What nots of a former coffee house guy

Welcome to random bon mots from a guy that used to own the best darn coffee house in Union City, CA

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Paddy's Coffee Grilling Sauce

Saw this interesting recipe in the newspaper and decided to play around with it. Caveat here is that, Paddy is a vegetarian. The missus had no choice but to play a willing guinea pig.

Credit for the original recipe is to Andrew Schloss and David Joachim from their Fire it Up cookbook. We modified it and the modified recipe is as follows.

1 cup brewed Paddy's Twiga Blend
1 1/3 cup ketchup
1/4 cup brown mustard
1/3 cup honey
2 tablespoons lime juice
3 tablespoons hot Original Tabasco Sauce
3 tsps Ground Black pepper
2 tsps sea salt

We mixed everything together in a saucepan. Bring it to a boil. Lower the heat and let it simmer until slightly thickened. Store in a tightly closed container for upto 1 month.

The simmering process can be at least 1/2 an hour.

Update : The missus tried it and she declared it a good creation by a vegetarian. YMMV.

Friday, August 19, 2011

Who or what is AndThem ?

If you leave it upto Paddy himself, art shows would never happen at the coffee house. Paddy would not know a pencil from a pen :) Art shows have traditionally been handled by Union City Leisure Services. With the burgeoning youth art movement, they felt it opportune to hand over the curating duties to an extremely talented group of youngsters who called themselves AndThem.

In their own words, AndThem are Creative Conspirators for a Creative Mind. You can find out more information about them on their facebook page. 5 extremely talented youngsters who have hosted successful shows in San Fransisco, and wanted to return their experience to the roots where they grew up from.

While we are familiar and friendly with all of them, Francis Ramos and Kevin Correa have a deep association with Paddy's. We knew Francis since he was a high school kid, constantly hanging out at Paddy's, and every second day, asking us for a job. Told him, finish high school, and we will give you a job. Guess what, he finished high school and promptly we signed him on board. We have never regretted that move ever since.

We encouraged his talent of photography, had him take part in a couple of shows, introduced him to other like minded individuals and watched his talent and confidence burgeon beyond belief. Even though Francis has moved on professionally from Paddy's, whenever we are in a bind, he still helps us out, and for that, young Francis, from all of us a big thank you.

Kevin Correa, what can we say about him ? His boisterous laugh and jokes bring about a glory every day. We first met Kevin when he swaggered in to an open mic night organised by Bindlestiff way back in 2003. The beret perched at an angle, the poetry book flourished with a panache, and the poetry spoken with all the poise in the world. And in those days he had more hair and less tattoos. Apart from being the theatre director for Bindlestiff, Kevin also helps out scores of students hanging out at Paddy's with their math homework. Yup, theatre and mathematics are his forte.

We only recently met the other 3/5 of AndThem, and it is our misfortune that we did not have the pleasure of meeting and knowing them earlier. And so Chevon, Neal and Remy, welcome to the house known as Paddy's Coffee House.

From all of us at Paddy's, here is wishing AndThem the greatest success.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Start Up Tech Hub - August 2011

The word is getting around about Paddy's Startup Tech Hub. Our third month now. Diverse range of professionals and business people in the mix for our earlier meetups. This time, we have an interesting line up. First, there will be a Q&A session with our loyal supporter, who also happens to be a serial entrepreneur and investor, with quite a few successful companies under his belt. He will be talking about life from the VC world.

Following his talk will be a talk by another loyal supporter, on protecting intellectual property rights. This is a wonderful venue and occasion for networking, finding out new trends and technologies, and have a good cup of coffee to boot. Make this StartUp Tech Hub, an entry in your calendar. Remember, Tech Hub meets at Paddy's every 3rd Saturday of the month from 2 to 4 pm. All in all,a true silicon valley experience.

Please help us spread the word and encourage participation. If you know anyone who would like to speak or showcase their product, please let us know.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Job openings at a customers workplace

Customer's company is looking to hire

If you fit the profile, please post your contact info, so we can make the connection.

a) Environmental, Health and safety admin.The successful candidate will provide assistance to the EHS department in maintaining effective EHS programs and policies, and communications which ensure that the EHS compliance and best practices are carried forward. Functions :Assist with EHS related programs, Perform monthly inspections of various EHS equipment, Assist with chemical inventory/MSDS management ,General administrative support for EHS documentation,Assist with ISO14001 documentation/audits. If interested, post your contact info here, and we will connect you. It's a temp posish.

b) HRIS Coordinator : This person is responsible for Data Management of HR Transactions and audits

Summary of Responsibilities

SAP Data Administration for Human Resources

Responsible for SAP HR data maintenance of non-employee records globally; includes new hire entry& org management. Ensure accuracy and integrity of information in SAP. Conduct routine audits of HR data. Interact closely with other departments (e.g. payroll, stock) to provide SAP HR support. Provide administrative support to HRIS team and general customer service for HR. Provide International Support for Data Administration Assist the HR community in troubleshooting and solving HR system problems

Task Overview Data Administration Overview:

Hire Activity (Temps, Contractors)
Organizational Changes & Transfers
New Hire & Termination folders
Contractor Extensions Audits & Notifications
ECD Filing
BizFlow processing
ECD Printing & Mail Merges