Mathéo has landed

Here's the reason I've gone 3 months without a single post on my blog. A cutie indeed. Mathéo was born 9th October 6lb 15oz and Julie & I are as happy as two new parents can ever be. Now four months old, it's a testament to Mathéo's temperament that I am finding the business more stressful than a new born baby. He sleeps alot; doesn't cry too much and; generally has the relaxed vibe of his mother. But I am proud to say he has his father's frown perfected!

Business has been tough. Julie's new found full-time preoccupation with motherhood has left a huge gap in the cafe. Thankfully, we have some incredibly gifted staff who've taken on Julie's usual workload. Jenna Sieben, our new Head of Kitchen & Catering, began to operationalise (if that's a word) the food element of the kitchen. This has been nothing short of a mammouth task. From start to end, Jenna has mapped out instructions on storage, handling, preparation, building items and plating of all food elements.

It's working, but it's costing us. The absence of Julie has led to staffing hours (and therefore wages) increasing significantly. October was a month that almost saw us go under. Hop, skip and jumping our way through the bills has scared us. A line of credit with the bank would seem a logical option but they make everything so complicated and it's $300 just for an application. One part of me feels it's necessary, another part of me wants to stay away from borrowing money.

We added to the chaos by changing the menu and intend to do so every six months in order to give the cafe a seasonal feel. We've also taken on the responsibility to go local, using Sherwood Meats fantastic product of free-range chicken, free-range eggs, locally reared hams and a Montreal-style smoked beef. The flavours are incredible and have improved the quality of the sandwiches dramatically.

So, it will be Christmas soon. With Remembrance Day nearly over, we've found ourselves using this holiday as a starting point for giving the cafe a festive feel. But no Christmas songs until December!