Banana Fest Follow Up

So what I have I been doing? Well, since my last blog, I have had a showing at the Sacramento 2nd Annual Banana Festival. That went extremely well. Help came in the most unusual places.

I reached at to my fellow classmates at the Arts Institute [cricket..cricket...] – no help, not even a spark of support or interest. Here I thought we were all working as a team to help and promote each other reach our goals. Silly girl, huh? I discovered it is a dog-eat-dog, and every-man-for-himself world!

Help came from friends and family, although a few old friends showed me that my cross wasn’t theirs to bear, a few stepped up to the plate. It was a learning and growing experience to say the least. My husband and daughters, where with me every step of the way, and of course, my dear friends Travis and Kim who are actually more like family at this point, were right by my side. They were up with me til very, very late hours of the night, chopping, slicing, dicing, grating and packing; loading and unloading. There is absolutely no way I could have done it without them and I give them my everlasting love and devotion.

My Mom ran the fryer on the first day. It was a joy seeing her in my “kitchen” doing her thing. My cousins and sister surprised me from the San Francisco Peninsula and that made my day! Thank you Carol, Julie, Joey, Alonzo, Diane and Ron. You’re the best!

The turnout was nice and I obtained a few catering leads from the event. Didn’t make a lot of money, but the exposure was well worth it. I also got a little coverage from foodblog.com.

Po'Boyz, Bananas and Yield

Well… were did I leave off? Seems so long since my last entry.
Life seems to be moving along. I am toggling between planning for the Banana Festival, home and school. It’s a lot. Oh, and work… almost forgot! Last week I was hired by Po’Boyz in Folsom, CA to work Friday & Saturday nights. It’s typical bar food with a little southern and Cajun meals sprinkled in. The proprietor, Brenda Taylor, is an amazing woman and I love the gig so far. The commute – well, that’s a challenge, but it’s nice getting out to work. I understand they do a mean “Soul Food Sunday”. Brenda was readying for menu choices when I left Saturday nite, to include Greens, Cabbage, Smothered Pork Chops, Turkey Wings & Gravy, and Red Beans, along with her standard offerings! If you like good music (Blues & Jazz), fun people and decent drinks, then please stop by. We could use your support. . http://www.poboyzbarandgrill.com/
It’s no wonder my eye lids are feeling a bit heavy as I make this entry I realize I’m doing a little much… Jeeze!
School is no longer fun. (Yikes!!) Nothing but culinary calculations to memorize and formulas to learn.. What is this foreign language she speaks??? Food Cost Percentage? Standardized Recipes? Portions? Original Yield? Desired Yield? AP vs. EP amounts? Math… are you talkin’ bout MATH??! C’mon, Lady! I just wanna cook!!
The Banana Festival plans are coming together. Have my commercial kitchen reserved… My tent and equipment on the radar.. bought a cash register this weekend (whoo-hoo!!). Truck reserved… menu tighten up, grocery list done. Still trying to pull a decent staff together. ANYBODY want to work??? How can you ask people to work their butts off for minimal or no pay? I have to trust that they will still love me when this is over, because it is a lot of work. So goes the restaurant business… hard work, little pay. But I know it will be well worth it… all my friends and family will come by… right??? RIGHT??!
Signing off. Time to rest these tired eyes.

Ya Mon!

Ok… I am about to poke my eyes out! B O R E D!!! I was excited about a couple of ventures as I’ve previously mentioned, but it appears they are slow coming. That’s the nature of this beast I suppose… there are so many moving parts to consider when running a food business. Deadlines come and go; and timelines?? What are those anyway? I can sit here and whine (while this triple-digit weather saps the life out of me) or I can look for something positive to do. I choose to do the latter. I am a realist after all, and the reality is I have no control over these things. The only thing I have control over it seems is the upcoming Banana Festival and I am looking forward to that. As long as I submit my fees and get my ducks in a row, nothing can keep me from it except an act of God (or Goddess…).

As you know, for this event I must offer at least 1 item where Bananas are the star of the show. So I have decided to do a Caribbean themed menu using both bananas and plantains. I have to consider foods that are easy to prepare and transport, and items that are easy to serve and are not compromised by the high heat Sacramento weather brings. Less fuss, less equipment I will need to have in my tent.

I will offer a fixed meal of Jamaican curry chicken, Calaloo, Plantain and Jollof rice.

Jollof rice, means one pot in the Wolof language and is a popular dish all over West Africa. The most common basic ingredients are rice, tomatoes, onion, salt, and red pepper. Beyond that, nearly any kind of meat, vegetable, or spice can be added.

Callaloo is a popular Caribbean dish served in different ways in and across the Caribbean. The main ingredient is a leaf vegetable, traditionally either amaranth (known by many local names including callaloo or bhaaji). I am going to put my spin on this dish so that it is an easy-to-eat festival food, using tips from Trinidad & Tobago, as well as Hawaii. Hawaii,you ask??! Yes. One of my favorite luau dishes experienced in Hawaii was Lau Lau. It tasted just like Grandma’s pork and collard greens! Basically, they take pork and fish, season it, wrap that in taro and ti leaves, then steam it until tender. OMG!! It is sooo good. So, I’ll do my version of this using Callaloo, stuff it with Pork and/or fish, seasonings from the Caribbean, Trinidad and the technique from Hawaii. Sure to please.

Plantain. Sugar, sugar, sugar!!! Nothing else to say about this banana dish. Finger lickin’ good! I can already smell its sweetness. I think I also will offer a few side options like candied yams (may add bananas) and southern-style banana pudding. Sweet Tea and I’m good to go.

Let me know what you think and please save the date! Everything is going BANANAS August 13th – 14th 2011. http://sojoarts.net/BananaFestival/

Diversity and Innovation

Tuesday, June 14th. Always on the lookout for new ideas. I learned from my tenure at Nike, under the loving guidance of Gina Warren, that our best ideas come from unexpected places. Today, we visited the city of Galt and the Galt open flea market. In my mind, and with no interior design experience to speak of, I single-handedly designed the interior of my one-day-will-be restaurant using mostly items I found in the market. Items from around the world.. old, antique items, tea cups, mason jars, old license plates, wall art from India, Mexico, Thailand and Africa. I even saw items and utensils “made in China” that I could use in my kitchen or my traveling vending booth. I’m sure you’re wondering how this will come together at Candied Yams… well, just stay tuned! You will see diversity and innovation at it’s peak!

Back to the here and now. My First project? The Banana festival in Sacramento. The Banana Festival is a cultural festival held in August, celebrating the many cultures around the world that use bananas as a traditional food source. I will represent the Caribbean and Africa. The Festival is a fundraiser for local non-profits, including the Sojourner Truth Multicultural Art Museum. Please save the dates (Aug 13-14), and come out to show your support. Info at: http://www.bananafestival.sojoarts.net/ I have 2 months to pull it together. Design my menu for the event, get the required licenses and calm my nerves.