A big big thank you from all at Massaro’s for those of you who have come in to see us and the shop since we opened on Tuesday as planned.
As you will recall from my blog on Monday Andrea and Elaine did debate not opening due to not being fully ready and all the last minute problems which were still being sorted out at 11.30pm on Wednesday night with another visit from the electrician.
Due to this Massaro’s is still not offering everything we want to but we hope you have enjoyed what you have had so far. There is still so much more to come on the lunch side as Andrea hasn’t got to really cook yet and next week sees the arrival of lovely Italian cakes and pastries which should have been here by now but we were let down by a supplier at the last minute but we have sourced another couple and all should be available next week – you will be able to choose from sfogliatelle filled with a sweetened ricotta cream, canolli filled with a cream using an old family recipe which Andrea will be making and also some lovely Italian cakes which you can buy by the slice.
Next week will also see the launch of a very special and unique to Cambridge lunch time meal so look out for this.
We are very sorry that all has not been ready but with trying to run the place and finding their feet Andrea and Elaine have very little time to work on everything but are slowly getting there.
Andrea managed to get out today and get to the market for a few supplies as he has been let down by a few fresh food suppliers so has had to try and find things anywhere he can and he popped into a competitor ( no names mentioned ). Albeit being slightly annoyed that this unnamed competitor was now displaying their filled rolls in exactly the same way as Massaro’s which seems very coincidental that this should be the case days after Massaro’s opening he did manage a wry smile that a national chain has been snooping and copied one of their ideas – you know who you are!!!
Anyway thank you again for everyone who came and hope you enjoyed and we hope to see you and many more of you again soon – after all we are a completely independent family business despite many people thinking we were a chain or franchise – so we appreciate your support – we know we are not the cheapest but we offer a very genuine and quality range at the best price we can.
Finally we are very pleased at how well our gelato has gone – we were worried that the weather would put you off but it goes to show what we always thought and that is that you lovely Cambridge folk know a special thing when you see it.
Bye for now
Friday 21 November 2008
Tuesday 18 November 2008
Opening as planned despite more problems
Hello
The good news is that Massaro’s will open tomorrow.
The bad news is that as with this whole journey unexpected things keep cropping up which slow things down and as such not all will be as it should tomorrow when Massaro’s opens but it will open as we have promised it will.
Firstly as our coffee is so fresh and effectively still alive it keeps changing day by day – this is actually a good thing but very hard for Andrea to get it consistent. Also the coffee machine is very unforgiving – again being a completely manual machine it has very little room for error and coupled with a very lively coffee it makes for interesting results – Andrea has spent 2 days as some of you may have seen through the now clear window – with his little scales measuring measure after measure – changing the grind on umpteen occasions and pouring 100’s of shots and making his way through many many kilos of coffee to find the perfect espresso – he now has less hair as much of it has been pulled out and he is to be perfectly honest still not 100% happy but then he is a perfectionist. However it is now more stable and is a very nice espresso.
Along with this extra time taken on the coffee at the expense of the food menu they have had problems with electrics, the till, plumbing and cake suppliers so they are very sorry but there will not be a full menu available on the opening.
However the cheese, salumi and antipasti counter is ready as are the shelves so there are lots for you to buy and Andrea and Elaine will be working hard tomorrow to get some food ready also and then continuing with it until it is all ready which will be a few days yet.
At 10.30 pm tonight they sat in the shop ( I was beginning to get worried ) and deliberated whether to delay the opening again until it is all ready but in the end decided to open as planned with as much as possible and they hope that you lovely public will be forgiving and keep coming back to see the new things as they are added.
Andrea and Elaine also wish to thank you the many of you that have popped their heads through the door to see if they are open and to be honest this is the reason why they want to open as planned because they are fed up saying it will be a few days yet.
So we hope to see many of you tomorrow and hope you enjoy what you find and keep coming back for more as if I have learnt anything from my lovely owners in the 4 months I have been their chauffeur is that they are so passionate about what they are trying to achieve and want everyone to be able to buy really good food and coffee in a welcoming environment and they will not stop perfecting this dream they have now had for many years if not in some ways all their lives.
Bye for now and I hoe you all enjoy.
PS For GRM who left a comment its espresso not expresso – George would be so disappointed!!!
PSS Thank you Daisy for the comment you made to Elaine today about your mozzarella and rocket lunch and how you would not believe until working at Massaro’s how 2 very simple ingredients but of very high quality could make such a tasty meal – in a simple sentence you have encapsulated all that Massaro’s is about – thank you.
The good news is that Massaro’s will open tomorrow.
The bad news is that as with this whole journey unexpected things keep cropping up which slow things down and as such not all will be as it should tomorrow when Massaro’s opens but it will open as we have promised it will.
Firstly as our coffee is so fresh and effectively still alive it keeps changing day by day – this is actually a good thing but very hard for Andrea to get it consistent. Also the coffee machine is very unforgiving – again being a completely manual machine it has very little room for error and coupled with a very lively coffee it makes for interesting results – Andrea has spent 2 days as some of you may have seen through the now clear window – with his little scales measuring measure after measure – changing the grind on umpteen occasions and pouring 100’s of shots and making his way through many many kilos of coffee to find the perfect espresso – he now has less hair as much of it has been pulled out and he is to be perfectly honest still not 100% happy but then he is a perfectionist. However it is now more stable and is a very nice espresso.
Along with this extra time taken on the coffee at the expense of the food menu they have had problems with electrics, the till, plumbing and cake suppliers so they are very sorry but there will not be a full menu available on the opening.
However the cheese, salumi and antipasti counter is ready as are the shelves so there are lots for you to buy and Andrea and Elaine will be working hard tomorrow to get some food ready also and then continuing with it until it is all ready which will be a few days yet.
At 10.30 pm tonight they sat in the shop ( I was beginning to get worried ) and deliberated whether to delay the opening again until it is all ready but in the end decided to open as planned with as much as possible and they hope that you lovely public will be forgiving and keep coming back to see the new things as they are added.
Andrea and Elaine also wish to thank you the many of you that have popped their heads through the door to see if they are open and to be honest this is the reason why they want to open as planned because they are fed up saying it will be a few days yet.
So we hope to see many of you tomorrow and hope you enjoy what you find and keep coming back for more as if I have learnt anything from my lovely owners in the 4 months I have been their chauffeur is that they are so passionate about what they are trying to achieve and want everyone to be able to buy really good food and coffee in a welcoming environment and they will not stop perfecting this dream they have now had for many years if not in some ways all their lives.
Bye for now and I hoe you all enjoy.
PS For GRM who left a comment its espresso not expresso – George would be so disappointed!!!
PSS Thank you Daisy for the comment you made to Elaine today about your mozzarella and rocket lunch and how you would not believe until working at Massaro’s how 2 very simple ingredients but of very high quality could make such a tasty meal – in a simple sentence you have encapsulated all that Massaro’s is about – thank you.
Sunday 16 November 2008
Tuesday 18th November
Hello
Just a quickie to say that Massaro’s will be opening on Tuesday 18th November at 10.30am and we are all very excited.
The loyal amongst you will note that it was supposed to be either today or Monday – well did you really think that would be the case with our history!!
There have been a few more hiccups but they are being sorted and I will tell you more later.
Thank you to Random (our stalker) and if you can’t wait until Tuesday pop in for a coffee tomorrow – it’s not as if you have far to come.
Finally look out for a future barista champion if you are passing today as George Massaro will be making an appearance later this afternoon.
Just a quickie to say that Massaro’s will be opening on Tuesday 18th November at 10.30am and we are all very excited.
The loyal amongst you will note that it was supposed to be either today or Monday – well did you really think that would be the case with our history!!
There have been a few more hiccups but they are being sorted and I will tell you more later.
Thank you to Random (our stalker) and if you can’t wait until Tuesday pop in for a coffee tomorrow – it’s not as if you have far to come.
Finally look out for a future barista champion if you are passing today as George Massaro will be making an appearance later this afternoon.
Friday 14 November 2008
Cheeky On Ice!! (Thanks Daisy)
Hello
OK I have not quite be on the Cambridge on Ice rink but there are 2 big banners with Massaro’s on and my blog address is on there so it nearly counts.
Today has been another feel good day as Andrea and Elaine went off to a local small holding to collect some initial goods ready for the opening and rather than have it ready for them the farm owner decided to take them on his buggy to the various patches to collect their own food. They brought back a little rocket, various Italian winter salad leaves to make their own winter salad mix, a fantastic looking lettuce and various other wonderful foods. They would love to get everything from here but it is only a small place and they actually use all their own produce in their kitchens as they are a wedding venue so can only sell surplus items but it is all very good and you will see various buts from here throughout the year.
Later tonight Andrea and Elaine went off to the launch of Cambridge on Ice as they are an official sponsor of the event. Daisy who works for them was the official photographer for the evening as she has recently graduated with a degree in photography and she is going to have some of her work up in Massaro’s coffee shop which you will be able to buy.
Back at the shop work is still going on to get open as soon as possible and could now be Sunday. Tomorrow the windows are being cleaned so you will all be able to see in. Andrea and Elaine hope to open on Sunday but not everything will be ready such as the lovely food menu but the shelves are almost full and whilst the coffee is not up to the perfect standards they are looking for you will be able to have a coffee as it is still very good.
Unfortunately they have had trouble sourcing the fresh Italian cakes they were hoping to have for the opening but they are still working on it.
Finally thank you to GRM for your comment and at if only we knew who you were we could tell George who is coming up again on Sunday that you think he is fantastic – we thought maybe for one second that you actually were George as the first and third letters could be George Massaro but what’s the R for – who knows – maybe Reece!!
Well whoever you are we look forward to seeing you in the shop
Bye all for now and if I don’t write before then Andrea and Elaine hope to see you on Sunday or maybe Monday!!
OK I have not quite be on the Cambridge on Ice rink but there are 2 big banners with Massaro’s on and my blog address is on there so it nearly counts.
Today has been another feel good day as Andrea and Elaine went off to a local small holding to collect some initial goods ready for the opening and rather than have it ready for them the farm owner decided to take them on his buggy to the various patches to collect their own food. They brought back a little rocket, various Italian winter salad leaves to make their own winter salad mix, a fantastic looking lettuce and various other wonderful foods. They would love to get everything from here but it is only a small place and they actually use all their own produce in their kitchens as they are a wedding venue so can only sell surplus items but it is all very good and you will see various buts from here throughout the year.
Later tonight Andrea and Elaine went off to the launch of Cambridge on Ice as they are an official sponsor of the event. Daisy who works for them was the official photographer for the evening as she has recently graduated with a degree in photography and she is going to have some of her work up in Massaro’s coffee shop which you will be able to buy.
Back at the shop work is still going on to get open as soon as possible and could now be Sunday. Tomorrow the windows are being cleaned so you will all be able to see in. Andrea and Elaine hope to open on Sunday but not everything will be ready such as the lovely food menu but the shelves are almost full and whilst the coffee is not up to the perfect standards they are looking for you will be able to have a coffee as it is still very good.
Unfortunately they have had trouble sourcing the fresh Italian cakes they were hoping to have for the opening but they are still working on it.
Finally thank you to GRM for your comment and at if only we knew who you were we could tell George who is coming up again on Sunday that you think he is fantastic – we thought maybe for one second that you actually were George as the first and third letters could be George Massaro but what’s the R for – who knows – maybe Reece!!
Well whoever you are we look forward to seeing you in the shop
Bye all for now and if I don’t write before then Andrea and Elaine hope to see you on Sunday or maybe Monday!!
Wednesday 12 November 2008
Gelato Finally Arrives and George Massaro, One for the Future
Hello all
Well, well another exciting day for Andrea and Elaine. Today was the day that the ice cream sorry gelato arrived at Massaro’s. Two lovely ladies rolled up at midday today with their van and out came a truly amazing product and if ever the word artisan was invented this is what it was for – this is gelato in its truest form –basically no cream and just pure quality ingredients hand mixed culminating in a taste sensation – pistachios from Bronte – hazelnuts from Piemonte – British fruit when it is equal to Italian – no expense spared in producing this truly exquisite gelato – and where is it made – Italy you may think – but no it hails from London produced by some wonderful people with a rich and long history in gelato production – as with the coffee Andrea and Elaine have tried many gelatos and many from Italy but this is simply the best they have found and soon you will get to taste for yourself.
Your initial choice whether it be a single scoop or 1 litre to take home for a dinner party will be from Cioccalato, Caffe, Cookies, Nocciola or Vaniglia and if you prefer sorbetti then choose from Limone and Fragole ( Lemon or Strawberry ). I’ll let you into a little secret – hiding in the freezer counter is a pistachio gelato so to see it sooner one of the ones above will have to be sold for it to come out so get buying because the pistachio one is, if possible, even better than the rest but a heated discussion between Elaine and Andrea resulted in the coffee flavour making the first cut!!!
Sunday was an interesting day too as George Massaro, Andrea and Elaine’s 13 year old nephew visited with his dad who was up again doing a few odd jobs, had his first go as a barista – donning a Massaro polo shirt and apron he poured his first espresso, cappuccino and latte macchiato – and what an effort – as you will soon see the Massaro’s coffee machine takes no prisoners as it is a traditional hand lever machine and George managed admirably so expect to see him perfectly extracting your espresso – OK so he is 13 so it may be a while before he does but he is a natural.
Abbie Massaro, George’s sister also came up to visit but the lure of streaming X Factor on Andrea’s lap top was far too much a drawer for her to have her first go at being a barista but there is still time!!
Well Massaro’s is days away from opening and unfortunately there will not be as much available from the start as they would have liked but there really is plenty to start with and we hope you will all enjoy.
Before I forget, thank you to Pete for his comment – unfortunately we will not be open before your long weekend to Rome however if you read this and are passing Massaro’s tomorrow then please pop in for an espresso on the house – you will be nearly the first to try the 4th attempt at Massaro’s selecting the right espresso glass!!!
Finally Massaro’s now has a new member of staff – her name is Cecilia and she is starting on Thursday and then will work weekends – she, like Daisy is lovely and I am sure will be an asset to Massaro’s and do her best to make your experience at Massaro’s a memorable one.
Bye for now and more very soon.
Cheeky
Well, well another exciting day for Andrea and Elaine. Today was the day that the ice cream sorry gelato arrived at Massaro’s. Two lovely ladies rolled up at midday today with their van and out came a truly amazing product and if ever the word artisan was invented this is what it was for – this is gelato in its truest form –basically no cream and just pure quality ingredients hand mixed culminating in a taste sensation – pistachios from Bronte – hazelnuts from Piemonte – British fruit when it is equal to Italian – no expense spared in producing this truly exquisite gelato – and where is it made – Italy you may think – but no it hails from London produced by some wonderful people with a rich and long history in gelato production – as with the coffee Andrea and Elaine have tried many gelatos and many from Italy but this is simply the best they have found and soon you will get to taste for yourself.
Your initial choice whether it be a single scoop or 1 litre to take home for a dinner party will be from Cioccalato, Caffe, Cookies, Nocciola or Vaniglia and if you prefer sorbetti then choose from Limone and Fragole ( Lemon or Strawberry ). I’ll let you into a little secret – hiding in the freezer counter is a pistachio gelato so to see it sooner one of the ones above will have to be sold for it to come out so get buying because the pistachio one is, if possible, even better than the rest but a heated discussion between Elaine and Andrea resulted in the coffee flavour making the first cut!!!
Sunday was an interesting day too as George Massaro, Andrea and Elaine’s 13 year old nephew visited with his dad who was up again doing a few odd jobs, had his first go as a barista – donning a Massaro polo shirt and apron he poured his first espresso, cappuccino and latte macchiato – and what an effort – as you will soon see the Massaro’s coffee machine takes no prisoners as it is a traditional hand lever machine and George managed admirably so expect to see him perfectly extracting your espresso – OK so he is 13 so it may be a while before he does but he is a natural.
Abbie Massaro, George’s sister also came up to visit but the lure of streaming X Factor on Andrea’s lap top was far too much a drawer for her to have her first go at being a barista but there is still time!!
Well Massaro’s is days away from opening and unfortunately there will not be as much available from the start as they would have liked but there really is plenty to start with and we hope you will all enjoy.
Before I forget, thank you to Pete for his comment – unfortunately we will not be open before your long weekend to Rome however if you read this and are passing Massaro’s tomorrow then please pop in for an espresso on the house – you will be nearly the first to try the 4th attempt at Massaro’s selecting the right espresso glass!!!
Finally Massaro’s now has a new member of staff – her name is Cecilia and she is starting on Thursday and then will work weekends – she, like Daisy is lovely and I am sure will be an asset to Massaro’s and do her best to make your experience at Massaro’s a memorable one.
Bye for now and more very soon.
Cheeky
Sunday 9 November 2008
A Cupping Success !!
Hello All
Well the title of this entry says it all ( By the way cupping is the coffee term for tasting coffee and selecting blends) – Massaro’s have a coffee it is happy with and boy did it take some effort. Last Thursday we went on a long drive and I was parked outside a normal looking industrial estate way up north. Inside Andrea and Elaine were having an experience they will never forget and the end result was a unique Massaro’s blend of espresso. If you are reading this thank you very much Steve for all your efforts and it is an experience that will never been forgotten.
A very detailed brief was written by Andrea several days before and on Thursday they tasted many single origin coffees in order to make a blend of espresso that they were happy with. This was achieved at about 8pm on Thursday and then to the roasting. In front of their eyes they watched the extremely talented coffee roaster aka Steve roast each individual coffee to go in the blend and were amazed by his constant checking of the beans as they roasted and his ability to know how close it was to perfection by appearance and smell alone - no fancy computer programmes or huge multi tonne roasters – just small batches of the highest hand selected, quality green coffee beans along with pure knowledge and feel for the end product – you don’t get much more artisan than that!! Once finished it was blended and 6 kilos were safely taken back to Massaro’s and this is the coffee you will be enjoying very soon.
As an espresso Andrea says it hits all the notes and is also very good in cappuccino and latte macchiato. This was part of the challenge as ideally you would have one for espresso and one for milk based drinks but this is not practical due to space but with a little care and some precise measuring and of course a fully manual and traditional coffee machine you will get great espresso, cappuccino and latte macchiato. You have to bare with them though as now that they finally after 6 weeks of looking have a great espresso blend they need to perfect it with their machine and staff. I’ll also let you into a little secret – it will be a few weeks until you get it at its best as the expert roaster has said with the coffee chosen it is not at its best until 14-21 days of roasting. The aim is that eventually at Massaro’s you will only ever have the coffee in this stage but it will take some time to perfect the ordering levels to ensure this but as with everything at Massaro’s it will be achieved.
So finally after much searching and a day of caffeine overload Andrea and Elaine have a coffee they are happy with and now hope that by the end of the week you will all be enjoying it. We also hope that you will bare with us as we try and perfect everything as we are trying very hard to do so and will get there but as we need to open now not all will be in place immediately but we think there is more than enough for you to enjoy from day one and it will just get better.
Bye for now and more news very soon.
PS Thank you for your comment from the person at Downing – we look forward to seeing you very soon and hope you enjoy all our products.
Well the title of this entry says it all ( By the way cupping is the coffee term for tasting coffee and selecting blends) – Massaro’s have a coffee it is happy with and boy did it take some effort. Last Thursday we went on a long drive and I was parked outside a normal looking industrial estate way up north. Inside Andrea and Elaine were having an experience they will never forget and the end result was a unique Massaro’s blend of espresso. If you are reading this thank you very much Steve for all your efforts and it is an experience that will never been forgotten.
A very detailed brief was written by Andrea several days before and on Thursday they tasted many single origin coffees in order to make a blend of espresso that they were happy with. This was achieved at about 8pm on Thursday and then to the roasting. In front of their eyes they watched the extremely talented coffee roaster aka Steve roast each individual coffee to go in the blend and were amazed by his constant checking of the beans as they roasted and his ability to know how close it was to perfection by appearance and smell alone - no fancy computer programmes or huge multi tonne roasters – just small batches of the highest hand selected, quality green coffee beans along with pure knowledge and feel for the end product – you don’t get much more artisan than that!! Once finished it was blended and 6 kilos were safely taken back to Massaro’s and this is the coffee you will be enjoying very soon.
As an espresso Andrea says it hits all the notes and is also very good in cappuccino and latte macchiato. This was part of the challenge as ideally you would have one for espresso and one for milk based drinks but this is not practical due to space but with a little care and some precise measuring and of course a fully manual and traditional coffee machine you will get great espresso, cappuccino and latte macchiato. You have to bare with them though as now that they finally after 6 weeks of looking have a great espresso blend they need to perfect it with their machine and staff. I’ll also let you into a little secret – it will be a few weeks until you get it at its best as the expert roaster has said with the coffee chosen it is not at its best until 14-21 days of roasting. The aim is that eventually at Massaro’s you will only ever have the coffee in this stage but it will take some time to perfect the ordering levels to ensure this but as with everything at Massaro’s it will be achieved.
So finally after much searching and a day of caffeine overload Andrea and Elaine have a coffee they are happy with and now hope that by the end of the week you will all be enjoying it. We also hope that you will bare with us as we try and perfect everything as we are trying very hard to do so and will get there but as we need to open now not all will be in place immediately but we think there is more than enough for you to enjoy from day one and it will just get better.
Bye for now and more news very soon.
PS Thank you for your comment from the person at Downing – we look forward to seeing you very soon and hope you enjoy all our products.
Monday 3 November 2008
Hello again. Well first of all thank you to the person who asked about the coffee. Yes the idea is to have artisan coffee as well as all our other products. This is much more difficult than we first thought even after spending years preparing and is one of the reasons why it is taking longer than we would have liked to open the doors. We are still working hard on the coffee front and hope to have some further developments this week but rest assured we have tried many are still doing so and we hope to get it right before we open. However if we do not we will not stop looking and that goes for all products.
For example we have not found a complete range of olive oils and especially balsamic vinegars that we are happy are good enough so we will only stock what we do and will keep looking. Of course all these things are a matter of taste and all we can do is select what we think is right and if we are happy with it then we can let you sample and hopefully you will agree.
There have been a few more delays and we are now hoping to open either late this week or early next week but we are working as hard as we can. We also now have to select Christmas stock in order to make sure we have lots of nice goodies for you to treat yourselves to or buy as a gift – there are some great products coming in from hand made panettone to some extremely fantastic chocolate which is one of the best in the world. Fruits in syrups and various alcohols including kirsch are also on their way. Panforte is already in and the very traditional and authentic panpepato will also be available.
Well just a short one this time and finally as I have only had 1 comment!! Andrea has decided to offer a free buffalo mozzarella to the first 10 people to come in and say “I have read Cheekys blog and I want my free mozzarella”
There is usually someone there all day so if the door is open pop in and get your free mozzarella. This is only for the first 10 people as we only have 10!!
I’ll update again soon an I hope 10 of you enjoy your mozzarella!!
For example we have not found a complete range of olive oils and especially balsamic vinegars that we are happy are good enough so we will only stock what we do and will keep looking. Of course all these things are a matter of taste and all we can do is select what we think is right and if we are happy with it then we can let you sample and hopefully you will agree.
There have been a few more delays and we are now hoping to open either late this week or early next week but we are working as hard as we can. We also now have to select Christmas stock in order to make sure we have lots of nice goodies for you to treat yourselves to or buy as a gift – there are some great products coming in from hand made panettone to some extremely fantastic chocolate which is one of the best in the world. Fruits in syrups and various alcohols including kirsch are also on their way. Panforte is already in and the very traditional and authentic panpepato will also be available.
Well just a short one this time and finally as I have only had 1 comment!! Andrea has decided to offer a free buffalo mozzarella to the first 10 people to come in and say “I have read Cheekys blog and I want my free mozzarella”
There is usually someone there all day so if the door is open pop in and get your free mozzarella. This is only for the first 10 people as we only have 10!!
I’ll update again soon an I hope 10 of you enjoy your mozzarella!!
Thursday 30 October 2008
Wow not even a week since last time!!!
Hello again and although it has been nearly a week since I last updated it is much sooner than usual!!
Well first of all if ever an answer was needed as to why it takes time to open such a shop and the unprecedented problems here’s a few examples
On Sunday Andrea was happily doing an olive oil tasting in order to finalise Massaro’s olive oil range when Elaine noticed that one of the external drains was blocked – he then spent the next 4 hours unblocking and cleaning the drains and with his brother coming in again to finish a few jobs later that day and his mum coming to help also that was the end of the olive oil session and he has not had time to get back to it since.
Yesterday he spent nearly 2 hours locked in the cold room!! Daisy was putting stock away in the cold room which was one of the basement rooms which they had converted into a cold room and she closed the door behind her to go and get some more stock – when she returned the door wouldn’t open. That was the end of that for then but later last night Andrea managed to get into it and after some time managed to get in and decided it was the door handle that was faulty. He took a handle off another door and went in to fit it - after fitting it from the inside the door wouldn’t open again and this time he was locked in – some time later a much colder Andrea managed to get out and then sorted the door out – well for now anyway. It wasn’t all bad though because if you have been following you will know that it is actually Andrea’s favourite room – Elaine thinks he could have got out sooner but he chose to stay in there so he could spend more time with the cheeses and salumi!!!!
If that wasn’t enough there is now a problem with the power upstairs whereby it keeps tripping and of course this needs to be sorted out before opening.
On a brighter note some lovely cheeses arrive today for Andrea and Elaine to sample and they say they are very nice. A young Pecorino from Sardinia has a very fruity taste with hints of pineapple – an amazingly named cheese ( Formaggio Bastardo!!) - no English translation needed, was also very nice and will appeal to you cheddar lovers out there – a fantastic new cheese to even the supplier – Pecorino Gran Sardo is very similar to the more commonly known Grana Padano but is made from sheeps milk and is much smoother whilst still having that slight grainy texture – finally Pecorino Pepato will appeal to anyone who knows the very commercial Pecorino Romano – Andrea has not been able to find an artisan Pecorino Romano but this will substitute nicely as it has the salty taste as well as a nice grating texture and enhanced even further by its peppery taste (pepato) due to it having whole peppercorns in it and of course it is produced in an artisan manner.
Some great cheeses for stock have also arrived but due to more delays some will not see the opening day as they are very fresh cheeses such as mozzarella di bufala, stracchino and caprino fresco – I think some local Regent Street businesses will be having some samples very soon!!!
Well that’s it for now but more soon - I promise.
Cheeky
Well first of all if ever an answer was needed as to why it takes time to open such a shop and the unprecedented problems here’s a few examples
On Sunday Andrea was happily doing an olive oil tasting in order to finalise Massaro’s olive oil range when Elaine noticed that one of the external drains was blocked – he then spent the next 4 hours unblocking and cleaning the drains and with his brother coming in again to finish a few jobs later that day and his mum coming to help also that was the end of the olive oil session and he has not had time to get back to it since.
Yesterday he spent nearly 2 hours locked in the cold room!! Daisy was putting stock away in the cold room which was one of the basement rooms which they had converted into a cold room and she closed the door behind her to go and get some more stock – when she returned the door wouldn’t open. That was the end of that for then but later last night Andrea managed to get into it and after some time managed to get in and decided it was the door handle that was faulty. He took a handle off another door and went in to fit it - after fitting it from the inside the door wouldn’t open again and this time he was locked in – some time later a much colder Andrea managed to get out and then sorted the door out – well for now anyway. It wasn’t all bad though because if you have been following you will know that it is actually Andrea’s favourite room – Elaine thinks he could have got out sooner but he chose to stay in there so he could spend more time with the cheeses and salumi!!!!
If that wasn’t enough there is now a problem with the power upstairs whereby it keeps tripping and of course this needs to be sorted out before opening.
On a brighter note some lovely cheeses arrive today for Andrea and Elaine to sample and they say they are very nice. A young Pecorino from Sardinia has a very fruity taste with hints of pineapple – an amazingly named cheese ( Formaggio Bastardo!!) - no English translation needed, was also very nice and will appeal to you cheddar lovers out there – a fantastic new cheese to even the supplier – Pecorino Gran Sardo is very similar to the more commonly known Grana Padano but is made from sheeps milk and is much smoother whilst still having that slight grainy texture – finally Pecorino Pepato will appeal to anyone who knows the very commercial Pecorino Romano – Andrea has not been able to find an artisan Pecorino Romano but this will substitute nicely as it has the salty taste as well as a nice grating texture and enhanced even further by its peppery taste (pepato) due to it having whole peppercorns in it and of course it is produced in an artisan manner.
Some great cheeses for stock have also arrived but due to more delays some will not see the opening day as they are very fresh cheeses such as mozzarella di bufala, stracchino and caprino fresco – I think some local Regent Street businesses will be having some samples very soon!!!
Well that’s it for now but more soon - I promise.
Cheeky
Saturday 25 October 2008
Hello All
Well well I haven’t been updating as I promised but we have been just so busy trying to get the shop open as quickly as we can. I will start from today and give you a brief summary of what has happened since last time I updated.
Today we went to Andrea’s mum’s house as it will probably be the last time she gets to see both her children and 4 grandchildren for a while. Andrea’s brother works in Formula One so he is away a lot and of course with Andrea and Elaine so busy with the shop they have not been able to go to their mums as often so for the first time in ages we all went to see Andrea’s mum and it was the first day they had off for a long time – it has been 5 months now you know since they took the keys to the shop. To be honest they find it very hard to take a day off and even today we went to Bedford to see a potential cake supplier for the shop so was not a complete break but as close as they get to one!!
So what has been happening – well this week lots more stock started to arrive and for the first time cheese and salumi has arrived and Andrea could not resist going into the cold room every so often on Friday just to smell the cheese and salumi – he loves the smell that only good artisan produce emits. Elaine says that when they retire she will get him a cheese and meat maturing room just so he can spend his days with cheese and salumi!!
Andrea’s brother, Franco, was over this week helping put some finishing touches to the shop and they were very happy for this help as they have had to do most of it themselves but they did get a very nice compliment the other day – a local food shop came in to ask who had done the signs and design for the shop as he wanted to revamp his shop – he then asked where the other Massaro’s shops were – he thought it must have been a chain or franchise from London and he was very impressed to hear that this was a first and had all been done by Andrea and Elaine.
So much has gone on since I last wrote so I don’t know hoe to summarise but basically there have been lots more trips to suppliers and lots of hard work and is all coming together now and the only disappointment is that the shop i s not open yet as we had hoped to be open some time ago but Andrea and Elaine are so adamant that everything needs to be right and it is not as simple as it may sound.
However they have conceded that they must open soon and they are hoping to open at the end of next week. Andrea is a little sad about this as he doesn’t feel it is all right yet and he has had very little actually no time to do his favourite thing which is to cook so maybe after all this effort they may not open with all the plans they had but it will come and they just hope that customers keep coming to see what else is available because the ultimate will be great and to be honest Andrea is a perfectionist and so what you get from day one will be very very good but he is never satisfied – well that is what Elaine says.
OK I promise from today on to update you more often but I have said that before so don’t hold your breath!! But I will try.
Finally I found out today that Andrea’s cousin also called Franco ( I’ll explain another time ) has been reading my blog – I have never met him but his mum has seen me at Andrea’s mums house as she lives across the road but thank you for reading and we hope to see you in the shop one day although I might not be outside the shop as I have now got my own parking space and Andrea doesn’t get the time to take me the nearer the shop especially as there is a local traffic warden that has it in for me and keeps sticking tickets on me – you know who you are!!
Bye for now
Cheeky
Today we went to Andrea’s mum’s house as it will probably be the last time she gets to see both her children and 4 grandchildren for a while. Andrea’s brother works in Formula One so he is away a lot and of course with Andrea and Elaine so busy with the shop they have not been able to go to their mums as often so for the first time in ages we all went to see Andrea’s mum and it was the first day they had off for a long time – it has been 5 months now you know since they took the keys to the shop. To be honest they find it very hard to take a day off and even today we went to Bedford to see a potential cake supplier for the shop so was not a complete break but as close as they get to one!!
So what has been happening – well this week lots more stock started to arrive and for the first time cheese and salumi has arrived and Andrea could not resist going into the cold room every so often on Friday just to smell the cheese and salumi – he loves the smell that only good artisan produce emits. Elaine says that when they retire she will get him a cheese and meat maturing room just so he can spend his days with cheese and salumi!!
Andrea’s brother, Franco, was over this week helping put some finishing touches to the shop and they were very happy for this help as they have had to do most of it themselves but they did get a very nice compliment the other day – a local food shop came in to ask who had done the signs and design for the shop as he wanted to revamp his shop – he then asked where the other Massaro’s shops were – he thought it must have been a chain or franchise from London and he was very impressed to hear that this was a first and had all been done by Andrea and Elaine.
So much has gone on since I last wrote so I don’t know hoe to summarise but basically there have been lots more trips to suppliers and lots of hard work and is all coming together now and the only disappointment is that the shop i s not open yet as we had hoped to be open some time ago but Andrea and Elaine are so adamant that everything needs to be right and it is not as simple as it may sound.
However they have conceded that they must open soon and they are hoping to open at the end of next week. Andrea is a little sad about this as he doesn’t feel it is all right yet and he has had very little actually no time to do his favourite thing which is to cook so maybe after all this effort they may not open with all the plans they had but it will come and they just hope that customers keep coming to see what else is available because the ultimate will be great and to be honest Andrea is a perfectionist and so what you get from day one will be very very good but he is never satisfied – well that is what Elaine says.
OK I promise from today on to update you more often but I have said that before so don’t hold your breath!! But I will try.
Finally I found out today that Andrea’s cousin also called Franco ( I’ll explain another time ) has been reading my blog – I have never met him but his mum has seen me at Andrea’s mums house as she lives across the road but thank you for reading and we hope to see you in the shop one day although I might not be outside the shop as I have now got my own parking space and Andrea doesn’t get the time to take me the nearer the shop especially as there is a local traffic warden that has it in for me and keeps sticking tickets on me – you know who you are!!
Bye for now
Cheeky
Sunday 28 September 2008
Another Very Busy Week
Well I have not updated for a while – sorry – but there is so much going on that I don’t know where to start so I will give you brief highlights.
Andrea and Elaine want to say thank you to everyone who came to the stall at the food show in Parkers piece last weekend – they were so pleased with the response and hopefully you will all come to the shop for lots more of the same. Did you see me parked by the marquee on the Saturday?
We have been to London again this week tasting more top foods and we are going again next week to see some more suppliers – nothing but the best for you lucky Cambridge folk. I drove over Tower Bridge – how exciting!!
Even more exciting is Andrea negotiating with 2 suppliers at the moment for some really amazing and exclusive products not only to Cambridge but the UK – well nearly. Nothing has been finalised yet but I can tell you that for now it will be olive oil, olives and honey but if all goes well could be much more and all from small and very hard working passionate small holders in Italy who believe like Andrea and Elaine in real and properly produced food.
On the shop front, frustratingly still not ready to open. This week the final piece of the counters was finally delivered and installed but we are still waiting for the gelato freezer to be fixed and for the shelving to be finished but will hopefully all be done for the end of next week.
It will still probably be a few weeks after that as it takes so much time to source so many products from so many people – be much easier just to pop to the cash and carry!! However Andrea and Elaine are determined that the shop will not be open until it is how they dreamt it no matter how many sleepless nights Andrea is having over the delays.
Bye for now and more soon – I promise
Cheeky
Andrea and Elaine want to say thank you to everyone who came to the stall at the food show in Parkers piece last weekend – they were so pleased with the response and hopefully you will all come to the shop for lots more of the same. Did you see me parked by the marquee on the Saturday?
We have been to London again this week tasting more top foods and we are going again next week to see some more suppliers – nothing but the best for you lucky Cambridge folk. I drove over Tower Bridge – how exciting!!
Even more exciting is Andrea negotiating with 2 suppliers at the moment for some really amazing and exclusive products not only to Cambridge but the UK – well nearly. Nothing has been finalised yet but I can tell you that for now it will be olive oil, olives and honey but if all goes well could be much more and all from small and very hard working passionate small holders in Italy who believe like Andrea and Elaine in real and properly produced food.
On the shop front, frustratingly still not ready to open. This week the final piece of the counters was finally delivered and installed but we are still waiting for the gelato freezer to be fixed and for the shelving to be finished but will hopefully all be done for the end of next week.
It will still probably be a few weeks after that as it takes so much time to source so many products from so many people – be much easier just to pop to the cash and carry!! However Andrea and Elaine are determined that the shop will not be open until it is how they dreamt it no matter how many sleepless nights Andrea is having over the delays.
Bye for now and more soon – I promise
Cheeky
Thursday 18 September 2008
Finally My New Clothes
Hello me again and I am very happy to say that I got my new clothes today – finally!! and a wash too!!
It has been such a busy week and I have so much to tell you but I am very tired so I will try and tell you in a few days but you should know that you will now be able to recognise me in Cambridge and that Andrea and Elaine will be showing off some of their lovely food at the Food and Garden Show in Parkers piece on Saturday and Sunday. Daisy will be there to on Sunday.
They will have some lovely hand made pasta for you to buy to take home to or to eat straight away with a very simple tomato sauce. There will also be some Prosciutto di Parma, Parmiggiano for you to buy and some other salamis cheeses and olives and also some tasters for you to try and which you can buy once the shop opens which should be in a few weeks.
By the way I will be at the show too – I will be parked behind the food marquee so please come and have a look at my new clothes and of course go and see Andrea and Elaine at the stall.
See you soon
Cheeky
It has been such a busy week and I have so much to tell you but I am very tired so I will try and tell you in a few days but you should know that you will now be able to recognise me in Cambridge and that Andrea and Elaine will be showing off some of their lovely food at the Food and Garden Show in Parkers piece on Saturday and Sunday. Daisy will be there to on Sunday.
They will have some lovely hand made pasta for you to buy to take home to or to eat straight away with a very simple tomato sauce. There will also be some Prosciutto di Parma, Parmiggiano for you to buy and some other salamis cheeses and olives and also some tasters for you to try and which you can buy once the shop opens which should be in a few weeks.
By the way I will be at the show too – I will be parked behind the food marquee so please come and have a look at my new clothes and of course go and see Andrea and Elaine at the stall.
See you soon
Cheeky
Thursday 11 September 2008
Another Few Days
Hello
Well has been a slightly better few days. The replacement deli equipment from Italy which Andrea and Elaine have been patiently waiting for for the last 3 weeks may arrive here next week. The hot water is still not working but should now be sorted out next week. The ice cream sorry gelato counter is not working but someone is coming out to look at it soon.
I am not sure I had told you all this before but basically these have been part of the delays to the opening.
Today Andrea was a bit less stressed as he met up with an old friend of his , Carl , who he used to work with years ago and they had lost touch but he came up to see the shop today. I got to drive him for a bit as Andrea had to move me as I can only park for 2 hours at a time. I think he liked me because he was taking photos of me to show his 2 daughters.
Andrea was all excited explaining to his old friend all about the shop and how he got into it. Carl was amazed at the transformation of the shop as Andrea showed him photos before all the work was done. He was also really interested in the pancetta which Andrea is curing and the whole process. Unfortunately it was not quite ready to eat but he is coming back in a month or so but knowing how much Andrea likes his cured meats I do not think there will be any left!!
Andrea and Elaine have also been trying to fit in ordering some products for the Garden and Food Festival at Parkers Piece next weekend where they will have a stall. So far you will be able to buy and try some great parmiggiano , prosciutto di Parma , fresh potato gnocchi and some great garlic olives.
Finally for today I am very happy because if you remember last time I was telling you about a great new range of Sicilian products which they found at the show on Sunday and how they are very excited about stocking it. Well it turns out that the owners have one of my sisters and her name is Agnes and I hope one day to meet her.
Bye for now and more updates soon
Cheeky
Well has been a slightly better few days. The replacement deli equipment from Italy which Andrea and Elaine have been patiently waiting for for the last 3 weeks may arrive here next week. The hot water is still not working but should now be sorted out next week. The ice cream sorry gelato counter is not working but someone is coming out to look at it soon.
I am not sure I had told you all this before but basically these have been part of the delays to the opening.
Today Andrea was a bit less stressed as he met up with an old friend of his , Carl , who he used to work with years ago and they had lost touch but he came up to see the shop today. I got to drive him for a bit as Andrea had to move me as I can only park for 2 hours at a time. I think he liked me because he was taking photos of me to show his 2 daughters.
Andrea was all excited explaining to his old friend all about the shop and how he got into it. Carl was amazed at the transformation of the shop as Andrea showed him photos before all the work was done. He was also really interested in the pancetta which Andrea is curing and the whole process. Unfortunately it was not quite ready to eat but he is coming back in a month or so but knowing how much Andrea likes his cured meats I do not think there will be any left!!
Andrea and Elaine have also been trying to fit in ordering some products for the Garden and Food Festival at Parkers Piece next weekend where they will have a stall. So far you will be able to buy and try some great parmiggiano , prosciutto di Parma , fresh potato gnocchi and some great garlic olives.
Finally for today I am very happy because if you remember last time I was telling you about a great new range of Sicilian products which they found at the show on Sunday and how they are very excited about stocking it. Well it turns out that the owners have one of my sisters and her name is Agnes and I hope one day to meet her.
Bye for now and more updates soon
Cheeky
Monday 8 September 2008
I've been to London
Hello
OK I promise I am going to try and write very day but shorter amounts as after all I suppose that is what blogs should be but we are just so busy – even me.
I have been to London twice in the last week. On Sunday I actually drove into London – I have never done that before. It was very exciting though. I took Andrea, Elaine and Daisy, the girl who is going to work in the shop and that I told you about last time. They were going to a food show to see if they could unearth any new suppliers and also to say hello to ones they already have and taste all the new products they were launching – we do like to be up to date!! That way you can have all the best goodies possible.
Andrea and Elaine are very excited about a new supplier they found that were just launching a very exclusive and tasty artisan range of products from Sicily. Look out for what they say is an amazing lemon preserve made using sicilian lemons which are supposed to be the best.
Also they found a new product from a supplier they already knew which is a lovely type of ham made from a pig native to Sardegna and that is a hybrid of wild boar and domestic pig and produces an exquisite ham. Look out for this.
The most exciting day for them though was Friday. This is when they went to Borough Market in London. They love it. This trip was just to see a few of their suppliers again as they have had these lined up for over a year but had not seen them for a while.
Andrea gets so excited in Borough Market and Elaine finds it very funny as she says he turns into Rick Stein as soon as he steps into the market as he constantly goes on about how there should be a Borough Market in every town and why can’t we get that kind of produce everywhere. It is very funny but I suppose he has a point.
Not too worry though because you lucky Cambridge people will get some of it soon and if Andrea and Elaine have their way then you will get plenty more because they are trying to get more suppliers to supply them even if as Andrea says he has to go and get it himself.
Apart from these couple of exciting days things at the shop are going very slowly and there are a few problems but they are working very hard to sort them out and get open as soon as possible but probably will not be until the end of the month at the earliest now.
OK I am off now but will get back to you more regularly but shorter so you can get all the up dates as they happen.
For the record I have still not been washed and still do not have my writing but it’s OK because I know they are doing their best.
Bye for now
Cheeky
OK I promise I am going to try and write very day but shorter amounts as after all I suppose that is what blogs should be but we are just so busy – even me.
I have been to London twice in the last week. On Sunday I actually drove into London – I have never done that before. It was very exciting though. I took Andrea, Elaine and Daisy, the girl who is going to work in the shop and that I told you about last time. They were going to a food show to see if they could unearth any new suppliers and also to say hello to ones they already have and taste all the new products they were launching – we do like to be up to date!! That way you can have all the best goodies possible.
Andrea and Elaine are very excited about a new supplier they found that were just launching a very exclusive and tasty artisan range of products from Sicily. Look out for what they say is an amazing lemon preserve made using sicilian lemons which are supposed to be the best.
Also they found a new product from a supplier they already knew which is a lovely type of ham made from a pig native to Sardegna and that is a hybrid of wild boar and domestic pig and produces an exquisite ham. Look out for this.
The most exciting day for them though was Friday. This is when they went to Borough Market in London. They love it. This trip was just to see a few of their suppliers again as they have had these lined up for over a year but had not seen them for a while.
Andrea gets so excited in Borough Market and Elaine finds it very funny as she says he turns into Rick Stein as soon as he steps into the market as he constantly goes on about how there should be a Borough Market in every town and why can’t we get that kind of produce everywhere. It is very funny but I suppose he has a point.
Not too worry though because you lucky Cambridge people will get some of it soon and if Andrea and Elaine have their way then you will get plenty more because they are trying to get more suppliers to supply them even if as Andrea says he has to go and get it himself.
Apart from these couple of exciting days things at the shop are going very slowly and there are a few problems but they are working very hard to sort them out and get open as soon as possible but probably will not be until the end of the month at the earliest now.
OK I am off now but will get back to you more regularly but shorter so you can get all the up dates as they happen.
For the record I have still not been washed and still do not have my writing but it’s OK because I know they are doing their best.
Bye for now
Cheeky
Sunday 24 August 2008
A Very Busy Week
Hello – Sorry for not writing sooner but it has been a very busy couple of weeks at Massaro’s. By the way that is going to be the name of Andrea and Elaine’s new shop. I should stop just calling it a shop as its proper title is artisan deli and espresso bar!!
There is not actually much of an espresso bar but it is one of their dreams to have authentic espresso bars but this shop is a bit too small really and they have so much wonderful things for you to buy that they have had to squeeze lots into a small space. They have spent lots of money to get it as big and as a nice as possible for their customers as it used to have walls and pillars in it before but now it is just one space. They have also spent lots of money on making the basement very nice, modern and clean because that’s where Andrea will prepare lots of nice things for you to buy and take home.
Anyway this week as some of you may have noticed if you were walking or driving down Regent Street on Tuesday morning all the display equipment for the shop was delivered. The shop front had to be taken out to get it all in. At one point there were 3 glazier vans, 3 delivery trucks and about 11 people working to get it all in as quickly as possible so that not too much disruption was caused to the neighbours and traffic.
Unfortunately it did not all go too smoothly as 1 of the units delivered was wrong and now they have to wait a few weeks for a new piece to arrive from Italy. This means that the opening date has been delayed and also the coffee machine cannot be installed yet so they have been very stressed and sad this week but work is still going on as there is lots of painting and cleaning to do to make sure it is as nice as possible when it finally opens.
I have seen the designs for my new clothes but I am not sure when I am getting them as this has been delayed also due to the other problems but I hope I will get them soon.
Andrea is also very frustrated at the moment as while all the planning and building has been going on he has been too busy with this and has not been able to concentrate on what he really loves which is making nice food. Elaine has also missed dealing with customers and selling all the nice food as she has been very busy with the painting and other things. They have had some visits from food suppliers but still lots more to do on that front as there is so much to choose from because they collected so much information and tasted so many foods over the last couple of years that it now has to be narrowed down to the best. That is the bit they really enjoy though so they can’t wait finalising all the products.
We are going to visit lots of suppliers and some farms as well in the next 2-3 weeks and we are also going to a good food show soon to make sure you will have all the latest products and I of course will very busy as well as I have to take them to all these places.
Finally I met Daisy this week. She is going to work in the shop and she has already been in to help do some of the preparation work as there is so much to do. She is coming in again next week for a few days and then she is going to start in a week so she can start to learn all about the products. She seems very nice and I think everyone who comes in the shop is really going to like her.
Bye for now and I will update you again soon.
Cheeky
PS I now have my email address – it is cheekycento@massaros.co.uk
There is not actually much of an espresso bar but it is one of their dreams to have authentic espresso bars but this shop is a bit too small really and they have so much wonderful things for you to buy that they have had to squeeze lots into a small space. They have spent lots of money to get it as big and as a nice as possible for their customers as it used to have walls and pillars in it before but now it is just one space. They have also spent lots of money on making the basement very nice, modern and clean because that’s where Andrea will prepare lots of nice things for you to buy and take home.
Anyway this week as some of you may have noticed if you were walking or driving down Regent Street on Tuesday morning all the display equipment for the shop was delivered. The shop front had to be taken out to get it all in. At one point there were 3 glazier vans, 3 delivery trucks and about 11 people working to get it all in as quickly as possible so that not too much disruption was caused to the neighbours and traffic.
Unfortunately it did not all go too smoothly as 1 of the units delivered was wrong and now they have to wait a few weeks for a new piece to arrive from Italy. This means that the opening date has been delayed and also the coffee machine cannot be installed yet so they have been very stressed and sad this week but work is still going on as there is lots of painting and cleaning to do to make sure it is as nice as possible when it finally opens.
I have seen the designs for my new clothes but I am not sure when I am getting them as this has been delayed also due to the other problems but I hope I will get them soon.
Andrea is also very frustrated at the moment as while all the planning and building has been going on he has been too busy with this and has not been able to concentrate on what he really loves which is making nice food. Elaine has also missed dealing with customers and selling all the nice food as she has been very busy with the painting and other things. They have had some visits from food suppliers but still lots more to do on that front as there is so much to choose from because they collected so much information and tasted so many foods over the last couple of years that it now has to be narrowed down to the best. That is the bit they really enjoy though so they can’t wait finalising all the products.
We are going to visit lots of suppliers and some farms as well in the next 2-3 weeks and we are also going to a good food show soon to make sure you will have all the latest products and I of course will very busy as well as I have to take them to all these places.
Finally I met Daisy this week. She is going to work in the shop and she has already been in to help do some of the preparation work as there is so much to do. She is coming in again next week for a few days and then she is going to start in a week so she can start to learn all about the products. She seems very nice and I think everyone who comes in the shop is really going to like her.
Bye for now and I will update you again soon.
Cheeky
PS I now have my email address – it is cheekycento@massaros.co.uk
Sunday 10 August 2008
Hello again
Well I am getting better – less than a week since I last spoke to you.
Before I tell you more about the shop and some more of the history I have to tell you about my trip the other day as I am so excited. I took Andrea and Elaine to an industrial estate in Cambridge to see some very nice people about getting a sign made for the front of the shop. When they had finished this man and woman came down and took pictures of me and they took some measurements. I was getting measured up for all my new writing. It will be a while until it is ready but I am so excited. You will all recognise me then.
Well I told you last time how long it has taken to find the premises for their shop and the lots of research they have done to make sure that when it finally opens it is as nice as possible. They are working very very hard at the moment on every detail and unfortunately it has been delayed a little bit but hopefully not for too long. They have got some very nice deli counters coming from Italy and these should have been arriving on Tuesday but the shop is not quite ready where they were supposed to go so they have had to delay them for a few more days so they are a bit disappointed but hopefully will be sorted soon.
They have done lots of work to the shop and the basement because they want everything to be excellent and to be prepared in the cleanest and nicest environment possible. Andrea is having some of his preparation and cooking equipment arriving this week so he is happy and looking forward to soon being able to put all the finishing touches to the food he is going to make for everyone to buy. To be honest he doesn’t really need to because he has been cooking for years – he is not a chef or anything but he loves cooking and using the best ingredients. The food he will prepare is all very simple as this is what he believes in – he says using very good ingredients and keeping things simple is the best way. It will all be very simple and quick as it is not a restaurant but he believes in giving the same dedication and care to a sandwich or a salad as a chef would in a good restaurant. He thinks it is a shame that often there are very nice places you can eat if you have time to go to a restaurant or are treating yourself but for more simple snacks at breakfast, lunch or just when you fancy something quick there is not so much choice and we all settle for less but he thinks that we should take all our meal times just as seriously as we would if we are planning a night out. They hope the shop will help you to do that whether you want to take some ingredients home to cook for your family or friends or to eat something in your workplace at lunchtime or any other time.
Elaine has been very busy too. They have collected lots of information over the last 3 years as they have been to lots of good food shows and done lots of research on artisan food producers. Elaine has spent the last 2 weeks re contacting them all so that they can visit them and gets lots of samples to pick the best. There will be lots of lovely fresh food to buy from their deli counter and even more from their shelves. All of it will be proper artisan food made by lots of small producers who all believe in the same food principles. There will be some products coming from Italy such as cheeses, meats and antipasti and also lots from small local farms. All the fresh ingredients such as tomatoes, onions, lettuce and other vegetables which Andrea will use in the sandwiches and salads will come from local farms but only if the quality is right as they believe that food just needs to be properly produced and that if it says things like organic or local it doesn’t automatically mean that it will be tasty or even produced correctly. Luckily they have found lots of small producers that produce very nice food and are local.
Next time I will tell you more about other things they will have and also about their fancy new coffee machine that will be coming in the next week.
Hopefully by then I will have my new writing and maybe even have had a wash.
Bye
Cheeky
Before I tell you more about the shop and some more of the history I have to tell you about my trip the other day as I am so excited. I took Andrea and Elaine to an industrial estate in Cambridge to see some very nice people about getting a sign made for the front of the shop. When they had finished this man and woman came down and took pictures of me and they took some measurements. I was getting measured up for all my new writing. It will be a while until it is ready but I am so excited. You will all recognise me then.
Well I told you last time how long it has taken to find the premises for their shop and the lots of research they have done to make sure that when it finally opens it is as nice as possible. They are working very very hard at the moment on every detail and unfortunately it has been delayed a little bit but hopefully not for too long. They have got some very nice deli counters coming from Italy and these should have been arriving on Tuesday but the shop is not quite ready where they were supposed to go so they have had to delay them for a few more days so they are a bit disappointed but hopefully will be sorted soon.
They have done lots of work to the shop and the basement because they want everything to be excellent and to be prepared in the cleanest and nicest environment possible. Andrea is having some of his preparation and cooking equipment arriving this week so he is happy and looking forward to soon being able to put all the finishing touches to the food he is going to make for everyone to buy. To be honest he doesn’t really need to because he has been cooking for years – he is not a chef or anything but he loves cooking and using the best ingredients. The food he will prepare is all very simple as this is what he believes in – he says using very good ingredients and keeping things simple is the best way. It will all be very simple and quick as it is not a restaurant but he believes in giving the same dedication and care to a sandwich or a salad as a chef would in a good restaurant. He thinks it is a shame that often there are very nice places you can eat if you have time to go to a restaurant or are treating yourself but for more simple snacks at breakfast, lunch or just when you fancy something quick there is not so much choice and we all settle for less but he thinks that we should take all our meal times just as seriously as we would if we are planning a night out. They hope the shop will help you to do that whether you want to take some ingredients home to cook for your family or friends or to eat something in your workplace at lunchtime or any other time.
Elaine has been very busy too. They have collected lots of information over the last 3 years as they have been to lots of good food shows and done lots of research on artisan food producers. Elaine has spent the last 2 weeks re contacting them all so that they can visit them and gets lots of samples to pick the best. There will be lots of lovely fresh food to buy from their deli counter and even more from their shelves. All of it will be proper artisan food made by lots of small producers who all believe in the same food principles. There will be some products coming from Italy such as cheeses, meats and antipasti and also lots from small local farms. All the fresh ingredients such as tomatoes, onions, lettuce and other vegetables which Andrea will use in the sandwiches and salads will come from local farms but only if the quality is right as they believe that food just needs to be properly produced and that if it says things like organic or local it doesn’t automatically mean that it will be tasty or even produced correctly. Luckily they have found lots of small producers that produce very nice food and are local.
Next time I will tell you more about other things they will have and also about their fancy new coffee machine that will be coming in the next week.
Hopefully by then I will have my new writing and maybe even have had a wash.
Bye
Cheeky
Monday 4 August 2008
A Little More
Hello me again. Firstly sorry I know I had promised another instalment but I have been so busy ferrying Andy and Elaine about in preparation for their new shop that I have not had time. I have found out lots more about it though so I will tell you some more now and more when I next get time.
Well firstly I will tell you a bit about them. Andy, my driver, is very passionate about food and ingredients. He believes food should be produced properly and prepared freshly and with passion. This is no surprise really as his mum and dad are from Italy. He was born here but his mum and dad came over in the 1960’s. Good food in those days ironically was cheap as they reared and grew it themselves. They then prepared everything fresh and did the best with what they had.
Andy was brought up with similar principles and he still believes in this today. It has only ever been a hobby or interest but now he wants to do it everyday with the shop.
Elaine, who is from Scotland, actually grew up in a similar way in a family with similar ideals – making the best with what they had and everything always prepared from scratch. Elaine has also worked in lots of shops over the years but it was when she was working for a supermarket that she decided that some things were not right and she wanted to find a nicer way of selling food. She got a job in a farm shop and learnt lots about good and real food – food she only remembered from her childhood. Andy was intrigued by this as over the years he had forgotten some of his principles and relied on much cheaper and mass produced ingredients although he always cooked from scratch.
This is when the idea of the shop was born. They decided to look for premises and start a shop selling the best products they could find. They did lots of research and decided that just selling it was not enough they needed people to try the difference in a nice environment so that people could really taste the difference. This is when they came up with a joint deli and coffee shop idea. At the time they had not seen anything like this so they took themselves off to London to see if there were any places like this thinking that if there were they would probably be in London. They found a few like this and so they decided if it was good enough for London it was good enough for Cambridge and so they set out to look for suitable premises for this new format. This next bit is a very long story so I will just say that about 3 years later they signed up for the premises they are going to be in very soon. So now we are up to date I will say goodnight as I have to get up very early to take their kids to the airport as they are going to Spain for a week.
Next time which I hope will be sooner I will tell you all the exciting things they have planned for the shop and how they decided on the way it has finally ended up.
By the way I have not got the writing on me yet but I hope to get it in the next couple of weeks. I also haven’t had a wash yet!!!
Take Care
Cheeky
Well firstly I will tell you a bit about them. Andy, my driver, is very passionate about food and ingredients. He believes food should be produced properly and prepared freshly and with passion. This is no surprise really as his mum and dad are from Italy. He was born here but his mum and dad came over in the 1960’s. Good food in those days ironically was cheap as they reared and grew it themselves. They then prepared everything fresh and did the best with what they had.
Andy was brought up with similar principles and he still believes in this today. It has only ever been a hobby or interest but now he wants to do it everyday with the shop.
Elaine, who is from Scotland, actually grew up in a similar way in a family with similar ideals – making the best with what they had and everything always prepared from scratch. Elaine has also worked in lots of shops over the years but it was when she was working for a supermarket that she decided that some things were not right and she wanted to find a nicer way of selling food. She got a job in a farm shop and learnt lots about good and real food – food she only remembered from her childhood. Andy was intrigued by this as over the years he had forgotten some of his principles and relied on much cheaper and mass produced ingredients although he always cooked from scratch.
This is when the idea of the shop was born. They decided to look for premises and start a shop selling the best products they could find. They did lots of research and decided that just selling it was not enough they needed people to try the difference in a nice environment so that people could really taste the difference. This is when they came up with a joint deli and coffee shop idea. At the time they had not seen anything like this so they took themselves off to London to see if there were any places like this thinking that if there were they would probably be in London. They found a few like this and so they decided if it was good enough for London it was good enough for Cambridge and so they set out to look for suitable premises for this new format. This next bit is a very long story so I will just say that about 3 years later they signed up for the premises they are going to be in very soon. So now we are up to date I will say goodnight as I have to get up very early to take their kids to the airport as they are going to Spain for a week.
Next time which I hope will be sooner I will tell you all the exciting things they have planned for the shop and how they decided on the way it has finally ended up.
By the way I have not got the writing on me yet but I hope to get it in the next couple of weeks. I also haven’t had a wash yet!!!
Take Care
Cheeky
Friday 25 July 2008
Hello from Cheeky Cento
Hello my name is Cheeky Cento. My full name is actually Cheeky Cento Massaro but only recently. I have just moved to Cambridge into a new family. My driver is called Andy - well it's Andrea but he has been known as Andy for years. My passenger is Elaine. I have been with them for 2 days and they are very nice. I have been very busy as I have already been to the Lake District and back in one day and today I went to Chatteris. It's all new to me as I was born in Italy and moved to England in January 2008. I lived in Bishops Stortford until the other day when Andy picked me up and now I will live in Cambridge with Andy and Elaine. They also have 2 kids Damien and Nicole well they are not really kids Damien is 18 and Nicole is 16. I have not taken them anywhere yet but tomorrow we are all going to Andy's mums house.
I am going to put some photos up soon but I am very tired. I just want to say before I go that I will update my blog when I can and alot of it will be about my Andy and Elaine and of ocurse me. They are opening a deli and espresso bar in Cambridge very soon and I am their mascot. I am really excited about it and soon I will have all new writing on me and I am getting my own email address and you will be able to see me driving around Cambridge - well I already am but you may not recognise me as I haven't got my writing yet. I am blue and have shiny wheels and I hope that they will stay like that but Andy is so busy that I don't know if he will have time to keep me clean but I hope he does.
I will be telling you all about the new shop soon as I don't have all the details yet as I have only been part of the family for 2 days but I am getting up to date with it all as they have been planning it for several years so lots to learn.
Bye for now and thank you for listening.
Cheeky
I am going to put some photos up soon but I am very tired. I just want to say before I go that I will update my blog when I can and alot of it will be about my Andy and Elaine and of ocurse me. They are opening a deli and espresso bar in Cambridge very soon and I am their mascot. I am really excited about it and soon I will have all new writing on me and I am getting my own email address and you will be able to see me driving around Cambridge - well I already am but you may not recognise me as I haven't got my writing yet. I am blue and have shiny wheels and I hope that they will stay like that but Andy is so busy that I don't know if he will have time to keep me clean but I hope he does.
I will be telling you all about the new shop soon as I don't have all the details yet as I have only been part of the family for 2 days but I am getting up to date with it all as they have been planning it for several years so lots to learn.
Bye for now and thank you for listening.
Cheeky
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