This recipe for Chocolate Bread is from a book that Doris gave me. Doris was my first boss, and she hired me to be the greeter at her restaurant on South Padre Island back in the summer of 1983. She was kind, generous, and always had a sparkle in her eye. Trying to impress her, I greeted everyone with efficient gusto as they walked through the door. “Hello! Welcome! How many in your party?” I chirped to the bearded man that silently pushed through the restaurant. “Uh, I work here.” he responded flatly. It was Rusty, the owner of the restaurant, Doris’ husband.
My First Job in a Restaurant
I learned a lot that summer as the hostess of the sandwich shop. At night, the same space turned into an elegant seafood and steak bistro. She chatted with the dinner guests, asking about their family, or commenting on the nightly specials. He spoke lovingly about their well curated wine list to an eager audience. Doris and Rusty had a solid fan base, and their attention to detail remains legendary.
Many years later, I invited them to dinner to ask their advice about a ranch bed and breakfast idea I wanted to pursue. Doris gave me her copy of The Grant Corner Inn Cookbook, and inscribed the front cover with words of encouragement. I used the book in the bed and breakfast, and now it is tattered and stained from so many years of using it at home.
The Grant Corner Inn was in Santa Fe, New Mexico. From what I understand, it was a bed and breakfast that has since closed. But the recipes in the book are from two B&B’s, the other being The Camel Back Inn. The recipe for Chocolate Bread has always been a favorite, and I shared it with my friend Stephen, as he was looking for a good sweet roll recipe.
Chocolate Bread Brings Back Memories
As much as I wanted to share this recipe with you, I wasn’t prepared for the flood of memories that emerged when I opened the worn out recipe book. Doris is gone. Their restaurant is gone. The Grant Corner Inn is gone, and Stephen is gone.
If you are young, perhaps you think that I am being morose or maybe my post is unnecessarily depressing. But really, this is life. Friends, businesses, special occasions and moments in time come and go. Everything and everyone has an end date. As one writer put it “Eventually everything becomes fiction.” Dwelling on the sadness is pointless, but remembering the good stuff is the sweet, chocolatey glaze of life. It’s the good stuff we savor.
Thank you Grant’s Corn Inn for the lovely recipes. Thank you Doris for sharing, and thank you Stephen for the good conversations about baking sweet rolls. These are all good stories I remember, and I am grateful that we shared some time together over a cup of coffee, and some Chocolate Bread.
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