Yearly update

Michel and Heleen have not been very faithful in updating you. Since the opening of Dutchess we have not given ourselves any time to sit down.

The opening of the restaurant in Dutchess last January was very hectic. The construction of the first floor was not finished and still needs finishing touches, but we have gone far! The restaurant is running fair. We are getting known, but can receive more quests in our big garden. We first opened for lunch, then for breakfast and then also dinner. The first months we had to stay in the kitchen all the time, but now our three chefs can manage on their own.

In March we had an important visitor. Jack Luitjes , a Dutch bread baker, trained our staff for a couple of days on making bread, speculaas (a cookie) and raison bread. The speculaas and bread is a big success. The bread is being made in the wood oven of the pizzeria and looks excellent. The speculaas and bread is sold at Dutchess.

The shop at Dutchess is doing well. We call ourselves a deli. We sell bread, cheese (5 types), yogurt, ice cream, cookies, cakes, coffee, bread toppings (meat, jam, honey). Most of it is home made. But we also resell some local products like coffee, salami, honey and peanut butter.

In June we had the official opening of Dutchess. Our first room was ready, again we had to panic a bit to get the room ready in time, because the room was used by somebody from the Dutch Embassy. The opening was a big success. We served bitterballen, pizza, snacks with home-made quark and home-made pesto. The culture band was very entertaining!

In July Heleen had a friend with her family over for 3 weeks and took them around Uganda. Great to see friends again and also to show a part of the beautiful Uganda. The children loved the bungy jump and the horse riding. The parents were most impressed by the gorillas.

 The planned “monthly” getaway did take place for the second time this year in August when Michel’s parents came. We visited a lovely small Nature reserve and looked for a Sitatunga, which we saw. We also made new Sri-Lankan friends when visiting a hydro plant which is build in a valley with endangered palms. We keep saying we have to do this more often...

Finally we thought we could relax and focus on the marketing of the restaurant and guesthouse. The website is published: www.DutchessUganda.com. But no rest. The Landlord of the Pizzeria decided to stop the rental agreement. We decided to move the wood-oven to Dutchess. More construction work...

Around the same time we also got news about a possible birth of Jack Russell puppies at Heleen’s sister Eva . We had planned to go to the Netherlands in May 2013, but we wanted to add another Jack Russell to our menagerie and decided to pick it up in November. During the visit we stayed most of the time at the small farm of Heleen’s sister.

Besides cleaning stables we also helped to move a boat from the river into the meadow for repairs. A huge movement involving several trucks and a crane. But most of our visit was spend on seeing friends and family. And doing some shopping. Going by plane with a puppy of 10 weeks, 4 tv’s, a wii, 1 printer, 1 icemachine, 4 kg new cutlery for the restaurant (in total more than 100kg) was an adventure on its own.

But enough plans for the future. In January the pizzeria will move to Dutchess. In February we want to start the cheese factory. But also Dutchess is still not finished. We keep having ideas and adding chairs, tables, sunscreen for the balcony, tv, safes for the rooms... And when we have time and money we will start building the house on our hill. We bought a big piece of land (3 hectare)- half of a hill with beautiful view of tea plantations, a part of Rwenzori Mountains. It is 7 kms out of town in a lovely rural environment. But we also have other projects in mind. Horse riding safaris, keeping milk goats, some chicken or starting a chocolate factory. Everything is possible... Maybe also time for a more regular contribution to our blog.

Dutchess opened?!

After one year of building and renovation. Finally we have opened our restaurant. Excellent news. The last two days before opening were hell. Five people helping cleaning. Three people doing the last installation work. Sinks, toilets, missing wooden decoration in the floor. One person doing shopping so we can serve something. These were the first two days of “holiday “ of Heleen’s visiting family. But all the efforts were worth it.

Customers who have been here once keep coming back and we get many compliments about the food, drinks, the garden, the lovely woodwork, the design of the fences. Luckily enough no one comments on the absence of any lamps shades, the struggle to leave the restaurant in the dark with only the torch of the security guard, the limited amount of furniture, the emptiness of the internet cafe and specially the search to find the place without any sign posts.

The new staff is getting used to us and our perfection of everything made in the kitchen. If finally the dish tastes right and it goes nicely decorated on a warm plate to a customer, they can hear Heleen mumble, it took more than 40 minutes.
The place is lovely. We have an office were we can enjoy the view of our garden. The not fully grown garden has already many birds, beautiful turaco’s and sunbirds. The big tree in the back gives lovely avocados.

But how are we doing? We are exhausted. The renovation, running the pizzeria, training the new staff has taken its toll. The monthly short holiday away has take place once, in October. We are planning a new getaway for next week. In the mean time the carpenter is finishing the windows on the first floor, the electrician is putting in the wires and the mason putting tiles in the bathroom, so the building is not completely finished. Will the first floor be finished before the next high season in summer?