A Beautiful Ship

We purchased a very old and beautiful ship.  This ship had seen better days. The hull was rusty, filled with barnacles.  The deck was rotted and sagging.  And the paint, a ghost of its former self.  On November 18^th we started to fix our boat.   We replaced the deck with new boards.  We scraped and sanded the hull to a fine luster.  We hired our crew of sailors and readied ourselves to set out to sea.  On Friday the 12^th the day had finally arrived, we were to set sail.  The fanfare was huge.  We were off.  We have already found some leaks and even had a couple of high seas.  But we have set sail.  It is Friday, one week since we opened and lot has happened.  On opening day we had a ribbon cutting with Mayor Foster and the great people over at city hall.  The night was amazing, it seemed that the majority of the community showed up to wish us well.  Saturday’s St. Patrick Day parade was somewhat dampened by the torrential down pour, but we had fun anyway.   In the afternoon the place filled with a troop of bagpipers.  The walls off the old place seemed to come alive with the memories of Gaelic songs past.  And as I listened my heart soared with feelings of community and heritage.  We also had our first beer event where we showcased the beers of Captain Lawrence Brewery.  People from far and wide showed up to taste the various malty beverages. And I do mean far and wide.  We had people that drove up from Philly as well as down from Mass all to taste the sudsy concoctions of Scott at Captain Lawrence. Each day we continue to meet our awesome community as well as being surprised how far people have traveled to check us out.   We have big plans for our little slice of Peekskill and we can’t wait to share them with you over the coming days, weeks, months, and years.

Cheers,

Johnny

Very Soon

Peekskillians, I am broadcasting to you from the depths of the earth.  We have moved the office underground.  No longer do I sit at my comfy 1930’s booth above ground with the rest of the world.  Instead my office has moved underground in the warmth of the basement.  And if you listen very closely you can here Peek’s creek babbling underground through the heart of downtown Peekskill.  We are inching ever so closer to the finish line.  Not Months, Not weeks, but yes my ever so patient citizens, DAYS.   We are putting together an awesome team of soldiers to attend to your every comfort.  And our chef is busy hand picking cattle for fresh delivery on the 12^th.  And if you are vegetarian I was only kidding he is actually foraging for mushrooms in the hills.  The point is we are all hard at work and we are very excited to have you all over very soon.

Introducing Chef Matt Hutchins

We searched the mountain tops, we swam to the bottom of world’s end, we crawled through the stalagmites of the deepest cave, and we even posted something on our website all in search of the perfect chef.  A chef that would have the ability to make your taste buds sing and your toes curl.  Our search stretched over a three month eternity that seemed to have no end in sight.  Don’t get me wrong, we met plenty of good chefs.  But, Peekskill, we were looking for that perfect fit.  The piece of the puzzle that makes the picture pop.   Quite frankly you all don’t know how close the Birdsall House came to having Johnny as the cook serving hotdogs and grilled cheese sandwiches.  Enter Chef Matt Hutchins, the latest member of the Birdsall House team.   Chef Matt came to us by way of the CIA (Culinary Institute of America), where he recently graduated.  With fifteen years in the industry he brings a whole lot to the table and I do mean that literally.  He hails from Northern Florida, that’s right folks another southern gentleman hits the streets of Peekskill.    He spent some time out in Cali at Chez Panisse and lucky for us made his way to the Hudson Valley.  Chef Matt applies many styles to his cooking ranging from southern to California French to Caribbean flavors, like I said he brings a whole lot to the table.  He is passionate about using local, seasonal ingredients and will create menus that change daily based on availability. Dedicated to becoming increasingly sustainable, he will strive to embrace that concept through practices such as house-made charcuterie, pickled and preserved items, and composting.  He also hopes in time to use herbs and other edible items grown on the premises.  He looks forward to developing a menu that will meet the needs of the community and pair well with the beer selections available at the Birdsall House.  We are very excited.  And by the way a little birdie told me that the Birdsall House will be opening by March 12, check back soon to confirm that rumor.

Full Circle

In our quest to keep our food as local as possible, we visited Hemlock Hill Farms today to check out some local beef and discovered that all the cattle at Hemlock Hill is fed with the spent grain from Capatain Lawrence!  Laura de Maria, who's family has farmed at this location since 1939, informed us that "as Scott grows, we grow."  Meaning, the more beer CL produces affects the number of cattle that can be fed at Hemlock Hill.  Cool, huh?.  Luckly, Scott is brewing at capacity and expanding.

We'll be supporting both when we get this place open.  We're still waiting to set a date...but the drama of our chef search may be coming to an end.  Keep your fingers crossed.  We'll keep you posted.

Cupid

Fellow countrymen, it is Sunday, and not just any Sunday, Today is Valentine’s Day.  The one day of the year when we look at that someone special and think to ourselves, “Oh Crap, I forgot to get something.”  The one holiday that I think everyone wishes at one time or another didn’t exist, of course we all kind of secretly enjoy good old cupid on Valentine’s Day as long as we have that someone special to cozy up with.  My special someone is presently finishing up her beautiful paint job in the ladies room.  Ladies your restroom at the Birdsall House is going to be the sexiest bathroom this side of the Mississippi. 

We are putting on the finishing touches and are finally able to say we will be open in weeks instead of months.   I know we haven’t posted a blog in a week or so, but cleaning, inventory, interviewing, building, praying and every once in awhile sleeping has slowed my writing down.  I know not a good enough excuse and we promise to be better.  We will be giving you all an opening date very soon.  And if you didn’t enjoy your Valentines, remember, there is always Presidents day to cozy up too tomorrow.

Johnny