Hey, Omeleteers!  My name is Tracy Devine and I am the proud owner of Cosmic Omelet, LLC, and I thought you might like to hear our story.  Once upon a time there was an eclectic little coffee shop called The Smoken Café.  It was fairly dingy and nicotine stained but it had an atmosphere all it’s own.  Within it was a small community of loyal patrons of all ages who seemed to obliterate the generation gap.  My favorite memories are those of old men and women sitting down for an impromptu game of cards with people who could have been their grandchildren and watching these odd pairings relate to each other as equals.  I worked at the little Café to learn the ropes of running a small business and former owner, Matt, was more than willing to let me do so.  Soon after I started there, my younger sister Tiffany, then a full time student, came on board as well. 
                Long story short, Matt offered me the chance to take over and purchase the business.  Just as I’m  beginning to regret my decision not to go to college, my destiny slapped me across the face.  So we worked out a  payment plan that I could afford so long as the business was doing minimal sales.  There was no question that the state legislature would be passing a smoking ban so the first thing to do was come up with a new business.  The name, Cosmic Omelet, came from a colleague of my older sister, Tami.  Thanks (again and again) to Lenny Rotenderro for the infectious name.
                The business was established in July of 2003, but we left the Smoken Café sign overhead until the ban took effect.  We then closed for one day to clean.  Up went the new sign, and on October 2nd, 2003, we introduced Manchester to Cosmic Omelet and began what would prove to be a constant uphill battle.  The restaurant wasn’t very pretty, but the food was well worth the lack of aesthetics.  The money for renovating just wasn’t there… at least not yet.
                Ten days after opening the Omelet I met Troy, who has since been the love of my life and who has been an amazing help in desperate times, taking three weeks off when we were shut down in January of 2005 to get our kitchen up to code.  I took my figures to the bank and finally got approval for the loan to upgrade the exhaust.  I put up every cent I had and my dad (great guy, by the way) offered two thousand to help with renovations.  Why, you might ask?  Because he didn’t pay for college...   With Troy and I and countless volunteers we managed to spread the money pretty far.   In the end we had replaced the ceiling, the floors, reupholstered the booths, refinished the tables and counters and built a real kitchen.  Troy even painted the space age mural on the back wall- well, most of it anyway.  The thousands of stars, planets,  etc. came with the help of many friends.  Credit for all the extra artwork goes to Tiffany, Gillian, Sharman, Karl and yours truly.  Thanks also to Fred, “the Alligator”, CJ and all the many loyal supporters who offered up an endless supply of free help.  The Omelet would not still be standing without you.
                The day we reopened, we broke our sales record.  There couldn’t have been a greater reward than that or a clearer sign that our efforts had not been in vain.  Since then, the sky’s the limit.  In May, later that year Tiffany finished her bachelors degree and came on board as a full time waitress and manager, and not a moment too soon.  She is, and has always been, the Omelets greatest asset.  
                Somehow, nearly four years later, the business, its menu and its laid back atmosphere are still evolving, while still maintaining the original vibe that I loved about this place.  As far as breakfast goes Manchester is loaded with competition, so we strive to be different.  Firstly, we do things the way they are meant to be done.  We cook everything to order using all clean products, no cheap imitations.  We do not and have never cooked our food in oils containing trans fats and we have never used egg substitutes.   Our product is something to be proud of, but during busy periods you may wait a little longer.  The day we finally doubled our grill space was glorious, for the crew and the customers.            
                You might have noticed that there are several items on the menu with “Cosmic” in the name.  If you hadn’t made the connection, this means there is cream cheese in the recipe (its great for a whole lot more than just bagels and is especially tasty in omelets!).  We now have over twenty omelets on the menu and well over fifty specialty omelets on a list that we are constantly adding to.
                We always keep good tunes playing, no elevator music, and try to keep the atmosphere lively and fun in an attempt to set us apart from the competition.  My unbelievable staff has truly made this place what it is today, unique and outspoken in the industry.  Tiffany (our “attack waitress”), likes to ask people if they’re “tapping out” when they appear to be full.  Jim, our greatest short order cook (ever!), has taken to juggling eggs, weaving toast, and creating funny and creative artwork on to go boxes when he isn’t too busy.  These two employees are staples here and I know, many people come because of them.  The part timers have all earned their place here as well.  They are Joe, Liz, Kyle, John and Tony.  And of course, Mad Max, who is a friend to the Omelet and fills in whenever we’re short handed. 
                In retrospect, the turning point was definitely just following our three week renovation.  Since then, we’ve had not one, but two articles where we were featured in the Journal Inquirer. We’ve also done two live morning broadcasts with 102.9 DRC-FM, throughout which we were referred to as “the world famous Cosmic Omelet.”  Just this past year, MHS seniors voted us one of their favorite local hot spots.
                More than anything, I am grateful to all of you, the Omeleteers.  Your tireless word of mouth advertising has put our remote location (the biggest obstacle of all) on the map, and your creative suggestions have kept the restaurant constantly evolving.  

                So, what’s next?  Well, I don’t know just yet.  I am considering the franchise idea, where I could finally reward Tiffany for all her hard work and dedication.  After that, who knows?  We vow to never cut corners, to continue coming up with shocking, creative breakfast specials and to never, ever forger that YOU got us here.  You know who you are…  Thank You!