A Job Becomes a Labor of Love
For those of you who know me, “Really Know Me”, the story to follow is a dream come true.
I was invited in to help on a project that was in need of a kitchen; I drove up to Northern New York State, and the sleepy town of Essex, NY. I had to take a ferry over Lake Champlain to get there. The ferry pulled up and I was transported to an earlier time, when small towns all over the east had a small store, a post office, and an Inn. These towns had a nice main street and homes that reflected the wonderful people who lived in them. Well all, I fell into the middle of a Norman Rockwell dream. The town of Essex could be in one of Norman’s Americana paintings. It has it all, but most importantly it has a wonderful couple who are converting their dreams to action. I have had the pleasure of meeting Karen Judge and Rick Dalton. They have, for many years, run a program of mentoring children on the importance of education. They are helping, and have helped many children reach for the stars through their program “College for Every Student”:
I can’t tell you how positive a reaction this group has made on me, personally. On top of all of this, they are rebuilding a Grand Dame, The Essex Inn. They have taken an Inn that was about to fall in on itself and have brought new life to it. The pictures you are about to look at are just of the outside which is still being worked on. I will have many more pictures on the web site as it develops.
I want you to think of this, you and your partner have never been in food service, never been in hospitality, never been in the front or the back of the house, never ran an Inn or a hotel, but with the faith of a young child never seeing Santa but knowing he exsists, have almost completed one of the best renovations I have ever seen. It is truly beautiful. Last week I had the pleasure of staying in the Inn over night by myself as it is not open yet. After a wonderful meal with Karen and Rick, and some of their family I returned to the Inn for desert, with the family. I had delivered desert earlier in the day. We finished at 11:00 pm. Why I bring this up is that I had just spent a full day in their kitchen making sure everything was in place and installed correctly, and I was beat. I spent 2 and ½ hours sitting in the Inn after everyone had left, with Christmas lights a blaze and had an epiphany. This Inn is a very special place and will be a destination for many a traveler looking for a simpler time, true hospitality, a great meal to sooth a long day, and most importantly the serenity that only this Inn seems to deliver for me, personally, and hopefully to you…
I hope you get a chance to visit it and soak up all it has to offer, but, if you are not able to, the cook book of the Inn will be available soon with unique Inn pictures and the culinary roadmap that along with the scenic Inn pictures will weave a web that will cradle you as it has me.
Please enjoy these first pictures and keep tuned for more.
