3/23/2023 0 Comments The reader sandpoint½ tsp fresh nutmeg (if possible), ground.Sometimes I add ground pecans and sometimes I add a bit of maple flavoring to the icing. Nothing says autumn like the aroma of cookies baking in the oven, especially these! Makes 6 dozen quickly-disappearing cookies.And so, this reminds me that it’s time to start my baking for next month’s trip to see the Montana bunch. She’s not sure what will fill her time now, but I imagine she’ll still be baking plenty of cookies. Pop by for a light refreshment and share a Hoot Owl memory as we wish Wendy a fond and well-deserved sendoff into retirement. 8 at the Ponderay Event Center from 5-8 p.m. You can join me in wishing Wendy a happy retirement on Saturday, Oct. I will also miss the free Friday cookies, delivered warm to your table until they run out. I will miss Wendy’s affordable lunch specials and surprise pop-up baked goods. Who does that? Someone who has a big heart and a nonexistent ego, that’s who. Wendy also hauled a monster-heavy, hexagon-shaped table from her place to the Forum because nothing else would do for the five-tiered wedding cake I made. We split the cooking duties, and as I’d finish prepping lasagna and other family favorites, I’d deliver carloads of food to her to freeze, load, heat and serve at the venue. She also helped me cater my daughter Ryanne’s wedding, a reception for 200 that included American and Italian buffets and appetizers for the cocktail hour, and I’m still grateful. Another year, it was a Hawaiian luau featuring her first (delicious!) roasted pig. One year it was a “pitchfork fondue” (steaks and potatoes pierced on a pitchfork tine and fried in a cauldron of hot oil). Wendy used to cater our year-end train crew parties at Riley Creek Campground and was always game to try any crazy idea I came up with. I like Josh, and I’m glad to hear he’s not planning any changes (he’s promised to keep serving the community-voted “Best Breakfast in Sandpoint” all day long), except to add a Mexican dish or two, and Wendy claims his Mexican food to be delicious - and I’ll be the judge of that. He already organized a hamburger fundraiser last month for his wife Elizabeth’s coworker, who required medical assistance. I’m pleased that Josh aims to carry on the traditions of chili feeds, spaghetti nights and community Thanksgiving dinners. I challenge everyone to find anyone with a bigger, kinder or more generous heart than Wendy’s (her middle name could be “Fundraiser”). It was 123 degrees in her tiny kitchen, and she was worried about the crew. I only once recall Wendy closing the doors, during a heat wave last year. His younger son, Kaleb, helps at the gift counter, and these two kids already have a following.Įmployers, friends, family - we all get treated the same. Josh’s young daughter Bella can keep pace with the most seasoned servers, greeting guests with water, menus and an effervescent smile. My kids all grew up working for me in one capacity or another in food service, and no one appreciates hard-working (my kids would say over-worked) kids like me. It’s still a sore subject for Josh and Wendy, and she’s upset that she missed the chance to share the news first with the “Coffee Boys,” her favorite old-timers who have gathered at the same table since she opened. While Wendy was thoughtfully preparing an earnest announcement, a misinformed Facebook poster stole her thunder by throwing a rude rant (aimed at the new owner) on social media. Then, waiting for his large order of burritos, he answered her question with one of his own: “Do you know of any for sale?” “Why would you buy a food truck when you could buy a restaurant?” she asked. Josh was waiting for his catering order at the Hoot Owl and mentioned to Wendy that he sure would like to find a food truck to purchase. Strong faith, peppered with blind faith and serendipitous timing, brought seller and buyer together. All the while, if Wendy wasn’t cooking, she worked tirelessly, transforming her tired, old, slanted roadside café into the best breakfast eatery in Sandpoint. I’ve sat at the counter, rolled silverware, poured coffee and shared morning politics with the other countertop diners. I may not have been her first customer, but I count myself among the earliest crowd that called the Hoot Owl home. I was running a startup tour train enterprise and Wendy was turning out homestyle meals for breakfast and lunch - huge tasty portions at reasonable prices. In her early years (and mine), Wendy and I were busy with young kids and businesses, requiring much of our time. 1 (give or take a few days), new owner Josh Butler takes a hand at pounding out those infamous Hoot Owl Chicken Fried Steaks. With a heart that dwarfs her freshly baked behemoth cinnamon rolls, Wendy Hansen Franck is hanging up her apron and handing over the keys to her iconic café. Fall is in the air, and it’s not just the weather that is changing.
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