Author: Loralea

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Cruz

Cruz DE la Cruise, yep, he is a drake- the head dude of the Quillisascut Duckdomcruz

The first question you might ask, “What breed of duck is Cruz?” or “What is it with that knobby red face?” Cruz is a Muscovy duck and it is normal for him to have that gnarly head. We don’t know all the whys of nature, but we do know his appearance is natural. A couple other fun facts about this breed, they don’t quack, laying some question to “if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it must be…) they make a sort of hissing sound, like Darth Vader and he has a Mohawk of head feathers that go up when he gets excited.

He is named after the man we got him from, Cruz, not very original but it sort of stuck.

The Muscovy breed originated in South America. They are  sturdy and the males get rather large making them good for a duck dinner. A unique quality to this breed is that they have very little fat, which can be disappointing when you are making duck confit, but on the other hand, no one will say yuck to “greasy duck” (do people say that?)

Cruz is not worried about these things. He is out there cruising around talking to his girls, and sparing with his sons. He is here for the long haul.

 

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Change

Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.

Barack Obama

If you could create the world of your dreams what would it be, how would it look?

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Jet

People sometimes ask if our dog, Jet, is a Border Collie and we often reply that she is a “Mock Border Collie”, the people we bought her from were named Mock. Jet’s parents lived and work on a cattle ranch, they both looked true to the breed, but I think there may have been some hanky-panky going on with mom and a midnight visitor.

Even as a puppy Jet was  “off the charts” the vet suggested she be put on a diet. We had never heard that a three month old pup could be overweight. She also has some interesting mannerisms that are submissive and aggressive combined, obstinate, but wants to please. (In all of these I can relate to her, so maybe she is simply picking up on something else)

All of you who have helped feed the poultry on our farm have seen her tendencies and display of bird dog instincts. Although, her number one obsession is cats. She might be helping hold the goats back at the garden gate and her eyes begin to drift towards a kitten over by the water bucket. Will she follow her pursuit or stick with keeping back the persistent goats?

Jet is the most outgoing dog on our farm. When new visitors arrive she is the first to greet them, she won’t rest until each person has been acknowledged, sitting at their feet waiting for a pat on the head or a few kind words.

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Inspiration

Thierry Rautureau, the Chef in the Hat, recently announced his plans to sell Rover’s Restaurant. It set me to thinking about the legacy that a talented chef inspires.

Thierry bought Rover’s the same year we started Quillisascut Cheese Company (1987). He has always been a champion of our cheese and brought that French concept of  cooking with fresh local ingredients to life. His announcement takes me back to those early years.  This is a BOLD THANK YOU to Thierry, so much of what we do at  Quillisascut Farm School has been influenced and shaped by his passion for excellence.

The enthusiasm coming out of the restaurant kitchens where we sold our cheese back in the late 80’s and 90’s – for local seasonal products- was explosive. I remember a fellow farmer who sold fresh produce to Thierry, relaying the story of bringing the first baby zucchini’s of the season into Rover’s restaurant and watching Thierry pick up the tiny squash with flower attached, kiss it and dance around the kitchen- so ecstatic for the new season of produce.

What Thierry gave to his kitchen staff was something unique; ambition, love for quality, inspiration to be the best. For years the highlight of our month were Rick’s cheese deliveries to Seattle. Entering the back door at Rovers was a celebration. The young cooks were  enthralled with what was coming in the kitchen and  “Chef” was their joyful ringleader.

Today you can find those mature cooks, masters of their own ships, spread out around the country continuing to share their own prowess behind the stove and inspiring the next generation of cooks. Sarah Hayden opened Cafe Sarah located in North Creek, New York. Chef /owner Viljo Basso opened the highly acclaimed  Syringa Sushi restaurant in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Bill Morris delights the membership at The Rainier Club in Seattle. Rodger Babel has Creative Palate Works in Napa, California. And our good friend Chef Karl Vennes, who  to this day challenges and shares with us his love for delicious well prepared meals. Our lives would be so much less without you. This is a little sampling of the reach of The Chef in the Hat.

It is hard to tell our story without telling the story of all these people who have touched our lives. A community of relationships, be they our family, neighbors, the people who support our farm or cheese business, and the ideas planted by our farm school.