Happy Wednesday dears!! You are in for a treat today, as I have been talking with Jared Permenter of C2 Woodworks. I met him at An Affair of The Heart in Tulsa in November and really fell in love with his beautiful boards. His products are stunning! And I am have been using the board he gifted me non stop since I received it.

Also sharing a delish Bolognese Bruschetta recipe at the end of this post for you too!!! You can see Jared’s board in action. HA!

INTERVIEW WITH JARED

-How long have you been doing woodworking and what got you started?

Ive been doing construction type stuff since I was 15 or so, I took construction and advanced construction in high school and worked summers and school breaks doing everything from laying tile, building decks, laying and finishing wood floors. Just a little bit of everything. a couple years ago a I was helping a friend with some things while he was building a house and ended up building some barn doors and a table for him, which is when I really started enjoying woodworking, in the form that I am doing it now.

-What is your favorite tool and why?

I love my planer, there is such a transition from rough cut wood, that looks like nothing, to the beautiful grain and color that lays underneath. That process begins with my planer. When I buy some wood that I know is going to look amazing, I usually cant help but take a piece and run it though, seems i am never disappointed!

-Favorite kind of wood to use?

Ive always loved dark wood, so walnut is probably my all time favorite, however I am starting to really warm up to lighter woods like maple and cottonwood. there is so much character and color in the lighter woods as well. Mainly anything I can just oil and be done. Staining has its place but that covers the natural beauty of the wood sometimes.

-Why is it important to use wood over plastic and metal?

I think (most) everyone is in agreement that plastic is terrible for the environment. I think metal has its place and I use a little for table legs and such, however, to me, wood is just amazing. It varies so much in color and grain and character, you can match basically anything with a natural wood if you really try. I have started using "salvaged wood" for probably 85% of what I do. Unlike "reclaimed wood" which would be barn wood, or wood thats been used as something else first then reclaimed and recycled into something else, salvaged wood is from trees that are being cut down for some reason other than to be used as lumber. May be someone clearing land to build a house, a tree that is storm damaged, a tree that is too close to power lines, whatever the reason, its being cut already. There has been a large movement lately to use that wood instead of burning it for firewood or hauling it to the dump and I love being part of that. Why not take something that would burn up in 15 mins and be gone forever and instead make something that will last for 50 years? Its the environmentally friendly thing to do!

-You are known for your gorgeous wooden cutting boards. Besides cutting boards, what else do you make? Are all of your products made of wood? Is everything you make handmade?

I love cutting and serving boards but I definitely love venturing out and building other stuff. I especially love doing things I haven't done before, learning something new. I build all types of tables, from dining tables, coffee tables, to entry and sofa tables. I just got about 7 large slabs of walnut out of a barn in Kansas that will all go to making different tables! Yes, everything is handmade by me! It is my passion, I love creating!

-What’s the first thing you do when you finally finish a piece you’ve been working on?

I have over 7,000 pictures on my phone, I LOVE taking pictures, so the first thing I do is pull my phone out of my pocket and take a picture. (and usually say, yeah I am not selling that one :) )

-What is your favorite piece that you’ve ever made? If you can’t answer that one, what is a piece you’ve made that has the best story behind it?

That is a hard one! I think the coffee table that I decided to keep is probably my favorite, it is curly maple, The wood was very expensive and I would look at it every time I went in for wood for about 8 months. Finally I bought it, it literally looked like barn wood but once I finished it I was in love. It is the most amazing grain and color of anything I have made. There have been a few cutting boards that I have been really partial to as well.

-Do you have anything special coming up this Spring?

I don’t have any plans as of right now but I am hoping to change that soon! I ordered a CNC so I will spend a lot of time learning that. This will allow me to build a lot of amazing stuff as well as customize any of my cutting boards with names, initials, designs, or logos. You name it and I will be able to do it!

-What is your least favorite part of the process?

Like I said above, I love working with wood that just has a natural oil finish. Partly because I love the natural beauty of the wood and partly because I HATE painting. Its probably my least favorite thing ever.

-Where do you want to travel to next?

I went to Paris and Italy for 10 days in September, that really gave me the travel bug more than ever before. I have also found a lot of pages and websites dedicated to cheap airfare deals. So rather than setting my sights on a single place in particular, my plan is to find somewhere I haven't been, book a ticket and go explore somewhere at least once a year. Sure I have a list of places that I want to go and I would love to go back to Italy, because I fell in love with it this past trip!

Favorite restaurant?

This is the hardest question you could ask I think!! I would totally fall into the "foodie" category. Right now, I would say Lone Wolf in Tulsa. Thursday is burger day there and it is hands down, not even close, the best burger I have ever had. I love the meatball fried rice, their fries (with or without toppings) are the best. I have never had anything that wasn't good, the menu is creative and the preparation is always excellent!

-Where would you like to see yourself in 10 years?

In 10 years I want to be doing new things still, learning new things, traveling to new places, building things I haven't built. I have two little girls, a 5 1/2 year old and a 1 1/2 year old. The main thing I want for the next 10 years and beyond is to show them that they can do anything, don't be afraid of failure, never say you cant do something, you may not possess the skill to do something right now, but try and learn. Be adventurous!!!

-Any final thoughts?

Thank you so much for stopping by to meet me in November, it was great chatting with you and I am honored to have you (and your readers) learn more about me and what I do! I always love doing custom pieces and I love a challenge so if anyone needs something be sure and connect with me! Hope everyone will give me a follow on Instagram, I have some really cool stuff coming in the next few months and I would love to share my passion with everyone!

-Where can my readers find you?

I am on Instagram and Facebook, I prefer instagram!

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/c2woodworks_ar/

Facebook - C2woodworks

Email - C2woodworksar@gmail.com

Phone 501-427-5074

And now for that delish Bolognese Bruschetta recipe!

This Bolognese Bruschetta boasts all of the same delectable elements of traditional bruschetta starting with slices of baguette that you top with ricotta and toast to golden bubbly perfection. (you also don’t have to toast these either..I like soft bread, Lin prefers toasted) I could devour all the cheesy bread by itself – but it gets better. Next, you top these with heavenly bolognese that is quick and easy to whip up but bursting with flavor. Next, you top with freshly grated parmesan…and I love Cello’s Artisan Parmesan (you can find it at Sprouts)—as much or as little as you like. Finally, top with fresh basil and you have Bolognese Bruschetta! And it’s such a wonderful party dish to serve at all your holiday parties this season! This also works as just a pasta Bolognese dish too…the only difference with the bruschetta is that you are spreading the baguette slices with ricotta, topping them with the Bolognese and then garnishing with fresh basil and lots of Cello parmesan cheese!

Serve with a nice Cesar salad too! The Cello parmesan cheese is perfect on it!

NGREDIENTS

12 fresh basil leaves medium-large
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons butter unsalted, divided
½ small yellow onion peeled & minced
¼ cup minced carrot
¼ cup minced celery optional
1 pound ground chuck
Kosher salt
1 cup dry white wine a good drinking wine
½ cup whole milk
2 gratings of whole nutmeg
1 28 ounce can imported Italian roma tomatoes (preferably San Marzano)
For serving:
1 pound pasta cooked according to package instructions
Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

INSTRUCTIONS

Set a heavy bottomed saucepan, or Dutch oven, over medium heat. Add the olive oil and when the oil shimmers, place the basil leaves in the oil. Fry the leaves just until crispy but not browned. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the leaves to a paper towel-lined saucer; set aside.
Add 2 tablespoons butter to the oil. Add the minced onion, carrot and celery and sauté until the vegetables have lightly browned.
Add the ground chuck (break up the meat as it cooks) and continue to cook until the meat is slightly pink.
Season with salt and continue cooking & stirring until the ground chuck is completely cooked through.
Add the wine and cook until it has almost evaporated, stir occasionally.
Pour in the milk and add 2 gratings of nutmeg (scrape fresh nutmeg over a grater/zester two times). Cook, stirring often, until the milk has almost evaporated.
In a medium bowl, coarsely chop the tomatoes and add them to the pot. Once again, season with salt.
Bring the tomatoes just to a soft boil and turn the heat to the lowest temperature. The sauce should be barely simmering.
Cook uncovered for 3 hours, stirring every 10-15 minutes.
If the liquid completely evaporates before 3 hours is up, add ½ cup water as needed.
When 3 hours have passed, make sure all the liquid has evaporated before removing the sauce from the heat.
For Serving:
Serve the Bolognese over a bed of pasta and garnish with 2-3 fried basil leaves on top. Serve with grated Cello Parmesan cheese!
Enjoy!