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A note from Laurey |
February 14-21, 2004
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| The night Garrison Keillor sang me a song |
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It was NOT a quiet week in Asheville, my adopted home town. Garrison Keillor and members of his Prairie Home Companion gang came to town last Monday night to do a show. Oh my, what a night it was!
First of all, let me go on record as saying that I have been a huge fan of Garrison Keillor since, well, since the show started being broadcast.
One time, a number of years ago, right in the middle of what was supposed to be an extended mountain-climbing acventure in The Bugaboo Mountains of British Columbia, I decided that I did not want to die climbing and that, frankly, the previous day’s 19-hour climbing epic was going to be my last. I calculated that, if we left British Columbia that moment and drove non-stop, we could be in St. Paul in time for the Saturday live broadcast of A Prairie Home Companion. My climbing partner grudgingly agreed to leave (even though she wanted to stay and climb more) so we got into my Orange VW van and drove, stopping only for gas and minimal sleep, until we reached the box office - a couple of hours before the show. We got put on the waiting list (ACH!!!) and only squeaked in at the VERY last minute, getting the very last two tickets. My heart still pounds remembering standing in that line, hoping, hoping, hoping we would get in.
The other night we got to provide the food for the morning, noon, and evening meals for Garrison, and the cast and crew for the night's performance. John, our delivery driver, did a full day’s work, shuttling back and forth with more coffee, fresh cookies, and such. Here in the kitchen everyone cooked and fussed and stayed in a higly excited state all day long. I went by the theatre in the mid-afternoon to check on things and happened to walk by Garrison’s dressing room.
The door was open.
He was there.
I skidded to a stop.
“Hi! I’m SO glad you’re here!!! My name is Laurey and we’re cooking dinner for you tonight!” I blurted out.
“Hello,” Garrison looked up.
I was a nervous wreck! (He IS my hero!)
“I was just up your way on a dog-sledding trip,” I said. (Boy did I sound nervous!)
“Um hmm…”
We had a conversation of sorts. Politics, dogs, food, and the spelling of my name.
“Is that L-A-U-R-I-E?” he asked.
“No, L-A-U-R-E-Y, like the show Oklahoma. The protagonist’s name was spelled that way and my father was reading a review of the show while my mother was in the delivery room.”
“Oh, I see,” he said.
“And Masterton is Scottish. Master of the Town, or something like that,” I continued.
(Nervous! Nervous! Nervous!)
And then it was time for the show. What a show! The sound was amazing. The music blissful. Stories flowed. The time flew away.
“Okay,” said Garrison, “everybody stand up. It’s time for intermission. Leave if you need to, but let’s all just sing together, shall we? I mean, how often do you get to sing together in a big room with so many people?”
So we all sang. What fun! How rich we sounded! How lovely the harmonies!
“And now, let’s do one more song. I’d like to dedicate this one to,” he paused, “Laurey Masterton. She (and the crew) made our dinner tonight, which is why the music sounds so good. So,” he continued without explaining why, “let’s all sing Oklahoma.”
And then we, me and everyone else - all 2400 of us (give or take) - sang. Oklahoma.
Can you imagine?
I still can’t. Wow. Wow. Wow.
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Don't Postpone Joy wine is here! |
Whoo-wee! We did it!
Just in time for your most special events, we now have our very own, staff-developed Sparkling Celebration Wine. Made entirely from North Carolina Chardonnay grapes, our wine is made in the Champagne style. We, in our tasting sessions, decided to add a touch of Cognac to make it very smooth.
Save the bottle to remind you of the occasion, why don't you?
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| New bread. New Wraps. New flavors. |
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Our baker, Mark, still makes the bread for the in-house sandwiches, but no one person can possibly keep up with the volume of sandwiches we make for our catered lunches. SO - we're thrilled that we've found a great, local source for 100% organic, delicious, AND nice-looking breads and rolls. We're very happy!
And do come check out our deli case. We're doing lots of wraps these days. New flavors all the time, in fact. We're getting Whole Wheat wrappers. We're getting low-carb wrappers. We've got new recipe thoughts. Come see!
(Of course we can make wraps for caterings too. Just ask!) |
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Tiny Trapeze Confections |
Wait'll you try THESE!
Oven-Toasted Caramel Kernels. Honey-Nut Bites. Sweet Barley Drops. Oh my.
Made by hand (with the help of some wonderful, restored, antique candy machinery), Tiny Trapeze is already garnering attention from the likes of Food and Wine (December 2003).
We sure like their taste. We really like their look. And we love their style. We're sure you will too! |
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Tiny Trapeze Confections |
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| Your favorites are back! |
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We were sorry to have run out, but, heck, even the company sold out of their two most popular Hot Chocolate flavors:
"Aztec" is made with cinnamon and a touch of cayenne - yeow!
"Raspberry" is made with, um, raspberry.
We're delighted to have them back. Who SAYS winter is the only time for Hot Chocolate?
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Lake Champlain Chocolates |
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Dinners to Go for the Week |
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 (252-02002) or stop in to speak to one of us in person.
Dinners are ready at 4:30 and can be picked up until we close at 6:00 pm.
Monday, February 16 Chicken Marbella 9.75**
Tuesday, February 17 Herb-Roasted Lamb 12.25
Vegetarian Dinner – Spiced Chickpea Cakes 9.00
Wednesday, February 18 Winter Fruit-stuffed Pork Tenderloin 10.25
Thursday, February 19 NC Chicken Pot Pie 9.75
Friday, February 20 Cajun-style Snapper and Roasted Vegetables 11.50**
** indicates a meal that is a low-carb one.
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| Casserole of the Week |
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We make a special casserole each Wednesday. Give us a call on Tuesday before we close and we’ll plan on making one for you. Order a half if you have around 4 folks, or, if you have a bigger group, or just like leftovers, order a full sized one. Then come by between 4:30 and 6:00 on Wednesday. Simple, wouldn’t you say?
Wednesday, February 18
Beef Stew in a Ginger Red Wine Sauce
full 39.50
half 19.75
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By the way... |
1. We never sell, trade, or share our mailing list.
2. If you would like to unsubscribe, scroll to the bottom of this page and click on "unsubscribe."
3. If you know someone who might like to be on this list, forward this note to them. They can, if they wish, subscribe.
4. Thanks! |
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| Bye now! |
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Contact Info: |
Laurey's Catering and Gourmet to Go
67 Biltmore Avenue
Asheville, NC 28801
Laurey Masterton, proprietor |
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