Last harvest of the year. Chili!

Chili today made with red peppers and veggies from this year's garden.  The last harvest.  I will not do eggplant (though I love it), zucchini or as many green peppers next year. :)

Grammaw Ev at 96

My beautiful 96-year old grandmother in the hospital this morning.   I tied the balloon to her toe so she could see it better.   She tolerated it, just as she has tolerated me for more than four decades.  We love Evelyn!

Farm Bellewood

Bellewood is officially a farm with my new yard mates. I have named them Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas and Kabob.  Any of my concerned Anchorage neighbors have Stuart and Michele Ray to thank for their rooster-sharing generosity.   

Day 1.  
5:15 a.m.   They are talkative little critters, aren't they.

8:30 a.m.  I don't necessarily believe that seven roosters is better than one.

10:45 a.m.    Stuart Ray has changed his cell phone number.  

Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School Meets Opporteen!

Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School Dean Jim Bradford

Spent today in Nashville working the streets with Opporteen!  Working to define how the program best plays out at The University Level in Nashville.  Thank you Vanderbilt University Owen Graduate School Dean Jim Bradford, and Owen Professor Dawn Iacobucci, for taking the time to meet me, hearing my Opporteen story, and for your thoughts about the program!  I appreciate and value input from everyone at the university level, especially those from one as prestigious as The Owen Graduate School at Vanderbilt.   Opporteen's success is dependent on acceptance by and involvement of university leadership and faculty.   I'm grateful for your insight and look forward to sharing more.

Village Anchor Celebrates It's Third Best Restaurant In Louisville Award in Three Years!

I'm not a late night kinda guy, but last night was the exception!  'Til early this morning, The Village Anchor and Sea Hag teams celebrated its third Best Restaurant in Louisville award!  This one by the readers of Leo Magazine with their 2012 Readers’ Choice Awards--taking first, second or third place in Nine of the 50  categories, Including Best Restaurant In The City! 

With 30,000 votes cast, The Village Anchor won more than any other restaurant in the history of the Awards!  Thanks to Everyone for Making The Village Anchor The Best Dining Experience In The City! Here’s how it played out:

Best Restaurant in Louisville, First Place!
Best Restaurant for Outdoor Dining in Louisville: First Place!
Best Chef In Louisville: Second Place (Geoffrey Heyde)
Best Wine List in Louisville: Second Place
Best Place for a Romantic Dinner in Louisville: Second Place, (The Anchor Lanai)
Best French Fries in Louisville: Second Place (Sweet Potato Fries with Marshmallow Dipping Cream)
Best Hot Brown in Louisville: Third Place  (The Pulled Chicken Hotter Brown)
Best Breakfast/Brunch in Louisville: Third Place (The Sunday Village Brunch and Red Velvet Pancakes With Cream Cheese Filling)
Best Dessert in Louisville: Third Place (Myra's Banana Pudding)

THANKS TO OUR GREAT TEAM, OUR GREAT CUSTOMERS AND ESPECIALLY LEO WEEKLY FOR CONDUCTING THE SURVEY!

In 2013 I Will Learn To Ride and Use My Stable

Much fun this weekend at Dan Ison and Debbie Holloway 's Simpsonville Ranch.  I've decided that I am committed to learning how to ride in 2013, and I'm dedicated to putting two horses in my own twin-spire 100-year-old stable next year!  I need help with fencing.....any takers?

Phoenix, Opporteen and 100,000 Students

Nearly 50 percent of the junior and seniors in Phoenix are
Latino, African American or American Indian

Check out the view from my room in Scottsdale, Ariz. this morning.  I'm there this week to meet with folks in The Phoenix/Maricopa School System to get feedback on Opporteen and how it can affect minority markets. There are approximately 100,000 high school junior and seniors in Phoenix, and nearly 50% of them are either Latino, American Indian or African American. An element of Opporteen is being built specifically to address these important segments. Please like us and friend us! And follow my blog at http://kevingrangierusa.blogspot.com/

Happy Birthday, Dad! 72!

Happy birthday, Dad, who celebrated 72 years with family and friends last night at The Village Anchor!  Thanks, also, to the kitchen for a fabulous meal and an amazing chocolate gananche raspberry cake!

Opporteen's High School Teen Leadership Panel Says Communicating With The Counselor Is One Thing; "Time To Assist" Is Another

More than 1 million students drop out of high school
each year.  Opporteen is designed to directly impact these
students at no cost to schools, students or the system

I came across this Huffington Post piece that shares the importance of asking what students think to enjoy more satisfying outcomes.  http://ow.ly/ejf5S   It points out the age-old and common-sense approach to understanding the customer -- know where their heads are and what it is that influences their actions at the most fundamental levels -- information that those of us as marketers have known--and relied upon--for decades. 

As I've only been in the restaurant business for short of three years, I can tell you that customer feedback is the foundation of its success, having been named the best restaurant in the City by many groups three years running.  I can also say that the food business is no different than any other--you have a product, a customer, employees, interaction at some level, issues, a changing environment, and a thousand things competing for headspace.  While I can't think of any other industry that has as many touch points, I would suggest that education with its student/parent customer base runs a close second.

Interestingly, Opporteen's leadership panel (Opporteam) which consists of 103 junior and senior high school students across Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, was polled about the subject just a few weeks back.  93% of the team says that students' thinking about their futures are not directly asked and, more importantly, the majority of those believe that what is said falls upon deaf ears or isn't acted upon.

So it begs the question of which is more important?  Reaching a student who doesn't believe the process or what it is you have to say, or transitioning the student's thinking to trusting what it is you are saying and making respectful how it is you are trying to say it.

We know that students today enjoy a freedom to think and do as never before, and a level of independence that is, while bothersome in this writer's opinion, prevalent to the point of no return.  

Among its many objectives, Opporteen is designed to leverage students' independence to think and do, and to connect with those beyond the walls of their schools who can make a difference in their lives.  Non-profit Opporteen is an independent resource that motivates students to connect with people who can enlighten them to opportunity and, in some form, hope for their futures -- something that by nature will always be difficult for schools to accomplish--simply given their massive responsibility and the resources available to them to get there.

Please like and follow us on Facebook at Opporteen, or my blog at kevingrangierusa.blogspot.com, and learn how Opporteen helps students to communicate with counselors and schools, and how the outside world (you and I) can influence the futures of our next generation.  

Thanks to EVERYONE who is helping to make Opporteen a reality that will effect so many.

Lt. Gov. Jerry Abramson, Close The Deal, and Opporteen

I started out this morning with Lt. Gov. Jerry Abramson at Bullitt Central High School where he defined his Close The Deal program to nearly 300 seniors.  Close The Deal is similar to Opporteen (facebook @opporteen) in that it connects high school students to professionals, financial aid opportunities and colleges.   The students rotated through tables to associate themselves with the various college professionals and financial advisors who attended.   Lt. Gov. Abramson wants to see Close The Deal evolve throughout Kentucky and is working to make that happen.  Close The Deal is looking for very similar outcomes as Opporteen, and it's great to have our state's leadership putting energy into it.

Thank you, Jerry, for including me this morning; it was great to see you and Kentucky at work to truly change the lives of young people.

Great Peeps Those nFocus Guys!

nFocus Launch Party at The Village Anchor!


Awesome launch of nFocus Magazine's October issue last evening at The Village Anchor. Thanks to the nearly 200 who showed--and thanks to the great Village Anchor Team; as always amazing food and near-perfect execution (because who wants the weight of perfection on his shoulder, right?). Nice issue, too--congrats to all who put it together!

Village Anchor featured in this month's nFocus

Check out this piece on The Village Anchor that is in this week's nFocus Magazine.  Thanks to Cheoffrey and his team for the great work, and food.  http://nfocusmagazine.com/food-wine-the-village-anchor-pub-roost!

Nestled in the historic City of Anchorage, Kentucky, The Village Anchor | Pub & Roost is inspired by Kevin Grangier’s travel abroad, and his desire to create a “destination” dining venue in the East End. Sitting on the patio, with the early fall breeze caressing my back, owner Kevin Grangier across the table, and Executive Chef Geoffrey Heyde filling our mugs with aromatic French Press coffee, I was able to pick the brains of the men who created the restaurant known for amazing food, service, and scenery.

Kevin and Geoff explained that they have been working together for years. Following his graduation from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, Geoff worked at The Oakroom at the Seelbach Hilton, and both Vinino and McFadden’s in Kansas City before being lured back to Louisville to work with Kevin. “One day Geoff and I were driving around and saw the lease sign outside the building,” explained Kevin between sips of coffee. “We immediately thought, ‘There is nothing around here. Why can’t we do this and open a restaurant?’” Our conversation moved from inception to fruition, and the present offerings that help to make the Village Anchor a place where people from all over come to enjoy a great meal.

Q: How did you come up with the concept of the restaurant and the menu?

Kevin: We wanted to create a “destination,” because you don’t just drive out to Anchorage for no reason. We wanted it to have a cool eclectic style, and believed the Anchorage community would be very supportive.

Geoff: We considered a lot of different things when thinking about the menu. Kevin would say, “I want a burger,” and leave it up to me to figure out how to make it “the best” burger in Louisville. [They currently server a meatloaf burger.] We started hosting focus groups at people’s homes throughout the city, making a few items we were considering for the menu, and taking their feedback and critique to make it better.

Q: What has been vital to the success of the restaurant?

Kevin: I’d say that the recipe for a successful restaurant = 25% good food, 25% alcohol, 25% service, 25% overall experience. Each one is critical. If you don’t get out of your car, look up the hill, and immediately sense something about the experience you want to feel, we are doing something wrong.

Geoff: I spend about 25% of my time on the floor with the patrons. That is a lot for a chef. I hear if there is a complaint, but am also able to build pretty good relationships with diners.

Q: You mentioned that the kitchen at the Village Anchor is really small. Does that impact the service patrons receive?

Geoff: People always ask me why I come to work at 7am when we don’t open till 11am for lunch. It’s because we have a lot of prep to do. We send out approximately 1800 plates a day, and have done up to 2400 plates on really busy days. With 270 seats to serve, and items on the menu that Kevin calls “freakishly complicated” to make, it takes mastering how to prepare the dishes quickly. I have a great team in the kitchen that makes sure our patrons have an enjoyable experience.

During our conversation, waiters appeared at the table beside us with the Hot Brown for the gentleman, and the Red Velvet pancakes for his wife. After taking a few bites, the man leaned over, tapped Geoff on the shoulder, and said, “May I interrupt you? This may be the best Hot Brown I’ve ever eaten!”

Kevin and Geoff shared that The Village Anchor has done a “Celebrity Host Night” each Monday for the past 1.5 years, donating 10% of their total revenue to a nonprofit or local cause, totaling over $40,000 to date.  They have also added $1 mimosas on Sunday for brunch at the Sea Hag (the downstairs bar at The Village Anchor). With so many great offerings, it’s no wonder that The Village Anchor has become a destination for travelers and locals alike.

—Josh Miller