the beginning of little skips

and the end of 'ashley's carburetor inc.' it's finally happening. little skips is official!

it started out as our self imposed family name for our crazy bunch of soul mates all living under one roof in brooklyn, new york. it's now become the name of my first restaurant and fun house!

i found the perfect location off mrytle at 941 broadway in bushwick. it was one of those things, once i walked in i already knew it was the right place, the only place. i didn't even look at another location after i saw this place which was only the second properties we looked at. it has so much charm and distinguished character. standing in the middle of the floor i look around with bright shiny eyes. i see it packed with beautiful happy laughing people, delicious perfectly plated food, frothy beers and pretty cocktails. like it was already a year into the future i can hear the live music. and if you look carefully, in the back leaning against my homemade bar that kris, my adorable handyman van man constructed with his multi-talented musician hands.

the lease is to start on the 15th and construction hopefully soon after! everyone in the family has a role. i am head skip, head of the fun police and visionary of skips litte. i'll also create the menu. mitch is helping with the image/logo/sign design and will eventually be the art manager. katie is interior decorator and funny girl. danny will book the entertainment. joanna is the writer and the other half of my brain. she will help with writing the menu and probably anything else that requires words being put together with or without punctuation at the end. i want jimmy to later be the chef (if you say it out loud you can make it happen!) brant, (though not a little skip) is my rational side and my wonderful business partner/bar manager and baristta.

i want to serve fresh, seasonal, asian inspired comfort food with a vegetarian and vegan menu option as well. we'll serve lunch, dinner and a super awesome brunch with sochu bloody mary's, plum wine spritzers and a surprise drink joanna thought of today. there will be live music as many days as i can book good bands. we'll also have incredibly good coffee and cupcakes made by danny waits, which i've so cleverly dubbed 'dannycakes'. i also think there should be a scrabble competition once a week! yeah that will make me very happy :)

i remember the first thing i thought of when i thought of the restaurant is that we must have mason jars for glasses. this also makes me very very happy!

it's also very important that the restaurant is eco-conscious and environmentally friendly. the wood used in construction will be rescued from a previous life. there will be no plastic anything and no straws! i'll use recycled paper products whenever i can. i plan to hit up the fleamarkets, thrift stores and antique shows for the the dishes and flatware. chopsticks are a must! nothing needs to match and that will be lovely.

i want you to come and feel at home and be a part of the energy of the universe with the happiness little skips will give you. i want everyone to love life and the room to always be filled with smiles and laughter. i want to feed you the bomba** food and i want you to hug me when you walk in the doors. i want the family to be a part of this with me always. this is for us, my little skips family. i love you guys!