Reflections on a Rollercoaster Week: A Busy Return to the Restaurant
As we rounded off the second week back into the swing of things at the restaurant, I couldn’t help but reflect on the whirlwind of emotions from our first week. It felt surreal to be opening the doors again—on one hand, it didn’t feel quite right, like we shouldn't be there, but on the other hand, I felt so incredibly thankful that we were. It was a strange mix of emotions that kept me on my toes.
This week, however, things started to fall into place. We had a packed schedule, with events on top of running the restaurant. As I sat down to create new menus, I’ll admit I felt like there was a fog over my creativity. So, I decided to stick with what I knew and what worked.
Warracknabeal High School Dinner: A Night of Laughter and Great Food
Wednesday night was a highlight, as we catered a set dinner for the amazing teachers at Warracknabeal High School. We were well-prepped, with Amber back in the kitchen, and the laughter flowed freely. We wrapped up the evening before 10 pm, so it wasn’t a bad night at all.
Restaurant Days & Catering Chaos
Thursday and Friday were a bit quieter, but we were still busy behind the scenes. We had all hands on deck to ensure everything ran smoothly at the restaurant while also finalising catering for a big event the following night. On top of that, I had a quick trip to Horsham for some meetings. Despite the quieter days, the guests who visited the golf club really seemed to enjoy the food, savouring every bite of the dishes we had carefully crafted.
Friday night was calm, with guests leisurely catching up with friends, and we were out of there by 10 pm. A much-needed breather before the chaos of Saturday.
Saturday: Catering for 167 Guests in Scorching Heat
Saturday was an early start as we finalised the dishes and added the finishing touches for the 150km event that evening. The heat was sweltering, reaching over 40°C, but we soldiered on. We made our way to Horsham mid-afternoon and met with Stewie to fine-tune the menu and smooth out any wrinkles in the event flow.
By 5 pm, our team and volunteers had arrived, and it was all systems go! The menu was a true showcase of local produce, featuring dishes such as Pepperberry Beef Tataki, Chickpeas Two Ways, Cannelloni with Warrigal Greens, and Pressed Pork with Quince Paste, to name just a few. A huge shout-out to everyone who worked tirelessly behind the scenes—dishwashers, kitchen hands, and volunteers—who helped us get all five courses out to 167 guests.
After the event, Jan kindly drove us back to Dimboola. We arrived at the golf club around 11 pm, still dealing with temperatures hovering around 35°C. By the time I hit the pillow, it was well past midnight.
Chef's Table: A Perfect End to the Week
Despite the late night, I was up early to prep for our Chef's Table event on Sunday afternoon. Just under 50 guests joined us for a memorable afternoon at the golf club, which also had a working bee in full swing to get the course ready for the upcoming season. It was heartwarming to see so many people enjoying the atmosphere and appreciating the fact that we still have a building to operate our restaurant.
Afterwards, I took a few staff members to our local for some well-deserved refreshments and pizza, a perfect way to wrap up an incredibly busy week.
We’ve come a long way, and I’m beyond grateful for the support and dedication of the team. Here’s to another week of great food, good company, and keeping the restaurant alive and thriving.
