As we rebuild we don't want people to forget about us. So we participate in all the events we would normallly be seen in, along with any other opportunites that come up. These include the Taste of Durango, the Durango Wine Experience and later this year the Tour de Fat. We continue to host Eno-tech classes in a great space offered to us by a loyal customer. We try to cater an event once a month for birthday parties, bbqs, office events etc. All of these things keep our skills sharp and break up the monotony of the office!
For the Durango Wine Experience we had originally planned a wine dinner with Ray Coursen, winemaker and owner of Elyse Winery. We were determined to host it this year despite the fire. We found a great spot that was available to rent for a few days and went to work. We sold out within a few hours of announcing it! The result was an incredible evening with amazing food paired with fabulous wine. Ray told stories about the wine and our chef explained the food he paired with those wines. Our customers praised our efforts and one exclaimed amoung many cheers 'The phoenix will rise!' There was abundant laughter and a few tears that night as we did what we do best, make people happy.
The Taste of Durango is a big event on Main where restaurants/bars showcase some of their best offerings. Last year we sold out of everything in about two hours. Given our situation this year we knew people would be craving our food! So, we ordered extra food, brought in more staff and sold out in less than two hours!! It is always great to see our customers, especially now when we don't get to see them on a regular basis.
We try to advertise anywhere we can about what is going on with the rebuild and when and where we will be hosting or participating in events. Two weeks ago we were approached by 'What's Up Downtown" a local TV show that aims to inform the public about goings ons around town. This weeks episode focused on the 700 Block rebuild and they wanted to interview one of the tenants. We of course said YES, and then Karen left town. She told me they wanted to do an interview and I'm thinking sit down, answer a few questions, didn't know it was filmed! So, Monday morning rolls around and Bob Kunkle (the interviewer) calls and says 'We need some more video. If you don't mind I'd like to interview you on camera.' Ugh, I thought....luckily it's local city TV, not CNN. So, I had my TV debut last week. And actually it was alot of fun and didn't turn out nearly as awful as I had imagined! Check it out by clicking on the title of this post.
We really miss what we do. Our chef's miss creating incredible food and trying new things. We miss happy faces and sometimes we even miss the grumpy ones! We were really surprised and saddened when we realized that the huge social circle we maintained through the restaurant was gone. Sure we see a few people here and there, but even close to the amount that came through the restaurant every day. The office is a lonely space. We invite people over all the time, anytime, we miss the constant flow of people so much. On Friday afternoons we started hosting a happy hour...maybe we can bribe them to come to the office with alcohol and really good wine!
We are constantly searching for creative ways to stay in peoples brains....do you guys have any ideas?
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