Hope is contagious...

I'm exhausted from a solid week of work and three days of classes/demos at the Cancer Wellness Center.  It's the good kind of exhausted though...well earned.  The CWC held it's public open house on Saturday and it was jam packed.  My new friend Kaedy Kiely and I held a demo on Power Foods for a group of CWC regulars and a flock of Kaedy's friends and listeners.  If you're not familiar with Kaedy, be sure to  check out her blog

Her personality is contagious...full of life and constantly smiling.  I'm looking forward to working with her again.

Speaking of contagious, there is nothing more inspiringly contagious than hope.  This is my third year teaching at the Cancer Wellness Center and the atmosphere there is charged with hope, love, laughter, and support.  If you're here in the Atlanta area, please come and check it out: http://www.piedmontcancerconnection.org/
It's for anyone dealing with the "big C", whether you're a patient or a caregiver...and it's FREE!

The Inn is going to be totally packed on Thanksgiving...hungry people coming out of our ears.  We'll be preparing for the onslaught all week.  And if you weren't one of those fortunate enough to grab reservations for "turkey day", be sure to make reservations for the weekend after.  Lots of families in town and the place fills up quickly...

Much to do!  Be well...gesundheit!

Hans

the Wall...

20 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall and the whole thing still seems surreal.  Here's my father talking about his experience escaping over the wall from an Atlanta news broadcast:    http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/dpp/news/gorbachev+thanked+on+wall+anniversary


I'll be interviewing him for Story Corps on December 12th and I'm really looking forward to it...pure history.


We're running a few special menu items to celebrate German Reunification this week at the Inn, and we're also pouring Henkel Trocken as well.  Come by and help us celebrate.


Much to do...Gesundheit!


Hans

Reservations?

The line began to form around 1:30 for this past Sunday's lunch.  By 2:00 it stretched out the front door of the Inn and spilled out on to the porch, a slow river of local late-lunchers and leaf lookers.  It's interesting to witness the different personalities of folks as they queue up for lunch.  Those who made reservations are, naturally, seated first and the "walk-ins" typically wait patiently for the first available table.  It's a bit of a dance really, a shuffling two-step to coordinate time, tables and traffic.  We had one gentleman walk-in and casually announce that he had reservations.  When I couldn't find his name on the list, I asked him when he'd made the reservations.

"Right now!" he said.  "I'm making reservations right now for four people."
"Oh...well, we're running a 30 minute wait right now unless you phoned ahead to reserve a table," I told him in my most hospitable voice.  "Can I put your name on the waiting list?"
"But I just made reservations right now for four people!"
"Hmm...did you phone ahead to make a proper reservation", I asked, feeling that perhaps I was missing something in this strange exchange.
"No, but I'm making them right now for four people...right now!"
"I'll tell you what," says I, somewhat frustrated and far too busy to continue the game, "all of the tables are either occupied or reserved, but if you'll give me 15-20 minutes, I'll find something for you and your guests."
"To HELL with this!  Let's GO!"  And with that, he was out the door, leaving his wife and guests looking as confused as I and genuinely apologetic.  

So the moral of the story is (if there is one): make reservations at least 60 seconds prior to your arrival!

The restaurant is staying busy and the reservation book is filling up with Christmas parties.  No rest for the weary, but I'm not complaining.  I like hungry people...

Much to do!  Be well, eat well...gesundheit!

Hans

Warm and familiar...

We served 125 people at the Inn last night.  It's the first time I've really worked in that kitchen in over 5 years, but it was amazing how easily it came back to me.  Of course serving 125 people is stressful and somewhat chaotic, but was good to feel the warm and familiar glow of the broiler on my forehead and hear the sizzle of a fresh trout in a buttered pan.  I must've cooked 10,000 trout in that kitchen at the Woodbridge Inn.  When I was a young boy, we'd receive our trout from the Price Creek Trout farm just outside Jasper, and often the fish would still be alive.  One of my duties in the kitchen at that point was cleaning (gutting) and de-boning the fish.  Occasionally my father would allow me to keep one of fish alive in the sink while I worked.  I suppose it was a temporary stay of execution for the trout and I invariably ended up getting attached to my "sink fish".  My father would always have to take over the cleaning duties for that particular fish...I'm just too sensitive for that.

So in case you haven't heard (or guessed), Amy and I are taking over at the Woodbridge Inn.  It will be a work in progress for a long time, but we have some ideas in mind, all of which building on the successes my parents and our family history.  I'll try and keep a running log on things as we move forward...wish us luck! More on that soon...

My PICC line was removed on Thursday after a packed class at the Cancer Wellness Center.  It feels good to have full use of my left arm again.  Hooray! Now I have to snack with renewed fervor to keep these pounds on.  Speaking of, it's time for a snack!

Be well...Gesundheit!

Hans

The mouse and I...

My mother has a picture of me at Walt Disney World circa 1974.  I'm standing in front of Pluto wearing an awful pair of plaid shorts.  What makes the photo memorable is that I'm grabbing my crotch with both hands in an attempt to keep from peeing on myself (Disney is too fun to stop for restroom breaks).  Pluto even appears to be keeping a safe distance in case my anti-urine technique failed miserably.  The photo evokes my earliest memories of Disney, and Walt Disney World has been a part of my life ever since.

When I was a junior at Georgia State University, a representative from Disney came on campus to accept applications for their college intern program.  The interview process was lengthy and, when all was said and done, I knew I wouldn't be selected.  They were looking for the "all American" kid, a good student, and someone who would represent the Mouse well.  In my mind, I failed on all counts.  So I was dumbfounded when  I got the call that, not only was I accepted to the program, but I was the ONLY person from hundreds of applicants that was chosen from GSU that year.  I ended up spending a few months working at the Caribbean Beach  Hotel and being immersed in Disney's "corporate culture".  The company is quite possibly the most detail oriented organization on the planet and companies from all over the world visit to take part in their corporate training sessions.   

We're here for a few days because I was asked to be a guest speaker at EPCOT's International Food and Wine Festival.  From the moment we checked in the hotel, Disney once again overwhelmed us with details and surprised: an embroidered chef's coat, a bottle of wine, a goodie bag with all sorts of food-related swag, park tickets, and so on.  We're feeling a little VIP, which is so much better than feeling SICK.  Of course I'm hooked up to my IV feeding tube right now and there's all the medical paraphernalia that goes with it, but we're making the best of it. We came here immediately after I finished my chemo and radiation as well.  I was sick several times and eating was challenging (and still can be), but now matter how bad you feel, this place just makes you feel a bit better.

I think it's amazing how life comes around in circles some times.  I'm 37 now (with much better bladder control) and now my kids are experiencing the magic for themselves.  I love seeing their faces light up as we meander through the parks.  We love walking slowly through the parks to find those hidden little alcoves, each immaculately landscaped and sparkling clean.  People are usually in such a rush to run from one attraction to the other that they often overlook all of the details that truly make this place unique.  And while I know this place backwards and forwards, there's still plenty of magic to be found around every corner at Walt Disney World.  And we could all use a little magic from time to time, don't you think?

Time to head to the festival...more soon.  Gesundheit!

Hans

Tethered...

Liquid calories are being pumped into my veins at a rate of 1800 calories every 1o hours.  I'm hooked up to my Curlin pump right now and the machine's semi-silent whirring gently reminds me that I'm being force fed.  The TPN (total parenteral nutrition) goes right into my bloodstream, bypassing the GI tract entirely.  The goal with the TPN is for me to gain a dozen or more pounds so that if my esophagus decides to start bleeding again, I have a bit of a buffer.  My hemoglobin is up to 9.6 since dipping down to 8.3 just a week or so ago, so the bleed has stopped for now.  I've already put on about 7 or 8 pounds, though I think much of that is simply water weight.  But Dr. H says this PICC line comes out of my arm when I hit 160, so I don't care if it's water weight or fat...I just want this thing out of my arm so I can be untethered.  It's uncomfortable and cumbersome and tedious.  I don't mean to complain, because I realize things can be (and have been) much worse.  But the TPN and all of its paraphernalia are a ball and chain that represent poor health.  I'm ready to cast it off and start living outside the shadow of my roller coaster health issues.  Cancer has changed my life, and in many ways for the better, but I'm tired of medical things.  I need a break.  No more tubes and pumps and IV lines, no more "emergency" flights to Texas to have my esophagus cauterized, no more worries and uncertainty.

I'll be lugging my TPN supplies and my Curlin pump down to Disney next week for the International Food and Wine festival. I may well be the only chef speaking there who is getting much of his nutrition through an IV line.  But I'm looking forward to it.  Even with the medical supplies, EPCOT will be a much needed change of scenery and I love talking about food.  The kids are excited, Amy's excited, and I'm excited too.

The fig tree surprised me with a handful of fat juicy figs yesterday, and we may even get another crop before frost strips the tree bare.  I think I need to plant more fig trees...

Be well...gesundheit,

Hans

Home...

Just a quick note to thank you all for your well-wishes and kindness during my recent illness.  I'm home and will continue those TPN feedings via IV for at least a month until my weight increases a bit.  If you'd considered joining me for the Gastric Cancer Fund dinner, that event IS still happening tonight from 5-7pm at PRIME in Lenox Mall in Atlanta.  Just come hungry and the restaurant will donate a portion of all food sold to the GCF, and I'll do the same with all books sold.

More soon...gesundheit!

Hans