………….and the winner is. Blog 46

Hello everyone. Well the up and down roller coaster ride of Glenn Sheridan continues. I can say lots about my life but one thing I can’t say is “It’s boring”.  Monday, the night of the business awards, I woke up and was very excited.  I tried to dumb myself down as I didn’t want to be let down if I didn’t win best new business that night. So I tried to do my regular Monday chores witch consists of cleaning the Resto and doing orders.  But it was no use. When you are excited about something it’s hard to repress. I think Jake was excited to.  He was up for an award as well. His company, the Clarion Resort Pinewood Park was up for Business of the Year. It was kind of apropos, as the last time Jake and I were up for an award at the same time, was when I was at the Pinewood. We won Business of the Year (over 51 employees) for Northern ON.  Now we were up for two different awards on the same night in respective companies. I’m glad we weren’t going head to head but in a way I kinda wish we were. Jake and I have a healthy fun rivalry between us stemming back from the Pinewood days.

So I had bought tickets for all my staff to come to the dinner.  Like I said in the last blog,  it is them who got me to the nomination so I wanted to have them come along and share in the moment. I also had a little pre party at the resto at 4:30. The nominees had to be there for 5:00pm but the rest of my staff couldn’t come till 6:00pm. So they all had a few pops at the resto while I went to meet the sponsors. After everyone arrived and we sat down for dinner, I got nervous. Not just about whether I’d win or not but the whole evening. I’ve been to these events before but always as the employee. I would be the one getting a little too excited and losing control (if you know what I mean).   Now I was the boss. I was terrified my staff would put me through the same embarrassment that I have put many employers through in the past. We were definitely the most rowdy table there.   I’m happy to say though; the staff was extremely well behaved. Looking through the program, I noticed that we were up first. Damn. I hate going first! I wanted to see how everyone else did it. But then again, I always do things my own way anyway.  And if we ended up winning, we would be setting the bar for the evening.

Now, to the awards. The nominations were read and the winner is……………. Le Bon Marché!!!!! My heart stopped. And the screams and cheers went up.  Now I had to get up and speak to a room of 170ppl! As anyone who knows me will tell you, inside (way deep down) I’m extremely emotional. Sadly most people see the anger part ha ha ha. I had a speech prepared and I put it on the podium and just read it verbatim. I never even looked at the crowd. Not because I’m scared of speaking in public, but because I didn’t want to burst into tears if front of them. (After all, there were some hot chicks there ha ha ha). So we got the award and we relaxed for the rest of the night. After the awards we went to a bar to really celebrate. Jake doesn’t think it’s a good idea to party with staff.   I disagree! I used to think like that, but now I believe that showing your staff that you are one of them is important. So I went out for a couple of swallies and left.

Tuesday we had a good day business-wise although I was extremely busy. The phone was ringing off the hook with congratulations, ppl wanting interviews and I was receiving emails galore. I was almost overwhelmed. I can’t imagine what the real famous Chefs go through everyday. I was happy Thursday when things calmed down and I could get back to being a quiet restaurateur.

Everything is back to normal now and we ended up having a pretty good week. The word is around now that we won.  Now we’ll be under the gun. We’re New Business of the Year now and we need to act appropriately. Any boxer will tell you that getting the championship belt is easy. Retaining it is the hard part. We need to take the ball now and not drop it for anyone. There are numerous accolades to go for and we will go for all of them.  However, I must admit, that for me personally, I only want one title in particular. I want 4 diamonds! I want it so bad I can taste it. I’ll apply for the critics to come sometime in January. They would come 3 times over the course of 2012 and we would find out in December of 2012 how we rate. That’s far away though. I need to start thinking about the winter menu first. Yes, I know, we just started the autumn menu but these things take a lot of time and a lot of planning. I feel the next menu will be simpler. I’m very proud of the menu we have right now but it maybe a little too much for most ppl. I’ve been investigating and I have an idea. I need simpler items that everyone will understand but than make it higher class. Things like beef bourguignon, French toast, coq au vin, Chasseur are simple but can be made to really wow patrons when they come in. But that’s a couple months away.

I want to talk about fine dining here for a sec. What is fine dining? Fine dining is giving the guest an experience that they will talk about for a very long time. Give them an experience they don’t get to have everyday. That’s what we try to do at LBM. But if the customer doesn’t understand the food then there’s no point. As I’ve said in the past, I don’t believe in the hundred mile diet. I believe in the good food diet. I believe Maskovy duck is superior and that’s why we have it. It comes from France. The duck breasts you eat at LBM are female and they are superior to male duck breasts. Sea bass is not the same bass you get out of Lake Nippissing. It is a huge fish and it has a different texture and flavour. It is an amazing piece of food. The sauce we put on it is red wine reduced to syrup and then emulsified with butter. It is a tricky sauce to complete as it splits very easily. If we sauce it too soon it will split, if the plate is too hot it will split. So to get it to your table perfectly is a tricky situation and is completed by professionals. We all strive to be the best every meal we serve. And when we get it wrong, we take it hard. And I take it personally. However, I also know when someone has a legitimate complaint and when someone is just out to get something for nothing.  Our pasta is fresh and made in house. If you’re used to eating pasta out of a box then please, don’t tell me our pasta is like you have at home. I know it isn’t.

So my last two blogs have been a little on the sappy side. This one may be a tad harsh. These blogs are personal and they’re how I feel on the day that I write them.  I’m a perfectionist and that’s a tough thing to live with especially when you don’t have endless funds to do exactly what you want. You do the best with what you have and when you want the best, it still isn’t enough.

So one week left in Oct. and next week is inventory. I love it -because it lets you know how you did as a profit or loss for the past month. Then I guess we move into the Christmas season. The 22^nd of Oct marked the 8^th month we’ve been opened. I made it longer then Conan did on the Tonight Show ha ha ha ha. And the $40 million he made a year. Quite honestly, I don’t think I could afford the pay cut hee hee hee.

Till next week

Rusty Chemise. 

And the award goes tooooooooo….. Blog #45

Hello all. Well the past week has been one of peaks and valleys. Tuesday started out on a high and actually went up from there. Usually in the kitchen on Tuesdays, it is just Kyla and myself. But this Tuesday, I had a date. I was invited to the hospital for a presentation honouring anyone who’s donated over $5000 to the “Seeing Clearly” Campaign. It felt really good to be in the company of such generous ppl. And the loads of ppl that were there was awesome. Some companies donated up to $250,000.00 This is awesome!! They revealed a banner displaying the monetary amount that has been raised up to this point and they are over $5,000,000, of a $6 million goal! It’s a great feeling to be a part of something like that. The presentation was from 4-5pm and I had another meeting to go to with Jake at 7pm. We decided to meet for dinner at a phenomenal Resto called Le Bon Marché. Ha ha ha. Amy and Jordan, friends of ours, met us there as well. When I got to the Resto, Brendan informed me that Sue (from the Chamber) called to let us know that we were nominated for “New Business of the Year”- 1-16 employees. The awards were to be presented during the Evening of Excellence dinner. I couldn’t believe it. We had a great dinner and it was actually the first time that I had eaten in my Resto as a guest. It was great. Kyla and Sol did a great job. Tuesday night, after getting home, we (Jake, Michelle and I) had a beer to celebrate Le Bon Marché’s nomination. Wednesday morning I woke up very early (very uncharacteristic of me). It had set in, I was NOMINATED!!! This is amazing! Open only 7 months, so many ups and downs and struggling to stay afloat; and here we are, on a short list for a big awards night. Winning this award could actually launch my career so much further. I’m reminded of Hilary Swank. She won her first Oscar while sleeping on her friend’s couch. Ok, so living at Jake’s, I at least have a bed but still, I’m in the same boat. It just goes to show you that Will and Determination are keys to success. But, having friends who are willing to help you out, do things for you, give you a place to stay for free and NEVER ask for anything in return, is the biggest piece of the puzzle that helped me get to where I am. Not sure about other ppl, but with me, it’s what keeps me motivated when things are not going as planned. I can’t let these ppl down.

So from the peak now to the valley. Wed night we did a big old goose egg. That’s Resto lingo for 0. We had a good lunch crowd but for dinner, there was nobody. I was on such a high though that I actually shrugged it off. But Thurs, it happened again. OMG what’s happening? I’ve done 5 goose eggs per service since we’ve been open but two in two days….OUCH!!! Disastrous… Thursday night Jann was working and we ended up sitting at the bar, drinking tea and chatting. According to Jann, October is the worst month for Resto’s in North Bay and I shouldn’t worry about it. Now she has been a server for years, so I shall take her word for it. So when you’re faced with adversity, I believe that you’ve got to stay positive and give it your all. I went in to work Friday with a positive attitude (getting encouragement from “Mr. Positive Brendan”). We had a potentially busy night ahead. We had the “4-7 Détente”, the Art Gallery hop “after party” and a good number of reso’s on the books as well. We had a stellar night! Saturday wasn’t looking good when we did 1 for lunch, but again, in a turn of events, we had another stellar dinner service. In these 2 two days, we made up almost all of the losses set in the first part of the week. Amazing!

Le Bon Marché also got an interview printed in the NLCA newsletter for the Chef’s Association. I mean, Le Bon Marché was all over the place these past few weeks. We were in two papers last week, newsletters and than nominated for a wonderful award. We even had a comment from a traveler that we had the best burger in ON.!!! I also had two meeting this week about possible weddings taking place in the Resto in the next year. So things are looking good for the future right now. We just need to get through this slow period….Just in time to get into the Christmas season. LOL

Cheers Rusty Chemise.

The second coming Blog #44

Hello everyone. I’mmmmmmmmmmmmm baaaaaack!!!! If you follow Le Bon Marché’s Facebook page, you’ll know I’ve been debating coming back to blogging. I actually have missed it a lot. I was afraid of hurting people but, I am who I am, and I refuse to change for anybody. However, in the interest of compromising, I’ll have Jake & Michelle proof read and be my filters. So without further ado, let’s get started, shall we?

The Grand Opening was phenomenal!!!! Everybody came out for it. We amalgamated it with the “Business after Hours” meeting and it was one of the Chamber’s biggest events. I didn’t want to do the typical ribbon cutting, so I had  a local pastry shop make for me a 4ft French stick which the mayor and I broke.  The public though it was great.  So many double entendres there. Scott Clark from Clark Marketing Communications was kind enough to MC the night and he did a splendid job. All of my family came up save my brother Ken. But the night was so great. I was truly happy at the way the evening had unfolded.   But Friday came all too fast and it was back to work as usual. The show was over. Now forgive me for cramming 5 months into this one blog.  I’m going by memory here. June was not a great month. Not sure why as we haven’t been opened a year yet and every day is new.  I have no previous June to look back on.  July came with a bang and we stayed busy right up until Sept 1^st.  It has been more or less quiet ever since. I have had lots of ups and downs over the summer but I really don’t believe they were important enough to mention. Money is ALWAYS a big concern. I tell ya, I have a whole new respect for business owners and how they make it work. Richard Branson is a biggie for me. He, being a self made billionaire, also had to borrow money from everyone and their brother in order to get his dream up and running. I’m in that boat now. I’m sure it will be great to look back one day, and laugh at my hardships but right now, it is a bloody nightmare. Just when you think you’re winning, something comes up.  Like recently, I got a $3000.00 hydro bill. Apparently, they were just going by guess work since they couldn’t even get in to read my meter!  We don’t open till 11am and the meter person comes by early in the morning. When they caught that, I was slapped with a $3k bill!  So according to hydro, their mistake is my problem... My brand new hood quit on me as well.  Of course, the company will not take blame for this default.  I had to spend another whack of money to fix that. I’m trying to get the retailer to pay for it, but its proving to be difficult.  Due to timing and money, my spring menu ran over the summer.  When trying to run the show solo, other things just get in the way of the one task you just want to finish.  Finally, we got a new autumn menu completed and it has started Sept 21. It is a fantastic menu and one that I’m exceedingly proud of. One reason that makes me so proud of it, is because I got my staff involved and there is a bit of Kyla, Steve and Solomon on the menu. Also, a lot of the items bring me back to my SaVoy days.  To reproduce the things I’ve learned and adding my own twist on them is so gratifying. We are getting great reviews on the menu even though business is slower than expected.  Is this a sign of the times?  a recession?,  price point?, or are people just not understanding the menu? Who knows… but the menu is fantastic and for people in Northern Ontario to get langoustines, foie gras and sea bass is a real treasure. I just hope people catch on to “a good thing” and go back to dining out as part of their evening.  I did settle a personal goal of mine of getting Dom Perignon in the Resto. Now, I need somebody to buy it up Hahaha.

A great book I’ve read in the past “Rich Dad Poor Dad” (I think I’ve mentioned it in previous blogs), teaches you to give even when you don’t have. I took this to heart and realized there is always somebody else in greater need. I wanted to give back to the community, help the people of North Bay. I looked around at the typical charities but being Glenn Sheridan, I couldn’t do typical. So I decide to do my charitable contribution to the MRI fund at our new hospital. I figured if we all live long enough, we’ll all need it at some point. This machine is phenomenal!! It’s the new type and apparently the best in the world. I know when I heard that, I though yeah sure, propaganda at its finest. But I investigated it and it’s true. At this time, there are only 4 in the world of this type and ours is serial number 0001. LOL.  But these things are very expensive to buy and even more costly to operate. I got in contact with a woman named Vicky and told her about an idea I had to hold a 5 diamond, 6 course dinner for $200 a head and donate the proceeds to the MRI fund. She loved the idea and we got to work on it straight a way. We held the dinner on Sept 25^th.  Chefs from all over the City donated their time to cook while my server Brandon, and ex server Tran, volunteered as well. The dinner sold out in two weeks and we managed to raise $7200.00 for the Machine. I was almost brought to tears by North Bay’s generosity and the people who came out to this inaugural event.

We also got a couple of more Absinthes since May and I’m working on purchasing more. The red tape is sooooo thick and long but I’m tenacious. I won’t give up. Even when I seem to be beaten and I want to give up, my body just seems to push forward anyway. So we’ll keep trying. Jake and I are closer than ever, Amy and I are mended and Anna is still on my team as well. We’ve lost a few staff members over the past few months but gained a few as well. We lost Tran but picked up Brandon. This guy is great. He has worked at the Rim Rock and his experience is definitely an asset to our team. Jann is still with us and working her magic as always.  Cindy, a new hire, will be starting this week.  Finally, I found a French speaking server!!! I’m so excited! Kyla is still with us and is the back bone of LBM. Steve left us to go to Calgary and Solomon is with us until April 2012.  He will be leaving us to go work with the amazing Charlie Trotter. Jacob will be with us until January when he will leave us to go to school in Niagara.

So that’s where we stand for this day, Oct 9/ 2011. We’ll be starting a newsletter as well and I’ve got some exciting new things planned out for the next year. I look forward to more blogs and seeing you all at Le Bon Marché. Tell them Lilith sent ya!!

Cheers everyone.

Rusty Chemise.