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Local businesses are the lifeblood of our community. The Mid-county Memo offers this section to our business neighbors for news, advancements, promotions, expansions and other noteworthy events to be shared with the community at large. Business Memo submissions for the May issue are due by Monday, April.15. For best results, e-mail Darlene Vinson at editor@midcountymemo.com. You may also mail submissions to 3510 N.E. 134th Ave., Portland, OR 97230. To leave a phone message, dial 503-287-8904. The Mid-county Memo fax number is 503-249-7672.
Bradford's beefs up
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| Chef Dave Patton makes breakfast in the recently remodeled kitchen at Bradford's Sports Lounge in Gateway. Part of a $75,000 remodel and upgrade, the new kitchen and equipment enable chefs to expedite orders quickly and efficiently. Mid-county Memo photo/Tim Curran |
Fouts said that to make Bradford's Sports Lounge an east Portland destination for diners from all over the metro area, the odd-shaped, inefficient food preparation space needed a complete makeover and updating.
By trade a finish contractor specializing in casino building, Fouts said, “Like I said [when you interviewed me] before, I want Bradford's to have the highest quality food prepared competently and professionally, served in a warm, inviting atmosphere; upgrades in the kitchen and the new equipment I bought is just another step towards that goal.”
Not satisfied with being just a neighborhood sports bar, Fouts said he believes if you build it, discerning restaurant customers will come.
With phases one (refurnishing and remodeling his dining and game rooms) and two (refurbishing and updating the outside of the building) of his business plan complete, Fouts turned his attention to the third phase, his kitchen and bar.
A testament to his construction skill, and because Fouts was committed to serving customers breakfast, lunch and dinner with no disruption, he worked crews late nights and early mornings, so the kitchen was never shut down.
Besides the enormous new stainless steel hood, the souped-up space includes another fryer, grill and a second cooking line for when it gets busy. Fouts also added a Thermalizer and Salamander broiler (respectively, a piece of equipment suited to high volume operations with powerful heaters to quickly “re-therm” foods to serving temperature, and a small, long oven designed to cook food quickly).
Now that his chefs have the tools, Fouts, who calls himself a foodie, challenged them by redesigning Bradford's menu, adding new dishes to his breakfast, lunch and dinner selection. “They know what to do; now they have the tools to make our food even better.”
Tickled with his new kitchen, Bradford's Executive Chef Dave Patton said, “There's nothing you can't do back there; compared to before, everything is extra easy now.” Patton, who prides himself on the quality of his product and makes the restaurant's soups, sauces, jams and bread from scratch added, “We all work hard to live up to Brad's high expectations, so he just made our jobs a whole lot easier with this.”
Complimenting the upgrades in back of the restaurant, Fouts doubled the sports lounge's wine selection and number of beers on tap from 12 to 24. Another piece of new equipment is a bar-top glass sanitizer, the only one in east Portland Fouts boasted. He said the staff loves to show customers how it works.
Chef Chris Bucaf, who worked at Sayler's Old Country Kitchen, for Marriott Hotels and previously at Bradford's, said he begged Fouts for a job when he heard what he was doing. “Working in that kitchen [before] used to be like trying to strip a car with a pair of pliers,” he said. “Now, everything is right.”
Judge for yourself; they are up for the challenge.
Bradford's Sports Lounge is open every day for breakfast at 8 a.m. at 10346 N.E. Halsey St. The phone number is 503-253-3660. Visit Bradford's website: www.bradfordspdx.com and Facebook page: www.facebook.com/Bradfords.
Field of presidential candidates narrowed
Two finalists are under consideration for the position of Mt. Hood Community College president. They will participate in public forums Friday, April 5 in the Visual Arts Theatre on the Gresham Campus, 26000 S.E. Stark St. Each candidate will open with a five-minute statement, followed by 35 minutes of questions from the audience and a five-minute closing statement. The forum for Debra Derr will be held from 12:25 to 1:10 p.m. The forum for Jacob Ng will be held from 1:20 to 2:05 p.m. The board will interview them April 6. For information on the candidates, please visit mhcc.edu/presidentialsearch.
MHCC's current president, Michael Hay, has announced that he will retire June 30.
Tile expert joins team
Classique Floors, 14127 S.E. Stark St., has added John Pertl, a well-known Gresham tile and floor covering professional, to its expanding staff of consultants to meet the floor covering needs of both residential and commercial customers.
Pertl, former owner of Pertile Masters, brings “many years of experience as a tile setter and floor covering specialist to our expanding team of consultants,” says Judith Huck, owner of Classique Floors.
Classique Floors serves homeowners, commercial and rental property owners and tenants, insurance companies, remodelers, builders and contractors and government agencies and recently expanded its showroom.
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