Closing remarks

Well I tried but I can't go on like this. Not enough business to stay open. I have a finacial uphill battle now on my hands. It is what it is now and time to move on. I am proud of my accomplishments here and I learned a lot. A lot about cooking, creating, business, and people. So I served my last dinner (55 persons) on Monday to my son Sam's 8th grade class and parents. It was a lot of fun and it brought back lots of memories of a place full of life and full parking lot. I handled all the cooking and my kids served. I am not giving up on grapeseed or gluten free, somewhere, somehow it will be considered a great thing and I am going to be there. God bless.

Carlos

More Interest?

In the past few days I have had many customers interested in gluten free. A couple were celiacs that were impressed that I knew so much about the disease and what care i took in the kitchen in preparing. There were a couple that had relatives that were gluten intolerant and new what I had to offer. Some word of mouth is getting around. I made the best gf torte yet, I got it down. I made three of them. It is great with strawberries and a red wine, the Kiona Lemberger especially.

End Of April Already

I just realized that it had been over a month since my last entry. What a crazy time. Spring breaks (3 different ones) and Easter came and went so fast. And so much stuff to do still. I've had a few large groups which help but I sure could use more. The big weekend of Spring Barrel was not as lucrative as years past. No one really seems to be all that excited about what the summer will bring, yet there is optimism. I've made some more in roads to the grapeseed offerings, I can make some fries and then melt gouda cheese with reisling grapeseed on them and they are delicious. I can't call them gluten free because my fryer is still used for breaded items. But there are other things that I have an idea about that I will try. I won over a few fans for grapeseed during the weekend - Seattle area wine tasters that were impressed at what I did, especially with the flour. I just hope I can get a break and get the word out faster somehow. The feeling I get, internet sites I visit, and the blogs that I read all have to do with cooking gluten free at home and to be careful when going out. Two hurdles that I see are that people tend to see gluten free food as not very exciting or delicious and gluten intolerant people are not ready to trust a commercial restaurant. There is a lot of work to be done.

Getting Slower and More Behind

I wish I could start at square one all over again but that would not be possible. There is so much that I know now that I could make this thing work. More effective advertising, better kitchen management, food cost control, and lower employee costs. I get good customers just not enough and it is getting tougher and tougher. I can't cut back anything more, I am down to bare bones now. I still feel good about grape seeds but I lack direction right now. I wanted to change the name of the Blue Goose to PGF Grapeseed but right now that is on hold but still a dream.

The Latest to Date

Supposedly this is the week that my seeds are being analyzed by real scientists. I am so curious as to what they will find. So hopefully I can write more about it next time.
People are also asking a lot of questions about the container that I got on my counter next to the cash register. I have written on it "grapeseed for the the sidewalks", which I do use when there has been ice or snow. It does work. Some customers said that it might snow tonight so maybe I'll get one more use this winter.
Business is dragging and I sense that others are to. Not much movement or advertisement for Valentine's day or Red wine and chocolate weekend. It will be an interesting barometer of things to come or not come. I have my specials lined up as I have been stocking up little by little so that I wouldn't have to come up with a wad of cash for food stuffs all at one time.
God is good.

Gluten Free Clam Chowder

Yes it is true, I did not use flour to make a roux for the chowder this past Friday. I just kept messing around and found the right combination of gluten free flours to keep the rich flavor of my clam chowder. I ended up using brown rice flour and riesling flour. This makes the chowder a letter darker in color but it tastes great. I mentioned it to my customers and they said it was still wonderful.

Gluten Free Food Demand

A genetic disorder causes a persdon's immune system to attack his own body if he eats gluten, which is found in wheat and many other grains. Even the trace amounts in many packaged and processed foods can cause a variety of symptoms and trigger a reaction that destroys sufferers' small intestine.

Diagnoses of celiac disease have risen; about 120,000 cases had been diagnosed by this fall, compared with about 40,000 in 2003. This year alone, more than 800 new gluten-free foods have entered the market — more than six times as many as entered five years ago.
Consumers also say the products have improved in flavor and texture as manufacturers have developed new ingredients and cooking techniques.
Experts trace the increase in diagnoses — which led to a boom in demand for gluten-free products — to the 2003 release of a landmark study by the University of Maryland Center for Celiac Research. It estimated nearly one in every 133 Americans, or about 2.3 million people, has the genetic disorder, although most are undiagnosed. The study helped spread awareness of the disease, according to Alessio Fasano, medical director at the center.
U.S. sales of gluten-free food, roughly $700 million in 2006, are rising 15 percent to 25 percent a year, according to research firms Mintel International and Information Resources Inc. Manufacturers expect sales to remain strong because celiac sufferers don't outgrow the disease.
Along with people who are allergic to wheat, people with celiac remain manufacturers' target audience, although some consumers believe gluten-free food may help other problems.

Gluten-free baking is difficult, requiring a blend of rice, tapioca and other flours and the addition of substitutes such as xanthan gum.

Using Expandex, a modified tapioca starch introduced in the U.S. about two years ago, imparts a texture more like wheat's, makes baked goods rise higher and improves their shelf life.