We have made it through...our first 2 years! Now we face our third season head on and with vigor! Placencia is booming and Rumfish is feeling the beautiful burden of being busy! The holidays reminded us that we have only until now been in our infancy. As "grown ups" and "on the map" we will be sleeping little and serving MORE! As it goes with the restaurant business...be careful what you wish for! But alas, we love it! Our biggest hurdle...finding a good and reliable babysitter so that The Momma can be at work! Our second biggest challenge...finding good labor! Ouch! It is beyond difficult to train and expect a level of service from those who have never dined in a "first world" restaurant, especially when that is a large percentage of our client base during the "season". Currently we have an amazing staff...but you never know what tomorrow will bring (one of our waitresses is preggo!). Our Chef is outstanding and we have outdone ourselves (personal opinion and shared by many guests!) this season in terms of our menu, specials, and...'special menus'. Braised Short Ribs (Valentine's)...one of the best meals I've had in my life! Deep fried Turkey...Cajun rub...Chipotle gravy for Thanksgiving...how about that Spicy Plantain Chowder?! This weeks Chunky Lobster Bisque in a Creole Bread Bowl rounded out Lobster season brilliantly. So sad to say goodbye to Lobster until June...but sweet and succulent Jumbo Shrimp have come in to save the day! We re-fashioned the Bisque with those little buggers and WOW...I will NOT tell Lobster what a fine stand-in job our prawn friends provided!
And, yes, "Mommy" and "Maitre 'd" is an odd and complexing duality I endure, and how lucky am I for it? Mommy by day, and serving my guests by night. Chatting it up, meeting fantastic people from all over the world...opening fabulous bottles of wine...drinking some of them...I cannot complain (although I am known to anyway!!). Did I mention accountant? Yes, a large part of my day is spent adding and subtracting (whilst my 14 month old tugs at my pant leg incessantly!) But, you are talking about someone who added simple addition equations backwards in an interview for a cocktail waitressing job in NYC during college. My excuse was that I was in the Arts School which did not require any mathematics. It was indeed embarrassing, but HEY...I could've quoted a Sonnet verbatim on the spot!
And so, today we dotted the last 'i' and crossed the last 't' on our Belize residency paperwork...it took a nice road trip to Belmopan and and a prick in the arm (needed HIV tests) to do it. But now (and I say this in a quiet voice so as not to jinx) I think we are finally through with the "application" and will hopefully receive our permanent residency soon. Our child being born here in Belize is of "little use" to us in regards to our actual legitimacy here in the eyes of the Belizean Government sadly...but hey, she carries two passports and that is just cool anyway.
What else can I say except the Gods have smiled on us and we love our little joint, our baby, and our life (and all of it's many challenges) here in Belize!
