Rewind and Refresh

My last post ended saying that I would be interested to see where I am a year from now.Well, it has been almost two years since my last post which may give an idea of how hectic life has been. I am going to use this post to give a brief summary of the last two years so that we can get caught up to current events.

On the Home Front:We finished all of the renovations on the house and were able to move in by Oct. 3rd 2009 which was just in time for Keitt to arrive on Oct. 15th. We quickly adjusted to parenthood which turned our entire world upside down.
As we were just getting used to having a baby around the house we received some unexpected news. Candace was pregnant again and only a few months after Keitt was born. Once we wrapped our heads around the idea of having another child so soon we hunkered down and started getting ready for number 2. We quickly found out that we were having another boy and that his due date would be only a few weeks before Keitt's 1st birthday. Candace did a great job handling Keitt from newborn to crawler all while going through yet another pregnancy.
Jackson Cole Dantzler was born on September 28th 2010 with a head full platinum blond hair and was quickly named "the Golden Boy" by the hospital staff. Born only 11 1/2 months behind Keitt we were informed that it is almost physically impossible to have children any closer together other than having twins. Jackson is now 11 months old and should be walking soon and we are getting ready to celebrate 1st and 2nd birthdays back to back.
As we finally settle into some semblance of normal the years ahead are looking to be fun filled and enjoyable. We are going to start the process of adoption soon and are looking forward to the blessings that are to come.
On the Job Front:
There have been many changes here as well. I ended up staying at Harpin's for 8-9 months and really enjoyed my time there. My main focus in that job was to improve efficiency and quality in the day to day operations and to expand the catering side of the business. I probably would have stayed there for at least 2 years if not more.
Then in March 2010 Ingleside called. I had catered an event for the Ingleside Staff Christmas party in December 2009. Shortly after this event, the head cook at Ingleside fell ill due to cancer and was no longer able to work. At this point a few of the staff members that I had interacted with during the catering job called to see if I would come meet with them to consult them on their Food Service program. I had never really thought about the scope of church food service but I was interested and always looking to network. My initial thoughts were that this might mean a considerable amount of business for the restaurant if I could gain Ingleside as a repeat account.
Little did I realize the extent to which Ingleside was interested in my expertise. It became quite apparent after our first meeting that they wanted to see if I was interested in running their program.
I was apprehensive at first because of the commitment I had made to Paul and Hazel but I really saw the Ingleside job as a whole new direction of my career and was excited about the possibilities. After a few conversations with Candace and after receiving Paul and Hazel's blessing I accepted the position at Ingleside and started a few weeks later. The Monday before Easter 2010 was my first day and I had 5 days to put together a reception for the 5,000 people expected to be at Ingleside that weekend. "Whatever it takes."
I have now been at Ingleside for almost 1 1/2 years and it has been great. I have made lots of changes in the program and I am looking to make many more. I feel challenged to improve and expand daily. I am surrounded by godly people that have lifted me up.
Walking with God:
The biggest change in my life since our move back from Colorado has been finding a relationship with God again and seeing him working daily in my life. Candace and I have been getting involved as much as we could with our church and my eyes have been opened as to what it means to live a Christian life. I feel that God worked to put us where we are today to bring us closer to him.
I have a thirst for knowledge of the word and how to apply God to my daily life. I am looking forward to seeing God continuing to work in our lives and our children's lives. 

Harpin's Restaurant

Here I am! Back in Macon officially.

I have actually been back for almost 2 months now but I feel as if I am just now getting settled. My wife and I have been in the process of renovating a house and we are hoping to get moved in and settled before baby Keitt comes in October. Everything with the pregnancy has been moving along well and Candace is ready to have the baby NOW!

I have started working my new job and I am in the end of my third week. It has been quite an experience and I am very happy to be where I am.

Harpin's is the name of the restaurant where I am working and it is a fun place that is full of potential. The owner's are Paul and Hazel Harpin, who came to Macon many years ago from England. Paul is a classically trained chef that was brought to Georgia by the Capricorn record label(Allman Brothers, Otis Redding, etc.) to open a European style fine dining restaurant in Macon.

Paul has worked in Macon for 30+ years and started Harpin's 4 years as a working retirement. The restaurant was only supposed to do lunch items like sandwiches, soups, and salads. However due to popular demand the restaurant has started to open on Friday nights for dinner which is fun because there isn't a set menu so we can really cook whatever we want. Hope fully we may be able to expand further to more nights a week but we will have to see.

There is a lot to be done with what Paul calls "the little restaurant that could" and I am interested to see where we will be in a year from now.

Savory Strawberries

I have been playing around with using strawberries as a sweet addition to savory salads and I put together a nice plate at work last night.

I started with a very peppery baby arugula, fresh sugar snap peas, and sweet Chioggia beets that we got in from Cure Farms in Boulder http://www.cureorganicfarm.com/. I tossed the vegetable mixture in a light but tangy buttermilk vinaigrette. After plating the greens I topped the salad with small slices of strawberry, toasted walnuts, and chevre goat cheese.

While this is a very simple salad the flavors played well off of each other and the color contrast between the bright greens, the reds of the beets and strawberry, and the bright white chevre made for a nice presentation.

Eat a Peach

As I sit here in Colorado at the beginning of the summer my mind wanders to memories of the first peaches of the summer. I can't help but think that it was the email that I received the other day saying that Georgia peaches are coming into season. Unfortunately, I won't be able to make the 45 minute drive to Fort Valley or Musella to hand select fresh picked peaches until I get back to Georgia in late July. I am looking at this delay as a positive however because I will be back in time to get some of the late season fruit that is perfect for eating fresh or using in recipes such as peach ice cream or cobblers.

Peaches are divided into two categories cling stone and freestone. Specific tree varieties fall into each category and ripen at different times. In Georgia, the cling stone varieties are in season from the middle of May through the first of June and produce fruit best suited for preserving either pickled peaches or as jam or jelly. The freestone trees start coming into season in the middle of June and run into August. The freestone fruits are the peaches that everyone looks for each year with soft flesh and that perfect sweet flavor. These are the peaches that drip juice down your chin when you bite into them.

There are a few tree varieties that are in season between the cling stone and freestone seasonswhich are referred to as semi-free. These middle season peaches can be used as either of the other categories but don't produce results that are quite as good.

If interested in growing your own peaches it is very simple. After enjoying a wonderful peach this summer simply take the pit and store it in a Ziploc bag in the refrigerator until October. Then remove and plant approximately 5-6 inches in the ground. Once the tree starts to grow use a stake to keep the growth straight and in 2-3 years you should have fruit. (Be sure to water and use organic fertilizer)

For those of you in Colorado the Palisade peaches are wonderful(their season starts in July) and you can pick them up at the Boulder Farmer's Market http://www.boulderfarmers.org/.

Sweet Tea

The way I figure, the start of any great southern meal is a tall, refreshing, ice cold glass of sweet tea so that is were I'll start. This luxury that we enjoy at any restaurant and most homes in the South is something that is unavailable and sometimes even unheard of in the bustling western metropolis that is Denver, CO. So the question is what can one really say about sweet tea because it is just black tea and sugar, right? Well not exactly.

First for instructions:
For one gallon of tea- Boil 1 qt of water, once boiling remove from heat allow boil to drop and add tea bags. Allow tea to steep for at least 5 minutes. Longer if desired.
Combine hot tea and at least 1 cup of sugar(1 1/2 -2 cups if more sweetness needed)
Allow sugar to completely dissolve and add remaining 3 qt's of cold water
Pour over ice and enjoy with a slice of lemon.

I have comprised a list of things to consider when home brewing and drinking sweet tea. Now this is not as complicated as canning but it is just as important to remember these guidelines.

Do use a quality tea designed for iced tea(Luzianne, Lipton, etc.)
Do use the proper amount of tea bags- 2-3 family size bags per gallon of water
Do always dissolve sugar into hot tea(sugar added to cold tea is sweetened tea not sweet tea)

Do not boil the teabags
Do not add ice to the tea except in the individual glass
Do not take too long to drink a gallon of tea, as it can spoil

Hopefully this post was helpful for those people in the dark about the proper preparation and enjoyment of sweet tea. For all of y'all from the south I can only hope that my methods represent the way you and your family make this delicious beverage. If not please comment and leave your methods and opinions.

New to Blogging

So here it is my first blog post which is definitely out of my comfort zone as I have never claimed to be much of a writer.

To give a little background, this blog was started as a group of blogs that will make up the Unseasoned Chefs(UC) blog which is just getting started. The UC blog will be a combination of different blogs from three chefs that came from different parts of the nation, different backgrounds, different food philosophies and yet they all ended up in Denver, CO at the same time and in the same classes at Johnson and Wales.

We are all now at the start of the same yet different path through our culinary careers. I am working at my internship site The Flagstaff House in Boulder, CO. http://www.flagstaffhouse.com/ I have been working there for about 2 months and have approx. another 2 months to go.

The main focus of this blog for the moment however will be the restaurant that I will be working at when I return home to Macon, GA. I will become the managing partner for Harpin's Restaurant which is a small lunch and catering business that I have worked at before. The restaurant does not currently offer a regular dinner service so I will be developing a dinner service for the 25 seat restaurant. This blog will follow me as I locate purveyors, develop recipes, and build menus for food that is southern inspired and based on products that are available, fresh, local, seasonal, sustainable, and organic.

I hope that as readers you will appreciate the journey I am taking and I encourage you to make comments and suggestions.