The Chunky Husky Diner
Along with working in a bakery, I have many times thought of opening a restaurant, but I know how hard that is because I have worked in them. But if I were to have a restaurant, it would be called The Chunky Husky Diner. This gives you a hint of what it would be like… I love to build and did most of the construction on this outdoor kitchen, a pandemic project, where my friends and I share meals on nice days, which is often! I commissioned my nephew to create the sign, and it was his first-ever lettering - fantastic! Most of the kitchen is salvaged reused materials, collected over the years from the UC Davis Bargain Barn, as it used to be called. This is also my outdoor office and workspace.
Signed welded by my nephew Justus Cogdell, in Elgin, Texas, 2020. See https://www.thetinyforge.com/
This sign made my vision feel real.
I didn't do the welding but I did set the posts and do everything else, plus friends help.
i love talavera pottery
gardens add so much to ambiance and plants are amazing teachers
signage in the works...
salvaged steel "trellis" with stainless boxes (a la Ruhstaller... see photo below) add usefulness to the kitchen
this could be for any number of dishes i like to make... color is key in food.
watermelon mint tonic in the making
local wine, peaches from my tree, point reyes blue cheese, and amazing maple walnuts from my family's nut business in Texas https://pecanshop.com
Homemade pizza with garden tomatoes
Spinach Ricotta Feta Pie
Bargain Barn salvage stainless feeders that look just like Ruhstaller! The bottoms of these are on the "wall" in my outdoor diner.
...For comparison with the salvaged feeders... I knew I would like Ruhstaller instantly.