Chelsea Community Kitchen Tasting Picnic

Under a bright, yellow sun, Chelsea Community Kitchen hosted a summer tasting picnic today at Timbertown park. A handful of food entrepreneurs prepared tastings of their fresh, artisan foods, including chicken and black bean quesadilla, wine jelly and granola.

Chelsea Community Kitchen, opening soon in Chelsea, offers a commercially-licensed, shared-used kitchen facility, as well as business development and educational opportunities. Contact director@chelseacommunitykitchen.com for more information.

Hanging at Selma's

This morning, a few Yellow Door planning team members (Jane, Janice, Deb, Mully, Makayla - soon to be Kindergarten student - and I) jaunted off to Ann Arbor for breakfast at Friday mornings @ SELMA's. SELMA's is in the home of Jeff McCabe and Lisa Gottlieb. Local food initiative advocates, Jeff and Lisa open their home every Friday and invite you to eat fresh, artisan cuisine prepared by chefs of the region. A donation of $10-15 per plate gave us a bellyfull of (1) waffles, melon and bacon, (2) bread pudding and (3) scrambled eggs and beans. What stood out for me was the most incredible feeling of being in the right place. Lisa, who greeted us, made us feel part of the family, as if we've been coming for years. This is our goal at Yellow Door. The door is open every week on Thursday, starting October 15. Everyone is welcome.

Salivating

Moose and I are salivating at the prospect of fresh, local breakfast fare every Thursday, starting mid-October at Yellow Door. Sorry Moose! You're not invited. Plus, I'm really looking forward to stress-free, laugh-filled conversation with friends. (You're way too hyper in the morning for a civilized, albeit casual, gathering.) Yellow Door's Grand Opening is October 15 at 213 Harrison in Chelsea. See you there.

Gray is the new black

Bright, fresh, just-from-the-garden fruits, veggies and flowers look stunning and oh-so-delicious against... gray. Yes, gray. Janice brought over five gray chairs she found after scouring garage sales. She gave them to me for photographing against my field full of goldenrods. Silently, I thought, "Gray?" What about bright, yellow doors? How about bright, purple chairs? How about bright? After snapping photos for nearly an hour, while dodging mosquitos intent on having me for dinner, I acknowledge Janice's brilliance. (You're brilliant, Janice.) Fresh, just-picked tomatoes, daisies, coneflowers and zinnias look bright, rich and vibrant against the renovated gray chairs.

Yellow Door will be the place for juicy, savory foods of the season framed by a subtle, comfortable setting. Get your name permanently in this setting by sponsoring a chair for simply $100. Your name (or business) will be featured charmingly on a bright yellow cow ear tag attached to a chair. Your sponsored chair will be pulled out, sat in and part of the weekly scene at Yellow Door. Gray is the new black.

A toast to Yellow Door

Counting down the days to when Yellow Door officially opens in Chelsea, Michigan, on October 15, 2009. Every Thursday morn, we're all invited to Yellow Door. It's a gathering of family and friends (that means you!) and your family and friends to savor yummy, delicious local farm-fresh foods prepared by volunteer chefs from the area. You probably won't see orange juice on the menu (er, well, that's because oranges can't grow in Michigan!); though, apple juice should be a staple beverage. A donation to the Chelsea Community Kitchen will get you a heaping of a breakfast serving. Children are welcome and I'm assured that coffee will be served, even though, we know, Michigan's climate is not suitable for a coffee plantation. Few exceptions will be made, so don't expect sliced bananas to accommodate any meals.

Yellow Door is the brilliant idea of Jane Pacheco and Janice Ortbring (who, along with hubby Todd, has opened her home to breakfast in Chelsea every Thursday morn behind their yellow doors). The weekly fundraiser reflects the successful breakfast venue in Ann Arbor called Selma's Cafe, which has raised thousands of dollars for local charities.

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There is a distinguishable difference between a freshly, plucked blueberry from a U-pick blueberry farm and a blueberry that has been shipped more than a thousand miles to reach your home. Let's make a pact today to seek out local foods (and wine). The taste is notable and Michigan's farmers benefit from your business. Let's be passionate for our Great Lakes state together. We're so lucky to live in magnificent, delicious Michigan, the United States' second most agriculturally-diverse state.

Sponsor a Yellow Door Chair

Sponsor a Yellow Door chair and see your name in lights... okay, not in lights... on a yellow cow ear tag. Now, how many people can actually say they have their name Sharpe-markered on a yellow cow ear tag? Be among the few! Your tag will be permanently bolted into a chair of your choice of only 16 available chairs. A $100 donation to Yellow Door gets you a lifetime tag.

Your sponsorship funds go toward fresh, local farm foods purchased for Yellow Door breakfast gatherings, as well as Yellow Door's initial assets (tables, chairs, cooking and coffee pots, etc.).

Email Angie at angela@oneillconsult.net for more details and to rope in your sponsorship