WINTER will end…
February 2014
There are two halves to Bella Sorella Pizza CO. LLC.
1) Elizabeth… the visionary, gardener, bookkeeper, and businesswoman
2) Gail…the chef, dreamer, creator, and boss of the kitchen
Together (with lots of family help) we work really well. Every few weeks, we’d like to invite you on our little business journey through food, family, and future dreams.
I am Elizabeth: wife, mother, teacher, big exerciser, small farmer, and lover of food and family. I wanted to start this business for many reasons including adding some good, real food to the community, but the biggest is to work with Gail who is an amazingly talented chef. Just when I think I can cook, I taste something she“just threw together” and learn something more. Trust me- GAIL is the true chef in this business and I have no right makin’ pizza without her guidance. Here’s what I’ve been thinking the last few weeks…
I think it’s safe to say we are all ready for spring. In fact, we may all be wearing shorts and tanks in March when it’s 40 degrees. I know winter is tough, especially this winter, but always trying be the optimist, I look for the positives in all these dark, bone-chilling days- that NEVER seem to end this winter.
I LOVE the change of seasons and know I appreciate them after a hard winter like this. Would we really be as grateful for warm weather if we had it all the time? Just speaking for myself- I know I wouldn’t. I love the excuse and chance to sit inside by the fireplace and watch movies with my family, read a book, or get to an indoor chore that I’ve been neglecting. And let’s face it- it is cold, but not inside. We go from our warm houses to our warm cars to the next heated place. This makes me realize how lucky I am to not have a job outside year-round (like my 19-year-old son) and be fortunate enough to have plenty of heat and blankets.
Bella Sorella likes winter, too. We get a chance to re-charge, revisit our business plan, try new recipes, and make new decisions and changes for the warmer weather. It’s like getting a fresh start.
Since I grow a lot of the vegetables in my own garden for our pizzas, the snow and cold also gives the ground a nice rest. While we’ve had record-breaking cold which may kill some plants in our area, my vegetable beds benefit from the snow. The snow acts as an insulator to plants, protecting them from cold and frost. As the snow melts, it acts as a fertilizer releasing nitrogen…huge plus, and free!
So while we wait it out till spring, I am looking through my vegetable catalogs-getting guidance from the chef about what I should be planting more or less of this spring and summer. I am snuggled warm on the couch with my Maria, watching birds at the bird feeder. I keep telling myself it’s not so bad, and it’s not: The end is in sight and that hot pizza is going to taste sooo good after this winter!
