Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, July 5, 1995 TAG: 9507050021
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ALMENA HUGHES FOOD EDITOR
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
"I was in third grade and I told all my classmates I was a vegetarian," she said. "They were really impressed after they looked it up in the dictionary and found out what that meant. Then, we went to the cafeteria and they were serving chicken and dumplings, which was my absolute favorite lunch. So I decided I'd become a vegetarian tomorrow."
In the 25 years since her last carnivorous meal, Buch (pronounced Bush) says she's learned a lot about creating healthful, balanced - and yes, even delicious dishes - without meat.
Buch was cafe manager of The Eden Way Place vegetarian restaurant on the Roanoke City Market from last November until it closed on June 23. In addition to having years of cooking and food-service management experience, she is a licensed Virginia school teacher with a degree in home economics.
She probably could have found employment easily enough. But she said that years of experiencing how difficult it can be to find good and varied vegetarian foods sparked her to try to fill a void by opening a vegetarian catering service.
"It seems that most places offer the same choices - pasta primavera; steamed, slightly warm broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and squash; baked potato and salad bar," she said. "There are a lot more things for vegetarians to eat than that."
Her menu for Bush & Bumble Bee catering certainly attests to that. It lists nearly 100 entrees, salads and dressings, appetizers, soups and dessert items, including a pimiento and olive quiche with Swiss cheese, Calamata olives and roasted red peppers; herbed sauteed vegetables served over freshly baked polenta topped with a light tomato sauce; wild rice salad - Buch's personal favorite - consisting of a colorful combination of wild and white rice, red and green pepper, yellow squash, green peas and feta cheese in a tangy orange dressing; and a tangy, cookie-crusted lemon-almond tart.
There is a colorful Italian potato and spinach roulade; a double-crust pizza rustica; flaky mock-sausage pastries, to serve hot for breakfast with apple sauce or gravy or cold in a picnic basket. Buch described her horse radish Cheddar spread as "sharp and wonderful" and indicated a roughly 3-inch span with her fingers to demonstrate the thickness of her apple streusel tart.
In addition to her own recipes, Buch said she would offer some popular items from the old Eden Way Place's menu, including chili, their mild as well as her spicier version of black beans, and 7-grain burgers.
"I sat down and pulled out all of my recipes that I would serve to company," Buch said.
Her brother, a self-employed artist in Hilton Head, S.C.; former Eden Way Place co-owner Barbara DeStefano; Buch's new husband since February, Marc; and friends helped her hone her menu, design and produce her brochure and handle the other tasks involved in setting up a new business.
"I want to keep it small and intimate, say for parties of 100 or less. I'm interested in somebody who wants to have a nice dinner party, who doesn't have the time to cook or maybe isn't familiar enough with vegetarian foods. I'm also interested in those people who know how, but just don't have the time or inclination to make it," Buch said.
She added that if some local restaurants that don't have a wide variety of vegetarian foods wanted to order entrees, salads and desserts from her, she'd of course be happy to oblige them.
Bush & Bumble Bee will prepare dishes for pick-up or deliver them, as well as serve a party and clean up afterwards, if the client desires. Buch said that many of her dishes can be made vegan or not, and she's willing to make minor adjustments to accommodate restrictions, such as sugar-free, wheat-free or low-sodium diets.
She promised that her prices would be competitive, based upon the size of an order, ingredients' market prices and the services being provided.
For a menu or consultation, call 342-3049.
by CNB