A Fresh Start.

3 Years in, well actually 3 ¼ years. Wow, that’s how long it’s been since we started at Racine, what a rollercoaster! There are so many things we have learned, many things we would have done differently, but many things we are so proud of and overall I am pleased with what we’ve achieved.
March feels like a new start for us as we have been away for a much needed break at the paradise that is Mollymook Beach and we’re relaxed, refreshed and starting what feels like a new bigger, brighter phase at Racine. This comes after several frustrating months of struggling to find staff and having to cap numbers and turn customers away or risk overextending ourselves and disappointing those customers (although sometimes we did disappoint– there’s only so much 2 chefs can do by themselves when all the bookings come in at once). Overall, I think we did a good job.
Those months of short staff were some of the best we have ever had, if some of the hardest. We were awarded our first Sydney Morning Herald Chef’s Hat for Racine and Shaun also won Country Style Magazine’s ‘Country Chef of The Year’ Award and yes on the 2 times we know they reviewed us for Country Style there were only 2 chef’s in the kitchen… well done Shaun and Chris a truly remarkable feat! So naturally over Wine Week, Christmas & Wedding Season, which came immediately after these 2 huge awards, we were FLAT out! Such a shame that we didn’t have the staff capacity to run at full steam, but we made it. During that time we trialled our budding bakery with great success, unfortunately there have been some hiccups and plans had to be put on hold, but we are not giving up that easily – for that would be totally out of character for us.
But I digress, this is about looking forward, we are excited about coming back fresh, with lots of customers, some great new staff (and some fabulous old ones too) and big plans for expanding the bakery. I have even revamped this blog and I intend to start painting again after a 3 month hiatus.
So from here on in stay tuned for what’s going in the wings and on the stage of this wonderful show that we call Racine…it’s never boring.