Landhaus Nikodemus Plant the Seeds
Donation protected
Hi! I am Tracey Nikodemus, Landhaus Nikodemus is my namesake and has been my dream in creation for more than 15 years, beginning in the small rural village of Raumbach, Germany
where it burgeoned & grew, morphed & changed, continuously evolving & finally manifesting 5200 miles west across the Atlantic Ocean in a charming, eclectic 2 story building in the heart of Tomball, Texas, USA.
The end “vision” of Landhaus Nikodemus being that of a European Vintage Home Furnishing & Local Artisan Décor that would be enhanced by a small German Café serving sandwiches, Kaffee und Kuchen {afternoon cake & coffee}
and offering the all essential respite of “Gemuetlichkeit”, the untranslatable German word pertaining to a deep sense of comfort, a space or state of warmth, friendliness & good cheer, coziness, peace of mind, belonging, well being & social acceptance.
"Tomball" apparently being Texan speak for "FUN!", nicknamed the “Hometown with a Heart”; the little city 30 miles northwest of Houston that hosts a full blown German Festival twice a year and according to Zippia.com is the 2nd smartest city in Texas, uh DUH??!! Is it any wonder I ended up here?
Well, I can tell you for sure, I certainly did NOT plan it! Nor in all my dreaming, researching, looking, hunting, pushing, pulling, wondering, praying and hand tossing did I ever come across Tomball, Texas as an option for my PLANS and certainly NOT a full blown German Restaurant with Schnitzel, Strudel & Stammtisch Dinners!
While I learned to cook from scratch in Germany out of necessity, I’d never made a Schnitzel (my step son Merlin taught me years AFTER we’d moved back to the states), I disliked German potato salad immensely and what did I know about ALL THAT anyway?! I am an artist, I paint, I create; I’m a lifetime retailer, I build & grow businesses, I drive the hell of sales! But not a chance in the world was I going to cook for the public and ESPECIALLY NOT Germans - adore them as I do - !Ha! They’d eat me alive; I’d never live up to the scrutiny.
Well friends, they say the way to make God laugh is to tell Him your plans. He must have chuckled about my plans for days.
One day I'm strolling the antique shops of a delightful little Texas town with my niece who was visiting from Germany and the next thing I know, I'm signing a lease on a quirky old house built in the 40’s having just bought the secondhand innards of a now debunked Italian restaurant. HUH??!! {head shake, head shake, cartoon rattled brain}. What just happened??!!
Landhaus Nikodemus, this dream, this mission, this destiny or manifestation, whatever you wish to name it, if it must have title or a noun, is more than a four walled business that I pursued in an attempt to get rich & live happily ever after (ha! as if!). The Dream of Landhaus Nikodemus is something more than that; it is a culmination of everything that was then and is now; it is not an entity in time on a linear plane, it is the flow of time, from father to son and mother to daughter, from past to present. It is more than a densely compacted changing of events, more than accidental alignment of planets. It is a cyclical wonder of change and growth, a melding of generations and nations, a love affair between the past and the future, a flow between both the German and American cultures, a heartfelt gift of love from my soul to everyone who enters & shares their time at Landhaus.
What once was a tiny seed of faith, a hope in an idea, its origins born in the Bergs of the German wine hills somehow became a FULL BLOWN German Restaurant serving mass quantities of Jaeger Schnitzel, Potato Pancakes and Apple Strudel to a delightful Texas town full of German culture and heritage that embraced me, welcomed me and allowed me to call it home just as its mirror image had in Germany in my past. And I am a grateful servant of God to be here.
That being said, put a brand new business, barely 13 months from conception to now, flying by the seat of its pants, a structured business “PLAN” long ago lost in the dust of the stampede for Schnitzel, its resources stretched well beyond means, its walls exploding with possibilities & consumers to meet the increasing demand, a Café come Restaurant happily trying to accommodate the public, switching from sandwiches, cakes and coffee to frying more than 20 Schnitzel a day and all its accoutrements into a persnickety 76 year old house that was wired for electricity before many of us were born, on secondhand (possibly third hand) household electric appliances, in a kitchen that was meant to cook for 6 people at best, and hand washing each & every dish, cup, pot, pan & spoon, because “this old haus” cannot accommodate an industrial dishwasher due to the water pressure from the tankless heater the Health Department insisted we install….. Something was bound to give, no matter the size of faith or will of a stronger power!
As December merged into the new and exciting year of 2016, Landhaus Nikodemus was blessed again with a fabulous follow up article in the Tomball/Magnolia Community Impact, the first edition of the new year, sending our reputation to a pinnacle and bringing our kitchen to crashing, burning halt.
A sprung spring pan form, a fresh Zwiebelkuchen left to bake for an hour while the “artist & retailer” come Cook & expert Dishwasher went to the grocery store were all an unwitting recipe for disaster. As I wandered the aisles for red cabbage and knockwurst, liquid quiche drained slowly from around the edges of the overused pan, catching fire on the bottom of the old stove, thankfully tripping the electrical breaker but not before shorting out the other ancient electrical stove as well and rendering us useless to cook a Schnitzel, toast a Brotchen or even boil water. And as things do in the old houses (the ones we all find so charming, tilting our heads longingly saying “I wish I had an old house…” but DON’T consider) once I pulled a loosened thread the entirety of the kitchen began to unravel, the floors gave way to the window frames gave way to the kitchen sink and the plumbing.
Whew! Take a whirling German dervish and suddenly halt her and plop her down on her butt in the Texas dust and what do you get? LAUGHTER! I mean SERIOUSLY?! Did all that came before me and all that went ahead of me really bring me to this place of “closed up, sorry to see you go”, broke and destitute??
*note more laughter*
Of all the things I DO like to cook, I love to make soup. My father-in-law was kind of a crotchety grumpy man, but if I made soup, he would walk the mile distance on the bicycle path between our houses to eat my soup which pleased me tremendously. I felt like I was “loving” him and he was “letting me in” every time I place a bowl in front of him and he smiled up at me. Interestingly enough and 16 years later, as I was making Tagessuppe {soup of the day} I remembered this. (It was the week before Mr. Oven decided he didn’t want to play restaurant with me anymore) When Jacob our server asked what the soup was called. I didn’t really have a name for it as I’d just thrown in a couple ham hocks, 15 bean mix and whatever else I had available, so I laughingly told to him that I didn’t know but that I had put a lot of LOVE into it. When his first customer asked him what the soup of the day was, he told them “I don’t really know… Tracey called it Love Soup, I guess that’s because people Love to eat it”. We sold out of soup that day. ;-)
This thought came to me as I scraped age old linoleum off the floors, trying to figure out where to go from here, the memory of the basis for all that I ever wanted with dream, my vision, my PLAN, the one God was so gracious to bless me with was to LOVE. To share the embrace of GEMUETLICHKEIT. My mission statement was then, is now and will always remain:
GOOD FOOD ~ COMFORTABLE SURROUNDINGS ~ LAUGHTER
My ideals in a perfect world and a perfect business had been to share love, laughter, good food, provide jobs and hope and future for my family and community. All the graces that a happy life full of hope and faith had shown me, I wanted to share with my tribe, my peeps, my blended German/American, the world lol if I could. Yeah, they call me a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.
So laughing in the face of yet another challenge and venturing a prayer filled guess at what I believe can bring sustained economic growth to the Tomball area, in addition to social and environmental well-being I have put together a 3 phase “plan” if I dare use the word.
It is my hope & prayer that from the
SEEDS being PLANTED now during this my first GoFundMe Campaign, that as the beauty of Landhaus begins to bloom it will continue to be
NUTURED in my second GoFundMe Campaign and eventually enabled to
GROW into full fruition in final my 3rd & final GoFundMe Campaign ideally along with a pair of Investment Angels and a willing Sponsor or two.
In return for your support of the Café, of my vision and helping me along with my village to build a dream that everyone can reap the rewards from, I would like to offer a few PERKS to the public for your generous donations and to offer a few CONTRIBUTIONS to my neighbors and community as a show of my gratitude and appreciation for the opportunity to share LOVE in the town with a heart that stands for FUN! Tomball, TX
PERK 1: LANDHAUS NIKODEMUS WILL OFFER A ONE TIME DISCOUNT of 25% of the DONATION OFF AN ENTIRE MEAL (excluding alcohol). Target goal of $11,222 for PLANT THE SEEDS must be met for the discount to apply
PERK 2: EXCLUSIVE INVITES TO SPECIAL EVENTS at Landhaus, COMPLIMENTARY SEATS at select STAMMTISCH DINNERS, special TASTINGS & SAMPLINGS of new menu items and more!
COMMUNITY OFFERINGs of APPRECIATION include the possibility of a custom painted murals by the formerly know “artiste” Tracey Nikodemus and a posse of local artists to enhance the heritage, culture and history of the area. In addition I am offering the use of the Loft upstairs at Landhaus Nikodemus (currently a our very own vintage second hand shop) free of charge as a German Heritage Learning & Growth Environment – whatever that may look like - , whether it’s timelines, photos, stories and artifacts of our combined community of German American heritage for all to wander, pursue and enjoy, or a collection of memorabilia from near and far each story told by its previous owner in some clever fashion - who knows. The offer is there for whichever Seeds sprouts.
1.)PLANT THE SEEDs – MISSION: Start it Up! - $11,222
a. UPDATE cooking appliances with 2 induction burners, a convection countertop oven, relevant cookware and utensils
b. UPGRADE our POS system to a Café specific program, allowing quicker ticket processing, payment, timekeeping and loss prevention security
c. ENHANCE SAFETY with kitchen floor safety matting, appropriate tools for each job and adequate on the job certified safety training
d. STAFF it UP, TRAIN ‘em UP, START IT UP!
2.) NUTURE THE GARDEN – MISSION: Build it Up! $11,420
a. INVEST in new appliances and efficiencies
i. Ice Machine
ii. Soda Fountain
iii. Industrial Coffee Machine
iv. Portable Bier Tap on coasters
v. Chest Freezer
vi. Pastry, Cake and Deli Case
b. STRENGTHEN and BEAUTIFY
i. Stabilize porches, balcony and decking against hazards ensuring safety
ii. Fire proof and establish a grilling area for the Bier Garten and Festivals
iii. Landscape/Update the container gardens with herbs for use in the kitchen, perennials flowers that repel mosquitos & bugs and sustainable succulents indigenous and specific to the Texas environment.
3.)GROW LOVE –
a. BEAUTIFICATION & IMPROVEMENTS – working ideally in tandem with the Tomball Economic Development Corporation to secure a Business Improvement Grant that will fund 50% up to $10K to promote the development and expansion of existing businesses
i. Decking, patios, stairs, sidewalks, handi-cap ramp reinforced
ii. House and trim repaired and painted
iii. Courtyard and sidewalkways landscaped and developed for family use
iv. Concrete Leveled and Grill Pit installed
1. Preparation for 1st Biz in Biz opportunity*
b. ECONOMIC, SOCIAL & ENVIROMENTAL development through new voices Empowered and Inspired
i. Employee based, shared contribution and reward, growth and development program centered around German American culture and continuing its Heritage in Tomball
ii. Biz in Biz opportunities
1. The Grill Huette - German grilling at its best, swinging over an open wood burning fire
a. What??! A Food Truck Possibility too?
2. The Pantry – German pantry staples including mustards and pickles, jams and sauces, breads and cakes and then some!
3. The Deli – German luncheon meats, cheeses, bread and more, eat in or fill your basket full to take home
4. Die Blumen Garten – fresh herbs, flowers, bouquets & more
5. The Laden – German/American gift shop
where it burgeoned & grew, morphed & changed, continuously evolving & finally manifesting 5200 miles west across the Atlantic Ocean in a charming, eclectic 2 story building in the heart of Tomball, Texas, USA.
The end “vision” of Landhaus Nikodemus being that of a European Vintage Home Furnishing & Local Artisan Décor that would be enhanced by a small German Café serving sandwiches, Kaffee und Kuchen {afternoon cake & coffee}
and offering the all essential respite of “Gemuetlichkeit”, the untranslatable German word pertaining to a deep sense of comfort, a space or state of warmth, friendliness & good cheer, coziness, peace of mind, belonging, well being & social acceptance.
"Tomball" apparently being Texan speak for "FUN!", nicknamed the “Hometown with a Heart”; the little city 30 miles northwest of Houston that hosts a full blown German Festival twice a year and according to Zippia.com is the 2nd smartest city in Texas, uh DUH??!! Is it any wonder I ended up here?
Well, I can tell you for sure, I certainly did NOT plan it! Nor in all my dreaming, researching, looking, hunting, pushing, pulling, wondering, praying and hand tossing did I ever come across Tomball, Texas as an option for my PLANS and certainly NOT a full blown German Restaurant with Schnitzel, Strudel & Stammtisch Dinners!
While I learned to cook from scratch in Germany out of necessity, I’d never made a Schnitzel (my step son Merlin taught me years AFTER we’d moved back to the states), I disliked German potato salad immensely and what did I know about ALL THAT anyway?! I am an artist, I paint, I create; I’m a lifetime retailer, I build & grow businesses, I drive the hell of sales! But not a chance in the world was I going to cook for the public and ESPECIALLY NOT Germans - adore them as I do - !Ha! They’d eat me alive; I’d never live up to the scrutiny.
Well friends, they say the way to make God laugh is to tell Him your plans. He must have chuckled about my plans for days.
One day I'm strolling the antique shops of a delightful little Texas town with my niece who was visiting from Germany and the next thing I know, I'm signing a lease on a quirky old house built in the 40’s having just bought the secondhand innards of a now debunked Italian restaurant. HUH??!! {head shake, head shake, cartoon rattled brain}. What just happened??!!
Landhaus Nikodemus, this dream, this mission, this destiny or manifestation, whatever you wish to name it, if it must have title or a noun, is more than a four walled business that I pursued in an attempt to get rich & live happily ever after (ha! as if!). The Dream of Landhaus Nikodemus is something more than that; it is a culmination of everything that was then and is now; it is not an entity in time on a linear plane, it is the flow of time, from father to son and mother to daughter, from past to present. It is more than a densely compacted changing of events, more than accidental alignment of planets. It is a cyclical wonder of change and growth, a melding of generations and nations, a love affair between the past and the future, a flow between both the German and American cultures, a heartfelt gift of love from my soul to everyone who enters & shares their time at Landhaus.
What once was a tiny seed of faith, a hope in an idea, its origins born in the Bergs of the German wine hills somehow became a FULL BLOWN German Restaurant serving mass quantities of Jaeger Schnitzel, Potato Pancakes and Apple Strudel to a delightful Texas town full of German culture and heritage that embraced me, welcomed me and allowed me to call it home just as its mirror image had in Germany in my past. And I am a grateful servant of God to be here.
That being said, put a brand new business, barely 13 months from conception to now, flying by the seat of its pants, a structured business “PLAN” long ago lost in the dust of the stampede for Schnitzel, its resources stretched well beyond means, its walls exploding with possibilities & consumers to meet the increasing demand, a Café come Restaurant happily trying to accommodate the public, switching from sandwiches, cakes and coffee to frying more than 20 Schnitzel a day and all its accoutrements into a persnickety 76 year old house that was wired for electricity before many of us were born, on secondhand (possibly third hand) household electric appliances, in a kitchen that was meant to cook for 6 people at best, and hand washing each & every dish, cup, pot, pan & spoon, because “this old haus” cannot accommodate an industrial dishwasher due to the water pressure from the tankless heater the Health Department insisted we install….. Something was bound to give, no matter the size of faith or will of a stronger power!
As December merged into the new and exciting year of 2016, Landhaus Nikodemus was blessed again with a fabulous follow up article in the Tomball/Magnolia Community Impact, the first edition of the new year, sending our reputation to a pinnacle and bringing our kitchen to crashing, burning halt.
A sprung spring pan form, a fresh Zwiebelkuchen left to bake for an hour while the “artist & retailer” come Cook & expert Dishwasher went to the grocery store were all an unwitting recipe for disaster. As I wandered the aisles for red cabbage and knockwurst, liquid quiche drained slowly from around the edges of the overused pan, catching fire on the bottom of the old stove, thankfully tripping the electrical breaker but not before shorting out the other ancient electrical stove as well and rendering us useless to cook a Schnitzel, toast a Brotchen or even boil water. And as things do in the old houses (the ones we all find so charming, tilting our heads longingly saying “I wish I had an old house…” but DON’T consider) once I pulled a loosened thread the entirety of the kitchen began to unravel, the floors gave way to the window frames gave way to the kitchen sink and the plumbing.
Whew! Take a whirling German dervish and suddenly halt her and plop her down on her butt in the Texas dust and what do you get? LAUGHTER! I mean SERIOUSLY?! Did all that came before me and all that went ahead of me really bring me to this place of “closed up, sorry to see you go”, broke and destitute??
*note more laughter*
Of all the things I DO like to cook, I love to make soup. My father-in-law was kind of a crotchety grumpy man, but if I made soup, he would walk the mile distance on the bicycle path between our houses to eat my soup which pleased me tremendously. I felt like I was “loving” him and he was “letting me in” every time I place a bowl in front of him and he smiled up at me. Interestingly enough and 16 years later, as I was making Tagessuppe {soup of the day} I remembered this. (It was the week before Mr. Oven decided he didn’t want to play restaurant with me anymore) When Jacob our server asked what the soup was called. I didn’t really have a name for it as I’d just thrown in a couple ham hocks, 15 bean mix and whatever else I had available, so I laughingly told to him that I didn’t know but that I had put a lot of LOVE into it. When his first customer asked him what the soup of the day was, he told them “I don’t really know… Tracey called it Love Soup, I guess that’s because people Love to eat it”. We sold out of soup that day. ;-)
This thought came to me as I scraped age old linoleum off the floors, trying to figure out where to go from here, the memory of the basis for all that I ever wanted with dream, my vision, my PLAN, the one God was so gracious to bless me with was to LOVE. To share the embrace of GEMUETLICHKEIT. My mission statement was then, is now and will always remain:
GOOD FOOD ~ COMFORTABLE SURROUNDINGS ~ LAUGHTER
My ideals in a perfect world and a perfect business had been to share love, laughter, good food, provide jobs and hope and future for my family and community. All the graces that a happy life full of hope and faith had shown me, I wanted to share with my tribe, my peeps, my blended German/American, the world lol if I could. Yeah, they call me a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.
So laughing in the face of yet another challenge and venturing a prayer filled guess at what I believe can bring sustained economic growth to the Tomball area, in addition to social and environmental well-being I have put together a 3 phase “plan” if I dare use the word.
It is my hope & prayer that from the
SEEDS being PLANTED now during this my first GoFundMe Campaign, that as the beauty of Landhaus begins to bloom it will continue to be
NUTURED in my second GoFundMe Campaign and eventually enabled to
GROW into full fruition in final my 3rd & final GoFundMe Campaign ideally along with a pair of Investment Angels and a willing Sponsor or two.
In return for your support of the Café, of my vision and helping me along with my village to build a dream that everyone can reap the rewards from, I would like to offer a few PERKS to the public for your generous donations and to offer a few CONTRIBUTIONS to my neighbors and community as a show of my gratitude and appreciation for the opportunity to share LOVE in the town with a heart that stands for FUN! Tomball, TX
PERK 1: LANDHAUS NIKODEMUS WILL OFFER A ONE TIME DISCOUNT of 25% of the DONATION OFF AN ENTIRE MEAL (excluding alcohol). Target goal of $11,222 for PLANT THE SEEDS must be met for the discount to apply
PERK 2: EXCLUSIVE INVITES TO SPECIAL EVENTS at Landhaus, COMPLIMENTARY SEATS at select STAMMTISCH DINNERS, special TASTINGS & SAMPLINGS of new menu items and more!
COMMUNITY OFFERINGs of APPRECIATION include the possibility of a custom painted murals by the formerly know “artiste” Tracey Nikodemus and a posse of local artists to enhance the heritage, culture and history of the area. In addition I am offering the use of the Loft upstairs at Landhaus Nikodemus (currently a our very own vintage second hand shop) free of charge as a German Heritage Learning & Growth Environment – whatever that may look like - , whether it’s timelines, photos, stories and artifacts of our combined community of German American heritage for all to wander, pursue and enjoy, or a collection of memorabilia from near and far each story told by its previous owner in some clever fashion - who knows. The offer is there for whichever Seeds sprouts.
1.)PLANT THE SEEDs – MISSION: Start it Up! - $11,222
a. UPDATE cooking appliances with 2 induction burners, a convection countertop oven, relevant cookware and utensils
b. UPGRADE our POS system to a Café specific program, allowing quicker ticket processing, payment, timekeeping and loss prevention security
c. ENHANCE SAFETY with kitchen floor safety matting, appropriate tools for each job and adequate on the job certified safety training
d. STAFF it UP, TRAIN ‘em UP, START IT UP!
2.) NUTURE THE GARDEN – MISSION: Build it Up! $11,420
a. INVEST in new appliances and efficiencies
i. Ice Machine
ii. Soda Fountain
iii. Industrial Coffee Machine
iv. Portable Bier Tap on coasters
v. Chest Freezer
vi. Pastry, Cake and Deli Case
b. STRENGTHEN and BEAUTIFY
i. Stabilize porches, balcony and decking against hazards ensuring safety
ii. Fire proof and establish a grilling area for the Bier Garten and Festivals
iii. Landscape/Update the container gardens with herbs for use in the kitchen, perennials flowers that repel mosquitos & bugs and sustainable succulents indigenous and specific to the Texas environment.
3.)GROW LOVE –
a. BEAUTIFICATION & IMPROVEMENTS – working ideally in tandem with the Tomball Economic Development Corporation to secure a Business Improvement Grant that will fund 50% up to $10K to promote the development and expansion of existing businesses
i. Decking, patios, stairs, sidewalks, handi-cap ramp reinforced
ii. House and trim repaired and painted
iii. Courtyard and sidewalkways landscaped and developed for family use
iv. Concrete Leveled and Grill Pit installed
1. Preparation for 1st Biz in Biz opportunity*
b. ECONOMIC, SOCIAL & ENVIROMENTAL development through new voices Empowered and Inspired
i. Employee based, shared contribution and reward, growth and development program centered around German American culture and continuing its Heritage in Tomball
ii. Biz in Biz opportunities
1. The Grill Huette - German grilling at its best, swinging over an open wood burning fire
a. What??! A Food Truck Possibility too?
2. The Pantry – German pantry staples including mustards and pickles, jams and sauces, breads and cakes and then some!
3. The Deli – German luncheon meats, cheeses, bread and more, eat in or fill your basket full to take home
4. Die Blumen Garten – fresh herbs, flowers, bouquets & more
5. The Laden – German/American gift shop
Organiser
Tracey Brown Nikodemus
Organiser
Tomball, TX