Work hard, play hard has always been a great motto of ours. I think Davidson really defined the term, and Matt and I carry it into our lives.
It’s certainly the motto of the week!!
We worked like crazy all afternoon. When I say “worked like crazy” I mean we jumped from one task to another blindly. There was no direction just “Do this, now do this” over and over until we accomplished a massive to-do list.
Part of my list included scanning 12 employees x 2 sheets x 12 PDFs to email to our payroll service.
And eating Cville Cluster Granola!!
I made a chalkboard open sign, went to the bank, went to the copy shop, hung signs, and more that I can’t even remember.
Calibowls for the Breadboard!! They make such a great community butter + jam bowl because of the inner lip!
And FLOWERS from my grandmother, Smotey and Mary Frances!
At 6 I think everyone wanted to go to dinner but Matt and me. We wanted to keep working! Part of the reason GH is here is to help balance us out.
So we headed out – to MAS! See the first time we went to Mas when we were here to look for a location in March of 2010!
Tomas, the owner, has a nice loaf of Honey waiting for him tomorrow. He made an appearance on KERF recently and we wanted to repay the courtesy!
MAS is cool!!
Drinks were poured
Lauren got this amazing Cucumber + Ginger martini!
But I was in the mood for a big red
We ordered a bunch of delicious bites for the table….prepare to salivate! I sure did.
Hummus con pan (chickpeas, tahini, harissa, olive oil, and garlic with bread)
[Favorite dish of the night – SMOKED!!]
Tomates asados( hot-smoked roma tomatoes in their own juices)
Datil con tocino (fat, juicy, pitted Medjool dates roasted inside of applewood-smoked bacon)
Pescado al Sartén (pan-roasted wild-caught Pacific King Salmon w/ endive, radicchio, grapefruit, fava beans and basil salad)
Gambas al’ parilla (Jumbo shrimp grilled Catalan style-in the shell-w/ garlic alioli and grey salt)
Grass-fed beef over pita with a smoky cheese sauce
Lots of fun. Lots of learning!
First night of the GH series of dinners we’ve gotten dessert!! I think Mike from St. Cloud and I were leaning towards yes 
Tart of the Day: Black Cherry + blueberry
Flourless Chocolate Cake!
After dinner, Matt drove me to the bakery and I biked home from there at dusk. It was so peaceful – I really do LOVE bike-commuting. Sometimes it’s scary, sometimes it’s really hot, sometimes my quads burn, but most of the time I just love the flow of the hills and my pedals.
Early to bed, very early to rise!!
{ 74 comments… read them below or add one }
Sounds like you’re accomplishing a lot in a little time. I also love how organized Great Harvest is, and that their HQ assists in the openings.
I wish there was a GH in the northeast! I don’t think there’s one…going to check the website now!
There are tons in the Northeast!!
How did I not know that? For some reason the last time I searched, they all seemed far away from where I live…but looking at the GH locator, there are one or two possibilities that I want to check out that could be a destination for a road trip.
I am just totally jealous of the restaurant scene in Cville. You guys have some amazing places. I could only hope for 1 of those by us!
Wow, just reading about your huge to-do-list that you accomplished made me tired! You’re making so much progress. I love your “Open” sign.
All of that food looks amazing — I just love bacon wrapped dates.
I’m glad you were able to get out and go to dinner — you both are working so hard but you need to relax and rest too.
It’s getting so close to opening day!! Your dinner looked faaaaantastic.
I’ve been loving reading about your bike adventures lately and was THIS EXCITED to find a road bike at an employee garage sale at work today for $25!!!! I’m only 5’2 and it was just my size – totally meant to be. Just needs a few touch ups – new handle bar padding and seat – then I’m ready to ride!
Great dinner of yummy tasty treats. Glad you enjoyed your evening.
I cant applaud you ENOUGH for serving local food
It makes me so happy that this is really catching on!!
You guys are really getting everything ready. It looks like you’re right on track, and I’m sure it’ll be a big hit.
Look at that giant plate of hummus! It looks perfect, and so does that fluffy bread
Rest hard to work/play hard!
Cucumber + Ginger martini looks and sounds amazing!
but so does your red
I love that you have such a passion for biking. FABULOUS!
And that food…all of it…looks amazing. So glad things are falling RIGHT into place at the bakery! woo hoo for opening day coming!
Is the second ‘e’ really small on “coffee” on that sign????
Ha–I was wondering the very same thing!
Oh man, I want to eat here!!!!
What a fantastic looking dinner! Particularly the desserts
Can’t wait to read about the official opening of your bakery!
Holy moly, that food looks AMAZEBALL!
Tell Mike I’m a prof at the College of St. Benedict/St. John University and I’ll stop by his GH next time I’m in St. Cloud! Also, a big congrats on your bakery! Opening day is very soon and you should be very proud of your HUGE accomplishments!
Congrats on being so close to opening!!
Wow, what a dinner!! You all deserved every bite. Can’t believe you’re almost OPEN!!
That restaurant has some seriously delicious looking food! Flourless chocolate cake is one of my FAV desserts ever!
I’m very excited for you to open! I know you and Matt have put a ton of hard work into this and it’s totally going to pay off.
I love all of the chalkboards!
I just can’t get over how beautiful and FRESH your GH looks!!! I can’t wait to see it when it’s in full bloom!
Very pretty flowers!
All that food looks amazing!!!
http://faithfulsolutions.blogspot.com/
that dinner looks really awesome, esp the hummus (and i hate hummus!!)
i just started biking, and i love it! i can see why you do too!
Oh mi…that tart looks delicious! SO juicy and fresh looking! Ahhhh can’t wait to make something like that soon!
oh my goodness me all of that food looks AMAZING!
I love the idea of community butter and jam bowls
Everything is looking amazing! 
I can’t believe tomorrow is the last day before you guys open! God, I wish I lived close so I could go
Amazing foods and company! Can’t wait for the opening, which is 1 more day! Wahoo
I love the gooeyness of flourless cakes! Any idea what actually goes in one of them??
Sounds like a very happy day! I love days when I get to be productive, have a drink (or two), and eat lots of good food! Wishing you luck with the opening!
That flourless chocolate cake looks so delicious! Jealous of all your good eats lately!
The shrimp dish at Mas is probably my favorite! I could probably lick that plate clean!
That chocolate cake.. oh YUM!!
Those pictures are definitely making me want tapas.
Only 1 more day till opening!!
I love reading about your bakery adventures! Maybe someday I’ll be able to do the same!
Oh my, all those plates look amazing! Good luck tomorrow…I’m routing for you!!!
oh yummy! Your dinner looks fancy, beautiful, and delicious! I esp loved the dessert pics….
You have such a lot of things to do and you are dealing soo good with that!!!
I love those meal pictures, it seems like you had a lot of fun plus a lot of good food, which is always the best combination:)
i just watched the food network’s “best thing i ever ate smoked” episode. your dish looks better than anything mentioned in that show!
holy moley all the eats there look outstanding! absolutely delicious. Great work – nearly opening day, so exciting
Heidi xo
Love your T Shirt !!!!! How do I get one I live in Australia !!! Would you post one ? Or are they available on a website??
We had them made for Great Harvest. I might sell them in the future.
I think you totally should sell the T’s in your store! I bet Great Harvest Corporate would soon realize what a great idea it is…..
Kath!
Where did Matt get his FOOD PERSON tshirt?? I want!!
It’s from the the Cooking Channel’s website. I got it in some blog event goodie bag
I want.. no NEED that black cherry and blueberry tart!
For a second I thought the beef was a morel mushroom!! The entire meal looks fabulous.
The signs look so great! Good luck on opening day!!
Wow, all of that food has me salivating! You weren’t kidding.
Good luck tomorrow!!
YUM. I am drooling just looking at those pictures! Also love Matt’s “Food Person” shirt!
Hope Matt with Chimay Blue. I can’t get enough of it! Well, I can since it’s strong for me! HA! And you’re food looks a-ma-zing!
What kind of camera do you use? Your photos always look fantastic!!
Canon DSLR XSi with Canon 35mm lens. Thanks!
You are so lucky to have such wonderful restaurants. I’m thinking I may have to try to make those tomatoes with some grape tomatoes today. Hope you didn’t have to get up too early, I’ve been up since 4:30 and I need to get remotivated! Have a great day!
I’m live here in Charlottesville and would love to take my kindergarten class on a field trip to your bakery next school year. Are you open to field trips?
Absolutely!!
I’ve heard the owner of Mas is COMPLETELY insane (like, I’m not linking to my blog here because he might follow me there and trash me insane). From multiple sources.
BUT, I have eaten there before and that roasted tomato dish is HEAVEN. And I want that martini. Mmmmm.
Can’t wait for your opening tomorrow!!
I’m glad everyone convinced you to go out for dinner. You guys need a break from working so hard!
Question for Mike – how far is his Great Harvest store from St. Cloud State University?
My nephew is going there in the fall and he is a carb-lover. Instead of mailing him goodies, I’m wondering if I could buy goodies for him from his location via phone/email and my nephew could come in there to pick it up? Ohh, I’m liking this more and more as I think about it. REAL bread and cookies versus cafeteria food? That’s a no-brainer. Keeping my fingers crossed that the store is fairly close to the university….
Love Matt’s shirt! We are major food people over here too. Thumbs up for grass fed beef
I’ve been reading your blog for a long time now, and I’m so excited to see your store within days of opening! I live in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and I’m suddenly paying a lot more attention to our Great Harvest since you’ve talked so much about it. I just saw an ad they ran in our local paper that they’re getting ready to celebrate their 19th anniversary!
Cucumber Ginger martini!? Yes please!!! I love that you’re able to use local produce and products in the bakery, that makes it special!
Looks like you are treating yourselves well after all of these days of hard work! Good for you–it’s so hard to find that balance!
I keep thinking about how cool it is that you are blogging throughout this whole experience. It will be amazing to look back on it all someday in such great detail. Love that!
OH MY! That is exactly my kind of place. I think I could probably eat there every night of the week!
Glad I read the description of the hummus – the other day my boss was telling me about a hummus he got at a farmers market, as he was remembering the ingredients told to him by the vendor he got stuck on one in particular. “Chareesa? ariso? …. sounded like she was saying chorizo, but that’s not it!” LOL! Now I know it was HARISSA
Happy Anniversary! Hope you’re having a lovely day.
Ohh – that meal looks amazing!! and those dates – wowww.
Since I started reading your blog, I’ve been wishing I could try all this Great Harvest bread, but I assumed it was an East Coast chain since I’ve never heard of it. Yesterday I was taking a different route home and I passed right by a Great Harvest, only a few miles from my house! I’m so excited; I can’t wait to give it a try!
kath, matt thanks for the big ups on dinner. only an insane person would prepare such food! especially hope you liked our breads from the brick hearth, a total labor of love. here’s to your new beginning!
Insanely fabulous dinner!! The breads were great – nice and chewy!! Hope the loaf of Honey Whole Wheat we left made it to your mouth!
What do you mean when you say Tomas made an “appearance” on KERF? On your blog?
In the comments- like the one just above yours!
the food looks delish!! i love tapas style restaurants…that’s what dining should be about, everyone getting to just taste/share/enjoy!!
happy grand opening eve!!
wow.. you were right, I did salivate! gorgeous pics as usual, Kath
Aw. St. Cloud is my home town!!!