Not that you'd know it from the recent weather around these parts, but the calendar at least tells us that summer is just around the corner. With high hopes that's the case, the Rookery is ready and raring to go!
Our new summer menu launches this weekend. And our summer music series has been lined up since the end of April (see more about both below).
We were hoping to kick off our music season a bit earlier than normal this year, with a special pre-season performance by Molly and the Danger Band this Sunday. Sadly, we regret to report that won't be happening, due to the serious illness of Molly's husband...and my friend...Glenn Stoddard.
Even though Glenn has been hospitalized in Duluth for the past two months, Molly reports that he's in good spirits:
"Glenn has quickly become the favorite patient on the floor. Although he suffers extreme pain, he never lashes out at anyone or is grumpy. He asks the nurses about themselves, their children, what they love to do. He is grateful for the care and always thanks everyone who helps him. This is who he is."
Indeed it is. Having known Glenn since our days working together in the WI state legislature just out of college, I'm not at all surprised. Please join me in extending your thoughts and best wishes to Glenn and Molly during this difficult time.
New Summer, New Summer Menu
You're probably well aware the Rookery experienced a very challenging year in 2016. And the heavy rains and flooding that besieged the Cable area in July, typically our busiest month of the year, was just the half of it.
We also went through about five chefs last year, depending how you count. Not sure we should include the one who showed up one night and never came back?Or the fellow we hired prior to that who was supposed to begin Memorial Day weekend and never showed up at all!
As June dawned with no head chef, I frankly wasn't even sure we'd be able to remain open. At the very last minute I was able to secure a temporary chef on leave from his school year position with a college fraternity. Admittedly, his style of cooking wasn't up to the standards we aspire to here at the Rookery. And his drunken antics in the kitchen wreaked havoc among my staff. Let's just say we limped through much of last summer. And I know it showed.
Things finally began to take a turn for the better when Chef Tim Bennett joined our team in early August. It was challenging to be sure, coming on during peak season and preparing food from a menu he had no part in developing, and in fact had never even seen until he arrived from Minneapolis at 4 PM and began cooking at 5. Chef Tim's second evening on the job probably would have gone a bit more smoothly had it not turned into one of our busiest of the summer. And had our sous chef at the time not ended up in jail on a parole violation. What a summer!
But things continued to improve over the following months, thanks to
Chef Tim's
exceptional culinary skills and
30+ years of experience.
Our guest reviews are now better than they've EVER been. And we're looking forward to a terrific summer this year. I think we deserve it. And so do you!
Our new summer menu begins tonight. Check it out
HERE.
Live Music Calendar
We're proud to announce that one of our most popular acts every summer will kick off the Rookery's live outdoor music season this year on Fathers Day, Sunday, June 18. They are long-time Big Top Chautauqua fiddle virtuoso T. Bruce Bowers and Madeline Island magic fingers Ric Gillman on 12 string guitar. T
ogether they're Barefoot Wonder, a perfect moniker for their exceptional skills and propensity to perform shoeless.
