Sometimes I go and stand in the kitchen and watch my friend Scott Carrino, the co-owner and chef at the Round House Cafe, whiz around the kitchen, it is a creative thing, cooking good food in a kitchen, it is an exciting place, orders flying in, three or four meals being prepared at once – omelettes, sandwiches, salads, bean burgers, egg sandwiches, baguettes,  soups, Scott spinning around and around like a maestro, he always seems at ease, turning up some heat, reaching for some olives or eggplant. When Scott has prepared the food he likes to bring it out to the customers personally, saying hello, checking on things.

I think I’d love to do that work, really, just for a day or so. I like the intensity of it, the multi-tasking, the creative touches in arranging the food, keeping things separate, the flourishes and garnishes.  The world recedes for a bit, just the food. Scott works brutally hard – he gets up at 3:30 in the morning, leaves the cafe around 3 or 4 p.m.

His wife Lisa runs the bakery back home and I think the two of them have not had a day off in months. There are so many things to worry about – staff, food, regulations and temperatures, orders and tables,  vegetables, equipment, dishes and glasses, staffing, fresh flowers and supplies. Still, the cafe is a hit, it is becoming the heartbeat of my small town, a place of community and connection, not to mention George Forss’s photos and mine on the wall. Scott is a creative man, he is a musician, he brings this creativity to his cafe, and it touches me to see him spinning around in the small kitchen, stuffed with colorful foods and vegetables and smells.

I know I couldn’t do it, but I appreciate the artistry of it, creativity can flourish anywhere. We often have a narrow definition of creativity – writers, artists – but creativity can shine anywhere and in Scott’s cafe, it is a powerful and tangible force, from the fresh flowers to the food. I had an egg sandwich for lunch there the other day, an egg omelette on a fresh roll with eggplant.  And a cup of pea soup. I don’t remember life before the Round House, and I am loving seeing so many people in the town, they can look right up at my photos and George’s, they can ask me about them, tell me how much they enjoy them. Three sold so far.