Long lost family

I apologise if I sound a bit "all about me" with this post rather than giving you an update on the happenings at Bent on Food, but the cafe is run by real people and one of those people is me. And Bent on Food is a family affair, with my head chef chef choosing to cook lunch for 19 of my extended family on Christmas day, rather than go surfing, although I suspect this was so that he could indulge in the late night cocktails with both my brother in laws.  I often feel  like my customers become family as we live through their ups and downs, giving them an obligatory coffee to settle their nerves on the child's first day at school or singing happy birthday with a citrus tart and a lone candle that we manage to keep alight as we step cautiously under the fans, dodging the people waiting for one of Will or Amanda's fabulous coffees.

So this post is about family, they say you can't pick them,  but you always love them and no matter how many years, or how much water flows under the bridge, they will always be blood. In just two days I have learnt that I have more relatives than I ever imagined. I am thrilled that I have managed to find that my Great Grandfather  was born in Penang in 1863, there is no information before that but we suspect he was either an orphan or that there may have been some embarrassment about his Asian origin at the time. Nevertheless, he and my Great Grandmother managed to have quite a few children and in the past few days my mum and I have been in contact with a few of their descendants, cousins that I never knew existed. I asked my mum last night, how does a family lose each other for so long? When I think of my relationships with my sisters, brother, nieces and nephews, it seems impossible that we could ever lose contact. I guess life just gets busy, and before we know it, years have passed and we have forgotten to make that phone call that we meant to make yesterday, only yesterday has become yesteryear.

I am grateful to my partner Grahame, who has far more patience than I, because he has managed to trace my family tree which is how we found my new family members. In the meantime he is learning about family too, but his story is a little different and he is a little more private than me so thats where his story ends in this post.

I have one more story about family, this one is about Doug and Monica Fletcher, yesterday Monica celebrated her 90th birthday, we did the catering at Cundletown Hall, and 55 family members attended, with daughter Margaret suffering jetlag as she had travelled all the way from London to be there for her mum. Aunties and Uncles met children they had never seen before and Doug was thrilled to throw a party for Monica that he hoped wouldn't be her last. There was so much love in that room and most of it came from Monica and Doug.  He was so proud and she was quietly thrilled to see all these people gathered in the one room just for her. I had one helper, my mum, and we worked together to make the day great for this wonderful couple.

I do not have children but I am fortunate to have family, be it the blood, or the staff that feel like family, the customers that have become like family,Grahame and of course Ben, the dog who loves to sit at my feet while I write, and Sam the python who likes to curl up on my wrist. And now I have more family to meet, and I am really looking forward to sharing some stories with them.
 And there are always my friends, next post maybe, time to spend some time with my family.

Am I the only one wasting time?

It is 10.45 and I could probably work all night and still feel like I am no further ahead, it is that time of year when corporate customers want to know what the hamper selection will be, Christmas parties are coming in hard and fast, the change in the weather means the menu should have been changed by now,  the staff are taking leave before it all turns a bit crazy, (in hindsight a little but late). Then there is the homewares shop, such a beautiful distraction in an otherwise crazy world, but still in some need of attention. To top it off, we have a wedding to cater for this weekend.

So does anyone out there have any idea of how I can manage my time more effectively? I know what you must think, less facebook, why the blog?  and why oh why can't you just get into it and get it done and stop making excuses.  I once went to a time management course and they told me I needed to prioritise, I find myself repeating this instruction to my own staff but do any of us follow our own instructions, I doubt it very much. Wise people tell us not to take so much on, but who wants to die of boredom?  I have learnt one very important message from my frustrations, do not look at your accomplishments daily, some days I honestly think I have done buggerall but if I look at what I accomplish in a month, or in a year, then I do not feel so bad. I do feel guilty sometimes and it is not about work, its about time not spent with those who matter, with friends and loved ones. Another wise person (the world is full of them) once said you will never look back and say "I should have worked a bit harder". How very true.
Have a great day

bent on food: Staying in touch

bent on food: Staying in touch

Staying in touch

I love food almost as much as I love wine, but what I really enjoy are the friendships that are cultivated over a meal and a glass of wine, and I have made some great friends over the years. Unfortunately my waistline is starting to suffer because of it but people tell me happiness makes you fat, I reply I do not want to be fat and happy, just happy! Anyway before I head off on to another tangent and tell you all my new fat blasting pilate's machine that just almost killed me, I will get the point. 


Working in a small town where you are one of very few eating establishments is rather different than a career in hospitality in larger towns. You often feel like you are alone in your quest with few other people in your position to vent to or to talk about your daily frustrations and accomplishments. In the last week I was reminded that collaboration with other restaurateurs is paramount to success and to sanity. I rekindled my friendships in the nearby, much larger town of Port Macquarie where I almost felt like part of the furniture at The Corner Restaurant over a number of days in the town. I really enjoyed having dinner with Kathy, the proprietor and chatting with James and Todd in the restaurant, and of course Alison, but what I really liked is being somewhere else, a place where I wasn't panicking about the people on the next table getting their coffee, where I didn't feel guilty about sitting down, a place that wasn't mine.


I visited my old place of employment, Cassegrain Wines where I once worked in the marketing department, and spent time with my old friend Leanne and caught up with John Cassegrain. We had a great meal in the restaurant and had a look around at all the new equipment, and I was feeling at home in the winery, like I never left! 


While in Port Macquarie I also enjoyed meeting the infamous Peter Doyle who was visiting in his role on the board of NSW Tourism, around 30 of us shared dinner at The Glasshouse and he gave me some valuable insights into the industry. I was surrounded by tourism operators and there was a real buzz as the NSW tourism board talked about their great day in our region. Even the whales turned it on for them.


So I have decided that I will be spending much more time out of town, even if it is just a day here and there.  In the wine industry they say that drinking the same wine gives you a cellar palate and the same can be said for eating. Lets just call it market research!

On the road

New products - Bent on Food Beetroot Relish and Marmalade

Last weekend Grahame and I headed  to Port Macquarie to participate in Tastings of the Hastings. The weather was fine, and the car was loaded with our Bent on Food products, both new ones and tried and tested products like our Apple Balsamic Chutney. We enjoyed the Hastings hospitality and stayed a few days at Macquarie Waters enjoying great meals at The Stunned Mullet, The Corner and Cassegrain Winery. 

Our most popular product was the newly released Beetroot Relish, a fabulous condiment and great with goats cheese or as we sometimes like to have it at the cafe, with locally sourced buffalo on a burger. The spicy flavours are perfect with the stronger flavoured meat. 


The Tastings of the Hastings is an annual event promoting the region's food producers and we had a great time promoting Wingham and The Manning Valley, whilst savouring some wonderful products that I will soon introduce into the store.