Winter is here

Omnivore Books in Noe Valley in San Francisco had booked Thomas Keller (the famous chef) for a book signing event at their bookstore on Dec 6th. The lovely owner, Celia, had contacted me a couple of months ago and asked me to come to sell chai to her patrons while they waited in line for Keller. 

Today, Dec 6th, I was all excited to take the Chai Cart all the way to Omnivore Books - not only will San Francisco foodies be there, maybe Keller himself may fancy a cup of chai. As usual, I made the chai, packed my cart, and off I went. I forgot to do 2 things - one, check the flattest way to get to the corner of Church St. and Ceaser Chavez from my house, and two, check the weather report. 

I struggled to ride up the hill on Ceaser Chavez (between Guerrero and Dolores), tugging the cart behind me but managed (i did stop to catch my breath halfway up). It sure was chilly and seemed like a smart idea to have hot chai for sale as almost everyone who was at the bookstore bought a cup. And then it started to rain - no wait, hail. 

 People have asked and had wondered what would happen to the food carts when the rain hits San Francisco. This is what happened today. I was lucky to have a tree to give cover to my bicycle trailer. So when the hail started to come down, I put all my stuff back in the cart and ran inside the bookstore for cover. It seemed like perfect timing as Thomas Keller came in 5 min later and I was up close to hear him speak. By the time he finished talking, the rain had subsided as well. I went back outside, sold a few more cups to people who were unfortunate enough to be stuck outside (it’s a tiny bookstore), packed my stuff, and rode back in the freezing cold. 

 The good thing about the pop-up food carts is that we control our own schedule. I guess I could've decided to stay home, had I checked the weather. People can expect food carts to be at indoor locations, such as art galleries, warehouses, etc. during the winter. Biking in the cold will be a challenge and I will need to visit the Sports Basement soon for some winter biking wear. 

 P.S. Thomas Keller asked for a double espresso, not chai :(