping out, and that it just blows my mind that everyone so believes in the café. He said to me " Jodi, you shouldn't be surprised you're a good person, you attract other good people that want to help. It's that simple. That's why I'm here right now"
I have been so lucky to have met all these people. My customers, friends, family,and employees are all such wonderfully supportive people, thanks to you all.
This hasn't been an instant success story as far as the business, but a long and carefully paved path to get where the business needs to be. We are still carefully laying each brick day by day and I'm believing we can make it happen and that I can Pay it Forward as well!

On the Chopping Block: Keeping it Real!

This little guy has changed my world! Here we are at work paying the bills for the week. I have the luxury of owning my own business so I can bring my little guy to work which is great but has it's drawbacks as well. What used to take me 2 hours now takes twice as long. We are making it work but man is life different.

I've owned my Café for 7 years now, and it has been a crazy journey filled with great stories and people. I've always said if I would just write this shit down people might get a kick out of the stuff my staff, friends, and I deal with everyday in this service industry. We are constantly laughing and bitching in the kitchen about stuff that happens out on the floor. I'm a chef because I'm not good at faking it like servers and bartenders. Anyone that knows me at all knows that. May be a downfall for being in this industry but at least I'm honest. Funny quote from one of my kitchen kids recently I said "I need to learn to stop swearing" (we kitchen folk use the "f" word about every other word, not cause we are angry all the time either, please don't get that impression) response from my kitchen kid was "it is a proven fact that people that swear a lot are smarter and more honest!"

My response "well I must be a f-ing genius!!" Just kidding! I own a restaurant I'm far from a genius. This then takes me to a conversation I had last night with a dear chef friend he said to me " Jodi I have enough money saved do I travel for 2 years or buy the place I'm working at?" I said "you travel man, you are 50 years old and owned places before. Go see the world! Do for you for once!"

Now don't get me wrong you're probably thinking to yourself, Jodi it was always your dream to own a place why would you discourage someone from the same thing you are doing. Well this particular chef has done what i'm doing has been married, raised his kids, and spent 30 plus years of his life at the mercy of the public. We work weekends, holidays, late nights (mind you I'm not complaining about that at all I enjoy what I do) I guess where i'm going with this is we are under the chopping block 24/7 in our industry. In our conversation last night this chef said to my assistant, "You know nothing is a guaranty in this industry right? It could all be over tomorrow."

That is the reality that drives us to constantly be better than we were the day before but it is also what takes a toll on our creative souls. One day you are on a top, and the next, the next new up and comer has stolen your place. Or you can have a night of everyone raving about what you created and are savoring every bite and one person in your dining room wants to pick apart a dish you just spent 6 hours preparing before dinner service. Chefs are said to have big egos, I guess but maybe we are much more fragile than people think because we are "On the Chopping Block" every night of the week!