Our first guests came Tuesday of last week. They were a group of pastors from our "home church", Woodmen Valley. It was a pleasure to serve them while they were vision casting for the new year. Look at the snow!
I haven't been trained as a waitress yet, as Spring Cleaning has been taking up all of our time, so Heidi, my crew leader and Sarah, a veteran waitress from the past few seasons, had the privilege of serving our dear pastor friends. Here is the table setting. Notice the linens are black and red, and match the waitress outfits. I, too, had to buy clothing that matched the linens in the dining room.
Sarah and Heidi! Don't they look cute? I love how their tops and bottoms are alternating. I don't think they planned it. It's funny because Heidi has red hair, and Sarah has brown... which continues the alternate color pattern!
This is Anne, the awesome head chef. She finds the most amazing recipes wherever she can... online, books, even the Food Network, and turns them into Lost Valley classics! Here she is with the BBQ ribs... yum!
In the kitchen, it's the first real trial for the new staff. From right to left: Will (orange beanie), the back of Rachelle's head, Coulter, Anna, and you can see Paud's (Irish for Patrick) black shirt.
The staff have to plate the meals as fast as they can so they're still hot and fresh for the guests to eat! Here's Anna putting... carrots? on the already full plate. I don't know how they do it.
Coulter is giving a thumbs up, when he should be plating. Get back to work Coulter!
They wipe the plates so they look clean. It's all about presentation! I think, with these plates, the message is: this is a lot of good food! Eat up!
Here's a video of Heidi being an awesome waitress. And I love how Sarah shows such care by placing a towel over Heidi's arm to protect it because the plates are HOT! It makes me nervous to think that I'll have to balance three plates on my left arm AND manage to walk towards my tables AND place them in front of each guest from their right side! (serve from the right, clear from the left) Ahhh! I imagine myself dropping all of the plates on the floor, or worse, dropping food onto a guest! Ahhh!
Go Heidi! Oh, how much I have to learn!
So one of the awesome things about my living situation, is that my roommate is Rachelle, the ranch baker and dessert maker. She says she has no budget, so she makes cookies, cupcakes, all types of breads and other desserts whenever she pleases, for all of our consumption (since guests don't always eat everything). Everyone says they have a love/hate relationship with Rachelle because they love her baking, but it ends up making everyone gain weight! Here she is, putting some sauce on the cheesecakes for dessert. She says she hates her chef's jacket, but I think it makes her look spiffy! Go Rachelle! You can see Will off to the side wanting some dessert... not until the guests are served, Will!
Ah, pecan pie. I don't really like it myself, but it's a favorite among the menfolk here at the ranch. And yes, that IS a huge tub of vanilla ice cream. It's spilling over the top because of the high elevation here at the ranch. Don't you just wanna take a big bite out of it? Yum...
The night went off successfully. The guests loved the food, and everyone did a great job! I've never really thought about all the effort that is put into preparing a meal and serving it to guests when I'm eating at a restaurant. The way the waitrii and kitchen crews work together to serve our guests makes me appreciate the whole dining experience so much more! I realize that it is such a luxury to be able to eat at a restaurant and be served... it makes me feel like a queen! I look forward to being able to bless our guests in this way, as well!
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