Happy Dance! Happy Dance!

We have floors and we have walls!  WOO HOO! And I had such a nice chat with Stan today too. I am working on getting my home loan modified so that won't be such a burden going forward as well. Plus, I sliced up a bunch of meat this morning for a fund raiser and noticed how gorgeous it was. Suddenly life feels more cheerful and bright (the beautiful day is adding to the general cheerfulness).

Plus Stein is being my good luck charm and not believing it until he sees the whole thing DONE. Which is kind of like knocking on wood. I just need a couple more shelves to get up to the 144 sq ft minimum for the Health Department and we are SO SO SO Close.

Stan said David can come in this weekend and put in the wood/vinyl flooring and finish up the last little bits... I know it is a fool's game to hope, but I am feeling pretty good today.

Yay! Some good news!

We did our hood/fire suppression inspection yesterday and balloon test and passed! This means whenever my landlord can pull it together and get the front of the building done, we have all of the hard stuff done to get our Health Dept permit!

Here is the list of stuff we need:

• set of completed plans
• finish schedule
• equipment cut/spec sheets
• lighting plan
• hood details 
• ventilation plans
• airflow test (done by ACCO)
• Fire Department inspection
• plumbing plans
• holes in walls have been patched (one more in the floor will be done when they finish the floors)
• Grease trap info

 As of yesterday they had still not started to sheet rock the front of the space. We were supposed to get in this weekend and get the floors done, but that isn't going to happen. It is extremely annoying that it sometimes feels like my employees and I are the only people with a sense of urgency. I have been feeling very hopeless that the project would ever be completed because of this strange phenomenon. But my practical side knows it can't go on forever (Actually if you'd ever dealt with the people I am dealing with, you would know it actually potentially COULD... hmmmm was that my practical side losing out again?)

That said, I have a tasting at Residual Sugar next week, which is a fabulous little place in Walnut Creek. A friend of my from school works there. I am going to bring in a pretty wide sampling of what I have and let them know to make them a full complement of salumi will be about 8 weeks.

This week I am making mortadella. My meat purveyor has some beef shoulder bits from Neiman Ranch that are $3.50 a pound. I will probably make andouille and orange fennel sausages for them to try as well. I might blow out the rest of the bresaola since I just hung another 8 pounds or so, which should be ready in a few weeks. I have around 5-6 pounds of Tuscan out in the curing fridge and I can't remember why I haven't pulled it? I think it was part of that batch that had the funky lactobacillus that I mostly tossed (it was unpalatabley sour). I am going to try it again today and see if the flavor hasn't improved.

I also need to start some brisket into brine. I have one brisket already and I am picking up another from Del Monte today. We have about 40# of pastrami and corned beef done. I'd like to have another 20# or so, it keeps for a long time and I don't want to run out our first week open.

I am contemplating doing two mortadellas, one with pistachios and one with olives. Hmmmm... I DO love making sausages. It will make me feel better and it's something I can control.

Progress is sometimes two steps forward and one step back...

I have found this week, even my typically sunny nature has been dimmed by the difficulties of the remodel situation. It is very difficult to talk about it because while I am comfortable (for the most part) being a public person, not everyone in the situation feels similarly. My landlord in particular is kind of old world Greek and a pretty private person. As frustrated as get about his lack of speed on the project, a lot of the delays stem back to one of the contractors (the retrofit Engineer) who is just a flake. He basically took the money and ran (he didn't even pay the sub-contractors). I feel so bad for Stan that he's had to deal with someone who is doing a very complicated job, and doing it so badly.

Stan got a new engineer to come look at the space today and it's a big ole mess. They will probably have to redo the whole thing. It is a complicated issue that could drag a few local politicians (who recommended the shady engineer) into the morass, as the local (very widely read) newspaper is now showcasing the problem, both in the article on my situation the other day and another article this last Monday on the retrofit in general.

What it means for me? I am not really sure. David has told them over and over they just need to button it up so I can open. If they need to fix it, they will have to do it around my closed hours. This doesn't really seem plausible to me. But... David has asked them to get their part of things done by Friday so he can get in and finish up a few things this weekend so we can go for Health Department Permitting next week. I have little faith any of this will happen.  I don't see how they are going to get the front sheet rocked and the sub floor done before this weekend. That is a multi-day job, and it has taken 6 months to do a job that should have taken 6 weeks. They haven't even started working on it this week and it's already Tuesday.

Meanwhile, I am not sure how I am going to pay my house payment this month. I feel like I should just capitulate and go get a job. At least I would be making money while I was waiting for resolution. It is so spirit crushing.

I am trying not to be so pessimistic, but it is hard to disregard the lessons of the past.

Aren't I a cheerful little bag o' joy.

We went in on Monday and got some shelves put up and fixed most of the back of the house little issues. It is a functional kitchen, or at least pretty close.  We got our ice maker and figured out how we are going to work the front of the house flow a bit more. I am still 10 square feet short of shelving space! ARGH. And I still need a large chaulkboard and some chairs (and to make the condiment table and get some pots and pans, and a robot coupe)... but we are really pretty close. If we could just get them to finish up the front area, we could pull all that together as well.

That said, Stein and I found some AWESOME little wall mounted condiment holders. I think they are going to look really gorgeous with the pictures Esme sent for me to put up on the wall (black and white pictures of cathedrals and gorgeous architecture). I am pretty stoked about how things are coming together aesthetically. Money is still a constant pressure. It wasn't meant to take this long and be so difficult. I've spoken to other friends who have opened restaurants and they all say I am experiencing a really special kind of hell. I am still working thru my to-do list for the Health Department permitting process (redoing the visios for the shelving and lay out).  I wish I felt like I wasn't wasting my time. You can't call the HD for permitting until the construction is "100% done". I have little faith the construction will be done in a time frame that will do me much good.

ARGH. I also think I might be even more sick of my own whining than anyone else. I don't know how people live feeling like this? I guess they do it because, like me, they really don't have a choice but to see something out no matter how unhealthy and stressful it might be. Maybe I just need a rest day? I can't DO anything to fix the problem anyway. I do need to finish up the HD packet (I need to make the changes that have occurred since we started the remodel on the blueprints and paperwork). I should go down and drop the stuff off and write down all the of product numbers so I can look up all of the spec sheets again.

I also need to put in a bit more pastrami and I got the brisket to do that today. I need a break from stress. But the only way I will really get a break is if things get resolved. It is a terrible catch 22 to need a break from stressors and not be in control of the things stressing you out (particularly for a control freak such as myself).

Anyway, I will try to refocus on more positive things. Life is really pretty wonderful other than the work stress. My kids are amazing, my lover is wonderful, I am getting many accolades for my food and the weather was really beautiful today. OH please universe, let good things happen this week and next.

In the paper

http://www.martinezgazette.com/news/story/i3253/2011/10/06/compass-star-navigates-through-retrofit

This paper is like one of those old school papers with great writers, which is very cool. But I am really anxious about people knowing that we are having so many problems. I am also worried that Stan will be upset that I spoke publicly about the problems. Even tho I was very complimentary of him, he is so private. This blog is out there in the nebulous stratosphere, but the Gazette is incredibly widely read in Martinez (as it deserves to be, it is a fantastic little paper). Maybe it will spur things to move a little more quickly?

It just feels lately like anything that could even remotely possibly go wrong, has gone wrong. Both in my personal and professional life. I know that is a VAST exaggeration. But it still FEELS that way. In fact, my fiancee and I are happy and well, my kids are amazing, my food continues to get accolades and good reviews. Professionally I have the most amazing Sous Chef and apprentice and we love working together and things ARE progressing.

Oh Universe, if you are out there, please send some good energy my way...

Some movement

So David talked to Stan today. Stan cannot get the engineer/retrofit guys to finish the work. He is going to have to sue them. They have been total crooks and I feel really bad for Stan. But meanwhile we cannot wait forever for him to thru the legal process so we are going to patch the roof, finish the floors etc this week and try to get going next week.

I am now worried that whatever the engineer did wasn't up to code and they will have to redo it. It's so depressing.

BUT last night I had a dream I was back in a kitchen. It was huge, with high ceilings. It felt like a very chic place. I was making a mango pepper couli. I miss it so much.

The upside is... it is possible we may be ready to clean and get permitted in 9 days. It doesn't seem likely, but it is possible. I just hope we can all hang on for a little bit longer.

The waiting is the hardest part...

So everything is now on hold pending the Retrofit contractor fixing the leak in the roof. We were supposed to get the floors in this weekend, but the sub floor is wet now, so I don't think that is going to happen.

The Martinez Gazette called today and asked when we would be open. I feel so bad when I say... I honestly don't know. I am just not in control of anything that is stalling us (currently). We have a small thing to fix on the fire suppression system, but Bri and Alicia will be working on that tomorrow night. Then we can do the balloon test for the fire suppression system, which is a requirement for our Health Dept permit. Then we have some cosmetic stuff to do in the kitchen and clean up and that is about it.

Sadly Stan is having a really hard time getting the contractor to fix their mistakes, or finish the job. I know he is trying really hard and is just as frustrated as we are. It is hard to be SO close and then everything stops (again). I feel especially bad for our Plongeur, who quit his job a few weeks ago in anticipation of the restaurant being open. It is just a horrible situation all around.

We still have some catering gigs coming up, and the wholesale to restaurants is doing really well. I am going to put in more product tomorrow (more finocciona and capicolla). I still probably need to make another 24# of pastrami and corned beef.

I feel depressed and stressed. It is hard to think about the future right now or feel very hopeful. It just seems like we've had problem after problem. I knew it was going to be difficult, but this seems over and above what anyone should have to deal with to start a business.The rainy weather has been relaxing and soothing in the midst of it all and I've been able to take some time to myself to recharge.

Into each restaurant some rain must fall...

OR NOT!

So last week the Engineer was in the shop on Friday. I spoke to him and he said all of the work should be done Friday or yesterday at the latest. So last night we went in and the roof was still leaking water and it doesn't look like they've done anything. Dino (the project manager for the contractor I hired to do the kitchen) had been in however and dropped the front counter (it had to be lowered because the floor was dropped 3 inches to accommodate the ADA stuff) and done a bunch of stuff (like put sheet rock on the pillar in the back).

As you can see, the front is nearly done. The wood at the bottom will be tile. It looks really nice and I am really happy with it so far!

I feel so bad for Stan having to deal with the retrofit guys; they seem like scam artists. The fact they told us  directly they would be done with everything no later than Monday and refuse to keep their word (repeatedly), is horrible. And the worst part is we can't put in dry wall or the floor until the roof is not leaking all over everything. So, once again, everything is stopped while we try to get the retrofit crew to do what they have said they are going to do.

That said, things ARE happening. We are working on small projects as best we can and getting organized for the rush before opening. It's still very frustrating to have my livelyhood in the hands of unscrupulous contractors, but I am hopeful we are closer to the end than the beginning.