H A V I N G A D R E A M - M A K I N G I T H A P P E N
I feel like this may be quoting or sounding similar to a phrase everyone knows but here goes.
‘Everyone has a dream’. It can vary from wanting to be famous, to being a millionaire one day, to having kids, being an olympic champion or maybe owning your own business. In my case there is absolutely no desire to be famous or even be a millionaire but there has always been the dream of owning my own place. My own little piece of me translated through food, a place where people come because...
1. They ‘LOVE’ the food
2. They enjoy the environment they are in, it being filled with personality or quirky things that make them feel the personality or maybe the journey it took to get there. Whether they’re having a fresh juice, a coffee with their friends or a family feast with thier kids. There is a desire for our (myself and Piers my partner) place to fit most niches. We don’t want it to fit into one bracket of common categories like super healthy, or a place to get drunk (well maybe on food). We don’t want it to feel stuffy. We want it to have areas where people can feel comfort in different ways.
3. People will want to come back having experienced something new that excites them.
P E R S O N A L I T Y & ‘T H A T’ F E E L I N G
I LOVE restaurants, cafes, bars any eating establishments that give me this feeling. The menu is key, I need to read it feeling ‘OH, I fancy that… and that… and mmm what am I going to choose’. That’s the first bit, drawing me in. I’m a very observant person and an initial feeling of ease or comfort is important to me. Have you ever thought just how many things, objects or visuals around us impact our decisions on a day to day basis?
Imagine this scenario - The menu looks good from outside, you walk in the door and the area is overly hot, dark, perhaps the smells aren’t inviting, maybe the staff working are not friendly, they haven’t made any eye contact or even cracked a smile. The environment is stale, clinical, there is zero food in sight, the music is loud and overpowering, all the stools are metal and the tables dirty. Goodness, this doesn’t sound good at all and they are just a few very small visuals we notice.
This very moment I’m writing this blog in a very different environment. It’s instantly inviting with lots of light flooding through the glass and wooden front. As I step in I can feel fresh air, I can smell good food, the menus are on clip boards and they are clear and concise. It’s actually the juices that grab my attention before the food and this is rare. A pineapple, apple, passion fruit orange juice to be exact and it was delicious. The area is calming with food in sight, wooden beams, plants around, appealing looking cakes in the counter and the staff were instantly kind, smiling willing to help with my question of "do you have wifi as I need to book a sky bus ticket fairly quickly?" Sometimes seeing the staff wearing their own clothes is a breath of fresh air, I think you can instantly warm to people based on what they are wearing or maybe as we are all so different it expresses our personalities in that warming sense? Me sitting here in my long dungarees with a t-shirt and still feeling comfortable. It’s awesome how nowadays we can actually wear close to whatever we want in most restaurants. The music is familiar, they are playing Bon Iver. The lovely waitress says "sit anywhere you like and I’ll come take you order." So I take a mooch around. Its interesting, different levels of seating, different styles of comfort, high, low with round and square tables and a high bench bar area. Its clean, there are enough visuals around to make my eyes wonder. It’s a good mix of a few things.
I already know pretty much how my place will look and this place ticks a few of the boxes. Just an injection of a little more personality and it would be even better. Whilst people watching, I can see all different walks of life come here and that’s a good sign. The name of this place is a strange one but extremely awesome once you know the meaning. Its called Veruca Salt. This is from Charlie and the chocolate factory. I cant say why the owner chose this name but it certainly made me smile from ear to ear and now still grinning from the very reasoning for the name. You clever person, I love it!
Little things like this are gold! On a peice of cardboard by the till in a Dim sum place in Melbourne. It made me smile :)
H E R E S T H E T H I N G - T I M I N G !
So here’s the thing, I didn’t come in here with the intention of writing this blog post but I feel that comfortable to get my mac out and just write. It’s making me want to write about my desires and how the realisation of ‘all the little things’ really does contribute to how or when we write.
I should probably mention here where I’m at (mind wise). To date we’ve been away from home 8 weeks. On a journey supporting my partner in a new photography role travelling to specific places for 9.5 months. This opportunity came perhaps not at the right time… but we can’t always choose timing can we? I often say to my friends, family and work colleagues
‘ T I M I N G I S E V E R Y T H I N G '
Being a Chef this is of course relative with day to day tasks but in general timing has a huge impact on all of us. Lets not go too deep into thought, as it would be opening a huge topic. Maybe at a later time, either way I find myself at a point in life feeling so ready to make the dream happen. Create what’s been bumbling around my head for the last couple of years. Saving for this very reason and then Boom… Timing happens and I find myself spending this ‘dream’ money/ savings on this journey.
This is by no means to sound like a regret but it was a decision we made together for the right reasons now. Both realising that we do not have to stay in one place but make the most of the opportunity to absorb as much food, cultures and insights as we possibly can during this time away from the reality at home. This means of course means in my case I’m currently not working so lets think of this time as travelling. There is just so much to see and take in that I feel my mind exploding with ideas.
This very morning at 2am I woke up, wide awake thinking about our place, my dream… with a further hour and half of restless thought. This has happened 3 times in 8 weeks. I hardly say that is normal but it definitely makes me realise that things are changing. The first time this happened was a year ago whist on a 2 week road trip holiday in California. I woke up in the rented converted van at around the same time 2am, sat bolt upright, got my mac out and wrote all the thoughts for the place eventually writing the menu for an hour or so. Sounds crazy!!! Doesn’t it? I remember we had been in Mammoth that afternoon at a very cool eatery with a menu full of worldly food, inspirations from all of over the place translated through 15 simple awesome dishes! We ate there twice in 2 days. Piers, my partner telling me "come on Lottie you really should sleep".
It’s clear that being away lets either my mind open or maybe I just give myself enough TIME to actually absorb things. Feeling free to write, create and visualise. I’m seeing this time away as a learning curve. The menus have already been adapted in these 8 weeks. We find ourselves on buses or planes, sometimes idly sitting in a café and striking up conversation about specific dishes. All influences from what we’ve eaten at new places, even in different countries. We’ll end up having a 10minute conversation about 1 dish, plan to try it then finalize it in my head. With Piers formerly being a chef, now an excellent photographer he’s great to offload to and converse with over food ideas.
So the point to this above waffle is that I’m coming to a realisation in myself that I’m ready. Ready to make the dream happen. At times I actually imagine flying back home to start doing it but this is not just about me. Pier’s dream, (although similar food wise) also has his own dreams and is presently excelling with his photography. Its truly wonderful this man finally realising his potential, being recognized for his talent in new places and all whilst putting up with my nonsense at times. I mean come on, around a year ago I even started buying furniture, 1 off pieces for the place. Much to Piers’ frustration the spare room of our home filling up with pieces big and small. The place has a name of course but I can’t share too much on here.
We have 7.5 more months on this journey. The positive here is that if I feel this way after only 8 weeks then after the entire 9.5 months I’ll be bursting to fulfil these desires. Of course then comes the financial aspect, if I’m spending my savings now doing this then how am I going to be in the position to start straight away? Another thing for me to research, invest TIME into finding how. Will it mean working for another few years as head chef (my previous role being a dream role for me through the amazing people, great location and a their now new founded passion for food I hope I introduced in some small way). Will it mean saving again from scratch? What will happen in this added time?
Being an independent person since the age of 16 working, earning my own living along with having travelled gaining a new appreciation for life itself. Realising how much you can do with such money. Things nowadays, ludicrous amounts on money on weddings etc. Now as I write this I mean absolutely no offence to people who do this. I have dear friends, family close to my heart that do this but I’m made differently inside. I see different ways to invest this money creating a special family business our way. Something I would put my heart and soul into every single day and hopefully one day our niece and nephews popping in after school to help out. In time… I truly hope this will happen.
Lets enjoy this experience for now, were across the other side of the world for a further 7.5 months, I cant believe how much I/ we have learnt in such a small time already, every country contributing in its own little way.
I N V A L U A B L E E X P E R I E N C E – T R A V E L L I N G
I’ve been told by many people that not everyone gets an opportunity in life to TRAVEL as we have been so fortunate to do. Yes, it’s a life changing experience and a very big decision to make, not the easiest one as you willingly decide to miss your family and friends and those small things we definitely take for granted like a decent cup of tea and an English biscuit or just popping to your friends for some cosy time or the comforts of your own home. Albeit we couldn’t appreciate more so just how invaluable this experience has already been and I’m sure will continue to do so as the month’s role on. Nepal, Burma, Bali, Sydney, Melbourne and currently New Zealand have all contributed thus far. Fortunate that the one cooking lesson in Burma made such an impact on me. Without too much detail (read the specific blog MAYANMARVELOUS).
It’s hard to explain from a Chefs perspective how our brains work. If you’re truly in love with food that is and have that passion to create the best you can at every opportunity. Our minds race, everything we eat can be an experience, a learning curve, a new texture, new taste, new combination of ingredients with so many different interpretations from which we take what we like and vise versa and then CREATE. I truly feel that all these motions mentioned come together in many different ways depending on the environment we are in. They become unforgettable moments like learning to make and then eating Momo’s high in the Himalayas, where they originate from and all after hiking 6-8 hours daily to even reach that very point. I, (WE) truly couldn’t be more appreciative for… this Invaluable experience, after all it’s all contributing to the dream.
I N S P I R A T I O N - C A N D O A T T I T U DE
Enough deep talk, as you can probably see my mind is racing at a million miles an hour. To be honest, this is normally the case. Almost every day at my job/ throughout my career my mind is like this. Thinking of my team, thinking of the food, thinking of what I’ll be doing after work at climbing or karate or a bike ride ending up with food. I’m so sure that everyone’s mind races like this. We all fill our brains with thoughts. Some more pro active than others, one of my best friends in particular is a machine, she is so dedicated in not only her job but even her spare time is spent writing on a blog with other professionals, more spare time finishing her masters and then even more spare time spent talking at seminars and all on the other side of the world so far from her family and friends. Well, what an amazing person she is. Were similar in some ways, we both aspire to things; we both like our own space, asserting without being pushed by others. The only difference is I can go home at the end of this so I have absolute admiration for not only her but anyone who takes these leaps of faith across the other side of the world or even at home. You know, I think we all take leaps of faith every day in so many different ways… We all accomplish things daily.
One must push oneself... have some GUMPTION
I N F L U E N C E
Myself and Piers have spent time with a few friends in Melbourne. Just a few days but they can lead by example. Isn’t it amazing what we as human beings can ACTUALLY do? Them a young couple, baby out of the blue whilst doing a doctorate, whist taking on new jobs and taking a motivating course on top of all of this to excel themselves leading to them now having this strong belief and understanding of just what they CAN achieve. It’s definitely rubbed off on us. As we said goodbye they said, "it was so nice meeting you both, cant wait for you to open your place and you guys have a family too". Wow! Just the thought, 1. Did we talk about the place so much? 2. Have they fallen in love with it? 3. Starting a family? Can you even imagine? What if it all rolled into one like it happened for them? Could we do it? Could we be ready? I suppose we really can’t plan everything. One thing at a time would be great though. I had similar thoughts whist on the start of this journey when we were trekking in the Himalayas walking 6 – 8 hours a day. Body exhausted but our legs taking us as far as our brain would tell them to. Impressive what the body and mind can do.
L O C A T I O N - I T S A L L R E L A T I V E
Where will this dream happen? With all this timing to get to grips with as it throws new directions at us, we do need to think. Where will it happen? So many friends have said you might fall in love with somewhere on the journey and end up making base there. That’s a scary thought… We love home, I love the UK. I love the area we live in, the beach being an 8 minute walk away from home, the rolling Southdown’s a small drive or bike ride away. The small villages surrounding and the village we live in. The right mix of a couple of pubs (where are all the cosy pubs aside from the UK), a bakery, a butchers, the local corner shops, tea cake shop, the local Italian, the curry house we do so love to treat ourselves with, the chippy, the green, the community, the Thursday bike rides along the beach with friends and all with very little stress! NO rush, no dash to be somewhere at certain times, no chase in the city. This all sounds very country bumpkin as I write it BUT I’ve worked my years in London working 18 hours a day in the fast pace life. Having moved here nearly 3 years ago to now completely fallen in love with it. I must admit it did take some adjusting to, ordering a coffee at the local café and it taking more than precisely 2 or 3 minutes like you've become accustomed to, maybe throwing in some conversation into the mix. Ha, what… you have time to talk? YES, there is time. Do take those 10 seconds, interact with this human in front of you, they are a part of your day, you’ve met them, they may even say something that could impact your day, week or month. Who knows? Taking the TIME. Remember as I first started this blog, walking into a place and taking the time to notice things. It may only be a few minutes but its all relative.
When starting a business you always look at the footfall. This is of course based on if your in the city or what town your located in. However when you live in an area like this, things are slightly different. If I look back at my own eating preferences over the last couple of years they go a little like this. We drive to a town 20 minutes away for good pizza surrounded by the beauty of the historical town. We cycle to the café that does amazing locally sourced breakfast 10 minutes away. We’d drive or even cycle and hour away to get the best crab in town along the seafront or a country bumpkin pub dinner along the river. This is what we would like to think of our place as. The place you’d come with your family on the weekend, the place our thirty something friends would come for a good catch up, feast and drinks, the place mum or dads take their little ones for a coffee or tea with a cake before walking along the beach, the place the local workers come in to grab their favorite sandwich or salad, the place you take that special someone for a treat night out with good food and a bottle of wine, the place where you can get your mac out and write a food blog for 3 hours without feeling you’ve outstayed your welcome. PERFECT… Thus creating enough footfall to make the business work.
This chap. Created and rebuilt by hand his Charlie Brown then shipped it all the way to New Zealand from France if only for one year. Dedication... one step closer to his dream.
P I E C I N G I T A L L T O G E T H E R
So we’ve established the dream
It will be full of good food people will love
They will feel at ease with the environment enjoying its personality
They will want more… want to try more from the menu
We’ll be a success putting our heart and soul into everything we do
LOVE FOOD! Our team around us needing to be the right mix of having something about them
Its location needs to be us aswell as them
Timing… We never know what’s coming
Thrive on this current journey
Learn and let it influence
Bring it back home
Piece it all together
Making it happen
Live the dream
Life is short!
On this note, were 8 weeks in, there’s 7.5months left. Lets see where we are at the end of this journey. I finish this blog today feeling fulfilled I actually wrote this down. Our good friends already know most of the above. I expect all these small realisations during this journey will piece more and more together. One must push herself to succeed
Until then enjoy this teeny video. I realised where I thought the quote came from but its actually from the film Pretty Woman. Lets not think of Hollywood but instead 'the dream' we all so have in many different ways.