When you walk into the ChefShop retail store, newly relocated to Elliott Avenue, it feels as though you've stumbled upon the most wonderful little mom-and-pop operation that's a secret just waiting to be discovered. Except, of course, that almost no one actually walks on Elliott, making it impossible to stumble onto anything - not to mention the fact that the successful business of ChefShop.com is hardly a secret. The lovely little shop, which is housed in an unremarkable building, is filled with beautifully displayed gourmet foods and ingredients, giving no hint of the tremendous online business that is being conducted literally on the other side of the store walls.ChefShop.com got its official start in 1999 and, in spite of its constantly growing status among chefs, self-proclaimed gourmands and folks who just like good food, the business remains relatively small, with only four full-time (and as many part-time) employees. Although the majority of ChefShop's sales are conducted via the Web, owners Tim Mar and Eliza Ward have managed to create a retail store that stands on its own merit. Both the feeling of the store and the size of the company reflect the owners' general policy that smaller is often, if not always, better.
When you walk into the ChefShop retail store, newly relocated to Elliott Avenue, it feels as though you've stumbled upon the most wonderful little mom-and-pop operation that's a secret just waiting to be discovered. Except, of course, that almost no one actually walks on Elliott, making it impossible to stumble onto anything - not to mention the fact that the successful business of ChefShop.com is hardly a secret. The lovely little shop, which is housed in an unremarkable building, is filled with beautifully displayed gourmet foods and ingredients, giving no hint of the tremendous online business that is being conducted literally on the other side of the store walls.ChefShop.com got its official start in 1999 and, in spite of its constantly growing status among chefs, self-proclaimed gourmands and folks who just like good food, the business remains relatively small, with only four full-time (and as many part-time) employees. Although the majority of ChefShop's sales are conducted via the Web, owners Tim Mar and Eliza Ward have managed to create a retail store that stands on its own merit. Both the feeling of the store and the size of the company reflect the owners' general policy that smaller is often, if not always, better. Mar and Ward, a husband-and-wife team who live on Queen Anne, share a passion for supporting small producers, both international and local, including a selection of meats from A&J; Meats and local cherries grown by Batch Farms in Central Washington, for which they've received mention in The New York Times and public radio's Splendid Table. ChefShop is run with the ideology that, in order to maintain consumers' access to the most wonderful, artisan-created products, it has a responsibility to support those producers by carrying their merchandise.
Last month, I read fellow Madison Park Times columnist Roberta Cole's fantastic piece, "Living in the present while recalling the past." The article got me thinking about how best to deal with my past.We've all made mistakes - some big, some small and some substantial enough that they've played a role in the people we are now. No one's perfect, and we can only aspire to be better than we are.The diagnosisWhile I was in high school, I was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, a form of high-functioning autism. People with Asperger's syndrome tend to be highly intelligent and are able to read the social cues and nonverbal communication that is pervasive in interactions with other people.For those with Asperger's (often called "Aspies"), the world is a strange and hostile place.
Once upon a time, there was an unusual-looking, waterborne craft called the Gus Arno. John Gilbert was "The Captain." On any weekend or weekday (sick leave), The Captain would predictably call the crew and an assortment of passengers - new or old, shy or brazen - to show up on Madison Dock by 11 a.m. sharp. The crew consisted of the Ship's Admiral, Ship's Doctor, Ship's Princess, Ship's Mortician and the Ship's Minor. There were a few other colorful crewmembers whose titles reflected their positions as well.As The Ship's Doctor, I was the medicinal mixologist who always had a Band-Aid in my wallet. One of my duties was to assist in making calls to friends to guarantee a solid crew of 15 or more. Everyone we called went forth and called more friends. We proudly had on hand three bright-orange life preservers still in plastic wrapping in case there was any question of safety. The crew met promptly at 11 a.m., stood on the deck and cheered on The Captain as he rounded the corner where the Edgewater and the Lakeshore apartments met.The Captain was a long-haul truck driver when not manning the Gus. He not only had a talent for steering large, bulky vehicles and/or vessels, he was gifted with highly contagious laughter. He was also the organizer of all things water-related.
WSDOT's current plan to reconstruct the SR 520 Bridge has a number of residents in the Montlake area seriously concerned. While WSDOT flirts with four-lane and six-lane options for the new 520, it's the possibility of a Pacific Street interchange that has residents most uneasy.With seven different Seattle neighborhood groups in firm opposition to the proposed measures, new proposals have emerged. Residents of Madison Park, Broadmoor, Roanoke, Eastlake, Laurelhurst, Ravenna-Bryant and the University District have rallied together behind one unifying cry: "The plans have to be changed!"This cry also belongs toTed Lane of the Portage Bay/Roanoke Community Council. Lane and a number of residents around the community began their campaign a year and a half ago, and since the group's commencement, they have approached local politicians, engineers, consultants, and WSDOT with alternative proposals.
When asked about the small trees on East Madison Street, Madison Park Jewelers operator Ann Bernard smiles a patient and enduring smile. "I have faith in Mother Nature and that they'll grow," she says. "Some babies are ugly when they are born, too."When 10 of Madison Park's signature sweet gum trees were pulled out of the sidewalk between 42nd and 43rd avenue east last fall, some long-time residents felt like a cruel joke had been played on the community. "What [city arborists] didn't discuss with anyone in the neighborhood was that the ... trees are little tiny sticks," said 56-year Madison Park resident Jan Maloney. "They changed the entire ambience of the commercial district."The young crepe myrtles, which were put in place of trees that were damaging local sidewalks, are less that half the size of the trees they replaced.
What would I like to write - ahh, there's the rub. Of course, ideas flood my mind. I'd like to do the books or book about the two women mountain climbers, I think, for young adults. I'd like to rework the peanut butter article and a couple of others. I'd like to get the diary into novel or docudrama form. I'd like to get "Halligan's Halo" into a TV format. And on and on. Someone once said everyone has great ideas; it's bringing them to fruition that counts.I beat myself for my lack of drive to pursue these many ideas. I know there is a market for them, but do them I do not. Why? I ask myself. And I think I've come up with the answer. I love to write, to put words down on paper, to find a word that says exactly what I want to say, to capture the rhythm of dialogue, to express the ordinary from a different perspective, like Aunt Mil's ashes.
There exists a city by the sea where the aroma in the air is full of bougainvillea, mango fruit, bananas, exotic spices. A place where the sun glistens all day on the water and the waves splash gently upon the sandy coast.A place where the people you meet are the kindest, gentlest, most giving people you could ever find on this beautiful earth. You walk down the street, and from every little dusty shop come calls: "Madame! How are you today, Madame?"If you stop for one moment outside their shops, you are offered coffee whether you are there to buy or not. And if you stay long enough to drink the coffee, you will hear stories. Horror stories of a war now over. A long civil war that tore this beautiful paradise apart.
The Blue Angels have been a part of Seafair and have contributed greatly to Madison Park's claim to fame year after year as they practice their maneuvers. The blue brigade endlessly loops up and around and straight down 42nd Avenue East, delighting and disturbing otherwise peaceful summer pursuits. With their crashing, bellowing engine thrusts, the beach patrons and ready observers are thoroughly thrilled with this end-of-summer festivity.The invitationMy memories of Seafair events are many, but one especially close to my heart is one weekend about 23 years ago. We were minding our own business - having an end-of-the-day, well-deserved gin and tonic - when our friend Bill called. He lived on 43rd Avenue East on the lake and simply asked if we could come over and cook for the Blue Angels. This was his way of inviting us to a party.We discussed this alternate way to spend our time in one minute flat and promptly agreed.
Now more than ever, this nation must find the courage to ask hard questions - and demand clear answers - about the Iraq war.Did the Bush administration deceive the American public in the run-up to war? Is deceiving our country into war an impeachable offense? We believe, on both counts, the answer is yes.There is considerable, credible information on record to support such a conclusion. We believe President Bush, in a well-orchestrated campaign, sold this country into an unnecessary, incompetently conducted war based not on sound policy, but personal pathology. This administration was not the hapless victim of faulty intelligence; this is an administration of hyper-intentionality. As former Secretary of the Treasury Paul O'Neill stated: "From the very beginning, there was a conviction that Saddam Hussein was a bad person and that he needed to go. ... It was all about finding a way to do it." The integrity of our democracy demands that we not ignore evidence of pre-war deception.
It's the dog days of summer, and if you have young children, you know it's time to start thinking about back-to-school - and back to the formation of the "great pile": school art projects, homework assignments and permission slips that collect on kitchen counters, creating clutter that never seems to go away. You can help you and your family prepare for the new school year by spending some time getting organized now. Remember, getting organized is not just going through and clearing the piles, but also creating a system to prevent the clutter from forming in the first place. Here are some tips to help you get started.The notebookCreate a "Family and Household" notebook. This will help keep important information (such as emergency numbers, calendars and school permission slips) handy and in one place. Although there are electronic versions available, incoming information from schools and other organizations is usually on paper, so it makes sense to keep a binder. However, if you don't mind using a computer now and again, I recommend a "blended" approach: keeping electronic calendars and contacts and printing them out as needed.
Even for those of us who take pleasure in a sparkling bathroom and delight in aiming a sizzling iron at a pile of shirts, the thought of cleaning a house or apartment "top to bottom" can leave even the most industrious person stressed and anxious. Unfortunately, if you are expecting guests or your house is on the real estate market, a thorough cleaning is in order, according to local housecleaning professionals.Luckily, even if your living space is so cluttered you don't know where to begin, you can always start with small steps toward maintaining a more orderly house or working toward that major cleaning.Keeping clutter to a minimumBefore you begin, eliminate any distractions so you can focus on thoroughness without interruption. You don't see professional cleaners watching reruns of "Judge Judy" or checking their e-mail while they clean, and neither should you."Start by walking through your entire living space. Get rid of all the magazines, papers and excess non-furniture first," said Ken Wilson, of Wilson Residential Service in Capitol Hill. "It's crucial that you get down through the mess to the basic structure before you really clean."If you try to keep clutter to a minimum at all times, your living space will be tidier and easier to regularly clean.
John Platt (with mic), co-owner of St. Clouds restaurant, introduces and thanks the staff at the sixth-anniversary party Aug. 21. The popular neighborhood restaurant offers live music four nights a week and feeds the homeless every third Wednesday.
Comparing notes: Peter Triandafilou and Tom Scearce try to decide the winner of the best barbeque. The contest was part of the First Annual Madison Valley Potluck and BBQ on Aug. 13, where Madison Valley neighbors got a chance to meet each other and feast on outdoor summer repasts.
One of the most frequently asked- for recipes when I teach Thai cooking is Pad Thai.At one class several years ago there was a man sent by his wife, who was six months pregnant and craving Pad Thai, with a goal of "not coming home until you know how to cook it." Now if you think this sounds somewhat extreme, then you probably have not tasted good Pad Thai.Pad Thai is a classic Thai noodle dish that can be a complete meal on its own or a complement to other dishes.The basis of the recipe is rice noodles - merely a vehicle for fragrant cilantro, roasted peanuts, crunchy bean sprouts, spicy roasted dried red chiles and a touch of fresh lime peel. Typical of most Thai recipes, you will need to do chopping, roasting and soaking of ingredients. Then when you are ready to actually assemble and cook the Pad Thai, it only takes about 10 minutes. This recipe is easier than it may look on paper. Don't let the preparation scare you. It is worth what the French call "mis en place" (getting all the ingredients ready). Once you have made it yourself and tasted it you will realize this.You may well find your homemade version better than any restaurant's. Ingredients such as the fish sauce, dried red chiles, unsalted peanuts and rice noodles are available at Uwajimaya or in the International section of some grocery stores.