Atlantic trip that made us glad to be British
This week saw the Joneses jet off to the USA. While expecting an endless stream of burgers, ice-cream and American muffins, we were not anticipating the excellent food we received while staying at the Boston Harbour Hotel. Unknown to us at the time of booking, it had been voted Boston Restaurant of the Year in 1995.
High standards
During one of our meals, the manager popped over for a chat at which point we paid him a back-handed compliment by stating that we were pleasantly surprised at the high standard of food and rather arrogantly adding that we didn't expect to find such good food in the USA.
He then paid us a compliment: "But of course our general manager and head chef are from the Dorchester in London." I felt very proud to be British. It would seem that British chefs are more in demand than French in the US these days.
While touring Boston and New England we were able to sample a complete cross-section of cuisine at a range of restaurants, steakhouses, burger bars and diners. One common theme emerged - the solid commitment to ensure that a three- to four-course meal is served, consumed and paid for within the hour.
Additionally, it would seem that the BSE scare has not yet arrived (or has been and gone) as steakhouses were proudly advertising 24oz porterhouse steaks of pure Angus beef.
The holiday ended a busy month for all of us. We have finally completed our search for a financial controller. This is a new position in the company and will help strengthen our administration team. It will also allow Tim, my financial director husband, more time to get on with developing some long-term projects that have been put on ice, to some extent, in recent weeks.
Busy month
Alison Robinson, commercial director, continues to be kept busy with the high volume of tenders we have been asked to prepare.
While we could not claim anything like a 100% success record, we do seem to be on a roll at present. We have new units opening in July and September, and some strong business in the pipeline.
This month, I was honoured to be a judge for one of the categories of the prestigious Cateys. A large document was presented to the judges prior to the day, with a detailed portfolio of each entrant. On the day, each applicant was discussed at length, ensuring that their career history and profile met with the specification for the category.
The judges debated hard and long and, thankfully, no blood was shed - a unanimous decision was made. The winner? Well, that's for me to know and you to find out after 2 July!
