Friday Feb 1 2019

The Water Wheel Motel was a beehive of activity. Bobbie was pleased with the progress on her owner’s suite and the outside work on the motel was finishing up. The weather was co-operating and the new building broke ground and she was surprised how fast it was progressing. The buildings were about forty feet apart and a canopy would join them so you could walk from one building (motel reception) to the other (bar and restaurant) across the driveway and stay dry if it was raining. The swimming pool was already behind the new building so they would share the expanded motel restaurant parking lot out front.

Inside, the motel was moving more slowly. Bobbie was sticking to a plan and a budget that depended on quarterly earnings from Alex’s…her, investments. Her next big project was the restaurant and she could start it the first week of March.

Today, she was heading up to the Community College to speak with the Dean of the Hospitality program, Joan Harland, who was an old friend.

She was ushered into Joan’s office and they hugged and sat down.

“Bobbie, I haven’t seen you in years! I’m so sorry about your husband and your Dad. It must be hard.”

“Thanks Joan, it has been a lot. It’s nice to see you after all this time. I’m back living here now.”

“That’s great Bobbie, I heard something about you buying that motel on the old highway.”

“Yes, I have a restaurant space there and honestly I am not sure where to start.”

“I heard that too. Have you thought about leasing the space to a restaurant chain Bobbie? That would be easiest and it’s a desirable location. There are a couple of communities near that motel that would bring customers, on top of motel guests. And the airport is handy too.”

“I know Joan, I thought about that but Alex and I had a dream of having a big garden and a nice restaurant that is also a small event space for performances or gatherings. I was hoping you’d help me plan the kitchen and dining area and maybe a bar. I’ll pay you of course. What do you think?”

Joan laughed. “You know how to pique my interest Bobbie, I dabbled in designing restaurants before I started teaching. I probably wouldn’t ask for payment if you agreed to cycle some of my culinary students on their co-op semesters through.”

Bobbie nodded enthusiastically “I can pay them.”

“Bobbie, the government pays them. I’m willing to have a look and can come out tomorrow, if that’s OK.”

Bobbie thanked her and left. On her way out she noticed a student sitting on a bench outside the Dean’s office. He was there when she’d arrived. He looked upset.

“Hi,” said Bobbie. “Hey, aren’t you named Mark, and weren’t you one of the students that worked at the New Years party at my Mom’s house? I’m Bobby Orlov.”

“Yes, that was me,” he said miserably, ”I don’t suppose you put a good word for me when you were in there with Dean Harland?”

“I’m sorry,” Bobbie said, “What’s wrong Mark?”

“Oh nothing much, I’ve just wrecked my life and have been kicked out of school. I’m stuck sitting here because I can’t deal with cleaning out my locker and walking out while everyone watches.”

“Oh Mark I won’t ask what happened. I’m sure Dean Harland will be reasonable if you talk to her again.”

“Oh I don’t think so!” moped Mark. “I was really stupid, I’m lucky she didn’t call the police! I was out with my friends, having a few drinks and we decided to head out to my friend’s camp and I decided it would be a good idea to climb through the Community College kitchen window and steal a lasagne that I made before I’d left for the day. It was supposed to be on the lunch menu the next day. I had to confess when I sobered up and I can’t believe I did it.”

“I suppose theft is a biggie,” said Bobbie. “Good people sometimes make bad choices Mark, it shouldn’t wreck your life and at least you fessed up.”

“My Dad will be so disappointed. He’ll say it’s fate and I’ll have to take over the family business. My sister really wants to run that business, you know, we’ve got that big Van Dyke nursery and greenhouse operation out near that motel you’re building, so I’m ruining her life too!” His despair was palpable.

Bobbie thought for a minute. “OK Mark, this is crazy but my motel is opening a restaurant and we’re starting from the ground up so we’ll be designing the space, making the menu, the works. I could hire you now to help me plan and you could be my chef if things work out.”

Mark just looked at her and said, “Really? You’d give me a chance?”

“I’m not going to lie Mark it is a lot of hard work and you reminding me that you’re Dad owns the garden centre is important too. Would you help me plant a garden?”

“A garden for the restaurant​? Like farm to table? I can’t even tell you how much I want to be a part of that, thank you!” finished Mark.

Bobbie gave him her card with her phone number and the address of the motel and they agreed to meet the following day.

Feb 2 2019

As promised, Mark and Joan met Bobbie at her restaurant the next day (Saturday).

“Well Master Van Dyke, fancy meeting you here,” said Joan dryly. “Bobbie you didn’t tell me that you were fraternizing with my delinquent students.” Mark’s face was red.

Bobbie patted his back and said, “I’ve hired Mark to help with my restaurant venture. He’s helped me host private parities before and I know he’s a good worker.”

Joan smiled and said, “I really hope it works out for you Mark.”

They proceeded to look around. Bobbie had left her floor plan with Joan and she had made many notes and worked out how many seats could go into the restaurant. Joan said, “Now I see the space. I see where the bar will go and where the kitchen will be and how the tables can be laid out. This is going to work really well. Now we have to work out a menu and a style.”

They moved into the old kitchen and Joan said, “You should keep the two swinging doors. Servers and bussers can have an ‘in’ door and an ‘out’ door. It is wide enough that you can have a long work table with 2 sinks. This end for the dishwashers and one on the other end for cooks and prep. You can have a big dish pantry on this side because you don’t have much dish storage and on the other side you have to fit a freezer and food storage, a walk in cooler is nice, what’s your budget?”

Bobbie’s head was spinning, “I think I can put in around 250K Joan, do you think it’s going to work?”

“I think you’ve got a shot Bobbie. I don’t see much in this kitchen you can re-use but I see some stainless counter top, maybe. I can keep my ear to the ground and see if I hear about some good quality second hand equipment. The floor looks OK, it just needs a good cleaning. You’re expanding the kitchen and can probably get matching tiles. We’ll have to work out a menu before we customize things.”

Joan appeared to be finished. Bobbie forgot how intense she could be.

“Take my notes, I can help you make a menu but I’d like to see what you come up with first. Your whole design aesthetic will come from your menu ideas. I have to go see my granddaughter dance in a competition in an hour.” She smiled and walked out.

Bobbie called out, “Thanks Joan,” and then she turned to Mark. “Once a teacher, always a teacher. She wants us to make a menu and design the dining-room and then she’ll grade it.” And they both laughed.

“Mark, what do you think you want to cook?”

“I’ll make a menu, I’m stoked about the farm to table idea.”

Bobbie appreciated his enthusiasm and explained that she was planning to have a big garden on the south west slope of land on the side of the motel. “We’ll make terraces and big planter beds where we’ll grow pumpkins and squash.” They agreed they needed a strawberry bed, coloured carrots, beans, beets, spinach, Swiss chard, onions and tomatoes, herbs and raspberries would be nice and a rhubarb plant and maybe asparagus. They’d need a good plan if they wanted to plant in the spring.

With garden planning becoming a priority Bobbie really wanted to start the restaurant but Trixie had suggested they start with opening the bar as it could bring in profit quickly and they needed the money. Bobbie’s first job was to secure a liquor licence and Mark was to work on a pub menu. She would get her crew to clean out the kitchen.

“I’ve got some good appetizer and charcuterie board ideas. I’m going out for pub food right now if you’d like to come.”

“Thanks for the invite Mark, you get out there and do some research!”

Bobbie sat in the car, with heat and called her Mom (Mom didn’t text) and asked if they needed anything. Then she texted Lorne and asked about if he had ideas about designing a restaurant and bar. Then she went home and spent the rest of her weekend building a spreadsheet from Joan’s notes and then a garden planning spreadsheet. It helped her organize her thoughts and eased her uncertainty around what Alex would have thought.