Take a Bite of Tremont

Yesterday I worked with Tom and Joy Harlor, owners of Tremont's popular caterer and boutique deli, Take a Bite. As part of my job, I have wanted to volunteer to work a three-hour shift with area merchants to get a feel for their day-to-day business operations, and Tom and Joy were the first who agreed to my request. When I walked in this morning, Tom told me to wash up - as long as it would take me to sing a verse of 'Happy Birthday' (which I declined to sing out loud). He threw me an apron and a dishrag and, noting my bald head, told me I wouldn't need a cap. Joy directed me to start by slicing tomatoes - "We'll see how you do here as a warm up," Tom said with a nearly concealed wink. A brief introduction to my coworkers, already busy with their tasks, and I jumped in.

Three hours later, I had made 170 puff pastries (with help from their talented pastry chef), sliced and stacked trays of sandwiches (harder than it looks), wrapped trays of fresh baked goods, and done innumerable loads of dishes in the triple sink. What I didn't do was even more important - no accidental knife cuts, no burned hands, no dropped food, and I pretty much avoided aggravating my busy, temporary co-workers - or they were gracious enough not to show it. I avoided the cash register completely because my ignorance here could cost the business money, but I had a first hand view of the line forming on the other side of the counter.

What I learned: running a small business in Tremont is hard work - competative and busy, with long, long hours. The food business is unforgiving. A family run business means you really have to like your coworkers, because you'll go home with them at the end of the day.

And oh yeah - I learned that it's one thing to love to cook, and a whole other thing to make a living at it.

I look forward to working more shifts around Tremont, and I will post them here.