At times these past several months the team here at the Rookery has felt reminiscent of the famous Abbott and Costello routine. And if even I have almost needed a program to keep all the players straight I can only imagine how many of our guests have been feeling.

Last week I reported to you that our long search for a permanent head chef was finally over. And it is. But in an ironic final twist, the person now leading our kitchen isn't the person I initially told you about just last week.

Long story. Suffice it to say that after a slight hiccup forced us to close the restaurant for one night on Tuesday, Chef Tim arrived at the Rookery on Wednesday. At 4:30 PM to be exact. Just an hour ahead of our first table of hungry guests. Fortunately Burcin, our awesome returning student from Turkey, had the kitchen all prepped and ready to go when he got here. She then proceeded to ably assist and talk him through our menu. Thanks to her help and Chef Tim's extensive culinary experience, his first night here went surprising smoothly.

I'm tempted to extend the baseball analogy further by saying we hit a home run when we hired Chef Tim. Yet I think it's best to leave that reporting to our guests. We hope you'll come back soon to experience the Rookery team in action. At least now you'll know who's on first.

More about Chef Tim and some changes he'll be making to our menu coming soon!

Then on Sunday afternoon (2-5 PM) Pushing Chain, the North Shore duo of Boyd Blomberg from Grand Marais on guitar and Adam Moe of Duluth on fiddle, returns to the Rookery stage for the third consecutive year. Pushing Chain performs roots and Americana music with a set list including original songs, covers of classic artists like Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, and Nina Simone, and some fresh new takes on old folk songs. The duo features tight harmonies and a gonzo approach which keeps performances fresh and exciting.