Hip Hip Horray we are open!!!!

It is the eve of the Black Bean Cafe re-opening. We were able to sit down with Phil for a few minutes and finsh off an interview we started last year!! A lot has happened since then, but Phil and family are excited to jump back in and get things rolling.


So how does it feel?

Crazy, we are all so excited and scared. There is so much riding on this and we have been away from it for what seems an eternity, can we do it?


Of course you can. You did it before, why would you be so nervous?


We were all so much younger before!! It is hard for us to believe that Owen was only 2 and Eliza 10, never mind Liz and I.
It is scarier this time because the expectations are different. We established ourselves and now even though we are just down the street the setting is very different. When we set out to do this it was going to be a simple move. One party moves out another cleans, repairs, paints and moves in. It was in no way that simple.


Can you elaborate on that, like why not?

Oh gosh where do I begin? Niether party left when expected, I was hoping to be out by 12/14 and hoping they would be out by 11/1 then 11/14 then 12/1 then 12/5 then...
For me there was the landlord not keeping his word about the price then wanting a temporary lease for 24 days then an ice storm and a week later a snow storm then the Holidays.
Well we both seemed to get out by the end of December. Then it was how long will it take to re-hab Mayo's? She took everything right down to the light bulbs. I would like to say if it wasn't nailed down she took it, but she even did that. She did leave a leaky hand sink, and urinal!! The walk in was left behind minus all of the inards. (One of my favorite things that Police chief Duchane said was, that she probably owned the compressor motor and coolant!) Then of course there was the sink fiasco (again a Rollinsford PD moment, I being accused of stealing,the police taking someones word and then helping to remove the items in question from my premises. When shown proof of ownership it was no longer a police matter!). But we still thought 3 weeks. How naive. Three months and lots of money later we are opening.


What is it like?

Liz and my plan to marry the two places didn't pan out as well as we would have liked. It turned out that the major pieces of furniture and counter would not fit or were just to hard to move. All said and done we are delighted with the final outcome. Tthe old Bean is still there and will be found in the food and company, we hope. Uh it is getting late and I have to get up early, it is Sticky Bun day tomorrow.

Ok. Thank you for takin some time this evening. Your hours are the same?

Yes, Tues -Fri 7-4 and Sat and Sun 7-12. Hey i gotta get to sleep. See ya and thanks for doing this.

No promblem. I will see you at the Bean in the am!!!






Blogger: I want to start off by letting you know how honored I am that I am here to talk with you.
Phil: The honor is all mine.
Blogger: How exactly did you get here?
Phil: I am not sure what you mean by that? Did I walk or drive?
Blogger: No no no. You are 46 years old father of 4 children and owner of The Black Bean Cafe. Was this a long time dream of yours or something that just fell into your lap?
Phil: Oh I see. When Liz and I first "got together" we always talked about having some type of eatery. We met while working at Bob's Clam Hut in the late 80's, so the restaurant business is what brought us together. I could never quite figure out what kind of place I wanted or how to make it work. The last three jobs that I had helped me to realize that I could actually do it. They were Ceres Bakery, The Loaf and Ladle and Flynn's News. Then in October of 2003 this opportunity presented itself to us. We jumped and have been jumping since December 2003.
Blogger: So would you say that you are livin the dream?
Phil: On a good day I would. This is something that we have always wanted and it is what we have always been warned about. It is my life. It is all consuming. Push come to shove I cannot imagine being anywhere else.
Blogger: What is your favorite food to eat?
Phil: I don't really know that I have a favorite. Tonights dinner at home was pasta with a red sauce and sausage. It reminded me of Sunday dinner at Nonnies. That is what I look for when I eat. A memory.
Blogger: Is this what you have always wanted to do?
Phil: Not sleep, worry all the time, not know if anyone is going to come in for coffee or lunch and not spend time with my family? That is what I have always wanted to do.
Blogger: You have a little sarcasm in your voice? Where does that come from?
Phil: See above.
Blogger: Moving right along. The Black Bean Cafe is in a small town in southern New Hampshire. Do you have enough of a customer base to make it?
Phil: You know it is weird, but since we opened people seem to come in. At first it was a good mix of Mill people and towns people. It was a place for parents to come with their kids and the mill workers to meet over a cup of coffee lunch or snack. I think that in the beginning we did not really have a clear picture of what we wanted to do. My thought was a cafe that was more like an old fashioned coffee shop. Liz's idea was a vegetarian restaurant. With those two thoughts we opened.
Blogger: And????
Phil: And we had a wide variety of baked goods and a limited sandwich menu. Soup was a natural addition. Then a hot entree seemed a smart addition. After the first year I think that we had established ourselves as a lunch spot not only for locals but for "out of towners" too.
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We are back with Phil from the Black Bean. We started this interview with him in April. It is now Nov. 9th.

So Phil what has been going on?

Phil: I think the last time I talked to you was in April, right?

Open Mic

Well it has been awhile since I posted. The open mic last week was great. The turn out was better than expected and the tallent was top rate. These are afew pics from that evening. The next one is scheduled for May 10th.

To view some pics of the art on the wall check out http://www.flickr.com/photos/artstreamstudios/sets/72157604268382556

Happy Birthday Dad

My father turned 70 last Monday. Have you ever sat and thought about life and it took you over? Sometimes when I think about being, I nearly lose my breath. For Jack's 70th birthday the family got together at my sister Heather's house in PA. over Easter holiday. Everyone was there,but me. I was not able to make it due to work obligations and various other things (like not realizing that Easter was even here yet).

Okay, back to my point? For this gathering my mother asked us all to write a memory of Dad. Once again being the procrastinator that I am I did not get it done in time. There is no time like the present! I have thought and thought about this. I did not want to write about some disciplinary thing like the time Dad chased me down the street with a baseball bat. I think there was a broken window involved and if I really think about it, it might not even have been me, it was probably Harry(my youngest brother). Then I thought I could write about when I was a senior in High School and I was going to the library to study. I said I was going to the library anyway. I had seen an add in the paper for a car for sale it was $3000.00. I did not have the money. There was a wrestling match at the arena and they would pay someone $3000.00 to stay in the ring for three minutes with the crusher. So Dad dropped me off at the library, but before he left he said to me, "Philip, remember with great power comes great responsibility." OOhh wait that wasn't me and it wasn't Dad. I think it may have been my uncle Ben to my cousin Peter Parker.

I guess I could write about the time I went to a party with the "adults" from work. There was drinking involved and I was driving. I got to have the car but only if I would pick Terry up at 9 from his girlfriends. I was in no condition to drive I had better call home. An hour later I went to the car it was not there. Oh well, it wasn't that far, I could walk. After a shortcut threw the dump, a field and past my house (I still was not ready to go home!)I ended up down town. A police officer found me and offered me a ride. He asked my name so naturally I told him Johnny Hughes, of course he knew Johnny he cleaned the station on Saturdays for $25. Now that I was home how could I sneak in the house? They were all in the living room the kitchen door would work. Out of nowhere Dad appeared as I was making my way to the stairs and the "safety" of my room. I was caught. With one fell swoop I went over the couch onto the coffee table, and then it was up to bed. Mom and Dad were off to Md. the next morning to visit #1 son Johnny. The situation was not discussed again, however the school psychiatrist wanted to see me the next week?

So what was the topic? I have known this man for 45 years. I must have some type of memory that was not disciplinary. As I start to think about this my mind drifts once again. He is 70 I am 45. I moved out of the house when I was 20. It has been 25 years since I have lived at home. Dad was 45 when I moved out. Where was he in his life in 1983 compared to me in 2008? He had 7 kids at home and 2 that were not at home. Back then he was my father. Now as well as being my father he is a fellow person to me. Someone whose life was once intertwined with mine, but now exists without my presence and vice versa. Twenty years prior to me leaving he was an expectant father two years prior to that her was a single man figuring out where he wanted his life to go. Five years prior to that he was in High School. Four years prior ....

They say we "change" our skin every 7 years. It is hard to remember that I was once someone else. I am who I am because of the people in my life. Jack being one of them. I remember the stories above because they were not the norm. My father is not an excitable man. He is not prone to acting out his aggression on his family. Although who wouldn't be upset when one of your kids throws a ball through a window or when your son got so drunk that the police drove him home? It is the things that I learned from him without knowing, that mark who he is to me.

Thank you Jack for being the man in my childhood that showed me how to be a man. You have given me an appreciation for food,a work ethic, my love for children, a receding hair line and allowed me to become who I am. We did not always agree on what path to take, you never forced me to take any path I did not want to.

Happy Birthday Dad
(Sorry it is late)

Quick update on going ons at the BBC

Hey ,

I just wanted to quickly put up some info.

We have a great art show going on now. It is from Susan Schwake-LaRochelle of Artstream in Rochester NH. Here is a link to her web site. Artstream

Saturday night we will be doing our first open mic in awhile. It should be fun. There are a few people signed up already. If you would like to you can come on in and ask whoever is working up front for the sign up sheet.

Speaking of music I hear Jen Adams will be stopping by Friday night during dinner. She is a great singer song writer and we love when she happens in and plays some of her songs for us.

As for dinner Friday. Liz has not told me for sure but I found her scribble pad.
It looks like a baked Haddock, Rissoto and Stuffed Peppers will be on the menu.
Of course her salads are always wonderful no matter what they are.

Owen says:
spiderman pop

See you there,
Phil

Scones

Today I am going to try and write about food. That was what I was planning all along, but sort of have strayed.

Scones.

What is a scone? Is there an original recipe? I know that scones originated in Scotland back in the 15oo's. I began making them a bit more recently.

In the mid eighties I was a stay at home dad. This is when I decided to learn how to bake/cook. I did not live near any relatives and I wanted to create the feeling that I had when I was a kid. The smell of something cooking for dinner, a fresh baked treat for after school, cookies cooling on paper grocery bags and there was nothing like melted butter on fresh baked bread. During this time I found a recipe for drop scones. (was there ever a magazine called HOME the size of the old TV guide?).

It took a lot of playing around and searching for different recipes before I began to like scones. It is weird, but now I have this strange affection for them. Owen asked me if I invented Sticky Buns. I feel that I did discover scones.

The scone that I learned to love is a sweet buttery biscuit. In my mind it is reminiscent of farm food. Now you can find scones everywhere. When I see them I am always curious. Most of the time they are a cross between a muffin and a scone, call it a mone or a scuffin. The reason for this is that a muffin and a scone are very close in ingredients. But with them you are striving for opposite effects. A muffin light and moist a scone dry and dense. I find that I might be the only one that is looking for this. Lately I am seeing recipes that use eggs in the scones. This is new to me. I am beginning to like these scones but they are not a true scone or are they?

Before writing this I Looked up the origins of scones. The recipes that I found contained eggs! I guess I have been wrong all this time. It makes it easier for me to accept some of the newer recipes that I have found. They are good, what I think of as the origonal scone is still the best. I do remember reading this recipe in the Foster's a few years ago. It turns out someone from South Berwick won a contest with her recipe for scones. It was the same recipe I use. I wonder if she came into Flynn's once and maybe...

This is that recipe:
3cups flour
1T baking powder
1/2tsp baking soda
1/2tsp salt
1/3Cp sugar
8T butter (cut into pieces)

Put all in the bowl of the food processor. Pulse until it is like coarse cornmeal.
Pour into a mixing bowl.
add

1Cp buttermilk

mix till no flour shows. Knead till it just comes together. Roll out to a circle about 1/2 inch thick. Cut into 6 wedges. Bake in pre-heated 400 oven till done (about 20 min.)

Enjoy with butter, jam or honey (or a combination!).
This is the basic recipe. It is easy to vary the recipe. Add some raisins or grate an orange rind into the flour mixture, add some almonds, cranberries, lemon, I think you get the picture. Play around with it. A simple rule to remember for rising purposes is 1T baking powder to every cup of flour.

This week no eggs in the scones.

SO

The weather is really getting to me.....
The cheesecakes are to dark....
This is the best breakfast sandwich ever...
It is going to snow tomorrow...
The super delegates are a mystery to me....
The whole primary thing is not making any sense to me....
Peter Gabriel...
Time travel is possible...
My car is on its last leg...
April 15th is in a few days....
Eliza doesn't feel well..
I don't know what is for Friday night dinner..
SO
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