Ryane’s Birthday!

2010-10-01 21:18:51.000 – Mike Finnegan,  IT Observer

Summit Sushi!

Welcome to October! It was certainly a wet start to this new month as we have picked up 2.25 inches of rain so far today and we are only three-quarters of the way through it. Overall it has been a rather grey day as well, with only a few breaks from the fog to give a glimpse of an undercast, clouds at our level about 4 miles out, and an overcast just a couple hundred feet above our heads.

Although this was cool, it was not nearly as cool as what happened 25 years ago today. In a wee town in the state of Massachusetts, Ryane Griffis was born. That’s right…it’s her birthday! Now, any of you who know Ryane know she’s a pretty energetic fun-loving person. Because of this, she is not one to conceal her birthday from people and so a few weeks ago I was asked if I would make sushi for her birthday. I haven’t made sushi, especially Summit Sushi, in quite some time, so I was extra excited! With a little help from our good buddy, Ken, who delivered sushi rice and rice wine vinegar, we had all the ingredients for a grand time. I started around 4 o’clock this afternoon prepping the ingredients. Slicing tomatoes, avocado, mushrooms, and peppers, peeling carrots, making strips of tofu and cream cheese. After pressing the tofu, I marinated it in a mixture of soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, honey, maple syrup, ginger, and garlic. I then fried them and at the very end, sprinkled corn meal over them to crisp them up a tad. I sliced up the Yellowfin Tuna with the last steps being the making of the wasabi and a spicy sauce made from mayonnaise and red chili oil. After all the prep work, it was time to assemble the rolls. I was helped by Ryane, Erika, and Matt, who, although they had never rolled a sushi roll before, executed it expertly. Griffis even started off with an inside-out roll (or was it an outside-in roll?)! The last roll was being sliced into pieces as everyone sat down to eat and we all thoroughly enjoyed celebrating Ryane being born. Matt even made her a cake, a delicious chocolate cake with white frosting and green letters that said, ‘Happy B-day Ryane’. A fine touch to the end of a most excellent celebration. Finally, I think we need to thank Ryane’s parents for making her. This night couldn’t have happened without you. You did a great job!

Mike Finnegan,  IT Observer