Country Encounters: Life of a Hospitality Operator

Some New Pictures

2012-02-07T11:14:00.000-08:00

Mark and I have been involved in building a new website. Well Mark builds and I just help. It is a long process and at times creatively draining. I have no idea how people do it full time. Anyways part of the process is acquiring new pictures and we have been running around brushing up on skills and taking pictures. It's amazing after lighting and propping the place then editing to the photos, how I barely recognize my own house.
Here are some of the results.

Country Encounters and Slow Food Southern Alberta: Slow Food- Mountain Freedom

2012-01-30T13:38:00.000-08:00

We have recently teamed up with Slow Food Southern Alberta to help promote the whole slow food/buy local movement. Among other things we will be hosting a gala dinner March 10 2012 in conjunction with our new partners.
A fabulous menu:

Big Rock Cider and Apple braised Pork Belly

Roasted NewOxley Garlic, Naturally!’ Garlic Chowder

Beet Root and Soft Goat Cheese Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Chicken “Hunter Style”

Inspired by the Classic - tender "Country Lane"chicken breast stuffed with mushroom duxcelle , wrapped in maple cured bacon

Served on a hot veggie slaw

"Rose Creek Ranch" beef tenderloin tips with sweet potato latka, red wine au jus and horseradish cream.

Served on ribbon pasta

Aebleskiver with Saskatoon Coulis

Cuppers coffee and teas

with Music by Gus Kollee and introduction to the slow food movement as well as a chance to meet regional suppliers and just enjoy Mountain Freedom the way it was meant to be: with good food, good wine and good friends

6 Course gourmet dinner with 3 wines ( morewines available for purchase)

43.50 members

47.50 non members

Dine and stay package for 2

Dinner tickets for 2

1 nights accommodation

Breakfast for 2

And tickets to Frank Slide Interpretive Center

$160.00 per couple – Standard room

$185.00 per couple – deluxe room

Tickets available from Dawn dirigby@shaw.ca or by phone 403-563-5299

Nice article on bread

2012-01-29T11:18:00.000-08:00

Here' s a re-posted article from Slowfood USA - Nicely thought out and I love the name.

Breaducation

Posted on Thu, January 08, 2009 by Jerusha Klemperer
7 Comments | Categories: Bread,

Our newest team member at Slow Food USA is Nathan Leamy. Nathan came to us from San Francisco where he was working to help organize for, and subsequently, clean up from Slow Food Nation. Prior to his adventures there, Nathan wandered the globe with a Watson Fellowship studying the impact of the Green Revolution on grain consumption in Mexico, India, France, and Egypt. A graduate of Oberlin College and Deep Springs College, Nathan grew up in Portland, Oregon. Here he starts what we hope to have as a series on his passion, hobby, and means of sustenance – bread.

by Slow Food USA staffer Nathan Leamy

Though I have been a voracious eater all my life, my breaducation (‘cause that’s what the cool kids are calling it these days) started while I was living on a ranch in Eastern California. Since then, the works of Nancy Silverton, Julia Child, and Steven Kaplan have inspired me to find, produce, and eat better baked goods. Work in various quasi-professional kitchens, an apprenticeship at a bakery in Paris last spring, and the dedicated consumption of carbohydrates have rounded out my working knowledge of bread.

While I respect all breads, my passion goes out to traditional French loaves made with sourdough. Sourdough is a wild yeast which has been caught and tamed to produce slow developing, flavorful bread. Contrary to the term, sourdough breads need not be sour. Many breads labeled as sourdough in the US are still made with commercial yeast and actually just have extra acids added to them to make them taste sour, but traditional bakeries nationwide are seeing a resurgence of sourdough use. Sourdough breads can be made in any shape or size, but the traditional shapes are the boule, baguette, and epi.

Even where crusty, artisanal breads can be found, many fall flat in flavor. How can you tell if a loaf of artisan sourdough is good? For your reading pleasure - and perhaps even the first part of your breaducation – here’s an attempt to summarize the five easy indicators of good bread.

Judge a book by its cover. Ugly bread is rarely good. Pallid, dimpled, and dull bread should turn you away. Good sourdough should have a dark, caramel crust with weight to it. The bread should be aesthetically pleasing - well formed, balanced, even. It is saggy or looks over stuffed, no good. The crust shouldn’t shine like it’s been lacquered - but it should have a healthy amount of texture to it. If you’ve got a real winner it will have a pinhead sized, light bubbles evenly spread about it. Slashes across the top should be pronounced and should have prevented the bread from ripping at the seams during baking.

Listen to your bread. When picking up a loaf of good bread, it should have an even feel – it should not be lopsided or off-kilter. Knock lightly on the bottom with your finger tips and you should hear a hollow thump like you are striking a drum. Squeezing lightly, the bread should have some give and make a crackling noise.

What’s on the inside counts too. The inside of the bread (called the crumb) should have air holes in it. Unevenly spaced, unevenly sized, with stretches of gluten on the edges. How dense or light you like your crumb is all a matter of personal preference, but you need to see some holes to show that there was some action inside the loaf.

Dive in, nose first. Good bread shouldn’t be just a neutral medium to pile other things atop. It should have a flavor and smell that complement what you are eating. Breaking open a loaf and pushing your nose in it should give you the best idea of what’s going on in there. Depending on the sourdough used, flavors can run the gamut - but most importantly there should be some sort of fragrance and not the dull, sweet, hollow smell of industrial yeast.

Eat it. Since the point of bread is eating, a bread should be, well, good to have in your mouth. Biting into bread you should have a bit of pull on the crust, but not have to fight with it. The crumb shouldn’t just dissolve, be so dry as to make you feel parched, yet not so soggy to make you feel icky. It should feel good to loll around in your mouth for a little bit before you finally get to eat your good bread.

That’s how you identify good bread. The most important matter is to stop and think about it. Though eaten nearly everyday, people often settle for something mediocre without giving it a second thought. These indicators aren’t prerequisite for good tasting bread – but every little bit helps. Whether buying from a bakery – or making your own sourdough treats at home – it takes all of your senses to find that which is good.

http://www.slowfoodusa.org/index.php/slow_food/blog_post/breaducation/

A Blog I Found

2012-01-28T09:52:00.000-08:00

I came across Danial Craig's Blog the other day http://www.danieledwardcraig.com/ and have spent a number of hours reading all the good stuff he has written about. Definitely worth a peek.

This time of year

2012-01-26T19:24:00.000-08:00

Well the Christmas season is over and I've taken my holidays( to Mexico but that is another whole post) and it's time to get back at it. Like many hospitality operators I spend the months of January and February getting ready for the Summer season. Spend days getting my accounting all caught up and filing taxes, making marketing plans and updating websites, flyers and menus. Then there is the multitude of calls from prospective clients looking for information for there weddings and other parties. Not to be forgotten, development, rewrites and new budgets for programs and tours. I haven't even mentioned the upkeep, renovations and maintenance on the buildings. Jeez I thought this was suppose to be our quite time.

A number of months ago we got involved with Chinook Country Tourism Association and their Tourism Cluster Project. Yesterday we went for our final training on the new online booking engine and how to put the final touches on our micro site. Things look good but I have several hours of editing and uploading ahead of me before the site goes live on February 13. Aaugg I better get at it.

Green Tomato Chutney

2012-01-26T19:10:00.000-08:00

So I made all those green tomatoes into Chutney. It took about 15 min to chop up things. I did some in the food processor and then sum by hand just to mix up the texture a bit. I based the whole thing on that recipe from Instructables but changed it a bit to account for what I had on hand.

I used:

about 5 kgs of tomatoes
1 quart of red wine vinegar
1 pint of balsamic vinegar
2 lbs of brown sugar
3 big onions
sea salt
dried cranberries

It turned out really well and now my favorite thing to do with it - small patty shell filled with goat cheese and topped with the chutney... instant appy.

The Green House and Garden: Final Chapter 2011

2011-10-26T07:41:00.000-07:00

Its always kinda a sad day when you realize it's time to clean up the yard cause all the plants have died off for the winter. The green house seems to be the same way. I consider the whole experiment a success even if it could have used more care than it got. All summer I served lettuces and spinach from the green house and yesterday I harvested what was left ( and it was alot) of the tomatoes and stuff. Those tomatoes where mostly green so now I'm going to make green tomato chutney. Should be good.

I think the recipe I'll use is this one from Instructible. http://www.instructables.com/id/Grans-Green-Tomato-Chutney/?ALLSTEPS

The Wedding Season 2011 Addition

2011-10-18T09:15:00.000-07:00

Well it's been a long time and a very busy summer. We did 27 weddings this year ending with my daughter Erika's. What a run and what fun. I did my limit of 4 wedding cakes plus Erika and Kevin's and increased our linen stock Now it's back to the winter stuff - retreats, giving classes, and Christmas parties. But before I close the book on this years wedding season, thought I'd show you some pictures of all the fun.

A special thanks to all my staff that worked so hard over the summer. Well Done everyone.

The Sinister 7

2011-07-10T16:41:00.000-07:00

You may or may not know that this week end was Sinister 7 week end here in the Pass. As in the past, the B&B was full to capacity with those crazy folks out here to run. After talking with them over the week end about the race and how it was run etc. the consensus is that it was great. The fellows in charge ( our own Brain and Andrew) put on a wonderful event with a challenging course and everyone was happy they came.
From the point of view of a tourism operator here in the pass it's more than a great event. It attracts a lot, and I mean a lot of folks here to the valley, guests that spend their money, cause no problems with over indulging ( unless you count all those sore muscles ) and are genuinely nice people that really want to be here. It's one of those gems that we all look for and wish could happen every week.

So hats off to Full Moon Adventures for doing what they do soooo well. Thanks Guys.

Recipe:The Frittata

2011-05-29T08:38:00.000-07:00

The other day Mark was giving me a bad time that I had so few recipes on the blog. So in an effort to make him happy I decided to post some of my favorite breakfast dishes. One of the B's in B&B does stand for breakfast!

A Frittata is an Italian omelette that is baked in the oven. Some call it crust less quiche which is also especially correct. The following is the one I make regularly. You can substitute and fillings you like just watch that your choices don't add to much liquid to the mix.

Preheat oven to 375 F
Ingredients:

6 eggs
1 cup heavy cream
garlic, fresh basil, oregano, salt and fresh ground pepper ( don't be shy with the seasonings)

1/2 cup grated cheese blend - I tend to use mozza, provolone and cheddar but you can use what ever your tastes run to
crumbled bacon, chopped cooked spinach, diced onion, diced tomato equaling about 1 1/2 cups

procedure:
whip eggs and cream together then add remaining ingredients. Spray or grease an oven proof casserole dish big enough that the mixture will fill 1/2 to 2/3 full but make sure the pan not more than 2 1/2 inches deep. ( the Frittata will take too long to bake and become too brown on top otherwise)
Bake until the center is just set anywhere from 30 - 45 mins.

Serve with hash browns or if brunch a nice greens and tomato salad.

The Garden Part 2

2011-05-29T08:20:00.000-07:00

Well you got to love the weather in the Crowsnest Pass. Last week end saw me happily working away in my garden , cleaning and planting and getting everything ship shape for the summer season. Then the weatherman hit with his news * SNOW* freezing temperatures etc. etc. etc. There should be a law against weathermen changing their minds. When I planted all those flowers there wasn't a temperature lower than 6 C predicted. Then it changed. So out came the tarps and the plastic and all the flowers got covered or brought in the house.

The little guys look like they made out ok but time will tell. The forecast now is looking better so maybe the tarps can come off today. It's the end of May for god sakes!

On a better note the green house is doing well. Had the first salad from lettuce grown there earlier this week. What a great taste. Soon the watercress and spinach will be usable. So things aren't so bad.

The Garden

2011-05-22T07:38:00.000-07:00

Getting ready for the summer season means many things around here- spring cleaning, painting, repairs of winter damage , etc etc etc, My favorite is cleaning and planting the flowerbeds and planters. After looking over the forecast for the dreaded frost and snow I decided the time had come. To my delight the weather cooperated and yesterday morning was sunny and warm. Now I really like trips to the green house and earlier this month I couldn't wait any longer so I picked up a few annuals and planted some baskets. Because of our late spring I had been keeping them in my little green house across the ally and they where doing really well. But yesterday was different it was the BIG trip. Off I went to Spring Break garden center in Hillcrest. Val and Rick have worked hard since early spring growing all the little plants and I found a wide selection of flowers and greenery to fill my garden with. They have gone very pink this year to help out The Pinkest Little town in the West group and I love pink flowers anyway so I was very pleased with the variety I could get. I made my selections, green things ( I'm lousy with the names- oh my grandfather is so disappointed ) and petunias and lobilia and stuff, all pink and white and very pretty. 2 new rose bushes for the big pots and I was all set.

Once home the work started. Cleaned out the beds and weeded them all, got all the pots and planters out and started deciding what to put were. I'm not one of those gardeners that have a plan to what is going where before I even go to the green house, I just place the pots around the deck where they will stay for the summer and then set the new plants out, redistribute them until I get some thing that looks good and then plant. Well things went well and now I've planted them all and they are settling in. I need to get a few more for the planters out front but thats todays mission.
My neighbor stopped in during all this and started asking questions about what he should plant and mentioned he needed to get out and clean up the beds at his place. Then off to work he went ( long weekends are busy for real estate agents) Feeling a little sorry for him I went over and cleaned out his beds too. I was on a roll. When he got home he was very grateful that the garden fairy had been by and when he heard I was off to the green house again today he asked if I wanted to get some plants for his box too. How could I say no? A green house trip I don't have to pay for. What a great week end.

The Chefs Table?

2011-04-25T11:44:00.000-07:00

What to call the service we have been offering since last fall is the real question. Here's how it works:
My dinning room is suitable to serve up to 24 people for a private function. You phone ahead for a reservation and we choose a menu. It could be anything from our main menu through our Taste the Local Difference or something else we design just for you. What we can offer depends on how far in advance you book and what you would like it to cost. Given a week you can have anything but phoning the day before may limit your choices a little to what I have on hand. The price ranges from $16.95 a person to up to $25.00 or more depending on what you choose. I like to keep the minimum to 6 people. It is a minimum of 3 courses ( salad, main and dessert) but could be as many as 6 ( our sampler menu) Then you come with your guests and enjoy a private dinning experience. Its like a cross between going to someone's house for dinner ( or having a group at your place) and going to a restaurant. Nice ambiance, private, a sitting area to relax before or after dinner and then a great dinner served either plate service or family style.
We have had 3 or 4 dozen small parties like this since November of last year and they have gone very well. There has been a number of repeat groups ( it seems to be a favorite of the health field workers and the local book club) All the functions have been booked via word of mouth and it's gone very well. It's a really nice change for us as we get to do some of the fancier things that we are capable of but don't do everyday. It's very different to do than a banquet for 100 people.

The real trouble is it is still not well known that we do this and how do you advertise something like it. It doesn't even have a name hence the question: The Chefs Table?

The New Room

2011-04-24T22:13:00.000-07:00

Over the winter we have been upgrading our last guest room. That makes 4 in all. Now with spring here the room is ready for use. I must admit it's turned out very well although a touch small compared to some of the others even if it is the same size as The Garden room. Have a look.

Now all it needs is a name and for me to solve the problem of what type of head board to use on these beds we have that can be an oversize queen or 2 twins depending on whats required.

The Green House

2011-04-24T13:31:00.000-07:00

I found myself in the position to have access to a green house where I can grow herbs and vegetables. Well of course I immediately took my friend up on the offer. Since that dark winter day I have sprouted my little seedlings under lights in the basement - spinach, basil, peas, lettuces, rosemary, oregano, etc. Now to a seasoned grower these may be strange things to start. I used these little pellet things and now all I have to do is stick them in the beds in the green house. Really I choose those things because they are the stuff I use daily and can't wait to use them.

So today ,being a lovely sunny day, I headed across the ally to the green house thinking it would be a good time to clean out the beds and get them ready to stick these little guys in . It took no time at all to clean them up and turn and break up the soil. Now it looks like this.

Now the real question is : is it to early to put my little friends out in their new home? I have no clue but I'm going to try with some of the bigger ones and see how they fare. I'm already dreaming of all the good things that can be made from the products harvested from the green house. I can't wait for the first trip of the year to Spring Break Garden Center to get tomatoes and cucumbers and stuff. Poor Mark just cringes at the thought - more space to plant things,more trips to Val's green house. Hehehe but he'll get over it when he gets to eat the stuff. Gotta love growing things

Taste the Local Difference

2011-03-29T07:29:00.000-07:00

We held our menu launch a week or so a go. I would count it as a success. We had a number of people come and enjoy the sampler menu we produced and it was very well received. Thanks everyone who joined us and all our suppliers for the great products. You can find the full menu online here

Strange Search Terms and Stuff

2011-03-16T13:28:00.000-07:00

I was looking at the stats analysis on the blog and came across the page that gives you the search terms that people use to find a site. In the case of this site its no surprise that "Country Encounters" was the number one search term. Now there was some terms that are not so unusual. Things like "Alberta Chef's Blog" and " Crowsnest Pass Blog" seem reasonable. Then come the off the wall ones "bed and breakfast recipes "scalloped potatoes" ,
" Who makes wedding cakes in the crow's nest pass" and

my all time favourite "how do you pronounce the christmas
bread - panettone"

To all that have searched and found us: Thank You

To the person looking for Scallop Potatoes: I hope they worked out

To the wedding cake people: Yes we do make cakes ... sometimes

and finally to the person wanting to know
how to say the name of the Italian Christmas Bread:
I was told it was pronounced pan - a- toni

And on a slightly different topic: referring sites.

Still the number one site to refer people to here is :John Prince's blog
followed closely by CNPLive .

Thank you Guys for the links

Holiday Cards and Travel Alberta

2011-03-16T09:35:00.000-07:00

I just posted some Holiday Card offers on the Travel Alberta site.See them here and hereNow this could have been quite a harrowing experience if not for a nice fellow named Christopher out of Travel Alberta's Edmonton office.

Christopher spotted my submission quickly after I sent it and was on the phone to me. He had all kinds of helpful advise and pointers on how to make the promotion better and then after discussing it I made some changes. This was at 5 pm yesterday. I sent him an email fully knowing that he wouldn't see it till morning. Then over night I tried to add another offer but was having no luck with their system. This morning I tried again and got the submission to enter. Less than 5 minutes later Christopher was back on the phone helping me get this new one in ship shape. Now we have special offers on the Travel Alberta site and things are good.
Many thanks to Christopher for all his help and hats off to Travel Alberta for helping get the word out for all us small operaters.

Taste the Local Difference

2011-03-14T08:37:00.000-07:00

On March 18 and 19 Mark and I going to launch our new sourced local menu -"Taste the Local Difference"
This menu has been many months in the making. We have reached out to regional suppliers for ingredients with a local flair to come up with some unique dishes. Producers like Rose Creek Ranch and Sunset Colony have met the challenges and we are set to go. 75% of the ingredients come from producers in Southern Alberta. Mostly small operations from our area. All are farm fresh and delicious.

For the two nights we have put together a sampling of dishes off the new menu and are offering it to the general public at our place in Coleman.

Selected hors d'œuvre and Wine reception to start
Wild Mushroom Chowder
Heirloom Tomato and "Fairwinds" goat cheese salad
Wild Saskatoon Chicken Breast
"Rose Creek" Fillet Medallions with Wild Mushroom Sauce
Cherry Balsamic Pork
Dessert sampler

You can see the full banquet menu here .

So come out for a great evening of good food and wine.

Place: Country Encounters Accommodations
7701 17 ave Coleman
Time: 7: 00 pm Friday March 18 or Saturday March 19
Cost: $35 per person including wine with hors d'œuvre
By reservation only space is limited Call Dawn @ 403-563-5299

Roast Beef

2011-03-06T08:46:00.000-08:00

We were serving a banquet last night. Our standard roast beef buffet, nothing outrageous, in fact pretty easy in the scheme of things. I was carving on the buffet line and a lady comes up and asks for a piece of "prime beef" or something like that. The first thing I thought was uggg another one that really doesn't know what she is eating.
On our way home Mark and I discussed the situation. The guest had been influenced by marketing practices of grocery stores and restaurant chains without a doubt. Now the question is: " what" did she think she was eating?
Was it Prime Rib or just "prime" meaning "good" beef ? Well in an effort to help sort out the differences in beef cuts served by commercial operations such as mine I thought I would give you a little information on the topic.

First off; restaurant cuts and retail cuts are two different beasts. The retail outlets of the country have thought up niffty names in an attempt to make their products more sell able and so they can charge more . The likes of "standing rib roast" and "sirloin tip roast" don't exist in my world. We buy beef in much lager cuts, in fact primal cuts are what I purchase. They have no fancy adjectives to describe them or their tenderness. They just tell me what part of the beasties they come from.

What does all this mean you ask? Well it means that on my menu I have 3 types of what would be considered "Roast Beef" and with a little help you can tell which one you are being served just by looking at it on my cutting board.

1. Roast Beef - I use round roasts - now that does not mean that the roast is round like a ball. It is the primal cut from the leg of the animal - it may be an inside round or an outside round - depends on what is the best price that week. If they had a bone the inside would be one side ,the outside would be another and the whole thiing with the bone would be a hip of beef. Like all our roasts we season them and then roast them slow ( about 275 F and no lid on it please- if you put a lid on it you are steam or braising it not roasting it) It is an irregular shape and has grain running in several directions. The round is not a particular tender cut of beef but if you treat it well it will treat you well. Two most important things - Cook it slow and do not over cook it. When you carve it always carve across the grain and in thin slices.

It looks something like this.

or cooked

its tasty and lean and what 80% of our roast beef banquets are. (We used 77 cases last year- thats 144 roasts)

2. Roast Striploin : The second type we roast is the striploin sometimes called New York Striploin. This is the same piece that a New York steak is cut from but we roast them whole. If you think of a T bone steak one side of the bone is the tenderloin or fillet the other is the New York. The grain is fine and runs all the same direction making it really easy to carve. Again we roast it slow and never cooking past medium rare. ( those that must have well done can get it from the end cuts) Its by far my favorite form of roast beef . You can spot it on a buffet line by its uniform rectangular shape and the thin fat cap on it. It looks like this

3. The Prime Rib- What many consider the King of roast beef. No its not a standing rib roast ( although that is what retailers sell pieces of prime rib as) it's not a cross rib roast ( thats just a messy thing and a way for retailers to get more for a piece of meat than its worth) It's an 8 bone ( although you rarely see the bones on the buffet) primal cut that is a wonder all it's own. This is the one we done for the Teck coal Christmas parties. Boarder Lumber had it this year and what I would recommend to anyone that wants to impress there guests. It does cost more but its worth it. We roast it slow ( see the pattern here) with the bones and the fat cap on then remove them for service. It has a fine grain that runs all the same way and can be carved as thick as you like which makes it really easy to serve and the one that I train new carvers on. On the buffet it is the easiest to spot ( it just lies there with its flat bottom, thats the side the bones were on, and its rounded top tapering to its little tail.) Don't ask for it with no fat ( it doesn't come that way, and thats why it has sooooo much flavour) but do take it done anywhere up to medium. ( this helps to melt the fat and make it taste better) It looks like this:

raw

cooked

and on your plate

Well I hope this dispelled some of the confusion around the mighty "Alberta Roast Beef"

Culinary Tourism

2011-03-01T12:33:00.000-08:00

In early February Mark and I attended a workshop hosted at the Gualt Museum. It was one of those things that set us to work. It was the spur for our new sourced local menu, really got us going. The following is a short video all about the movement and the workshop.

What We've Been Making Lately

2011-02-28T23:29:00.000-08:00

A few photo's of stuff we have been up to:

Sourced Local

2011-02-28T11:28:00.000-08:00

This time of year is one of my favorites. Not only is it beautiful outside: fresh snow and all but we get a chance to play a little. When chefs play it means new dishes, new menus, and fresh ideas. We have always made alterations and up dates to our menus and website at this time of year. We are suppose to be slower now( thats another whole story that didn't really appear this year) and have time to do it. We have always tried to source our products from the region as much as practically possible. This year we took it one step further and have come up with a new menu ( although we are still messing with it a bit) The dishes are minimum 75% regionally sourced with the remained of the ingredients sourced with a Canadian first criteria.
What does this mean? It has been a challenge to secure a sufficient supply line but it seems to be working out.
I have been working with the likes of Jesse from Rose Creek ranch just outside Pincher Creek to supply farm raised beef and Allan from Broek Pork Acres to supply pork. I have alway gotten as many vegetables from Mike at Riverside particularly all that spinach and squash I use in the summer. The Pincher Creek Colony will be suppling more of my eggs, and veggies as well as those big chickens for the Crab-apple Cider Roasted Chicken which by the way the crab apple cider syrup is made by us from local crab apples. And on and on it goes.

What does it mean to our customers? They will receive a superior tasting product while supporting more small regional businesses. It means they can have confidence that the meat and veggies have been handled by folks that care about the products they produce. It means that more of their dollars are staying in the communities in Alberta. It's a win win scenario.

So the questions that beg answering: why isn't all our product from local sources and why do we need another menu for these local sourced dishes? Well there are a number of reasons behind it all. First and foremost - The supply volume. Take the case of my beef products. Jesse is working hard to be able to supply all my beef products for all our dishes but he is still unsure if for this year if he has the production for that amount of volume we require. I would have used every prime rib he could have supplied for 1 Teck Christmas Party. A similar scenario exists with Allan and the pork. He has to work me into his production schedule. He only has so many pigs on hand at any given time. Next in line- Cost and that is a big one. The cost of the raw product is higher from these small producers than from the big outfits. They use organic farming methods etc that produces less yield and all that jazz. The bottom line is that it cost me more so in turn it has to cost more on the menu. But there is still a large part of our customer base that have a smaller budget and we want to continue to supply options for them.

What does it mean in the long run? We will continue to produce great meals at a reasonable price from as much local product as we can ( all my beef is still AAA Alberta beef, the new stuff is just from a named ranch source) just like we always have but now we are offering another option for those that this trend appeals to. It means that all the meals served to our B&B guests will be Alberta sourced. And it means the customer wins in the end.

You can find the new menu here

Pass promo video

2010-11-24T09:28:00.000-08:00

A promotional video of the Crowsnest Pass I found interesting. Hats off to the folks over at Community Futures

Tapas and Wine Tasting Night

2010-11-11T07:07:00.001-08:00

Recently we hosted for a group, a tapas and wine tasting night here at the house. From my point of view it was a lot of fun and how couldn't it be- I got to cook and serve a bunch of really cool stuff to a group that really enjoyed themselves. When I was talking with a friend about the evening they suggested that it might be something that we could do here. Do up a menu and offer tickets for sale to the general public. Well after bouncing it off my partner in crime, we came to the conclusion it would be fun and there might be enough folks around here interested in coming to such an event. We would be looking at not more than 24 people on an evening in January or February to gather together tasting good food and wine, learning alittle and having fun. Any takers?

Continuing Education Classes

2010-11-08T17:23:00.000-08:00

For the first time in many years I taught a Con-Ed class last week. It was as much fun as I remembered. The ladies that joined me gathered around the bar that separates the kitchen from the rest of the house and we chatted and I cooked. The topic of the class was Hors d'œuvre. You know, those little bite size wonders that sends hostesses into fits. Well we made a bunch of easy, many do- ahead, items that work really well, sampling all the while.

Thanks again for coming Ladies. I hope to see you again in other classes.
Anyone who is interested in joining us can register with Toni and CNP Adult Education

Hors d’oeuvres – Intermediate

Make simple and elegant hors d’oeuvres that will allow freedom through advanced preparation so you are able to both enjoy your party and impress your guests. These great do ahead treats are sure to be a hit!!!

Dates: Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Time: 6:30 – 8:30 pm
Cost: $25.00
Instructor: Dawn Rigby
Location: Country Encounters Hospitality – 7701 17th Avenue Coleman
Registration Deadline: Wednesday, November 3, 2010
To Register: 403-562-2853

How to Make Sushi

Learn the special techniques of Japanese cooks to make these easy recipes in your own kitchen. You will work with special tools and ingredients and learn how to select the freshest foods available to you. You are sure to wow any dinner guest with these hand-made beauties. Nori rolls and Nagari made easy!!!

Dates: Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Time: 6:30 – 8:30 pm
Cost: $25.00
Instructor: Dawn Rigby
Location: Country Encounters Hospitality – 7701 17th Avenue Coleman
Registration Deadline: Wednesday, November 10, 2010
To Register: 403-562-2853

The new generation

2010-10-31T14:26:00.000-07:00

Every so often I talk about my kids, usually the one that chose to go into my trade. Well these days the little darling is at the Lethbridge Lodge. What a great place for her to apprentice. She gets lots of exposure to all kinds of cooking and the Chef there is treating her very well. The other day she sent me some pictures of things she has been doing. Boy the kid does good work.

A cold and dreary Sunday afternoon ....

2010-10-31T14:17:00.000-07:00

my answer is to cook. I had to make cabbage rolls for a couple of clients .... so I made cabbage rolls- 35 lbs of them. Anyone want some? Besides that I did up a batch of Fougasse - an olive and herb bread. Nice stuff.

2 tsp dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1/2 cup warm water

dissolve yeast and sugar in water and set aside to bubble.

4 cups strong white flour
1/4 cup olive oil
3/4 cup warm water
2tsp salt

mix flour and salt together and then mix in the remaining ingredients including yeast to form a ball. Kneed for 10 min or until smooth and elastic ( I do this in my mixer - takes about 4-5 min.) then place in a greased bowl. Cover and let stand in a warm place until doubled in volume ( about 1 hour)

Punch down and mix in 1 cup chopped black olives and a handful of herbs ( basil, parsley, thyme etc what ever you have) kneed for about 5 min. divide dough into 4 equal pieces and form into small oval loaves about 3/4 of an inch thick. Score the top and cover and let rise another 20 min. or so.

Bake in 410 degree oven for about 35 min ( until crisp) To make a crispy crust spray the inside of the oven with water about 15 min into baking time.

Fresh from the oven ..... good stuff

The Walking Trail System in The Crowsnest Pass

2010-10-10T13:31:00.000-07:00

I spent awhile this morning reading the information available on the new walking trail system that a group of dedicated people have been working on for sometime now. You can find the overall plan here. Now I have heard of this trail and seen portions of it but I never really realized what an asset it is and is going to be in the future. As the master plan continues to be implemented we are going to have a recreational device for residents and visitors that is second to none. Just the sign and kiosk plans alone will be worth a fortune to those of us in the tourism business let a lone the value to the people that live here. Now is the time to start thinking of ways to incorporate this new "attraction" into our marketing plans. It truly is a step in the right direction to making the Crowsnest pass a destination.

What a Summer

2010-10-03T07:46:00.000-07:00

Well after all the racing around getting things ready, reorganizing, renovating etc. etc.etc, summer showed up ( at least the months that are supposed to be summer) We hosted 4 Exploritas programs and a large number of our friends from the Niagara fly fishing club. We had weddings and reunions and guests from all over the world.( hi ladies from Australia) We got several reviews on Trip Advised ( that's really good) and had our guest book filed.

Was the summer a success? Yup I think so. Was it different that past years ? You bet it was. But thats ok change is good, isn't it?

New Look

2010-10-03T07:33:00.000-07:00

We have been working ( very slowly if you ask me) on painting the outside of the building:
Here's the results:

Trade Type Shows

2010-09-28T17:02:00.000-07:00

In the past year I have participated in two trade show type gatherings: The Crowsnest Pass Trade Show in April

and the tourism trade show in the Pass in May ( now I probably have the names wrong on these but you get the idea)

Now I have an opportunity to go to the tourism trade show in Fort MacLoud on Thursday. The great thing about these tourism shows put on by Southwest Regional Alliance and Community Futures is they are free. You get to meet and network with other operators and those in a position to help you market your company ( aka Travel Alberta, Southwest Regional Alliance, etc). They are open to the public for part of the time so you get exposure there too. All around they are well worth the time.

Wedding Cakes

2010-09-28T15:45:00.000-07:00

Every so often I am asked to make a wedding cake. I like doing it once or twice a year. It's fun. Now if I had to do it everyday I'm not sure it would still be fun but as it is it's a lot of fun. Last month I made the cake for Becky's wedding. It was a 4 tier vanilla pound cake with fondant icing ( the only kind I do) and topped with white calla lilies and red roses. I made all the flowers and then added color by hand painting them with pearl dust. Heres how it turned out:

Prairie N' Peaks Quilt Festival 2011

2010-09-22T12:16:00.000-07:00

In conjunction with the folks in Pincher Creek a group of us here in the Pass are involved in organizing this event. And what an event it will be. 10 days full of workshops, lectures, markets, dinners etc,etc, etc, Check here Prairie N' Peaks Quilt Festival for more information and updates as they are released.

Our newest flyer

End of the Season

2010-09-22T08:13:00.000-07:00

With the snow last night, came the realization that the end of summer is pretty much upon us. Was it a good season? Well the weather was a little shakey but the tourists were plentiful and things went well. The new kitchen
held up reasonably well and the functions went great. The last big one till Christmas season is Saturday Sept 25.
The Harvest of Memories is the Crowsnest Museum's annual fundraiser so come out and support the museum and have a wonderful night out.

This is so good!

2010-04-24T14:38:00.000-07:00

You may or may not of heard of a little publication called Westworld. It is produced by AMA, has a large curculation and highlights all kinds of travel. A few months ago ( last fall actually) I was contacted by a travel writer and asked if I would be willing to host her for an evening while she checked out our area. I thought what the hell, what could I possible be out. So she came , ended up staying 2 nights, we had fun and I talked up the area. Got a copy of her lovely book "Road Trips" as a parting gift and life went on.

Last week I was getting ready to go out the door to the Trade Show and I got a phone call from a lady in Ontario. She wanted to know all about the area etc.ect.ect. So I told her what I could in about 10 mins or so. Then she said that she had read about us in Westworld. Things didn't really click but ok. Off to the show I went and while I was flambeing I had a local tell me all about this article and how we were mentioned in it. It finally hit me what this was all about. That travel writers article had come out. Since that time ( only a week) I have had 5 different calls regarding it.

Its's a great article and we are even mentioned in it. Take a look History Echoes in the Crowsnest Pass

The Breakfast Skillet

2010-04-24T10:50:00.000-07:00

For the group I have here right now,I made a Breakfast skillet for brunch. Easiest thing in the world.

to serve 8

spray a 9x13 baking dish.
brown about 4 cups of shredded frozen hash browns in a pan with a little oil and some seasoning salt.
in another pan cook 10-12 strips of diced bacon and 1/2 onion diced until almost crisp. Pour of oil into hash browns.
Place hash browns in baking dish crack 8-10 eggs on top , top with bacon mix and shredded cheddar, cover and bake at 400 for about 20 min or until eggs are to your favorite doneness.

Serve with cheese biscuits and fruit - thats it easy easy .

The New Meeting Space

2010-04-24T10:42:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we finished the upgrades to what used to be my office. Today I find it full of Scrap bookers; here for a retreat for the week end. The room works great. After adding a new window and entrance door, painting and reorganizing things turned out well.

We have a number of week end retreats booked for this space, Photography,scrapbooking etc and some cooking classes. It has worked well for those groups that have used it.

Comes complete with A/v equipment, beverage station and tables and chairs. It can seat up to 16 with room to work or up to 30 meeting style.

Website Update

2010-04-12T13:52:00.000-07:00

Ok so I'm not the genius behind our website but he's a little busy right now and somebody had to do it. With websites being so important to the over all marketing of a hospitality operation it needed to be done right. It's been a slightly painful process to learn how to update it beyond adding some new pictures but I'm getting there. Now I didn't change the layout ( I like it the way it is) but I did have to add new pages and remove old stuff to reflect our new reality and the directions we are going. Things are working out pretty well but I have come to believe that a website is never done, never ever done. Every time I think I'm done,I find 3 more things to do so I guess it will always be a work in progress. Anyways here is a look at whats been happening : The Updates

While working on it the topic came up: what to do about links. We have always had a whole page of links for visitors to look at full of info on the Pass. We included links to our competition sites just in case we were full with the hope that they would do the same. Well at one time they did but many have stopped the practice and I'm kinda torn on whether to continue it so at the moment I have a few and will think on it.

So much going on

2010-04-12T13:30:00.000-07:00

Oh boy have things been going on. Renovations ( more to come on that one), moving, website revamps, opening and first use of our new meeting space ( more to come on this one too), First time appearance as a exhibitor at the trade show, hosting Exploritas programs and our new retreats. Wow lots of stuff.

We have recently partnered with Paterson Photography form Lethbridge to host a couple of photography classes/retreats. Now these are going to be great. I will supply classroom space, meals and accommodations and Mike will be the instructor, leader of the group adventure, etc. It is going to be great.

Repairs and Maintenance continues.....

2010-02-23T14:21:00.001-08:00

Awhile back I did a post on some up grades we were doing to some bathrooms. Well like all things it mushroomed a little and we went on to replace flooring and light fixtures in the guest room attached to one of those bathrooms. Here's some photos of the final results.

And the bedroom- the Garden Room

Now seems to be the time for up grading and finishing projects. More to come.

Lethbridge Collage Culinary Dinner

2010-02-12T10:22:00.000-08:00

In days gone by , when I was a culinary student and even a Chef/ Instructor ,I was involved in student Gala Dinners. These are a way for the students to show off their new skills and raise a few dollars by producing and serving an elaborate multi course meal. When my daughter Erika ( she'd be the one in cooking school) called saying their Gala Dinner was March 12, could we come I thought why not? So now I have tickets ($100 per person) for myself and a couple of friends. It should be a wonderful meal - she won't tell me the menu. If anyone is interested in going tickets can can be reserved by calling 403-382-6999 Come sample the skills of the future Chefs of the world.

New Marketing Media

2010-02-08T08:31:00.000-08:00

In the never ending search for ways to market your business Facebook and Twitter are high in the trend department. Social Media is producing great results for many a group. As of July 2009 there were 250 million active Facebook accounts. That's a lot of people. It's difficult to ignore the potential of even .001% of that many people being exposed to your product and when you couple it with the fact that a basic profile is free of charge well it's insanity not to try it.

I took the dive yesterday and Country Encounters got a Facebook page. It was easy. Now the basic page is up with some pictures and a February special. We have some fans and are gaining more. Fans = Exposure. And we will see what happens. The real catch - can that exposure convert into bookings. Only time will tell.

You can see the page and become a fan at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Crowsnest-Pass-Alberta/Country-Encounters-Accommodations/292537371679?ref=share

Things they are a changing

2010-02-08T08:11:00.000-08:00

Boy it's been a long time since I posted. Sorry folks,I've been busy and our lives and business have been changing. Old standbys have dropped away and new things are on the horizon. We have a couple of major decisions to make- which direction to go in. They could include everything from additions to the B&B , buying another property or 2, or even leaving the pass ( which is high on my list but Mark not so much) but be assured plans are being formulated.

New ways to post

2009-11-11T17:31:00.001-08:00

You can tell that Sunday and holidays are the days I spend cruisin' around looking at stuff on the net. I came across this article at Hospitality Trends http://www.htrends.com/trends-detail-sid-42081.html and immediately thought of the nice comment Sue @ Turtleback cottage left me and a chat I had with Dianne from the Bellevue underground mine( ya we are all talking about blogging and twitter etc. and how it can be used in our respective jobs.) Now this type of post could work for me as a quick post during those times when I'm really busy. So I think soon we will be seeing more photos and things from the kitchen and B&B but not too many. I've never been a fan of all pictures.

Ya the Christmas Party is Back!!

2009-11-11T17:05:00.001-08:00

So I've been booking Christmas parties left and right over the last few weeks. Lots of them, more than last year and new groups. This is great. I did a bit of advertising in the local paper and I was attributing it mostly to that. Good I think it's paid off. Then I came across this article in Hospitality Trends http: www.htrends.com/trends-detail-sid-42139.html . Ok so it just wasn't my ad but then again the groups may have been thinking about it and the ad urged them to action either way the result is the same: a busy Christmas season. Thanks Crowsnest Pass for thinking of us.

Repairs and Upgrades

2009-11-11T13:21:00.000-08:00

When one owns an accommodation property, be it a holiday home or B&B, there are always repairs to be done. It's worse if said property is a 100+ year old building that has been renovated in stages. Needless to stay we are always doing something to our places. It may be as simple as touching up some paint or as extensive as redoing an entire room ( I'll leave out the parts were we move walls and add bathrooms cause I think that stage is finally done) Why are we always doing these things an acquaintance asked. Pondering the answer I came up with several possible responses, but boiled down to one reason in the end. We are forever upgrading things to better serve our clients.
November happens to be our most frequent up grade time (that and January) and this November is no different. At the moment we have just finished one, have another on the go and are contemplating a third(well its really a finishing of a project long ago started ). Two are bathrooms the third is a sauna. The bathroom seems to be really important to guests I mean disproportionately important after all you may spend an hour total in it on an overnight stay if you are lucky. Guest want them to be just so with more conveniences than home and if it is unusual all the better.
The first job on the list was an easy one; I wanted to replace the sink. The original was an antique wall mount that the finish was starting to wear on and it had the fault that all antique sinks have the taps are individuals rather than the modern mixers. Now that really doesn't bother me but to some ( my daughter apparently) it is a negative. I had been watching the home improvement flyers for a good deal and found this lovely pedestal style one on sale at our local Home Hardware for $189.00 so I got one. Next it was taps – nice set again at HH. Because the old sink had these really cute attached towel bars I also had to replace them and opted for a double one as well as a new mirror from Home depot. With all items in hand came the next step – convince Mark that this job needed to be done. It went much easier than expected and he had it finished in nothing flat. It's great to have a husband that was a contractor for many years. Here are the final results:

The second job on the list is a little more in depth. The bathroom in the Garden Room was the only one that didn't have tile on the floor. I mean don't get me wrong what was there was fine but I prefer to have guests go "WoW" rather than "It's nice". The sink was again an antque with all the inhearant qualities. So as I had ordered two of the lovely pedisols ( they really where a good price) Mark said he would change it out to if I went and got tile for the floor. Now I have tile all over the place, in the kitchen, most of the bathrooms, the hot tube room , all the appropriate places and \i have never spent a great deal per square foot on any of them. You know they wern't the cheapest I could buy but they were far from the most expensive. This time I thought I would splurge a bit and maybe get some of those fancy border tiles. Well I found the perfect ones and in the process managed to spend $230 on tiles for a 5x8 room. Oh well you only live once. Heres the results thus far ( it should be done by next week):

I have no followers

2009-11-01T08:59:00.000-08:00

Although I have had a number of visitors to this blog I've had very few comments (thanks John for being the first) and I have no followers. I was at a function the other day and even had someone mention that they read it. So now the question is how do I get people to leave behind their comments or even just say Hi? Perhaps the problem is that what I write is rather specialized for the most part and what is there to say about a trend in hospitality beds. I can only hope that someone out there finds it helpful or amusing or tries out one of the recipes. A problem for more thought. Anyways if you are out there in reader land let me know what you think.

B&B forums

2009-11-01T08:52:00.000-08:00

On occasion I check out forums dedicated to B&B owners. I do it just to see what’s happening, get ideas and generally be nosy with what everyone else is doing. Sometimes you can get good ideas from them.
Unfortunatly most that I have found are US based but they still are worth the occasional peek. The best one I have found is Innspiring

Recipe: Panettone (Italian Christmas Bread)

2009-11-01T08:34:00.000-08:00

As promised the recipe for Panettone (Italian Christmas Bread) that Mark made. You will notice that this is quite different than the usual recipes that I offer in that it has actual measurements. That’s cause its baking. It makes a difference that you must measure. Enjoy!

This Italian fruitcake-style yeast bread is typically baked into a tall, cylindrical shape (empty coffee cans work great as baking pans). While its origins are sketchy, one legend holds that in the late 1400s, a young Milanese nobleman fell in love with the daughter of a baker named Toni and created "Pan de Toni" to impress his love's father.

Yield: 2 loaves (8 servings per loaf) (serving size: 1 slice)

Ingredients
Marinated fruit:
1/3 cup golden raisins
1/3 cup chopped dried apricots
1/3 cup dried tart cherries
1/4 cup triple sec (orange-flavored liqueur) or orange juice

Dough:
1 package dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/4 cup warm water (100° to 110°)
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
6 tablespoons butter or stick margarine, melted
1/4 cup fat-free milk
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 tablespoons pine nuts
Cooking spray
1 teaspoon butter or stick margarine, melted
2 teaspoons turbinado or granulated sugar

Preparation
To prepare marinated fruit, combine first 4 ingredients in a small bowl; let stand 1 hour. Drain fruit in a sieve over a bowl, reserving fruit and 2 teaspoons liqueur separately.

To prepare dough, dissolve yeast and 1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar in warm water in a small bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine 1/2 cup flour and next 6 ingredients (1/2 cup flour through egg yolk) in a large bowl; beat at medium speed of a mixer 1 minute or until smooth. Add yeast mixture and 1/2 cup flour; beat 1 minute. Stir in marinated fruit, 2 1/2 cups flour, and pine nuts. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 8 minutes); add enough of remaining flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands.

Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, about 1 1/2 hours. Dough will not double in size. (Press two fingers into dough. If indentation remains, the dough has risen enough.)

Punch dough down; let rest 5 minutes. Divide in half, shaping each into a ball. Place balls into 2 (13-ounce) coffee cans coated with cooking spray. Cover and let rise 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375°.

Uncover dough. Place coffee cans on bottom rack in oven, and bake at 375° for 30 minutes or until browned and loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Remove bread from cans, and cool on a wire rack. Combine reserved 2 teaspoons liqueur and 1 teaspoon butter; brush over loaves. Sprinkle evenly with turbinado sugar.

New Tastes are a Go!

2009-11-01T08:23:00.000-08:00

It must be true. People are tired of the same old offerings.

I had an interesting tie in to an article I read regarding restaurant trends happen today. One of my repeat customers is having a retreat coming up soon and when the front desk clerk contacted her to find out how many people would be attending, she asked what my experiments were lately. What she was referring to; I tend when left to decide the menus for a function, to serve things I have been playing with and they usually follow some sort of theme. For instance when I came back from our trip to NOLA last winter I was hooked on Creole and Caribbean (that came from the cruise further south that was part oft that trip) dishes. Now how it works for me is I will come home and duplicate as closely as possible whatever it is that took my fancy then I start playing with it, adapting it to easily acquired ingredients, service styles etc. Usually the resulting dish is a blended thing that the original creators would not necessarily recognise but is my interpretation. Also things tend to evolve and developed for us out of boredom. We get board making the same things so we go in spurts making the unusual; right now Mark is on a bread making kick so if you end up at a banquet in the near future that has a bunch of different types of breads and buns offered , yes we made them while playing around. I'll post the recipe for the best one( it never did make it to the buffet table as it was grabbed up by staff and friends) or you can look for it come the Christmas banquet season.

This article I was reading was quoting trends with consumers. According the survey they quoted " Consumers are interested in expanding their palates when dining out and want to patronize restaurants that offer innovative flavours. A new study from foodservice industry consultant Technomic finds that 42 percent of consumers, particularly males aged 25 to 34, are more likely to visit restaurants that offer new or unique flavours" It reinforces what we do by being creative. Now if I could just get organisers to follow trend and live a little on the wild side maybe their guests could get that itch in " expanding their palates" scratched.

Other interesting results from that survey include:

• Two-thirds of consumers (66 percent) say that discovering a new flavor at a restaurant can persuade them to return to that venue for the same dish, and more than half (55 percent) say they may try other dishes there.

• A substantial portion of diners (36 percent) say they are more interested in trying new flavors than they were a year ago.

• Over a third of consumers (35 percent) are willing to spend more on a meal that incorporates new or innovative flavors.

• Among less broadly established ethnic cuisines, those of high interest include Spanish (72 percent), Hawaiian (71 percent), Tex-Mex (69 percent), Greek (66 percent), and Caribbean and Mediterranean (66 and 62 percent).

• Roughly one-third of consumers look for sauces and condiments that are low in fat or calories (34 percent) and sodium (29 percent), or prefer to use 'organic' or 'all-natural' condiments when available (26 percent).

• Garlic, pepper and smoky barbecue flavor profiles dominate entrée menus. Global influences are also prominent, specifically those with a Mexican, Asian and Italian flair.

'Flavor innovation presents a solid competitive advantage for both operators and manufacturers, especially when it comes to dips, sauces, condiments and marinades,' says Darren Tristano, EVP of Technomic. 'The punch of heat and spice, and the balance of creaminess or sweetness underscores the uniqueness in the preparation. An unusual flavor profile could be one that drives repeat visits by consumers.'

The 2009 Flavor Consumer Trend Report's Consumer Insights section examines flavor preferences and purchasing behaviour based on surveys of more than 1,500 consumers. The Menu Insights section utilizes Technomic's proprietary Menu Monitor database to provide an in-depth look at how leading, independent and emerging chain restaurant operators are incorporating flavor profiles into menu items. Throughout the report, 2009 results are compared to results from Technomic's 2007 Flavor Trend Category Report. Appendices feature menu listings showcasing the top 10 flavors as measured by menu data, plus detailed demographic profiles of consumers who enjoy these top 10 flavors.

Find the original article here

All About Me

2009-10-23T11:36:00.000-07:00

How did I get into the business?
This is one of those questions that has a shot and a long answer. Short first - I've always been in the hospitality business. At 14 I got a job at the Old Spaghetti Factory in Calgary and have worked as one position or another in the business ever since.

The long answer is just that longer. I went to SAIT almost right out of high school taking the professional cooking program then apprenticed at a private golf club where I met Himself, wrote my red seal exam and whala I'm a journeyman cook. A little later after working my way up to the management potion: Chef ( yes that’s right the title of Chef means you run the kitchen and has little to do with actual cooking) I landed a job as an Instructor at Sait and found with my newly reduced hours ( instructors work 6-8 hrs a day where cooks work 8-12) I had time to head back to school taking hotel and restaurant management diploma and then a Business Administration degree ( which I found to be truly dry so what did I minor in : history perhaps a little ironic). With all this newly acquired education Himself and I headed out on our own by buying a small hotel south of Calgary. It consisted of 25 guest rooms, 70 seat dining room and 110 seat bar in a 1914 building. After 5 year, severe burn out and lots of lessons learned we sold and moved to the Pass. Himself then went about doing anything but cooking ( he's actually a journeyman cook as well although he was fist known here as a contractor) and I took a job at Popiel's where I stayed for a number of years. We renovated our building into a great space to house our B&B and I went into catering.

Why I like the business or what keeps me here is easy. In my opinion is about the best job on the planet. I get to cook almost every day but get the occasional day off. I don't have to go to work if I don't have a function and I don't have to work every night or every week end. I get some holidays off and I get to meet great people. Pretty much perfect

Why Travel?

2009-10-23T11:31:00.001-07:00

One day a few weeks ago was asked by one of my staff why we always want to go places, in essence why travel? I've been thinking about this while I've been planning my next trip. I've come up with a number of reasons, some valid some not so much. They are broken down into two categories: work related and personal. On the work related side, things like gaining new ideas, menu items and seeing how others do things are at the top of the list. Guests have commented on notions we have brought back from elsewhere. For instance after my trip to England I started making a few things that we had there; curried dishes and bangers and mash. I went out and bought several new mirrors for my guest rooms and did up personalized welcome packages after staying in a B&B in Victoria and seeing how they were used there. That type of thing, nothing earth shattering just little touches. Another thing that happens when we have been somewhere, we tend to critique our own operations and compare them to those we visit more objectively. We find things we do well and things we can do better. This is probably the most helpful of the bunch.

After being somewhere I think it is easier to gage what your customers are looking for. I say this with some reservation as it could be just that you are more aware of what you are looking for and push that on to your customers. If you follow the train of thought that we all own places, we as customers would like to go to then it stands to reason that with a fresh travel experience in our minds we should be able to guess what our customers want. Does that make sense? Well it does to me so my question is to you what do you get out of travel? What have you brought back with you that was useful?

Doneness of Beef

2009-10-22T20:50:00.000-07:00

There seems to be some discrepancies in people’s perception of what medium rare is when it comes to the doneness of beef. I was serving a dinner, carving a roast beef and had a lady ask me for medium done. No problem we can do that. I carved her a couple of slices done medium, nicely pink and went to put it on her plate. She made a strange face so I ask if she would like it done a little more. She replied yes and I cut her some that was medium well to well done and she was happy. Now I wouldn't have thought much about it but I had this happen about 5 times in that evening: people asking for medium but really wanting medium well to well done.

This got me to thinking about what could be a miscommunication between cooks and the general public. It could be that I just don't know what is medium but I have my doubts about that. After almost 30 years in the industry and 100's of 1000's of steaks and roasts cooked I'm pretty sure that I got it figured out. So what's the deal here? I think that the doneness we are taught in cooking school doesn't match what older people think it should be. I say older people because I have found that if the group has more seniors in it you will serve more well done beef than if the group is younger. Also if you press an older person to name what they want they will tend to say medium but really they want medium well. So I guess it is like most everything else, Know your clientele and you will make out OK.

For those interested the following is a description of the different degrees of doneness as we are taught in cooking school more or less degrees of doneness

On a similar vein, I have often been asked how I tell a steak is done. Well for me after years of doing it, it comes down to timing and feel. I touch the steak and can tell from the firmness how well done it is. For those starting out here is a little trick I use to teach my students: With your hand relaxed poke the fleshy part where your thumb attaches to your hand on the palm side. Feel the firmness there. This is how a rare steak should feel. For medium rare touch your thumb to your index finger (just touch don't put pressure on it) see how it is firmer. This is how a medium rare steak feels. Medium steak, same procedure but using the middle finger and so on it goes until well done is thumb to pinkie. Hope it helps.

The Deposit Dilemma

2009-10-22T08:42:00.000-07:00

This topic sprouted because of a bill I am having trouble collecting on. This doesn't happen very often in fact while catering it has happened only once before. But it has caused me to look at my deposit policies.

For accommodation bookings I have always required a credit card number. It’s just good sense. In the occurrence of a bad renter (I’ve never had one) you have the security of being able to charge the customer for damage done. If they do not show up for their reservation you can still charge them and all that stuff. It’s just protecting yourself. For catering I have always resisted taking deposits on a function. My payment terms are net 7 and most people pay their bill on the night of the function or within a couple of days after.

Why have I resisted deposits on catering? All the expenses are due at about the same time as the function (within a week before or after) and I have never wanted to find myself in the situation of owing for the groceries or staff but having spent the funds on something else. Next reason: I never know exactly what the final bill will be until after we have served. So deposits have to be approximate. Next reason: I don’t want to find myself owing the customer because they made deposits and then their numbers were not what they expect. And the final reason is a bit sketchy. It’s kind of a fear thing that has never happened to me but could. Meals are very personal and I never want someone to pay full price for a meal that they are not happy with (also never happened to my knowledge but could in theory). Again I could end up owing the customer.

So what to do to prevent the situation from occurring again is the real question. You never really know when this could happen. The person in question is not one I would have expected to do this. So do I relent and insist on a deposit from everyone? Not really possible. I mean many of my clients are non profits, big corporations, school boards etc. I could just apply it to individuals I guess. Then how much deposit do you take? 10% , 30% 50% . I don’t know. The thought I have had is to take a credit card number like I do with accommodation bookings but the flaw with that is how many people can afford to have $4000 charged to their credit card? If you can’t charge the bill (because it has to be charged after we serve)to the card then you are no further ahead and it may encourage more people to pey via credit card and that only costs me.

Any other ideas how to work this?

Tourism Showcase Event

2009-10-21T15:38:00.000-07:00

Another of the South West Regional Alliance initiatives to help market our tourism operations took place a little while ago in Pincher Creek. Unfortunately I could not attend but Sue Moser (our best holiday home rep) managed to get there with her display. From all reports, including an article in the Pincher Creek Echo, the evening was a great success with approximately 30 operators attending.

This begs a question: do marketing consortia and co-op affairs work or are we just kidding ourselves thinking that collective efforts are a waste of time?

My thoughts on the matter go as follows:

1. There is no way I have time to attend all the workshops meetings and get togethers I should so I'm just glad that someone ( read Sue) has put in the effort to get there for us and I don't care if she promotes her own places first ( she should) I'm just pleased that I got included at all.

2. The referral set up we have going in our little consortium works out great for all, particularly the customers. Places are filled and customers are happy. Win -win scenario

3. The bigger consortia, like SW do a vast amount of work for us that no one small operator could accomplish not to mention the grants and buying power they create. Again it's win - win

4. To many consortia mean competition. Let’s face it if there are not a bunch of operators in a specific area there is no one to populate the consortium so there has to be some competitors in the mix. So is competition bad - No way. It tends to produce a better product for the customer , prevent price gouging , and I really believe that a traveler may not stop for one shop ( read - shop or restaurant or attraction etc.) but they are likely to stop for 10 shops. And travelers that stop are good for everyone. Just my thought (and I plan to go into it more in a later post)

Back to the Showcase Event. It sounds like it was a great night and I wish I could have gone. Thanks to Sue for going as well as for keeping us updated with your emails

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Travel Alberta Workshops

2009-10-21T15:12:00.000-07:00

Recently we catered a workshop lunch for Travel Alberta dealing with internet marketing and I was fortunate enough to be able to sit in on at least most of the afternoon seminar. Marty, the session leader was full of all sorts of tips and advice on how to tweak and get the most out of our websites. A number of interesting topic where touched on including adding your blog to your main site as a way of creating changing content on your site.

Thier next workshop is scheduled for Pincher Creek on Nov.2 and the topic is social media and how it can work for you.

Places I've been: Victoria BC

2009-10-12T10:29:00.000-07:00

Recently we went on a road trip. You know get in your car and drive, half the fun is getting there type trip. This particular trip took us to the BC coast. It had been a long time since neither Mark or I had been that direction, our passports had expired and the new ones had not come yet, so off we went.

We left just after serving a banquet (around 10 pm) and drove as far as Creston the first night. We checked into what Mark calls a Bluebird. You know the type; a little strip motel with nothing but a bed, hopefully decent, and a bathroom. Now you would think that these should be cheep right? Well this one cost me $94.00 including tax (holy crap they got a lot of tax in BC) and it was certainly nothing to write home about. Next morning up and out the door we went ready to really start our adventure. The drive was picturesque and the day was lovely. Around lunch time we decided to go with one of our favourite meals on the road: salami, cheese, bread etc. eaten in the car or as a picnic. here cam the first discovery of the trip; a bread called a sharing loaf. It's a round loaf with scores cut in the top so you can pull out a piece. The texture and flavour where great and if I ever find a recipe I will include it.

Now every road trip needs a theme. Our last one was antiques (but that is another whole story) Somewhere along highway 3 the theme came to us: wine. We were on the BC wine route so stopping at wineries was the answer. Our first stop brought us to a winery called CRowsnest Vineyards how could we pass it up. They had several lovely vintages including one with a label with Crowsnest prominently featured. We bought some and theme was started. On we drove.

We arrived at the BC ferry terminal in Delta just in time - to wait for the next ferry. How in the world these people tolerate all this ferry line waiting I'll never know. Our trip took us to Nanaimo and another low end motel (although it was slightly cheaper and in a better state) but it was 11 pm and we would be off again in the morning.

Day two brought a slow drive down the island highway (now I've been from start to finish on the trans Canada highway) stopping at several vineyards along the way. . Cherry Point Vineyards produces a very likeable white blend called Coastel White that I discovered I can get in Sparwood. We stopped at Merridale Cidery for a sample and lunch. I had a great lamb burger and really enjoyed the tour of the vineyard (?) .

Next it was on to our main accommodations in Victoria. Here I had broken one of the rules of a road trip and made a reservation. The Proir house was a lovely mansion style B&B ( we thought we should actually stay in a few more B&Bs seeing as we own one) with a welcoming hostess and a gorgeous space. From here we explored Victoria ,attending the Royal BC museums’ exhibit from the British Museum, taking in sights and restaurants. The museum trip was good but in some ways disappointing, mostly I think cause I spent 2 whole days in the real thing last year. The best find of the 2 days was a small tapas bar in down town Victoria which I can not remember the name of but it is on a little side street right by the Bay mall. Way good food.

Next it was back in ferry line ups to go to Mayne Island to meet up with family (my uncle lives there) Mayne island is a lovely place all be it slightly introverted. Here I found my dream operation,The Oceanwood . Now if I only had a million of so dollars.

Because I stayed another day with relatives the drive back was quick and uneventful. All in all a great trip.

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Recipe: Cabbage rolls

2009-10-12T08:56:00.003-07:00

One our more popular dishes not on banquets but for take home.(yes we make up things for you to take home occasionally) is Cabbage Rolls. Why am I always making these for people? My guess is that everyone thinks it's lots of work and the ones we make are a little unusual and quit good. They developed from a Dine Alberta menu we made a few years back. The original used local bison instead of beef and had barley in them. Here is what they became. We make them all the time and you can order them from me. I line up a few customers then make several hundred at a time. Or you can make them yourself.

Frozen cabbage defrosted ( freeze it for a couple of days then let it thaw and you don't have to steam it)

Ground beef and ground pork 1/2 and 1/2
Fried bacon and onions (lots of onion)
Par cooked pearl barley (about equal to the amount of beef you use)
Seasoning salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, chicken base (for you that don't have it around in buckets use knor soup base)

Combine all meat, onion, barley and seasoning and yes add the fat from cooking the bacon. Mix well then roll in separated cabbage leaves. place in baking dish. (you want to have enough room in your dish to hold the sauce and it will not boil all over your oven)

The sauce for this is simple - one can of diced tomato, one can of tomato sauce, sliced onion and lots of seasoning particularly pepper. Top the rolls with onion then pour the tomatoes and sauce over the top season well and then cover with plastic wrap (yes plastic wrap in the oven , it keeps the tomatoes from dissolving the foil) and foil back at 325 for several hours. How long depends on how big your pan is. My inserts take anywhere up to 6 hours but the average for a domestic pan would be about 3

Dine alberta, Source Local and Culinary Tourism

2009-10-12T08:52:00.000-07:00

As relatively new travel trend (ok so the trend is not new just the name) Culinary Tourism sounds interesting and right up my alley. I mean that’s how we like to travel, go to a place, immerse ourselves in the culture, history, and food of the area and then head home. Our trip to Japan (2004) was like that. Our trip to England (2007) was definitely like that. Our trip to New Orleans (2008) was the most reflective of that style of travel. The true question is can it be a trend here in the Pass?

Let’s face it the Pass is not known for its fine restaurants or food outlets. When guests think of here(if they do) they think mountains, fishing, snowmobiling, relaxation, and maybe visiting family but fine restaurants are not on the list. What food outlets do we have to choose from? Popiel's, The Tin Roof, Vito's, The Rum Runner, Pure Country, Chris's, Ben Wong's, Rivers edge, Sidetrax, Stones Throw, Happy Mart, Red Crown, Cousin Vinnie’s, Crowsnest Mountain resort, Cinnamon Bear and the Fly Shop ( not mentioned are all the Bed and Breakfasts that serve guests meals) cover about all the restaurants and quazi restaurants. Some are good, some not so much but all suffer from their popularity or lack of in one way or another. And to my knowledge with the exception of one, none of these places source locally. Even I do very little of it (although I do buy local produce when it is available, as well as eggs and some meat products) By Local I do not mean bought in the local grocery store( no restaurant can afford to pay retail all the time and make a profit) but I refer to locally grown or produced product.

It is one of the tenets of the Dine Alberta program, Your menu must have a high percentage of Local ( Alberta ) grown product. Now most of us food preparers use Alberta beef, we would be crazy not to. It’s the best in the world but what about the rest of the raw food stuffs? Where can we get them from? That is one of the mandates of Dine Alberta - putting Chefs, and Buyers in touch with Alberta producers. check out the web site

The next step in joining the Culinary Tourism band wagon would be to identify a food history that is appealing to guests. Is there a possibility here for that? Sure there is. The Crowsnest Pass has a wealth of ethnic diversity that could easily transpose itself into unique eatery menus that could attract guests. Popeil's uses the tool a little , by playing on the owners polish heritage and serving cabbage rolls (on the menu) borscht and perogies( as specials) with great success, Pure Country plays on the western theme but that’s about it. Perhaps it's something for the rest to consider when next they remake their menus.

What do we do ourselves to promote this type of cooking? Not enough! I mean I buy local when every I can. I include dishes of ethnic origins that are very well received. I use as much Alberta produced product as I can. We have participated in the Dine Alberta program and done some really nice meals under that banner but it's still not enough. I think that to tap into this growing tourism trend we would have to band together and do it as a group and then maybe, just maybe we could make a name for ourselves in the market.

For further reading on Culinary Tourism, and Dine Alberta check these out: Alberta Food Road Trip, CHOMP , Culinary Tourism.

What to do with customers that don't pay their bills?

2009-10-11T16:03:00.000-07:00

Although it rarely happens for me occasionally I get a catering customer that doesn't pay their bill. My real question is what can be done? It is really frustrating ,I mean you pay for all the food and your rent on the facility all the linen and then when you give the customer their bill they say they will pay you in the allotted time ( in my case it is net 7days which is better than any restaurant would let you do) . The first week goes by and you don't see them, the second week goes by and you call, they say they will be in right away, then the third week goes by and still nothing so you call again, you say I understand weddings can be expensive perhaps you could manage it in a couple of payments. They say" that would be great I will get cheques to you right away" after a month still you haven't seen them. Now what? It's a small town you think you can trust people but no the ones you don't expect are the ones you have trouble with. I'm thinking that I should run an ad in the local paper "Cognates ____ and ____ on your marriage last month Now please pay your caterer"

The Bonus of Doing What I Do

2009-10-05T08:41:00.000-07:00

This weekend was a real busy one. So busy in fact I had to import my middle daughter ( she’s the one in cooking school) back from Let bridge to help with all the parties. We had 5 dinners, 3 breakfasts, 1 brunch, and 2 lunched all between Friday and Sunday. On Saturday, when 3 of the dinners took place, I left my girls to take care of the 2 small ones ( and they did great, thanks ladies, couldn't have done it without you) My husband and I and the rest of the staff went of to cater a wedding in Sparwood. It was a lovely Celtic affair with guests from all over the world. The bride was lovely, the groom dashing in his kilt and all had a good time. They choose a menu that transported well making out job easier and things went well. In and out in 2 hours with many compliments along the way. It was great.

Now here comes the bonus part. When the bride and groom returned the tablecloths etc. they had rented from me I got not one but three hugs for a job well done. They were so please and they let us know it. They gave me a gratuity for my staff ( I don't believe in automatically charging it but that is a whole other post) which was really nice but what was great was the genuine gratitude that showed in their actions that made my day. It was a reminder after a long week end of one of the reasons why I do this job.

Many thanks to the new Mr and Mrs F for reminding me of the great part of this job. May your life together be filled with happiness.

Recipe: Scalloped Potatoes

2009-10-05T08:20:00.000-07:00

Recently a friend asked "How do you make scalloped potatoes?" Well it's not something I make often as they don't look particularly nice on a plate or buffet line but they are popular when I do make them. I guess it’s one of those "home cooking" (which is actually a term that irritates me to no end, what difference does it make in the quality of the produce where I make it at home or at work) things. Anyways here is the reply I gave my friend:

Ok when I make them it is for a large group but the steps are the same.
You will need a casserole dish about 1/3 to 1/2 again as big as the amount of potatoes you need ( size depends on if you want to risk them boiling over in the oven.
Slice potato into about 1/8 inch slice ( usually peeled but I have done it with new red potatoes with skins on and it turns out very nice) add onions ( add as many as you like up to 1/4 of the potato amount) toss in melted butter ( about 3/4 of a cup for 10 large potatoes) until evenly covered and there is extra in the bottom of the bowl. This is what thickens the sauce so don't be cheap. then mix in flour to absorb all the butter fat. at this time you will want to add seasoning again don't be cheep potatoes require a fair amount of salt etc. I use seasoning salt and extra pepper and sometimes a little garlic powder. Now I tend to use half milk and half whipping cream heated (makes a richer sauce) you need to add the liquid until the potatoes are covered and mix it in well the better it is mixed the less likely the sauce is to break or separate. (this doesn't hurt the taste but makes them look kind of icky. cover and cook in a 300 degree oven until the potatoes are tender. Check them often if it looks like you are getting low on liquid add a bit more milk. It's important not to boil them to hard as the milk will go all scummy but the cream helps to counter that.

I'm sure that eventually in the life of this blog the recipes will become more coherent in format but then again maybe not as I rarely measure, and most quantities I make are far larger than any of you would need but the steps are the same. I guess we will just have to see how things go.

Maybe I should include a tip with each recipe. Tip of the day: remember when you are cooking that the most important thing is taste so season often and taste your creations as you are making them to see how the seasoning is then adjust it. Never take the seasoning amounts in a recipe as gospel they are really only guidelines and nothing replaces your taste buds.

Life Outside of Work

2009-09-29T12:08:00.000-07:00

I do a few things that cannot be classified as work. Not many but a few. One of those things is visit a history forum All Empires Well I do more than visit; I am one of four administrators there. We are a large group of people from around the world that discuss or debate, depending on the day, things historical. Check it out, We would love to meet you.

PS. I'm Dawn there too.

Travel Habits of Albertans

2009-09-29T11:40:00.000-07:00

from: •Alberta Leisure Travel Intentions Study - Top-Line Report, Spring 2005 - May 2005 (12 pages)

- 1,405 respondents completed an 8-minute survey from March 11 to March 27, 2005

-More than forty percent of Albertan Travellers are planning at least one trip to the Canadian Rockies (43%) while slightly less than one-third are planning to visit Edmonton and Area (32%), Calgary and Area (30%), or Alberta Central (29%) during the next six months. Twenty-two percent are planning a trip to Alberta South, while 11% are planning a trip to Alberta North.

-Over half (57%) of all trips that Albertan Travellers expect to make in the next 6 months will be a weekend in duration, while more respondents are planning to take trips 3 to 7 nights in length (18%) compared to 2004 (11%). Consequently, the average length of trips planned by Albertan Travellers has increased compared to 2004.

-The top information resources used to plan leisure trips include: the Internet in general (40%), word-of-mouth (21%), the Alberta Motor Association (AMA) (21%), and previous experience (15%).

Those are some interesting stats. Although from a 2005 report, the person I spoke with at Travel Alberta said that they haven't change significantly. From this we can deduce: 1. Our websites and search rankings are oh so important. 2. The Crowsnest Pass could either be classified as Alberta South or Canadian Rockies either way we are not getting our share of those travellers.

So the real question that arises in my mind; what can we as operators do to bring more visitors to their own backyard? To my way of thinking we have a good start. We all have websites, most of which are linked together. We have our holiday home group site. Our community has several sites. We have some community brag books. We reefer, we network, etc. etc. etc. Now is when the questions start: are our sites optimized to get the best search results? Is it easy for the client to find what they are looking for? Are we taking advantage of all the free advertising we can? Are we members of associations that produce results? Do we have marketing plans for our businesses or perhaps for the group?

On that note, a few years ago I attended a marketing workshop conducted by Travel Alberta. At this meeting we were introduced to a software package that was developed for hospitality businesses to produce a marketing plan easily. It was a great little piece of work which I have used and come back to again and again. Marketing plans like business plans help to solidify your thoughts and give you direction when you find yourself floundering or even just slightly lost. And while we are on the topic check out the Travel Alberta industry site they have all kinds of stuff to help us out. I have contacted Travel Alberta to see if we can get more copies and will keep you posted when I have more info.

Travellers Choose Sleep over Sex

2009-09-28T18:20:00.000-07:00

A Great Night`s Sleep Trumps Great Sex according to Westin'S Sleep study

This study was released in August 2009 and tells Us something we should already know: what beds we put in our accommodation rooms are of the upmost concern. Should we all run out and upgrade our beds? Is bedding just as important as the bed it's on?

In my opinion yes if our beds are not at least mid grade they should be upgraded and yes the bedding is just as important. Much of the hospitality industry is about perceptions and feelings and if you can make a good impression with how the room looks (hence the bedding upgrade) and feels you are more than half way to giving the guest what he or she wants: To leave your place feeling ~~good~~ great.

Harvest of Memories

2009-09-28T07:08:00.000-07:00

On Sept 26 I had the pleasure of catering the annual fund raising dinner for the Crowsnest Museum. The "black and white" event was sold out and it appeared that everyone had a good time. According to Wendy Zack, the curator, the museum made out well. The event included a buffet dinner (I love doing these ones where they give me a lot of freedom to create) that we tried out some new dishes for, coconut curry chicken, a dill and cucumber salad, tomato basil salad, and a cinnamon swirl loaf. They did a silent auction as well as a live auction and then had dancing afterwards. It seemed to be a night that all the locals came out, mixed and mingled. Generally just having a good time and supporting a worthy cause.

Speaking of that Cause, when was the last time you visited our local museum? They truly do an amazing job for a small town museum with little funding and mostly volunteer labour. Take a look at their website Crowsnest Museum. and drop by to visit - it's informative and rather well done

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To get things rolling

2009-09-26T11:34:00.000-07:00

There are a good number of accommodation operators here in the Pass. One section of these operators have chosen to ban together and work cooperatively to promote there facilities and the Pass in general. Of course I'm referring to Crowsnest Pass Holiday Homes. The group is headed up by the tireless Sue Moser and our website can be found at http://www.crowsnestpassholidayhomes.com/ We have 16(I think) members that promote their own as well as the groups accommodations by way of websites, referrals and joint marketing. We don't just promote our properties though, we include events, local attractions, other related operators, and just about anything a traveler could need to get here and have an enjoyable stay. We are always looking for new ways and means to promote. Check it out.

Here's to new beginings

2009-09-26T11:21:00.000-07:00

I tried this blogging stuff years ago and never did get very far. I thought maybe it was time to try again. My hopes for this are to create a place to share experiences, ideas, and general information relating to the tourism industry, hospitality and even life in the Crowsnest Pass. Perhaps we can make new connections with people and keep in touch with those we already know.