Sauce Nouvelle

05/25/2026

A couple weeks ago, Brandon was asked if we would ever do foie gras.

He came out and told me what the table said, and I immediately walked over to talk with them.

Turns out they genuinely loved it and said they’d absolutely order it if we put it on the menu.

So that’s what we worked on today.

It’s been about a decade since I’ve made foie gras, so stepping back into it brought back a lot of memories.

We’ll let you know how it turns out.

05/24/2026

One thing I’ve noticed from years in the restaurant industry:people eat out more when they feel good about life, money, and the future.

But when uncertainty hits — war, inflation, layoffs, gas prices — behavior changes almost immediately.

People skip appetizers. Don’t order drinks. Share plates. Stop going out as often.

Our feedback loops are much faster than official economic reports because restaurants sit directly on top of human emotion and consumer confidence.

You can literally watch economic psychology happen table by table before the data fully catches up.

05/23/2026

This was a super cool thing to find out.

A guest tonight told us their HR team in Seattle does a lot of research when choosing restaurants for company events and dinners. They specifically look for places that are thoughtful — not just good food, but places that clearly care about the experience, details, hospitality, and ex*****on.

Honestly, hearing that meant a lot to us. FoodExperience

05/22/2026

05/21/2026

I was looking for a duck pastrami for a salad idea

05/18/2026

Testing a new duck idea tonight.

Still early in development, but the direction feels promising.
Now it’s about balance, texture, and figuring out what actually deserves to stay on the plate.

R&D continues.

05/17/2026

Congratulations to Taste of Colombia on an incredibly successful night and for helping bring more awareness to Colombian culture and cuisine.

We were truly grateful to be part of the event and help create an experience through food.

In my 22 years of experience, running out of food almost never happens. The fact that we only had a few bread crumbs left by the end says a lot about the turnout, the energy, and how much people enjoyed the event.

Honestly, that’s a compliment to everyone involved.

You could feel the momentum in the room tonight. I have a strong feeling that by next year, this event will need an even larger venue and a bigger budget to match the demand and growth that’s clearly happening.

Again, congratulations to everyone involved. Huge success tonight, and excited to see where this goes next year.

05/16/2026

First Taste of Lulo 🌿🍈

brandon and I tried lulo today.
This rainforest fruit was something we researched heavily, and after digging through different products and sources, we found what seemed to be one of the best versions available.

Such a unique and interesting flavor.

We started experimenting with it and realized I accidentally called it mint earlier it was actually spearmint. My bad.

But once we paired the lulo with passionfruit… wow.
Absolutely incredible combination. Bright, tropical, acidic, floral, and layered in a way that’s hard to explain until you taste it yourself.

This is why experimenting with ingredients is so exciting.

Lulo

05/14/2026

Tried this chocolate candy called “Gol” and the red fruit flavored Frutino candy. Fun little treat that got delivered.

Also got our lulo in for testing Colombian-inspired ideas this Saturday, which we’re really excited about.