The Weekly Newsletter
Menus and Stories for August 24- 28, 2009

Aren't we lucky?!
This is Connor, one of our newer shopsters.  She's been quietly and competently working away, learning how to do things here, and, increasingly, surprising and pleasing me with her talent.

The other day, the day of our Tomato Walk, she revealed yet another talent, a fine hand with chalk.  She is, as a result, the newest front-of-house sign artist. 

She comes to us with intention and purpose, which makes me happy.  Her degree, from Auburn, was in Horticulture.  After graduating she headed to grad school but, finding herself burned out, she headed for Asheville and found us.  She is an informed gal, well-versed in local food systems and the reasons for supporting local farmers.  As I said to her earlier today, she's in the right place (in my humble opinion.)  I'm glad she's here.  Very.


Cooking Classes in September!!!
All irreverence aside, I AM going to have another series of cooking classes in September. (But isn't this a fun sign?  It's from a place along my bike ride route...)

We'll do four this time.  September 8, 15, 22, and 29. Tuesdays. 6 - 8.  I'll demonstrate, you'll get to try everything (um, have dinner), at the conclusion of the class.

Here's the plan:
September 4 - A Taste of Tuscany
September 15 - A Visit to Provence
September 22 - Gourmet Comfort Food
September 29 - Fall Desserts  (Laurey-style)

There is room for 12 of you so sign up as soon as possible.  Each class is 25.00 (+ tax)and will include a glass of wine, recipes, and ample tastes of all that I cook.  Sign up for the series or, if you prefer, for individual classes. 

Call soon.  252-1500.




Ready and waiting
Thanks for keeping us in mind for your catered lunches.  We make all kinds, from our most economical option of a freshly-made wrap (Chicken Caesar is a popular one, as is our Roasted Vegetable and Made-right-here-Humus wrap) a cookie and a bag of chips.  We have fancier options, of course. 

Prefer a sandwich?  Easy!
A "Southern Sampler!"  (That's a favorite around here too.)

Give us a call.  We make 'em.  We deliver 'em.  You get to concentrate on your meeting.

Lunch from Laurey's


Dinners to go (or to stay!)
Dinners come with a freshly-made green salad, salad dressing of the day,
and made-right-here bread of the day. We take reservations until noon or so.
Please order by phone (252-1500), by fax (252-0200)
or stop in to speak to one of us in person.

Dinners are ready at 3:00 and can be picked up until we close at 8:00 pm.

Monday August 24 *Kashmir Chicken 10.25
Tuesday August 25 Grilled Chicken and Italian Sausage Skewers 11.75
Wednesday August 26 *Hickory Nut Gap Beef and Pepper Enchilada 11.25
Thursday August 27 Herbed Meatloaf with garlic Potato Gratin 10.75
Friday August 28 Salmon Niçoise with Local Vegetables 15.75

* these items are Gluten Free
(though it is important to note that we do not have a “wheat-free” kitchen.)


Our website


Special casserole of the week
We make a special casserole each Wednesday.
Order by noon or so. Order a half if you have around 4 folks. If you have a bigger group, or you just like leftovers, order a full-sized one.

Then come pick up between 3:00 and 8:00. (Or bring a gang and enjoy your dinner right here.)

This week we are making:
Wednesday, August 19
Spinach and Local Shiitake Mushroom Lasagna
Full 36
Half 18

Casseroles for the month


Speaking here and there
I've started to make the rounds, talking about my recent bike ride.  I've been sort of quiet about it but someone recently said I should say what I've been doing so - here you go.

Last week I was the keynote speaker for a group of Fundraising Professionals.

Next week I am the "Miracle Rider-in-Chief" at the Jubilee Community's Celebration of Miracles.

At the end of September I will be the main speaker at The Culinary Institute of America, talking about fundraising, and running a business and cooking and being a woman who does all these things. 

In future months I have engagements in Las Vegas, Indianapolis and elsewhere, not to mention a few additional dates in this area.  I'm honored to do this and would be delighted to come speak to your group too.

(Oh, and if any of you feel like I'd be a good addition to the Ellen (DeGeneres) show, I'd like to suggest you write to her.  September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month and I want to get on her show and talk about being a survivor.)

(This snap is me and my big sister Lucinda.  Heather, our other sister is in the background.)

Ellen


The next Dinner with our Farmers
These dinners are taking off.  We're the main story in the Mountain Xpress this week - all about local food and farmers and that sort of thing.  (We're not the cover of the paper, but we are the feature in the food section, I'm told.)

Anyway, what this says to me is that the next dinner might very well be a hot ticket.  which means that you might be smart to give us a call and reserve seats soon.

(We're reachable at 252-1500)

The next dinner will be on Thursday, September 17.  It'll start at 7:00.  It'll cost $37.00 (+ tax).  If you'd like wine or beer, you'll add 12.00.

The farms for the next dinner will be:
10 Mile Farm (lots of fabulous local fruits and vegetables)
Sunburst Trout (the source for local trout and trout caviar)
Lady Luck Flower Farms (um, flowers!)


We're "Social"
We're trying to be with it.  Social networking is the new buzz, you know.  Here's how we're playing this game:

You can follow us on Twitter (@laureysyum).  Google Twitter to sign up and then add our address to the list of people you follow. (I send semi-regular "tweets".) 

You can join our Facebook Group.  Google Facebook to sign up and then join our group which is simply Laurey's Catering.  I send messages when there is a special event coming up.

You can read the Laurey's blog by visiting http://www.laureysyum.blogspot.com

And, finally, you can stay up to date with my bike blog by visiting http://www.laureybikes.blogspot.com

Also,  if you  would like to take a look at the video of my bike ride, you can watch it on You Tube by visiting this address: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtQ-CW3GrSs

And if you want more, come poke your head in the office and say hi like a real person does.  I'll say hi back.  Very social, don't you think?


A Note from Laurey

August 22, 2009

It’s a little bit quiet in here today. A lot of you are off at the beach, I think, or are sleeping in, or are, perhaps, out on a nice Saturday morning visit to the market or to a waterfall.

Our cooks are chopping away, getting the catering orders filled, loading our deli case with all kinds of delicious local food. Today my eyes were filled with a “Cute, Baby Squash” Salad (courtesy of my friend Frank Teneralli) and a Purple Potato Salad (courtesy of our friends at Firefly Farms.) We have green beans from Sarah York’s little farm and tomatoes from B+L Organics. Common Ground Farm is represented as is Hickory Nut Gap. What delight.

We’ve had days and days of rain, making everything incredibly lush, more lush than in our recent summers. My home is like a jungle. It’s almost possible to watch things grow right in front of me. And trying to weed, not my best task under the most normal of times, is especially challenging these days, as everything is growing so quickly and every time I think about weeding it is raining again.

My dog enjoys it, though. We’ve been taking our daily walk in the rain, which doesn’t phase her in the least. Heck, she goes wading on our walk anyway, so now she’s wet top and bottom. What’s the big deal? A number of years ago I traveled to Ecuador and one of my strongest impressions from the Amazon Rainforest basin was that when it rained, no one altered their behavior at all. No one put on a raincoat, no one opened an umbrella, no one did anything different. It rained. People got wet. It stopped raining. People dried out. Big deal. I’ve been feeling like that these days. Rain? No big deal. It’ll stop.

We have a new cook here. Brendan comes to us from Lantern, a restaurant he owned with his sister in Chapel Hill. He’s in our kitchen now, which is a fine thing. (I guess he wanted to be in the mountains – lucky us!) He’s just getting his bearings, but do make a point to come by for Evening Food with us. We’ll feature his creations, his take on Gourmet Comfort Food, with a mountain-y, local flair.

Also, starting in September we’re going to be having special evening things here. In addition to our Tuesday night cooking class series, we’ll have more live music jams and informal house concerts, live poetry and spoken word, Spelling Bee nights (start practicing – we’ll have prizes!) and more. Does Game Night sound fun? Family night? What are your thoughts? (tell me – I am really interested:Laurey@laureysyum.com).

Okey doke. I have to send this out and meet with some people about a wedding. See you soon. See you often. Cheers. Laurey.


Leap and the Net will Appear
I might have shown this picture before.  I like it a lot and so I am drawing on my newsletter writer privilege and am including it again.

It's a good final snap for today.
 

Laurey's Catering and gourmet to go • 67 Biltmore Avenue • Asheville • NC • 28801