| Bill Packard writes a little bit about Moxie and Cafe and the Flea Markets Please Enjoy!!
Just finished another busy Saturday in the Moxie Cafe at the Thompson Center. It’s flea market Saturday for the volunteers at the TCC. I don’t know exactly how I got dragged into the kitchen for these events. My wife pressured me or made me feel bad because they were short on help, or something. That was a while ago and at first I suffered. I didn’t warm up to the vendors, had no interest in flea markets in general and basically suffered on the first Saturday of the month from October to May. Since I was dependable, it was expected that I be in attendance and that became an issue for me too, but I was the one that created that.
Somewhere along the way, everything changed. I don’t know how it happened. There was not life changing event. It just snuck up on me. I still don’t want to be taken advantage of or expected to be there, but if I don’t have something special going on, I’ll be in the Moxie Café for flea market.
The vendors are just the greatest group of people you could ever ask for. Many of them do this for a living and go to all sorts of venues and it’s neat to hear their stories. Some only come here, but most of the vendors have been coming here for a long time. I was cool to them at first, but after I got to know them, it’s a wonderful group of people.
The first need the TCC had was for someone to prep stuff and help Mark. We call Mark the Grill Nazi because he has rules for his kitchen and things need to be done a certain way. He’s tucked back in the corner and most people never see him, but he’s the one that’s responsible for the excellent food that comes out of that inadequate kitchen. So I’m buttering buns and making cold sandwiches and just generally helping Mark. It becomes fun and a challenge to get good food to people quickly. Jason is the backbone of the kitchen. He does it all. He doesn’t touch the grill. Mark is in charge of the grill. Once in a while, Jason or I put a bun on the grill if it gets really crazy, but that’s as far as we go. We can, however put fries, onion rings, and hash browns in the deep fryer. Jason is sort of the ringmaster, going between the prep area, the cash register, or wherever he’s needed. I have to say that from time to time, we have some plumbing issues and the resolution of those issues usually come to Jason and me. Let me assure you that after the plumbing issues are resolved, a very, very complete hand washing is completed before we go back to the kitchen. In a deal like the TCC, that’s how it has to be. You need to be available to do whatever is needed.
Let me tell you a little more about Mark. He cooks 9 pounds of bacon in the nights before the flea market. He makes sure we have enough of everything to serve the people on flea market day. Lately, like today, we run out of stuff. That’s because more and more people are buying the food. The kitchen is a tiny area and the work flow is awful, but Mark makes it work. At 7 a.m. we’re open and serving the vendors. Mid-morning, people start asking for lunch items while we’re still serving breakfast. Mark takes it in stride. He’ll do a breakfast sandwich alongside a hot dog. No problem.
Dean and Dee Dee have just become a part of the family and they fit right in. It’s just a neat volunteer opportunity that is fun and satisfying. Today I was assigned to the cash register. When the vendors started coming in, while they were all polite, I knew they were thinking “Oh, no. It’s him.” I’ve struggled before seeing the computer screen and while I knew a coffee and a donut was $1.60, I had trouble hitting all the correct keys. I had my contacts in today and I was familiar with the register and I blew them out of the water. I showed up for job. We were taking orders, making change, serving coffee. We were stylin’. Just when I’m feeling good, people started asking for the pretty lady that’s usually at the register. Then they get mean. They say that they like her better than me. They say she’s better looking. I’m crushed.
That’s what these flea market people are. Honest, real, good people. It’s fun. And we make some money. We have so many expenses that sometimes what we make even on a good day is just keeping up. But people are very generous to the sprinkler fund box and it feels good to offer good food for a fair price. Plus, we put on an event every month in the fall, winter and spring that people like to come to. What could be better?
A final disclaimer. Mark is my son in law. Tera, who runs the whole show, is my daughter. The pretty lady that people have been missing is my wife. Jason is one of my best friends and so is Dean. Yeah, I’m promoting them. So what? You got a problem with that? | |