This time of year

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.  

The Chefs Table?

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?

Taste the Local Difference

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

Sourced Local

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

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

Trade Type Shows

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.

New ways to post

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!!

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

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):
                                            

                    

B&B forums

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

New Tastes are a Go!

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

Why Travel?

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?

Dine alberta, Source Local and Culinary Tourism

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?

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

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.

Travellers Choose Sleep over Sex

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.