Friday, April 15, 2011

"Sometimes you just gotta go all out and put two sugars in your coffee". -little book of inspirational thoughts

I am combining two days again as some of my days probably seem pretty boring! I spend a lot of time on the computer. I finally decided on a business name-April Cooks Tonight! Personal Chef Service. So I ordered new business cards, letterhead, etc, even a magnetic sign to put on the side of my car for when I go out to a client's home. I have a domain name and the start of a web page, www.Aprilcookstonight.com. I ordered some containers and boxes for food and baked goods. I bought a computer program called MenuMaker to help me keep track of clients and recipes, food costs and calories.

I stopped by Zozo's twice before I got to talk to Judy and Sid about making desserts for them. Their Tiramisu is a signature dish for them so they won't be changing that but Judy is interested in plain cheesecake, seasonal cheesecake and getting some new desserts on the menu. So she asked me to come up with desserts and prices. She says she is willing to pay a little more for good desserts, so I will work on that for her.

I went out to dinner last night with my friend, Laura. We went to India Garden over on Mt Rose Street and South Virginia. The food was quite good, but as we sat in our booth talking, a cockroach climbed up the wall! We left in a hurry!! Won't be going there again.

This afternoon I stopped by Emerald City just to check it out. They are at Plumb and McCarran and have been around for 14 years. I had already had lunch so got their "Dooley Bar" and a small latte. The "Dooley Bar" looked and tasted like those 7-layer bars we used to make. Really rich, I couldn't finish it. I also purchased two scones, a breakfast cookie and a sunshine muffin. Gotta do my research, lol!

Tonight Jordan and I drove to Portola, California to eat at the Chalet View Lodge. I also wanted to interview the chef there for Examiner.com. Her name is Lizzie Parker. She is a friendly, talkative woman who has been in the restaurant business for years. She used to work at Disney World and at one of their food and wine festivals met Julia Child! As Lizzie tells the story, Julia Child was surprised to find out Disney had not only hired a woman chef, but a black woman chef! Lizzie has so many experiences she was easy to interview.

Dinner was good, Manhattan Clam Chowder, a salad, Blackened Salmon with corn cakes and grilled veggies for Jordan and Pasta with
spinach and mushrooms for me. We shared a piece of chocolate cake with ice cream that was pretty good. After that, we drove back to Reno. Then to bed-tomorrow is another day.