Karen and I at Craft Steak
So last weekend was my first weekend away since I opened the Cafe. I was not nervous, as I had the best possible staff one could imagine leaving their dream business to. On Friday, I planned working at the Cafe a half day, thinking I could just be there for the lunch rush, make sure the banking was done and that everyone was happy. That way I could walk away content that all was fine in the world. Only, I didn’t walk away so much as drive away in a complete panic, nearly in tears that I was never going to make it home, stuck behind slow moving traffic and afraid that Karen was going to kill me because we were going to miss our flight to Vegas.
The problem was caused by an employee at Crushcakes taking an order for a delivery of cupcakes. She thought I would not mind taking them on my way out….only the delivery was completely in the opposite direction that I was going. On top of that, the directions were wrong, leaving me to drive up and down State Street for 15 minutes looking for a street that didn’t even exist.
But thanks to Karen’s Italian-Job-like driving us to the airport, we made it just in time to hear the flight attendant shout into their walkie-talkie, “yes, we finally got the last ones here…their coming on now…” We got many glares and dirty looks that shouted, “ladies, you are wasting valuable gambling and drinking time.” We snuck into our seats and ordered drinks as quickly as we could…
Vegas was going to be completely a culinary adventure for me, as I do not really like to gamble. What I do like are the many amazing restaurants to choose from in Vegas. I had it all carefully planned out…Emerils, Marios, Collichios…
I have been a foodie for as long as I can remember. Planning out dinner party menus days ahead of time, waking up thinking about what I was going to eat for the day and the best days of my life always including a delicious meal. A vacation for me is no different, every day planned around the meals.
So, being the foodie that I am, I have taken the liberty to share with you my culinary highlights and lowlights of my Vegas trip, just in case you were wondering…
The Perfect Margarita: Emeril’s in the MGM (Fresh lime juice followed by simple syrup, Triple Sec and Sauza Tequila over ice. We were especially delighted when we realized we could order these to go. Only in Vegas!!!)
The Worst Uniform: Mario Batali’s Enoteca San Marco in the Venetian (I am not sure if it is his intention to make all of his staff look frumpier then him, but even the skinniest of boys were looking fat behind those huge ass, khaki aprons. Also, did he tell all of his staff that it was a requirement that they purchase their jeans at either a thrift shop or Kmart???? I have never seen so many no name or Wrangler jeans in anyone place outside of Texas.)
The Worst Service: Again…Mario Batali’s Enoteca San Marco in the Venetian (So here is a short synopsis, I asked our server for some of their Truffle Honey to go with the bread. Server says, “That is very expensive” I say, “Yes, I am sure, it is wonderful. I will gladly pay for it.” Server says, “I’m sorry, it is too expensive, we cant do it.” Aren’t you in business to SELL food Mario??? I am ordering something, I am going to pay for it, why are you denying me??? Later, we order dessert. It is described in the menu as a both chocolate and caramel gelatos served with a homemade brownie. It is $12. We received one small scoop of gelato in a martini glass topped with 2 cookies roughly the size of grapes. Reminder, this is $12. Again, I inquire to the server, “Is it possible to get a couple more of these cookies? They would be delicious with my coffee.” Server replies, “This is how the dessert comes from the kitchen. No, sorry.” Hmmm, the very word “kitchen” should imply that these cookies were either made within these walls or that there might be more of them in there somewhere. So, that being said, might it also be possible to get more? At Mario’s, I guess the answer is most often no.)
The Best Meal Ever Eaten in my Life: Chef Tom Collichio’s Craft Steak (So we start the meal with hot baked soft bread, similar to chala, topped with melting butter and sea salt and served in small skillets. This is followed with 3 kinds of fresh chilled oysters topped with freshly grated horse radish and homemade cocktail sauce. Our server then follows with a salad of frisee, with chunks of creamy and generously portioned blue cheese, smoked bacon, and tossed in a warm champagne vinaigrette. Our server knew we fretted over the salad course so, on him, he brought us an additional fresh mozzarella salad with marinated red peppers and toasted hazelnuts. Our steak was a Wagyu Kobe Beef Skirt steak that was so perfectly marinated and cooked it melted away into my mouth so quickly I forgot I ate it. That was served with sauteed mushrooms and potatoes gratin. And for dessert, one of the best I have ever had. So good I am creating a cupcake after it. Dark Chocolate Souffle, homemade banana ice cream, home made caramel sauce, and chocolate cookies sprinkled over the top. And it was so big the 2 of us couldn’t finish it if we tried. And the service, above and beyond!)
The Best Milk Shake: The Vanilla Bean Milk Shake at Mr. Luckys 24/7 Coffee Shop in The Hard Rock Casino (Topped high with fresh whipped cream and rainbow sprinkles, gotta love it!!!)
The Worst Cupcake Ever: The Cupcakery (Definitely batter from a box and covered with frosting in colors that could only be conceived in Vegas.)
And my baby did just fine without me, although I did miss it a lot. Yeah, there’s a reason I’m in this business, I LOVE what I do every day!! How lucky am I? I don’t need to gamble, I have everything I need right here…
peace.love.food.
SL
buttermilk crumbcake
chocolate chocolate
cool vanilla bean
Check out these perfect cupcakes from crushcakes…they demonstrate the crushcake swirl perfected by Eve…don’t you just want to eat them up???
Just today I was in the kitchen telling amusing stories of Crushcakes past to Monk and Rosie. Primarily about how harsh Susan could be about how the frosting looked on the cupcakes. Now I was grateful for this at the time, as I was very pleased about how the cupcakes were decorated, no matter how many girls she made cry in the process.
Susan rarely came in to crushcakes in her off time. She was cupcaked out after 8 hours of making 10 different batters from scratch, 10 different frostings, adding the perfect decor, and then gently plating or boxing 1000 cupcakes each day. I am sure that the last thing she wanted to see when she was done with work was more cupcakes. The few times she did come in was often on a very busy day. A day that we had began to sell out of cupcakes and needed to bake more after she left, meaning they might not have been decorated to her specifications. I would look over the counter to see her scowling at the display, no doubt thinking, “Who frosted these, they look like shit.” The thing is about Susan is that everyone knew this about her. There was no mystery. She had high expectations and you knew it. It was just a matter if you could meet the muster in her kitchen or not.
After Susan moved on to become head pastry chef of a very fancy local restaurant, she left some of her disciples behind. One of the most noteworthy ones was Eve. Eve was supposed to be a part-time-fill-in employee that we called only when we really needed her. By the end of Eve’s employment with us, she was working five to six days a week regularly. What made Eve different from her predecessor was that she was incredibly quiet. She came in, did her job, did it well, then left as silently as she came in. It was a very different kitchen, there were no curse words flying, no girls running out with tears streaming down their face, and no tattle tales coming to me whining about how difficult it was to work with her. She had a way about her that managed to convey control and direction without all the yelling. But I have recently discovered that she was, in her own way, a frosting nazi.
On her second to last day, a new employee came to me to tell me that he did not like the way Eve talked to him. I almost burst out laughing, but managed to keep it in. Quiet little Eve, what could she possibly have done? “What do you mean?” I asked him. He said, “She makes me feel bad about how I frost the cupcakes, like I am not doing a good enough job.” He wasn’t and was about to be fired. I let the comment roll, as I thought there was probably not much truth to it. Turned out I was wrong.
When we were talking in the kitchen this morning, Monk told me that Eve made him feel bad about how his cupcakes were decorated. Told him his cupcake frosting was not good enough. I could not believe it. Even seemingly quiet Eve found a way to make the boys feel bad. But I guess the training worked out well, as Monk and Rosie are hands down the best Crushcakes has ever had in its kitchens. Whatever Eve said or did with Monk and Rosie, our cupcakes have never been so good.
A picture still remains hanging in the Crushcakes kitchen, the trademark crushcake swirl, originated and perfected by Eve…seen everyday on our chocolate chocolate and vanilla bean cupcakes…mmmmmm…and if you can’t get that swirl right, well you know your going to hear about it!!!
peace.love.food.
SL
Susan just texted me…she says cupcake baseball was invented while sober. Ha ha! Thats hard to believe!!!
Here is the deal, in the restaurant business, we often judge if you like something by how much is actually left on the plate when you are done. If I come by your table and ask you “How is everything?” most people are not going to say, “You know, this really sucks!” But they will say that to their friends or on some blog or web site. I like to do my best to avoid this by paying attention to my customers left overs.
When I first opened the cafe I would hover around my guests asking over and over again if they liked everything. Then one day I had our espresso guy in (he actually calls himself “The Espresso Guy”) to train my employees on the proper methods of making good espresso, foam, etc and he saw me hovering. He later told me, “You know, they are always going to tell you its good. If its not, they just won’t come back again. You have to avoid this by doing it right all of the time.”
Yes, so easily said, not always so easy to do. Restaurants have so many variables that can really F up your day. Your fresh produce shows up late that day, no lettuce, no fruit, no mushrooms for the soup, your screwed. Your Sysco order is stuck in the back of the truck and you are last on their route and your confectioners sugar is back there and you can’t make frosting till it gets there, screwed. Your coffee comes from a special roaster and you forgot to order it and now its a day late and you are considering serving decaf instead of regular until it gets there, screwed. The special chocolate you order and use in every chocolate cupcake and frosting has not come in and you have to drive all over town looking for a replacement until it gets there and now you are late to open the restaurant doors and there are 3 people in line desperately needing their Intelligentsia fix and are very angry…screwed! Employees were out partying too late and are now laying on the handicap ramp because its the most comfortable place in the restaurant, trying their hardest to get up and keep working but every time they do they just want to throw up…screwed! You have 2 weddings in one weekend but the cupcake tiers you rented out last weekend got lost, broken or thrown away and now you have no cupcake tier for the wedding coming up in a day…really screwed, as there is no replacement for these…trust me I’ve looked! Your line cook doesn’t show up at all because he got in a gang fight the night before and is now in jail so you have to do the quickest training of your life with your dishwasher just to make it through the lunch rush…screwed!
Yes, things like this happen everyday in the restaurant business. But we try to keep it together and carry on and hope that despite all of these things, we can still make it work. The employees that are there working are kicking ass and giving it their all because they care and want things to be the best possible. Your Sysco rep will grab a bag of sugar from one of their other customers and let you borrow it until your delivery arrives. You run to the local farmers market and grab some fresh strawberries or organic mixed greens until the rest of produce arrives. Yes, we crazy restaurant people can almost always find a way to make it work and thus ensuring there are less left overs on the plate each day…
peace.love.food.
SL
You know people are hard up when they are grabbing the few dollars left in the tip jar each day. And this one we can’t blame on the ghost. But we are devising a plan…a scheme to find you…and we will…There is a trap involved and the guilty party will be discovered…its just a matter of time…
Recently an old employee came to visit me here at the Cafe and we did our usual gossiping about “the old days” (crushcakes circa 2008). Funny stories about original staff and where they are all at now. She told me that her favorite part about working here was all of the craziness that went on in the kitchen every morning and how much she missed it. It was amazing all that could happen here before 8am.
The greatest risk of baking with alcohol is that you actually have to have alcohol on hand and available to the kitchen staff to cook with. This is so risky given the shear desire of most people wanting to sample the alcohol. Now when I first started Crushcakes, I never would have imagined that anyone would want to drink Black Velvet at 6am…turns out I was wrong. It was amazing how fast I was going through such quality drink such as Zapopan Tequila, Peach Schnapps and the delicious Blanc de Blanc fine bubbly. So by the time I would turn up most mornings by 8am, many of my staff were already quite happy…or quite upset, depending on how their drink went down and the conversation that ensued as a result.
There were many a mornings I would walk in only to be cornered in my office immediately to get an ear full about how upset one employee was at another. Or how one baker was such a control freak that she wouldn’t allow anyone else to be creative in their frosting decor. Or how one employee was bragging about sleeping around with other guys meanwhile everyone knew that the guy she was supposed to sleeping with was standing in the kitchen across from her making batter. Or how one employee was so obsessed with the almond extract that she insisted on putting it in every cupcake thinking it “enhanced” the flavors. It got so bad they had to hide the almond extract from her. I began to feel more like a kindergarten teacher then a restaurant owner.
I am pretty sure this is when cupcake baseball was invented. Drunken girls at 7am deciding it was a fun idea to see how far you could hit a day old cupcakes across the street with a broom. I am not sure if its possible that this was a sober idea. It was then that I realized I had to find a constructive use for our day old cupcakes for fear that I would be sued by the car whose windshield got smacked by a blob of frosting causing a car crash. Just for the record, we donate all of our day olds when we have them to Community Kitchen, Food from the Heart and the Battered Womens Shelter. It is my hope they are actually eating them…
But most mornings, the conversation turned to love and relationships. Who was having sex, who was not. How awful boys are, how awesome they are. I am not sure if they knew I could hear them talking but it was so damn entertaining I had to hold back my laughter. Or tears. I got to hear about how someones boyfriend told them they loved them only until after they finally had sex then suddenly boy wanted nothing to do with them. Or about our local Cougar whose young stud couldn’t keep up with her. Or about the employee whose boyfriend went out of town for the weekend then came back married to another girl. I just sat in my office chuckling to myself and thinking, “this is why I have given up on men…”
There was a time when it seemed that every girl who worked here had been broken up with or their love life had just landed in the toilet. One sob story after another. Cougar cried for days over her young stud breaking her heart. Not even the cupcakes could cheer her up. She would sit, knife in her hand, frosting dripping off the end, tears running down her face…”Hurry”, I wanted to shout, “Someone get this girl a shot of Ron Rico!”
It was then that I stayed far away, as I was happily in love and did not want any part of that curse. Maybe the ghost of Crushcakes was unhappy and was quietly haunting us…
But that’s another story…keep visiting…
peace.love.food.
SL
Every day I put my life on the line for you my dear customers. I am the one who has the very difficult job of having to taste each cupcake before it goes out for public consumption.
In the beginning, it was really fun, as I tested new and different recipes in my home kitchen before we opened our doors at Crushcakes. “Which one should we try to today?”, I would always ask my kids. “How about marshmallow?!” Was always their response. They were obsessed with marshmallow cupcakes. One of my sons even went so far as to get me a recipe for marshmallow frosting and left it for me one morning to ensure he would come home to his hopes desire. After making that days selections of cupcakes, I would often take the fruits of my labor up and down the streets to all of my neighbors, conducting very important surveys as to what they thought, how I could improve, suggestions, and so on. I started coming so often, my neighbors stopped answering their doors. “No more cupcakes, you are getting us fat!! They are perfect just as they are!” My neighbors were all relieved when I switched over to trying different coffees…
The chocolate cupcake was the biggest bitch. We must have worked on that recipe for months. Even after we finally felt we had it perfected, she would get dry again. That bitch! The problem is, chocolate by nature is a drying agent. You need a lot of moisture to balance it out. We use the best chocolate too. And it is even bitchy! I go to great lengths to get the best cocoa powder and it has the nerve to dry out my cupcakes! It makes me bitchy just thinking about it. One time we ran out of the special cocoa, unbeknown to me, and Sally 3 tells me, “Shannon, can you run to Smart and Final and pick up some Hershey’s cocoa powder, we are out.” What, you have worked here how long and you think our cocoa we get from Belgium can be replaced by Hershey’s??????????? I actually went a little crazy on her and shouted back, “There is no substitute for that cocoa! You should have told me before we were completely out! You are a baker aren’t you?? Its your job to tell me when we are running low, not completely out!!!!! Now we have no cocoa, do you understand that? NO COCOA!!!” She didn’t forget to remind me next time we were getting low. And our chocolate cupcake is now perfect. Beyond perfect. It is the one I eat whenever I crave a cupcake. I can shove one in my mouth so fast…mmmmm…bitch turned oh so sweet…
But we continue to make new flavors, and this is where the dangerous part of my job comes into play. Just last week we had a request for 200 pistachio cupcakes. We had never made pistachio cupcakes before so there was a little trial and error period first. The day we were testing them, I was munching on a bowl of left over shelled pistachios. Munching away just as one of my employees shouts from the front that she heard there was a pistachio recall and that there was some samonilla discovered in some pistachios. Seriously, in over 1 year I have never made pistachio cupcakes and the day I do, there is a recall??? I ask my employee to call the company we bought our “all natural pistachios” from to find out if they are part of the recall. They tell us they believe their pistacios are fine, they are all natural and that the recall on their product is not required but voluntary. OK, I tell everyone, I will be the test bunny here and I proceed to shove handfulls of pistachios in my mouth. It got to the point that Monk actually had to step in and stop me. “Thats enough…” he said kindly as he gently pried the bowl from my hands.
The next day I was still alive and felt great, but thats not the point. I could have gotten sick. I could have even died. Just to test our cupcakes before they were consumed by you, my beloved customers. Thats how serious I take my cupcakes! Oh yeah, and the pistachio cupcakes were delicious!
peace.love.food.
SL