Building relationships: One handshake, one teaching point (and one cup of gumbo) at a time.

Mardi Gras Cafe (swanky signage coming soon.)

So you already remember that I had an all girl team in January on the Grady wards, right? Well, at the end of a ward month, it's the tradition of (kind) attendings to take their team out for a meal. Guess where we went? To the BHE's restaurant -- Mardi Gras Cafe!

I split the month with my colleague Stacie S. -- who happens to be a Louisiana native. With her New Orleans taste buds, clearly this wasn't a hard sell. No, 'twas not.

Oh! Before I forget. Here's an awesome tidbit -- Stacie S. was my ward resident a few years back. And on the last day of the rotation, it was just the two of us rounding one Sunday morning. When we finished, I took her to breakfast at Murphy's (another of my favorite eateries.) That day, over chilaquiles and hot coffee, Stace told me that -- "Ssshhhhhh! It's a secret" -- she was expecting baby and had just found out days before. I dang near exploded under the pressure of keeping that silent. (But don't worry, I did keep it to myself.)

Well, here's that baby now:

 

What a difference a day makes, right?

Yep. So it was a really cool full circle moment to be the other attending working on a ward month with her.  If ever there was a baby who was a perfect mixture of her parents, it's this little pumpkin. She looks as much like Stace as she does Stacie's hubby, David (also a Grady doctor.)

Anywho. 

So yeah. We had a great time yucking it up and enjoying some good, casual comfort food (with a Louisiana twist, of course.) 

Baby Sofie kept us still at all-girl status, but the addition of my Things 1 and 2 ended that real fast. We just decided that they'd be "the team mascots" so that we could maintain our XX chromosome status.

The food was super yummy (as always) and -- if you read my last post -- WORTH IT. We all totally arrived ultra hungry so that we could enjoy every bite. And since the portions are hearty, even then there's plenty to take home. Just look at Stacie's smothered pork chops!

 And she said, "YES, I'm having me some pork chops AND mac 'n' cheese AND red beans and rice. SURE AM." I bet her hubby David was super happy for that ginormous portion because that meant he got half of it later on.

Before anyone says something -- let me just say that the good thing about Mardi Gras is that you can be as good as you want or as bad as you want. On my good-girl/bread-is-the-devil days, I have grilled fish and veggies, like this:

But that's not the mindset I was in that night. I paced myself all week with smart food choices so that I could enjoy what I REALLY wanted. What was it, you ask? A blackened fish po' boy and some gumbo.

Woo hooo!!

And no. These photos aren't from that night. I shamelessly stole them from the ones the BHE already had on my computer. Sure did. (Except for Stacie's big ol' plate o' pork chops which really was from that evening.)

 We had a great time. And, of course, the BHE was physically there taking care of us -- even though a group was having an event in the swanky upstairs lounge. He still gave us V.I.P. treatment!

This was right after Isaiah had eaten his own serving of the bread pudding. He, too, finds it a religious experience just like his mama.

Yep.

Here's what I know: Working well together and creating a great climate for learning and mentoring is done best when you build relationships. I love having team dinners because it lets me see how well this was achieved. That's always one of my goals on my teams.

And my life.

Always.

That just reminded me: Remember my student Bryan O. playing his guitar in my sunroom at a team dinner? I always remembered that and feel so happy whenever I think of it.

Anyways. This past month? We succeeded at building relationships. With each other, with other parts of the care team like our nurses and social workers,  and, of course, with our patients.

 And that made me feel proud.

***

Happy Sunday. Again.

***

OH! 

Straight from the BHE:

"Hey Babe? Thank the people who read your blog for coming into the spot, man. I've had quite a few of them come by for lunch or dinner and they say they heard about us from your blog. And they say, 'You're the BHE.' Ha ha ha. That's real, real cool." 

Then I said, "Well, Bro. Manning, can you hook them up with some kind of discount if they mention the blog? I'm just sayin'."

And he said, "Sure." 

And I said, "Bet."

Okay. So from now until. . . umm. . . . Easter. . . .yeah, Easter. . . .if you stop by Mardi Gras Cafe to get your grub on, you'll get 15% off of your meal if you mention that you read about it from the GRADYDOCTOR blog. Oh, and the secret code that you have to say is: The BHE.  Ha ha ha. Or not since he'd probably be mortified if a whole bunch of folks rolled in saying that. Okay.You could just say you heard about it from the GRADYDOCTOR blog, okay?

Why I just put GRADYDOCTOR in all caps, I do not know. I guess I was just feeling kind of self important. Ha. Especially since HLN gave me a nationally syndicated blog shout out under my name last week -- in ALL CAPS. 

YAAAAY-YUUUUUHHHHH!!!!!

Ha ha ha. That was a first, man. I have, like, SO arrived. 

Heh.

Seriously, though? Thanks for being supportive--literally and virtually. The BHE tells me that small businesses thrive one handshake, one customer, and one good word at a time. So, as the wife of a small business owner, we 'preciate y'all. For real. And if you have a good small business in your community with good service and good products? Support them regularly so they'll stay open.

The take home point in all of this is the same: Remember to intentionally build sustainable relationships in whatever it is you're doing. Let folks know they're valued. Whether you're teaching, caring for someone, running a business, or just living. Build and they will come. (And, if you're lucky, they'll come back with some friends.)

***

Now for the shameless plug because I love my husband and am behind anything he is involved in:

Mardi Gras Cafe ~ Restaurant and Lounge is located at 886 Martin Luther King Drive, Atlanta, Georgia, 30316. They specialize in Southern comfort foods "with a Louisiana twist." Chef Will is an Opelousas, Louisiana native and has magic fingers. His magic ingredient is "love" which goes into everything he prepares. 

Harry (aka The BHE) is all about service and experience. You will be treated as if your time, money and decision to eat there matter. You can count on having attentive service but not intrusive service. And most of all, you can count on good food.  So stop by. It's right by the Georgia Dome and Georgia Aquarium on MLK Drive--and it's walking distance from the brand new WalMart that just opened on the same street earlier this year. (So get you some toilet paper and groceries while you're over there.)

That's all I've got.

***

Strictly business.

 

Oh, that husband of mine. You know how much I love him already. Sure. I call him the "BHE" because, to me, he is the best husband ever. He's a great dad, a great son, a great brother, and a great friend, too. He sure is.

He's also easy on the old eyeballs. Ah hem. 

But y'all! Have I told you about what a kick ass business man he is? I can't remember. Have I? Well. If I haven't then let me just take a minute to right that wrong. And if I have then, dammit, it bears repeating. Because I think we should always be quick to tell it on the mountain when we love someone and when we're proud of them. Don't you?

Yeah.

(That's the bad ass BHE up front)

So check it. I may have told you about how Harry used to be in the military. He enlisted in the U.S. Army as a college freshman and has the G.I. Bill to thank for his higher education. Harry was actually on a career military trajectory but decided to take an honorable discharge around the ten year mark. I mean, this dude had become Ranger-qualified (think super, duper bad-ass Black Hawk Down) and was a part of the Old Guard (think hard core, stern-faced dudes marching in during inauguration and at The Tomb of the Unknown Solider.) Yeah. So. . . .that's kind of a big deal.

It kind of shocked the Army folks when he decided not to re-enlist at the decade point. But those who'd known him for years weren't surprised.
 
At all.

Case in point:

When the BHE was nine years old, he asked his parents for. . . .wait for it. . . a snowblower for Christmas. That was what he wanted as his "big gift." Why? Oh, quite simple, people. He grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. And in Cleveland, Ohio there is snow blocking walkways and driveways. That snow needs a-blowing. That's where a young Harry Manning came into the picture--happy to handle it for anyone in the neighborhood--for a fee.

Mmm hmmm.

Can't you just picture him trudging through the snow as dawn was breaking--oh, because this had to be done before school, y'all. And have you done the math yet? That made him a fourth grader.

It gets better. So fourth grade Harry blew that snow and earned that dough. And guess what he did with that money? Bought toys? Bought video games? No, ma'am.  That boy saved it up for the next big purchase that summer. Which was. . . .wait for it. . . wait for it. . . .a lawn mower complete with the clipping catcher.

Yes. A lawn mower. 

Because clearly that snow melts and underneath it is grass. Which needs mowing, of course. And again, this is where young Harry the Handykid steps in to hook up anyone in the neighborhood.

For a fee, of course.

So yeah. In addition to being a snappy dresser and extremely hot, this man is entrepreneurial spirit personified. He's fiscally smart, has great leadership skills, is good with people and has amazing vision. I learn so, so much from him about managing people (and managing myself.)

Anyways. He has had all sorts of businesses over the years. His main thing for the last decade has been his real estate investment and property management business. But you know that entrepreneurs are always thinking and moving. Thank goodness he's not impulsive.

Harry believes that the best businesses are built on relationships. Whether it's an investor or a consumer--he always says that once you build a solid relationship and people know that they can trust you--and your product--that they'll be back. Even during an economic downturn. That's proven to be very true with him. The places where he could have cut corners or done less he never did--because that wouldn't be good for the relationship. He says, "People remember how you treat them. And sometimes the little things say more than you can."

Preach, Bruh Manning!

That's been quite applicable to me with patients and learners, too. It's a good model to follow. Think about the details. Put people first. Look them in the eye. Listen. Right the wrongs. And his number one rule of all-- Don't make a bunch of excuses. Just do what needs to be done.

Or as he says it, "The Colonel doesn't give a shit about what the privates did or didn't do. Just get it done and be responsible for it. End of story."

Ha. Ain't that the truth.

Yeah. So that brings me to one of the BHE's newer endeavors. Oh! And what a tasty endeavor it is!

Mardi Gras Cafe!  

It's this creole restaurant near the Georgia Dome in the historic Martin Luther King west side corridor. The story behind it is rather simple. A really cool youngish guy was initially renting the space from Harry for what would be this restaurant. Well. Will, the youngish guy, quickly recognized that his landlord had a whole lot of business sense and experience. And Harry realized right away that Will had not only an amazing work ethic and energy, but also a real gift for cooking sho nuff and bona fide creole food.

Mmm hmm. 

And so. Mardi Gras Cafe was born. Will as the magic fingers behind the delicious food. And the BHE as the business partner slash mentor on the inner-workings. And anyone who knows Harry knows that this means getting his hands dirty.

"You have to be there until things get going," he told me. "Showing the consumers that you value their business. Asking how it was and making them feel welcome. That takes work but it's the only way to do it--especially in the beginning."

I smiled when he told me that because I remember the very successful shoe repair and alterations shop he had for years. It was nothing for him to come in during busy times and work that register, check in those shoes and shake a hand or two. For a full day, even. But we already knew that he ain't above getting in there and doing some of the less glamorous things. It's how he rolls.

So yes! Mardi Gras Cafe. Oh my. That food? Lawd. It's love all up IN it. All the good stuff, too. Like real, true gumbo made with a perfect roux. Overstuffed po'boys, red beans and rice, smothered pork chops (for the pork lovers--not me), hand cut fries, fried turkeys, and much more. Heavens to mergatroid!

My favorite thing on the menu right now?  Well. At first it was the gumbo. I dreamed about it after trying it for three days. Is that normal? But now? OMG. It has to be this grilled tilapia po'boy sub. O-EM-EXPLETIVE-G. It makes you want to wake your mama out of her bed to slap her as hard as you can.

Oh. Shoot! Forgot to mention my other addiction there--the bread pudding. It is covered with this delicious bourbon sauce that makes you want to break down and cry. And me? I thought I'd had bread pudding before, but clearly I had not. Damn. Wish I had a picture of that.

 I also thought that cajun food and creole food were the same thing. According to Will and his mama who is the master mind behind the recipes and is from Opelousas, Louisiana--they are NOT EVEN the same. But to me, whatever it is, it's good. It tastes like love and time went into it. Their creole food, that is.

So yeah. For my Atl-iens, you've GOT to try this spot. For reals. Not because it's affiliated with the BHE. But because the food is freaking amazing. And! That thing called Zifty -- you know, where they will deliver your food from nearby restaurants -- they do several Mardi Gras deliveries per day. So even if you can't get over there, please-- consider ordering something and getting Zifty to deliver it. Or just go up there because it's a hop, skip and a jump from downtown and the Georgia dome.

I had my team dinner there the other night. We were like some stuffed ticks, man. Soooo yummy. They even have this party space upstairs which is super swanky, too. My team just chilled in the restaurant part, but that upstairs is bananas, y'all.

Now.

Let's be clear. I will be pacing myself on the food there. Don't think that I will now promptly gain 20 pounds due to this latest BHE endeavor. I just discovered that the grilled fish and sauteed spinach is a lovely, flavorful low-carb option for me there. Ha!

Oh! And the other thing that the business guru teaches me is that you shouldn't "get high on your own supply." That means you pay for what you get to keep yourself honest and to make sure that you aren't hurting your own gig. So I'll have you know that I have gladly paid for every little morsel that my lips have touched. And, since I am cheap thrifty, the fact that I've returned tells you that the portion-to-cost ratio is not oppressive nor is it a deterrent.

Okay. So here's the address for y'all to peep it out.  (It's across from the new Super WalMart.)

Mardi Gras Cafe
886 Martin Luther King Drive
Atlanta, GA 30314

And a few pictures of the swanky upstairs space because it's really cool. Oh, and before I forget -- our dear friend Katina B. of Benenate Design did the design. She designed our home, too. She's amazing.

Thinking of having a gathering with my sorority sisters one day soon. Or something.

 

Yeah.

So shout out to the BHE and to all the business people out there. Shout out to good food and hard work and remembering to build relationships. And shout out to love because that's what has to be the main ingredient in any and everything that works.

***
Happy Week before Harry's Birthday.