Updated Menu

The menu is still evolving so now I am presenting our update menu #2.

Remember, click the mini menu to see it big!

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Pooped!

WOW! What a week I have had. I flew in Tuesday afternoon, went shopping for essentials, then made sandwiches (and ate them) till 10:30 pm. This was after arriving at the airport at 5:30 am in St. Thomas earlier in the day. I must say, I am glad I'm doing a soft opening with Mom. We have already discovered many of the kinks that our plan had and it is nice to work them out when it is slow instead of for a big grand opening and then failing miserably. It has been a fun week though. I have met some very interesting people. I have a fancy bike with a basket on front. I'm sleeping on a floor. I even went to a Walgreens. I know this seems like not much, but after living on a rock in the middle of the Atlantic for 6+ years, it really is the little things. The hills were a bit steep for bikes in St. Thomas and there are no GIGANTIC pharmacies like Eckerds, CVS, or Walgreens there. The closest thing is the K-Mart pharmacy. Oh, and I bought yogurt for 20 cents! So cheap! Anyway, remember, if you are in the Tampa/St. Pete area and you are going to Caladesi or Honeymoon Island for the day... or driving up to Tarpon... stop in and grab a lunch to go. HAPPY MOTHERS' DAY!!!!

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Help Arrives!

Today my help arrives. My daughter Mimi will be here from St. Thomas to assist me with opening the cafe tomorrow Wednesday. I am very pleased that she has taken it upon herself to leave her island, hubby and Floyd to help mother. I know it was not an easy decision to make and I am so proud of her. And thank you Nick for understanding and letting her go, but only for a short time of course. Nick and Floyd (Mimi's dog) will join us soon as well. Nick has been in the restaurant business and is a chef and his creative ideas for specialty foods is infinite. Nick will be in charge of the menu so keep checking our blog for new items. I of course will be learning how to make these delicious sandwiches.

Although I have most of the goods already here I am sure there will be some things I will need. So my poor Mimi after a long day of flying is coming straight to work. We will take inventory and start the slicing, dicing, and setting up for our soft opening tomorrow. That's how it is when you want your business to succeed. No time for slacking. She is determined as her mother and we must start right away. Well I must go now, I have a few things to do before I head to the airport. Stay tuned...

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Menu Time!

Ok ladies and gentlemen... presenting our starter menu. We will update this as the menu changes. It's little now, but the best is yet to come! Click on the image to see it bigger!

Enjoy!

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The Day has Come

Well well the day that I thought would never get here finally did. On Wednesday May 6 Cafe Mila will open its doors for business. I have to say the most difficult part of it all has been the licensing. Even if you are just changing ownership. It's a slow process. You have to take your food handlers course, get certified, then the inspectors and firemarshalls. The requirements and regulations change frequently and not to mention the fees. Wow!

So my advice to anyone opening a business make sure you have enough capital because it goes quickly. All you are doing is paying out. Then you have to do your comparison shopping. Try to get quality items at a descent price. Negotiating! You have to be good at it. Not one of my strengths. Thank God for Mimi and Nick who will take over on that when they get here. Now the time has come to reap my harvest.

Tomorrow will be a busy day for me. I will be at the Cafe bright and early to start receiving my deliveries. The bread, the cheeses, the Boars Head deli meats, etc etc. Are you hungry yet? Well stop in for one of our delicious sandwiches whenever you are in Dunedin FL. where you will always get quality food served with love and a smile. Til next time...

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Time Flies When You Don't Do Much

It has been a crazy past few weeks. Mom has gotten most of her licensing, I have had a mini vacation with my hubby, pretended to pack, created a menu, mom has internet and phone, and a whole heap of other things. I'm exhausted. I still need to pack. I have some painting obligations here I need to fulfill and my flight leaves in like 9 days. I don't know what I am to do. I really need to get on it. I have even announced my mini hiatus on my other blog. I didn't even do my monthly post on 5 Minutes for Going Green. Shame. Yet here I am. And soon in Florida I will be. Ay me. I hope I can bring my doggy! Just to make your mouth salivate in anticipation, I present the menu... later. HAHA. Have a great weekend!

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Technology

Today I finally get the phones installed and internet service at the cafe, So while the phone techs are working on that I have time to sit down and breathe and thank God for all he has done and continues to do. First of all I couldn't do this without his help. He gives me health and strength everyday to continue to pursue my dream and on top of that the brains to understand all that is involved in opening a business.
Let me just say that choosing a phone company was not easy. Its amazing how many new vendors are out there and features and fees they have. With technology rapidly advancing who can keep up? It was not an easy decision to make but finally today I have phone and internet service. The next decision to make which I have been working on is the credit card service. Can't run a business without the POS. Who carries cash around these days? Not many people including myself! Everywhere you go you pull out the plastic. So a business has to keep up with the technology as well. I am still undecided about this one. Any suggestion feel free to comment.
Next week I will be taking my food handlers class which is a four hour class. Meanwhile I am still waiting on my license. So until next time this is Maritza signing off.

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