OH LAWD chapter 30

Fancy Chef
courtesy free clip art

After I left Linda's house I went home and packed my bag.

I called Kathy's place and told her mother I was called to work, and had to leave tonight. She said she understood and was sorry I couldn't make but the next time I was home to let her know and she would like to have me over.

With my bag packed I told Ma that I was leaving, and to tell Pa goodbye.

I told her, it will be maybe three weeks before I will be able to come back due to the fact I was expected to rework the menu and make some changes in the kitchen.

Also there were many other changes to be made, but it would be one step at a time. I caught the bus for New Orleans for the last train had come and gone.

After two hours I was back home in New Orleans and in my flat where all my things were.

 
I was still a little confused at the conduct of Marly and Linda but I had other things to worry about.

Since it wasn't too late I called my boss and told him I was back and tomorrow I would like to go over the plans for the restaurant. 

He said he was ready to make a new start with the restaurant and was going to depend on me to help him.

We closed the restaurant down for a week and made as many changes as possible in that short time. The front was repainted and the name was changed to Chez Jolie'. 

 

New menus and tablecloths and other simple changes of decor made everything look new, and then we had our grand opening.

We kept many of the old favorite dishes and added a new meal each week until the whole menu was new or upgraded.

I was so busy that I never thought about things at home for they were on the back burner.

As it turned out it would be two months before I had the opportunity to see Ma and Pa. 

It was then I decided to send for them to come down and see the restaurants new look that was taking up all my time since my last visit.

I could tell that they were impressed by the whole operation. I made them some of my favorite dinners while they were here.

I managed to take them to see the places of interest, and especially the French quarter music.

It was pretty much as I expected; Pa said he liked the Cajun music a little better, and Ma said that some of it was a little too loud.

I couldn't let them get away without them having a lot of things to talk about when they got home.  

I never asked about the girls but Ma mentioned that Linda had come over several times wanting to know if they had heard from me.

After a couple of days they got antsy to get back home, and to their restaurant so off they went.  

 

We had some postcards made of the new restaurant front so I sent one to Linda and said if she and her parents ever came to New Orleans they should come by the restaurant and I would fix them a special dinner.

I had eaten at their place many times and I thought I owed them a good restaurant dinner.

 

After two months I was still making changes in the old recipes and teaching the cooks about the recipes, which was a full time job.

Secret Recipes
courtesy free clip art

Out of view from everyone else, I always mixed my spices and kept them a secret, for that was the mystery to our dishes and made them superior to what the other restaurants were serving.

One of the near by restaurants hired a couple of my cooks hoping to imitate my meals but to no avail.

After a week they fired the cooks, and after that no one else on our staff would quit for fear they would get fired also.

I kept all my recipes in a safety deposit box and would let no one see them.

They were alive and well in my memory, and I didn't need to read them.

It wasn't long before the restaurant's customers had doubled and the clientele was still growing.

 

We were so busy I never did get back home during the first year.

 

If the coming events had not happened as they did, I probably would have made time to go back home and visit all my family and friends.

Oh Lawd!     

 

To be Continued