A very personal review of 2019
You may have noticed there have been a few changes around here from our salt production to Kent’s School Food Service work. We thought we’d share some of those details here as we wrap up 2019.
In January, we enjoyed an extended honeymoon on the Yucatan Peninsula, experiencing the food and culture unique to that beautiful part of Mexico. We found inspiration, rejuvenation, and joy in the adventure!
We returned the day before the big Lake Chelan Winterfest Battle of the Bloody Mary, ready to dive into work. But, life had other plans. After nearly 24 hours of travel and a full day of prep for the Bloody Mary Contest, Kent started having chest pain. So, we spent most of the evening in the ER making sure he was doing alright. When all signs pointed to “he’ll probably be okay,” we decided to continue our plans to compete in the Battle of the Bloody Mary the next morning.
The ER visit was a wake up call. Further tests would show that Kent was fine. But, this is the stuff of clichés. We knew we had to adjust our pace.
We came into the season with plenty of Private Chef work on the calendar, but realized that in order to approach the year with more balance, we would need to shift our focus to Kent’s work as a School Food Service Consultant. Kent had a great year, serving seven school districts, including our very own Lake Chelan School District! It has been a great year for helping schools provide healthier, tastier, farm to school meals for students. Kent loves teaching people how to cook!
However, we weren’t ready to slow down, just yet!
In June, the night before our biggest, annual, Private Chef job, CherylAnn tore her ACL in a tragic laundry accident. Thankfully, we have a pool of wonderful friends/employees who jumped in to help. We feel grateful to have served many lovely guests in and around the Lake Chelan Valley for the rest of the year, without a hitch!
In July, the day after a large catering event, Kent had emergency surgery for a detached retina! This emergency fell exactly one week before he was to speak at a School Food Service event with the Washington State Department of Agriculture. At this point, he couldn’t see how he was going to get it all done. 😉
Clearly, the Universe was trying to tell us something. We were picking it up, loud and clear! But, we were not so sure the Universe understood medical bills and mortgages. We are living in faith that all will be well.
2019 would see two more surgeries, and even a trip to Paris, in addition to our continued work in the four separate arms of our big, gangly, business. CherylAnn continues to teach music in her home studio. Kent continues to consult with school food service professionals. We are selling lots of our Fresh Garlic Seasoning Salts, serving Private Chef guests and teaching Cooking Classes, and more! There is always a lot going on around here!
We are definitely shifting our focus away from the body-breaking work of catering. We will continue to do Private Chef work and Cooking Classes for groups of 10-20+ on a limited basis and we are already nearly full for 2020. Even so, don’t hesitate to reach out to us about your special event needs — things change all the time.
Looking ahead to 2020, you’ll see more recipes, videos, and tutorials that feature our Fresh Garlic Seasoning Salt, more about the good things happening in school food service, and more of our food adventures.
In 2020, our clear vision is on staying healthy and getting healthier! CA will be focused on education. CheffyK will be focused on healthy food for kids in schools.
Thank you for your support, your Facebook and Instagram likes and comments, for sharing your photos with us, and for sharing your lives with us. We are grateful for all of you!
We wish you a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year!