Oh, the places you'll go

The End

It’s a sad thing to look at those words on any page, but ends turn into beginnings every day, right?  It’s at the beginning of these words with hope, as for now, Swoop! is over.  It’s impossible to maintain eye contact as the words spill out and it catches in my throat every time I stutter it aloud.  We’ll be open at the Hey Hey through Friday 10/17 and catering a wedding Saturday.

I’ve spent most every moment of my life for the last three years building this thing that I think is pretty swell and it’s hard to let it go, but it’s time, possibly past time to do so.  An incredible amount of effort, a stupendous amount of work and all of my heart has been poured into the endeavor.  It has been a spending ordeal.

It’s also been an amazing experience.  I’ve been able to work shoulder to shoulder with a great guy that I consider a brother.  Some of my friends and family have had my back in such a hardcore fashion that it’s worried me from time to time.  I met an awesome lady that’s been incredibly supportive day to day and has singlehandedly stood between me and diabetes as well as multitude other malnutritive (yes, I made that word up) disorders.  I’ve been able to work with a bunch of eager to learn folks and hopefully given them some worthwhile knowledge and ideas to move forward with.  I’ve met so many fantastic people that have been great supporters of the dream and really get what we’ve been fighting to do.  John Pc, who I’m sure kept us open for at least one truck season all on his own.  Kara Kelly, who’s enthusiasm for our food has been an absolute joy to behold.  Kate Djupe, who came out of nowhere and shoved Bebe in the mouths of all of her friends and an unreciteable list (the roll of names and faces keep growing in my head and heart) of others who have enthusiastically let us know that we’ve given them some of the greatest food experiences of their lives.  I wish I could say all of your names and tell you how much I appreciate you all. 

Swoop! has been there for so many people on their special days, and how could one not be proud of that.  I’ve bonded with many impressive, hard working cooks and adjacent professionals such as Heather Morris (who also has nearly killed me with donuts) Matt Swint (nearly killed me with focaccia and beer), Laura Lee (bulgogi cheesesteaks), Shelley Mann (hasn't nearly killed me at all) and Mark Tolentino (fried chicken and car bombs) who have given me inspiration and energy time and again.  I’ve gotten to find my culinary voice and make a lot of awesome food that I am immensely proud of.  I’ve gained a beautiful second family in the Galls at the Hey Hey Bar and Grill.  That’s enough for now.

So, thanks Columbus for a damned interesting ride.

“Out there things can happen, and frequently do,
To people as brainy and footsy as you.
And when things start to happen, don't worry, don't stew.
Just go right along, you'll start happening too!” 
― Dr. Seuss, Oh, The Places You'll Go!

Heritage

Not very long ago I was asked to pen an editorial for a local publication.  Perhaps due to space issues, or possibly general suckiness, it wasn't published.  What I said was important to me and for that reason, here is is.  I think food is very important and I'd like it to be taken (more) seriously by those that eat it and those that make it.    It is at a very deep level something that defines us throughout a wide range of specificity.  What we eat tells our story as a species, culturally and even as individuals by the food we enjoy (or don't), our allergies, our religious restrictions and our "world famous mac and cheese/pasta salad/iced tea recipes".  Food is something to be thoughtful about and preserved because as little as we consider it in the process, we put it inside of ourselves to our benefit or detriment.

Matt

In the beginning there was chef, chief of the kitchen.  He ruled with an iron fist, creating recipes, teaching and managing staff and controlling quality throughout the process of a restaurant’s prep and service.  At it’s basic level, for decades, that was the backbone of the job title “Chef”.

In the last ten years, we’ve seen the expansion of the responsibilities of a chef to include celebrity, writer and activist.  Recently, especially in the south we’ve begun to see a new breed of chef as historian.  Chefs like Sean Brock have made it a mission, engrained in the deepest part of their businesses, to maintain and preserve the food traditions of the south and investigate where they come from.  More than that, it’s a push to save actual ingredients from extinction.  Brock painstakingly saves and catalogues heritage seeds and seeks out old breeds of animals native to the south.  It’s a brave old world.

Take the Southern Foodways Alliance.  It’s a group that’s dedicated to studying and preserving the food culture of the south.  That’s an incredible concept that really shouldn’t be revolutionary.  From the dawn of humanity, the food we’ve eaten has been an integral influence on the way that we’ve lived our lives.  Food has been a major factor in both the uplifting and downfall of entire societies.  Why shouldn’t it be viewed as one of the most important ways we document history?

It makes me wonder about the food traditions of the Midwest.  I’m from the Midwest, and I don’t know what they are.   Do they even exist?   Are they being lost to a reputation as big chain guinea pigs?

Therein lies the opportunity, as yet undefined, for all of us chefs here in Central Ohio.  There are many ways to go about defining a tradition. 

For the more studious among us, the culinary traditions of the Midwest are rich, hearty and ancient.  Like Brock, we could dig into the history of our state and work to preserve and grow our knowledge and refine the dishes of old, drawing from the state’s old German and Polish roots, or for the more intrepid among us, the roots that sink even deeper.

There are also infinite new and progressive combinations and perspectives to explore while still pulling from the rich agriculture surrounding us.   With a community of cooks and chefs, we could explore avant garde techniques paired with heritage ingredients and eek out our own food traditions unique to our home.  With the burgeoning diversity of our city, the entire world can be the palette we use to paint an enduring picture of the city we love.

When people talk about food in Columbus, all too often it’s in regard to some new import from another city or opening a New York or Chicago style restaurant in our city.  I’m all for developing a Columbus Style and staking our claim to our own bounty and culinary heritage.

What's up Swoop!?

Chances are, if you know a cook, you know an action junkie.  The rush of service crashes down around your ears in an instant, and if the stars are all aligned and your crew is in the groove, it’s easy to lose yourself in it.  Sometimes, everything works and you dance through the night, hours slipping by like minutes. Sometimes, the tightrope begins to sway and you end up clutching at it for dear life, every minute stretching into eternity.

That rush, and the ability to not get buried in the weeds during the rough spots is what makes a restaurant run.  It wouldn’t happen if people didn’t come and people won’t come back if you don’t care enough to make it nice.   Sometimes it doesn't go so well, but you make it right and put it behind you.

We were fortunate enough to have a bustling sort of weekend at Bebe at the Hey Hey and it was a great feeling!  It’s one of our very favorite things to help people celebrate their special days, so we were extra happy to help the family and friends of The Commissary celebrate another milestone in their project, which feels in a lot of ways, like all of our project.

This weekend was also the sort that reminds you that as a food service team, we serve at your pleasure, because we really need you.  That’s why we work our hardest to do it right every time, shake up our menu as often as possible and knock your socks off every single time.

We take a lot of chances.  Very little of our food is conventional and we buy almost nothing prepared.  Making most of our food from scratch casts our labor requirements as absurd based on the size of our business.  Our semi-permanent location is a bit out of the way and as “an elite dive”, a  colorful phrase coined by a quippy yelper, it's difficult to know what to expect.  Our menu favorites are always in danger of being shuffled off and replaced with some nifty new idea.  We have only enough cold storage for a busy night, leaving us literally starting from scratch some days.

For those of you that have become our beloved regulars, those risks (we hope) pay off nightly.  We thank you so much for getting us this far and hope to see you soon.  For everyone else, of course we’d love to be successful beyond our wildest dreams, but now, this Swoop! things is still a dream we fight for daily and we need all of you to help us make it everything we want it to be, not just for us and our families, but for this city we’re fighting for.

In the mean time, we'll keep trying to push forward as a company.  We'll sharpen our knifes and get ready to cook off against the able Chef Catie from The Challah Food Truck in our inaugural edition of Columbus Knife Fight Club, July 26.

We'll try our new flavor combinations and techniques and record all of our great ideas so that our Kickstarter reward party and Bebida preview at The Commissary is as amazing as we hope you've come to expect from us.

And we'll hope to see your face at Swoop! Food Truck or Bebe at the Hey Hey or possibly someplace new we haven't clued you into yet.  Maybe.




Do you have a special day ahead?  Email this guy!