Beanie

Not the same as direct steam injection into an oven- but a similar low cost concept is the Steam Maker Bread Baker. It was reviewed on The Fresh Loaf. ← And for alot less, you can buy the Steamfast generator alone, a separate baking stone, and a lid. Drill a hole in the lid and there's your bread baker.

Tree of Life and United Natural Foods are national distributors that carry many specialty products. I have a small shop in the Mohawk Valley and they both delivered to this rural location. Negotiating power will probably be zero, order minimums will likely be high, and most products will be available only by the case. Depending on the size of the store and sales volume, this may not be a problem. It was for me. I agree that the Fancy Food Show is a must. Some of the products will be available only thru distributors, but many vendors will ship directly to stores. Also, the Fancy Food Show runs a workshop on "how to start a specialty food business." With growing interest in buying local, I'd suggest tracking down locally or regionally produced items. If the store will be in NYS, check out the NYS Dept. of Ag and Markets "Pride of New York" web site, here, to search for local products.

I love Giuliano Hazan's Classic Pasta Cookbook. (Yes, he's Marcella's son, and the recipes are similar to those in her Classic Italian Cookbook.) The book is an excellent primer on pasta shapes and their compatible sauces, though the book is not just for beginners. I've tried many recipes with great results. Check out the Amazon reviews.

Rob, The American Almond Products Co., pictured in Andie's post, has a retail line under the name Lovenbake. I saw it at the Fancy Food Show a few years ago.... really nice products. This might be something to carry in your store.

No direct experience, but what about one of these? I've seen them being used at various types of public events. Maybe it could be customized with the school's logo.

I've heard of using old bread to make rye bread. Click here.

Chinese Food Pictorials.

Try Adventure in Food Trading. It's located in Menands, just north of Albany.

Butter can be used, but dairy and meat can't be consumed in the same meal. Here's a primer on kosher dietary laws. Scroll down to the section on "General Rules."

I went to Trader Vic's in the Plaza Hotel many years ago. Do the cocktails still have little umbrellas in them?

Nothing wrong with two dishwashers. Have you read andiesenji's posts about her Hobart dishwasher? Here and here. ... only 90 seconds per cycle. Maybe you can find an affordable one in a used equpment store or on ebay.

Correct. Here's the store's history. I recall a small store cluttered with utensils hanging from the ceiling. Fred Bridge dispensed valuable advice to customers he deemed *worthy*, i.e., serious about cooking. I was a poor student at the time, but he advised me to purchase a Sitram saute pan and Wusthof chef knife, both of which I continue to use on a regular basis and are as good as new.

And I bought my first piece of Sitram. Best cookware purchase I ever made.

I've ordered from this company several times and love their saffron and vanilla (beans and extracts.) I also purchased a paella pan that I've enjoyed using (though I have no means of comparison since I've never used any other.) They usually send free samples too. Great company!

I just received an email from Bridge Kitchenware announcing their move from NYC to East Hanover, NJ. There's an inventory sale from June 25th through July 3rd. Truly the end of an era. From the email:

Update: last week I purchased 5 containers for the specific purpose of following up on my previous post. I purchased 2%, 0%, and "total" plain yogurt and two with the side packets of cherry -- all made in NY. I didn't try the lemon or honey yet. Without exception, all were excellent, thick, creamy, not grainy or watery. The cherries were a little too sweet for me, but I've never liked the fruit that comes with yogurt (though these were better than most brands.)

It took long enough, but thanks to our own docsconz and his son, L.J. Sconzo, a new chapter of Slow Food has been founded in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. You can read about it here.

Huh??? The transportation infrastructure in this part of the state is excellent (to the chagrin of many of us who hate truck traffic), which is why Fulton County, where Fage is located, has been very successful in attracting many new companies ... And just last week the Swiss company, Hero, broke ground on a multi-million dollar plant for Beechnut Foods in neighboring Montgomery County. Both counties are 5 minutes away from the NYS Thruway and centrally located to NYC, Boston, Canada and the midwest. Back on topic ... though I personally detected no difference in the local product, I plan to monitor it and will definitely contact the company if I find quality control to be an issue.

My experience has been totally different. I bought a container of 2% plain that was manufactured in Johnstown and it was thick, creamy and delicious, exactly like the container from Greece that I bought a few weeks ago. It was not grainy or watery. I also bought a container of cherry that was made in Greece, but "distributed by FAGE USA, Johnstown,NY" (it was delicious.) My supermarket also had a cherry that was manufactured in Johnstown, but I didn't try it (yet.) I hope this transition/quality control issue gets resolved. I live near Johnstown and having FAGE move to this area is a great boon to the local economy.

Here you go. Google "vanillin for soap making" and you'll fine alot more.

I have no problem with a customer using his/her own tea bag if the cup of hot water is paid for. I have a serious problem with a customer walking into my store, teabag in hand, taking a paper coffee cup from the self-serve station, asking me to fill it up with hot water and turning around to walk out without even asking if there's a charge, then ranting and raving when told it is not free. Believe it or not, this has happened. Never saw the customer before or after. Good thing.

Sorry, no help from me but I'm interested in replies. I have a Jenn-Air range and can't unscrew the oven bulb (I can hardly reach it) or the grease trap jar.

Glad to see I'm not the only one noticing propane prices. I'm still in a state of shock from my last invoice, over $4.00/gallon (compared to 85 cents a few years ago.)

Hi Annie, Funny you should mention this. We've been freaking out too and have had to make changes. We deal with several suppliers and the wholesale price of flour -- organic and non-organic -- has doubled over the past year. There are also shortages, more out-of-stocks than usual. It's affected us in several ways: (1) 25% increase in cost of bread delivered to our cafe from a local Italian bakery. We recently increased sandwich prices, so we'll have to "eat" the higher bread cost for awhile (no pun intended.) (2) Our shop has a bulk baking section and we just discontinued carrying organic flour due to price increases. 50 lb. bags of organic artisan and whole wheat are running around $52 wholesale, up from $27 one year ago. My customers are more sensitive to price than the organic label, so I decided to substitute with non-organic flours. I substituted KA organic WW with Wheat Montana Prairie Gold. It's not organic, but is chemical and GMO-free and almost half the price. (3) I supply ingredients to a farmer/friend of mine who bakes bread to sell at farmers markets. He uses KA Special bread flour. The supplier was totally out of stock last week and we spent Monday calling all distributors within 50 miles to get info on pricing and availability. Everyone was whining about flour prices. Luckily, our regular supplier got in a shipment from King Arthur on Monday, so we're all set for the next few weeks. The supplier told me there's a shortage of Gold Medal AP and limits are being placed on customers' orders. So, tell your boss to relax. The only thing (s)he can do is raise prices, which everyone else is doing, make smaller loaves (see the shrinking mayonnaise jar thread), or use non-organic flour. Can you get locally produced/milled flour? If so, you can pitch the "local" theme rather than "organic." But if your customers demand organic, they will have to pay the price. Every product containing wheat is going up.

Thanks, and I shall check those out to see if they have any US distribution! I don't know if we are going to aim for 100% organic. It depends on whether we can find suitable organic stabilizers, or find ways to do without them. Right now, our best sorbets are dependent on citrus pectin, agar, or gellan, for which I haven't yet found certified organic substitutes. For ice creams and gelato, we've got some stuff that works without stabilizers, but there is still room for improvement. ← Have you checked out this company for organic stabilizers? They provide excellent customer service and technical support as well as free samples. Check out their FAQ page here. They respond to email requests very quickly. Good luck.