13.10.14 (Day 295)
09.42
Awake since 6.30 this morning and working for the last three hours (apart from writing this). I sort of observed the day of The Sabbath yesterday by only working a half day (seven hours) but worked 14 hour days the previous two. I'm back into this business thing, enjoying the hard work and confident that it will be worth it.
Restaurant at Home is gaining "Likes" on facebook and followers on Twitter. Lots still to do and there's probably two or three days of solid work ahead just to get the social media side of things working and all linked up. It's nowhere near as complicated as setting up and running a limited company - as I've done before - but it's still hard work. And I love it. Those facebook and Twitter pages are little things of beauty; a bit like the wife, who continues to support the endeavor; and our chosen mascot for the Twitter page and elsewhere, a baby Cookie Monster, which is actually a cake made by a cake shop I know well:
Messages of support are coming in steadily:
09.42
Awake since 6.30 this morning and working for the last three hours (apart from writing this). I sort of observed the day of The Sabbath yesterday by only working a half day (seven hours) but worked 14 hour days the previous two. I'm back into this business thing, enjoying the hard work and confident that it will be worth it.
Restaurant at Home is gaining "Likes" on facebook and followers on Twitter. Lots still to do and there's probably two or three days of solid work ahead just to get the social media side of things working and all linked up. It's nowhere near as complicated as setting up and running a limited company - as I've done before - but it's still hard work. And I love it. Those facebook and Twitter pages are little things of beauty; a bit like the wife, who continues to support the endeavor; and our chosen mascot for the Twitter page and elsewhere, a baby Cookie Monster, which is actually a cake made by a cake shop I know well:
Messages of support are coming in steadily:
Michelle Holloway Can u supply n skidaddle so I get the brownie points .. N not look all sweaty n the air blue due to my Gordon Ramsay style cries
Steve Laker Erm, think so. I try to be a combination of Gordon Ramsay, Keith Floyd, Heston Blumenthal, Rick Stein and Michel Roux Jr.
So, I will come in your kitchen, swear a lot, drink all your drink, smoke your fags and fuck about with some food. Everyone wants to fuck me, I do good French and I like the smell of fish. ...See More
Debby Brown lol, hired_________________________________________
I like to maintain humor in business and people buy from people after all, so I don't need to stop being me.
So social media is starting to work. Personal networking is next via LinkedIn: a day's work at least in itself. Business cards and flyers are with the printers and will arrive on Thursday and Monday respectively. I already have distribution of the leaflets arranged via the wife and her wife (they're best friends), who are putting them into envelopes with invoices to a (non-competing) business's customers. It's all about being resourceful and blagging favours at this early stage. Thereafter, hopefully the enquiries will come in, deals will be done and word will spread. Networking and word-of-mouth costs nothing except time and I have a little bit of that at the moment. A couple of potential gigs lined up too. And I can cook, which helps.
Testimonials too; for example:
"Steve is a fun loving cook who likes playing around with food, can create wonderful concoctions with ingredients from your fridge. My favourite dinner was his wonderful southern fried chicken and chips,with a coating to die for."
ANNETTEFurther requests for the southern fried chicken came in, so we let the cat out of the bag:Southern Fried Chicken
(Feeds 4)
For the coating:
1/2 cup plain (or self-raising) flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon powdered garlic
1/2 teaspoon hot paprika
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
Method:
Beat two eggs in a bowl
Mix the coating in a separate bowl
Roll 8 pieces of chicken (drumsticks, breast or thigh fillets) in the dry coating
Coat the chicken pieces in the beaten egg, then roll them again in the coating
Fry over a medium heat in a little oil (about 2-3 tablespoons) for approx. 5 minutes, until golden brown
Transfer the fried chicken to a roasting dish and cook for 20-25 minutes at 180c
Serve with fries, corn cobs, onion rings, garlic bread etc.
Finally, call Restaurant at Home, thank us and book us
More recipes to follow.
And none of this would have been possible without the kindness, generosity, facilities, understanding and opportunities afforded me by my host family: I am forever indebted to them and my future services will be provided pro bono, should I be required. Matt, Nettie and Meg have seen a change in me since I started this whole thing, helped me to start rebuilding my life and they believe in me. That's a big leap of faith and the only way I have to express my gratitude at the moment is to record it here, where it's indelible.
Your in-house chef for now and forever available to serve you.
No more getting arrested for me: no more bookings by the law; no dodgy accounting this time: no more cooking the books.
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