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The Weekly Newsletter for October 13, 2014
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Small and Steady Wins the Race
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Dear friends,
A couple of "we-can't-wait-to-tell-you" things are pending, one a lovely article about us and bees and everything. We'd like to make sure it's on the publication's website first - we'll show it to you next week.
Adam did an interview which is part of a new publicity campaign - we'd like to keep being part of the world of links to us through our neighbor organizations. We'll show you when it's up!
Adam and Emily are planning a few updates to the look of the cafe, in the way of lighting and painting. It's all in progress, subtle and, we think, refreshing.
We're working on a new display for our new T-shirts (more below!) - for the time being it's a bit utilitarian but we want you to SEE them - so they're neatly arranged, and more snazzy presentation will come along soon.
We're searching for new sale systems, which will let us automate some parts of the operation which are currently done by hand. Easier for inventory, easier for sales and more accurate ordering, easier for the office staff to hop in up at the register when it's busy (which is a LOT!) easier to make deposits for all those PARTIES you're working on with us.. (Thank you!!)
For years, Laurey's staff has followed the Zingerman's system of Open Book Finance, a marvelous tool for growth and analysis. This year, more areas of Laurey's operation got involved in owning their own numbers, in looking at trends and forecasting results. (Did you even know we have departments? Yes, we do!)
Better tracking as we continue into the future will make it easier to stay focused on the real good parts of the work of the cafe. 
Some of these subjects are simply the underpinnings of success, which in fact you probably don't need to pay much attention to...I don't suppose it's a particularly jazzy part of our story. (After all, who says to their customers, "Just WAIT till you see our new Point-of-Sale system!!?")
But perhaps as you feel it all running just a little smoother, you can say to your fellow guests, "Ahh! You know, there are a lot of nice little things going on around here. Did you know they just got a new ..[something really cool!]? Yes, indeed!"
And when Adam and Emily select a new anything, we will show you all about it.
*the photo is our Margot, cook-er and baker and smiler extraordinaire.
- from Heather Masterton
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Dinners to go for the week
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Here are dinners to go for this week. This, if you do not know, is a fabulous way to have dinner. It's easy - just call us by noon and your dinner will be ready for you to pick up by 3 that very day.
You can stop by to pick yours up until we close at 8.
Add salad (3.25) or bread (1.25) if you like.
 Monday, October 13 Chicken Cordon Bleu with
Cauliflower Melange $9.25
Tuesday, October 14
Sweet Potato Gnocchi
with Spinach Saute $8.95
Wednesday, October 15
Hoisin BBQ Ribs with
Sweet Potato Wedges $9.95*GF*
Thursday, October 16
Meatloaf with
"Loaded" Mashed Potatoes $9.25
Friday, October 17
Shrimp, Corn & Basil Saute
with Jasmine Rice $10.95
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Casserole and Lasagnas to go!
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Casserole of the Week
whole serves (9) ~ half serves (4)Wednesday, October 15
Portabella Mushroom
& Eggplant Parmesan
Whole $35/Half $17.50
Lasagna of the Week
whole serves (9) ~ half serves (4)
Friday, October 17
Pastitsio Eggplant & Local Beef
Whole $54/Half $27
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What the Heck is up with Tye?
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My friends, I am thrilled to report to you that our beloved Tye, Laurey's darling pup, has just retired.
"What's that?!" you say?
Yes, well, you may recall that our girl had moved in with a large and loving family. Very active, lots of loving kids, a couple of other beloved dogs, familiar faces all day long, got to go to the office with Dad (Whitney) and all...
Turns out it was a bit much. For her.
Her dogsitter casually mentioned to Whitney, "You know, if you ever have second thought about having three dogs...." Turns out they would love to adopt. Her.
So here, my dears, is her new family's portrait of "Princess Tye".
I'll send you a couple more photos and some of the back story later, but for now, can you imagine a more relaxed, happier animal? She adores Dick and Diane, they adore her, the house is remote, large, sunny, and quiet.
Very important to Tye, that turns out.
Quiet.
Thank you so much for caring. I hear from you all the time: "How's Tye?"
She's great.
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New T-Shirts!! New colors! New styles!
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At last, at last - a new crop of T-shirts, grown just for you!!
Adam and Emily thunk and thunk about this one, and made a terrific selection of colors, new settings for our favorite Laurey's Cafe slogans.
 Some sizes reflect the longer styles we see nowadays, so try one on or at least hold it up, to see where each falls on you.
"Don't Postpone Choy" features a great green-and-white Bok Choy, now available in a soft fawn.
"Hug a Farmer, Kiss A Cook" appears on a very stylish sage. Still has a tractor. Yes!!
"Suh-WEET!" is a smooth navy - AND it has the ENTIRE recipe for Laurey's Sweet Potato Salad on the back - a sure way to impress your friends.
And of course our favorite, archetypal (did I spell that right? I think so...) black T-shirt, cool, comfortable "Laurey's Cafe".
Simple. Sweet. Perfect-o.
All sizes, all all all, are $19.95 plus tax. Come and get 'em while the selection is complete!
 Of course we can always order more, but isn't it nice to think about some (oh, please don't hate me!) some early GIFT IDEAS!!!
(Okay, go ahead and hate me. I personally do almost all my significant shopping on the Eve of the holiday-which-must-not-be-named-at-least-not before-Halloween.)
Our model here is the marvelous shopster, Byrne.
Byrne is a firefighter, back in his home state, and he is in the process of getting certified to be one here.
He and I and a lovely gal from the board of the Buncombe Country Rescue Squad have been trying to get an article written about him and them for several weeks. I did the interviews, and I'll get it in next week!
Their ambulance just sort of blew up last summer. Actually, it spontaneously combusted. Truly.
I thought only haybarns did that.
Like all Rescue Squads, they are a wonderful group of people, and we encourage you to support them.
More later!!
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Laurey's notes (from a lifetime of writing)
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[So much has been written about Laurey and her life projects, but of course the best spokesman is Laurey herself. In this column we present archival reprints of her messages.
[I am re-typing Laurey's OFFLINE early newsletter, a paper version, produced only once a month in the early years. This is from October of 1999. - Heather]
January 1999
My father was a wonderful man. Very smart. Great conversationalist. Stern, too, and sometimes impatient as a father. Luckily for us, he also had a great sense of humor. I thought of him this morning as I was leaving home.
One of his daily tasks was driving me and my sisters to school. It was just an eight-mile drive, but because it was on dirt roads the trip usually took a half hour. It seemed like one of us was always forgetting something. Especially in the winter, one of us would find, usually when we were halfway to school, that we were missing one key item.
One of us would be sitting in the back seat of the car, sniffling away, forgetting that that was one of our father's pet irritations. "Where is your handkerchief!?" he'd blast. "Haven't I told you girls to carry a handkerchief?"
"I forgot it," would come the faint reply.
Or sad was the one who sat next to him and was seen licking chapped lips. "Where is your chapstick?" he'd ask. "Didn't I give each of you your own chapstick?" He'd huff and pull out his own stick, handing it over and sighing as if he would never ever understand how anyone could possibly leave home without this absolutely essential winter accompaniment.
We'd rub our lips with HIS chapstick, and then sheepishly hand it back to him.
It got to be a joke with all of us. The list of what we were supposed to have evolved over time. "Homework", of course was high on the list. "Chapstick", certainly. "Handkerchief" was on the list, though over time it was amended to "Kleenex." In the winter, "Hats" and "Mittens" were right up on top. And, the finale was usually "Dime to call home," which was a big joke because there were no pay phones at our schools or in our town, but he always included it and we felt very sophisticated knowing that, in some places, this too would be essential.
So this morning, leaving home, I found myself going through my personal list, my father's voice still ringing strong in my mind.
"Kleenex, lunch money, chapstick, homework, dime to call home..."
Funny, I noticed with a smile, I had almost all of them.
[source: Laurey's monthly newsletter, published on paper, January 1999]
- Heather Masterton
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This was me a couple of weeks ago, after what I called a "flower slam" - got to get 'em done, lots of other jobs today, office staff at Laurey's a bit short that week, Heather, would you like to step in? That was fun!
I planned a visit to Judy Carson, the source of our lovely lovely cafe flowers. We picked Sunday.
Sunday morning came a mournful email: "30 degrees up at the farm, many flowers frozen. We are still waiting to see how the dahlias did. Come anyway if you just want to visit."
The sky was blue, the sturdier flowers withstood the depredations of early October.
We had a lovely visit, thoughtful chats about life on the farm, what the future might hold, the farm rescued from dereliction many years ago, slipped through the cracks between generations. Now it thrives, has a fresh new hive of honeybees, just perfect.
It was a great day. Just thought you'd like to see a couple more blossoms. Just for the heck of it.
Thank you, Judy!!
  
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Angora Goats (with a Guard Donkey 'wa-a-a-y in the background)
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So on Sunday we visited the Flower Lady, Judy Carson, up in Barnardsville, a quick drive of a fall morning. We also had the unexpected treat of meeting Steve and Judy's thriving flock of angora goats.
They are very nice goats, soft and amiable, and forgive me, not smelly.
In their years of farming, the Carsons had raised plenty of animals that had to be sold when they were grown up enough, or trained enough, or in some way ready for sale. This aspect of farming gave the Carsons a hard time. They did not like it at all.
Now they host maybe 50 critters, who all just live there. Periodically they send a crop of silky angora fur off to market. The rest of the goat remains on the farm, a very good deal for all.
Here's one of the babies (well, they are about 2 years old) inhaling her favorite treat, a banana peel. She did also eat the banana itself, but that took longer - she actually seemed to prefer the peel. Gotta love goats.
The Angoras are guarded by a small donkey named Jack, who defends them from coyotes.
I couldn't resist a quick VIDEO of the sheep running up to greet us - Jack followed, a tiny figure in my little film - I put in subtitles in case you can't quite hear Steve's chat. (and if you bring it up full screen, you can see Jack..!)
"So what does Jack do if a coyote does show up?", we wondered.
"Well," Steve laughed. "He just moseys along till he gets close enough, then makes a dive at it with his teeth and front feet...and they either get away or he stomps 'em.
"So far they've got away.
"He made one climb a fence a little taller than this two weeks ago ... and then came strolling up through here just like he is now, like nothing happened."
Anyway, it was a nice day to visit goats.
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