dejaq

Thank You RuthWells, I would like to just add one piece of cocktail trivia here for this thread, It's more of an urban legend or "wives tale", but it has been demonstrated for years, if "she smokes, it's good"; upon having poured your (hopefully properly) cooked syrup in, and you continue whipping, if a plume of vapor comes off of that bowl rim, then to qoute Oliver, were "dancin", if not, you have a 50/50 shot at it working. Good luck, Michael

Dude, What’s up, hey I am sorry things haven’t fired off at optimal thruster power… I do have a theory regarding this though, although we are going into our summer months With a plethora of high end flickers out there MI3, Miami Vice, Poseidon, Xmen ,and my brother from Krypton; I do believe that these ridiculous fuel prices are essentially acting as a “tax” on disposable incomes out there. It cost me 64.00 dollars to fill up my vehicle yesterday and I had a quarter of a tank before I filled up, that definitely puts a bite in anyone’s pocketbook. Getting back to what may work for you Brian, is this, and I haven’t seen your dig, but let’s start with what I have seen work. When I worked a while back for this little restaurant off of Penn Ave. they used to have the Shakespeare Theater right up the street. They had a dinner pre fixe 5 course including dessert for a set price, on this you don’t have to go all out, maybe offer a bag off chips, half a sandwich and soup or salad pairing as a “pre” “quick” “bite” with signage in the window. You indicated that you don’t really have the space for core food prep, that’s OK, get situated with five very good salads, seven Herculean moderately priced sandwiches, and three killer soups, keep it simple stupid, don’t go nuts. Just make it fresh do your mise en place at the nest and ship it daily. I have seen hole in the wall canker sores fare up extremely well like this. You may also slightly modify the wavelength of your energy signature or in laymen’s terms offer a ‘catcher” “signifier” such as dipped ice cream and or gourmet gelato. Dip off some bananas or do a “5 for 5” five strawberries on a skewer dipped in chocolate, people walking down the Ave. with these goodies in hand will generate traffic for you, to be certain. Don’t get discouraged you have it within your nature to have a keen sense of business; you simply have to chase after the greenback. Patience is a virtue. I hope this works for you… Michael P.S. if you need more info, back channel me and I will send you additional info including some URL’s that may be of greater assistance. Cheers

Yes this is true, and when I spoke to him last fall, since he was right around the corner from me at the Metropolitan and the Blair House, I asked him how he liked it, and he seemed to have enjoyed working at ground zero.I have indication from a local rep. that Atlantic City is a holdover untill the destination spot, a New Vegas hotel is built, I not sure on this, so don't repeat it, but they are going to provide him with a "stage" for his own venue, which basically turns out to be a dry run for an indy dig of his own...Vegas gotta love it, it's where all the Top Guns are going, that is if you don't mind living in a dust bowl, speaking for myself, I have to have the Ocean close by...it's mandatory.LOL Michael

Ditto Chefette, and very well spoken, chiantiglace, what I am about to say is in no way a reflection on the CIA or any other institution out there. School is basically a "simulation chamber" nothing more, Without it, you would either have to go thru hoop jumping, hard knocks, Indiana Jones nonsense, and stupid dog tricks, to evolve. Even I felt that before I jetted of to Paris in 86' that AIB was committed to the stone ages. Given it for what it was worth, I learned one heck of a lot more than I ever was able to use, but it conditioned me into thinking in a certain way. I have always felt in order to master something you have to immerse yourself in it, READ, READ some more, and READ some more on top of that, hang out in the library at school, set up a tent out back, put your watch that is on your wrist in your pocket and don't look at the clock. Absorb all that you can. Scour the net for ideas. (That advanced search feature that allows you to enter multiple strings-and pull it down in Google in another language is a hoot!) But most of all invest in yourself, if you are really serious about this craft, if you don't want to settle for just “second best”, if you want to go on a job interview, and 9 out 10- YOU get the job. This view applies to a lot of professions, it's just today most have forgotten and lost sight of what it takes to get there, and the sacrifices made along the way. One more word of advice, don’t write anything negative to anyone there at the CIA about the curricula, it could wind up snaking ya later on… M

Ashfood thanks for your post, why doesn't this surprise me, of course it's a "stamped " out product cryogenically frozen in someone's 14 thousand square foot instalation, al La Madeleine Restaurant Chain. When I spoke to the first counter person, we didn't have the time to get into "all" the details of logistics. But you have to look at it this way for junior staff @$12 and "team Leader" staff approaching $16+,this barely compensates a Top Gun for beer money.They have to freeze, which may or may not effect quality depending on the product,at least I will give Wegmans this, they had enough sense to "centralize costs and production to govern quality" vs each satellite "doing their own thang, which can be a disaster... case in point, a local Diner chain here in DC, you go into one and you get this, you go into another, and you get that. no corporate PC at the helm, and it shows!inconsistancies such as these are completely unacceptable. if only consumers knew... Michael

I couldn't agree with Pam R more, count on administrative tasts eating up a better part of your day, if you enjoy it great, but if your like me and you enjoy "creating" in the back of the house, things like PR, Payroll, time wasted shooting the breeze with reps and such will make you very nervous...

Same here, years ago, I had a set series similar to Thuries, but all written in Japanese,Incredible...the only other chef here in the DC was Mark Randolf that had the "series" and it was reflective of his showcase. I have always said this, if they come here to our shores in mass, I am cashing out the equity on the house, and taking my wife and son to Brazil to open a sandwich shop. Japanese are a REAL FORCE to contend with, and should not be under estamated! They are not as progressive as the French, nor innovative as we Yanks,but they are masters at replication! Try downtown Times Square in NY, if I remember they had a Japanese book store with Pro grade, material, when I dated a gal a few years ago from Queens. Good Luck on your quest... Michael

Hello Patrick, Pate a' glace' is a unique creature that "emulates" chocolate but requires no tempering the only draback it does not set up as hard typically. It is available cheaply and in my opinion wouldn't warrant attepting to find the higher melting point fats, cocoa blend, finer sucrose that would make up the composition, it is simply too economical. According to Patrick Musel and speaking for my self also DGF makes the finest Pate a' glace around anywhere, the sheen is lusterous and it is stable, Cacao barry is now packing in those plastic tubs verses those horrific cans they used to use for EVER! In France as we all know beneath the oven is typically a "holding Box" that would keep it fluidic 24/7. i hope this helps Cheers, Michael

My Dear! you are very talented!There is a place under the sun even here in D.C. if you ever get tired of Ohio... As to your question, I have several honest answers... 1. Map it out, go to your local best buy and purchase one of those nifty Business plan software programs, that help you to compile a business plan for financial reasons. At the very least, if your well backed, you can use it to steer into the wind (in the right direction) later on. 2. figure out what's going out and what is going in, costs that you never figured out when you go commercial such as liability insurance, health benefits, matched wages..TAXES...is like Mortal Kombat: Annihilation! they will eat you alive! and are relentless! 3. figure out what is the maximum cap for what you can sell your market for... triple, no quadrouple your prices, you are selling Art. 4. market your self prodigously, press release, internet buz, anything you can think of 5. as a stepping stone, a "studio" storefront in a smaller facility showcasing your work is terrific for starters, it creates a pro atmosphere and a relaxed environ. deck it out, offer your clients Espresso, make them feel at home, give them something the "other" gals don't have. 6.be like cool hand Luke in business, you have no friends, and emotions are kept at the door. 7.stay focused, and disciplined. 8.go to www.costguard.com download there trial F.C. regulation software and watch you P's and Q's. 9. I wish you Godspeed in your endeavour, you will do well. Michael

This is a very interesting thread. I can only speak for Guittard, a few years ago while I exploratorily investigating alternate chocolates that were made stateside, I had an opportunity to sample and try first hand Guittard. I was in particular interested in what See's out of Cali was using, a rep at the Philly Confectionery show stated they used a "blend". What troubled me at that time was this "large Company" with their great relatively priced premium "line" was no where to be found through any distributed local network. I checked with a rep at a local Company in Maryland, and found it to be a major prob. to get in a variety unless I was prepared to purchase an entired skid, I suppose it you're bigger than a guppy out there they will ship direct, but for Pastry Chefs in some areas, aside from intermediate players, European Companies only stock the usual. Otherwise Guittard rules, it's a domestic that does not taste like one. Michael

I totally agree with everthing you said. I had a venue up in Baltimore several years ago, and somehow word traveled like quicksilver after I was on TV for a presentation at an affair, we had people from Virginia driving to see our wares. You can only be flattered by that. In France, where practically every street corner has a shop, even in a small town in the middle of nowhere, you will most likely find a product that puts most of what we are doing here to shame on this side of the pond. Understandingly, Europeans are better educated about food than we are, they simply have been doing it longer. But more over, they are passionate about may other things, not just food, it's intrisic of Europe's culture, a simple yet very rich life, not the crazy lifestyle here in the states, in an effort to hold down a mortgage. The things we do to ourselves to make a greenback. You strike me as "being in touch" in your enterprise, a strategic angle of having "unique" hard to find items in addition to a properly trained staff that has the ability to respond to what your clients are looking for, will win them over again and again. People always respond well I have found, if you treat them as a "guest" in your house, over for a dig, Emily Post hospitality all the way. Michael

Yeah, there is a weird disclaimer. on the front door, saying something to the effect "if you are a competitor, and you are checking our prices, please stop in at the customer service desk", strange, downright spooky, I have been known, to post a pic or two on this forum before, and the general perception is that most people have appreciated them, all in an effort to educate and expand their horizons. If a "grocery" store is so paranoid about intellectual property being stolen or replicated, that is simply silly. I have to be carefull of how I put this, Wegmans is good, they are very good, but there are venues out there, micro "Salons", boutiques, if you will, that wrap rings around them, blindfolded. M

I didn't try anything Ling, but from some of the folks that I have spoken to, they rave about it, I am certain the formulas probably are in check, and yes it is a benchmark achivement for a commercial grocery chain, even Safeway is getting in to the act with an emulated "upscale" product, as for whole foods Market, they at least here in the DC area have scaled back on there in store production, and I think produce more out of a centralized facility in the Northeast. I have to be honest, getting these pics, was kind of not exactly easy, as I pulled the Canon digital cam out and took my photo shoot, the counter clerk, not exactly politely, said " excuse me, your not really allowed to take pictures of our display cases", I remained quiet, gave her a charming smile, but with an air of coolness about it, and simply walked away. It struck me as odd, competitor or not, what would stop someone from "expensing" off a few hundred dollars worth of stuff taking it back to JPL and not only photographing it, reverse engineering it, if you so desired to, no one has proprietary rights to this stuff, it's all open source now, no one can uniquely call anything "their" own,the real challenge is engineer it in such a way, so that no one can figure out how it was put together. M

I know what you mean Rebecca263, the store is amazing they seem to offer a bit for everyone, including those lovely hydrogenated mono and di cakes we Americans have come to accept as standard military issue. P.S. only Nexsus 8 models dream of electric tarts or for that matter dream of anything at all, Nexsus 6 models proved too twitchy, and have all been effectively "Retired".

I have seen things you people wouldn't Beleive --- attack ships on fire off the shores of Orion, I have seen sea beams glitter in the dark at the Tenhauser gates... all of the moments are now lost in time, like tears in rain... Given it for what it is worth, not bad, not to shabby, a bit heavy for my tastes, but I know that Wegmans Corporate had some thing to say about the Appearance, composition, price, and presentation, as we all know Herme-Paris is very, very different. Actually Wegman's is a "good Thing" it elevates the awareness level of whats "possible" and sets a main stream gauge for expectations. For anyone out there that is like me, that has there own "venue" or "stage" I essentially see it as a sharpener, a challenge to build it out better, cheaper, with a lower overhead, faster, more smartly,tasting better and well, for a lack of a better word --a lot Sexier, remember sex does sell, and with regrets, Americans are sold on gimmicks. here they are in all of there glory, I hope these contribute to your abilities, and makes you better for it. Michael

traditionally although around the holidays IE Christmas, one type Buche yule log would be made, a flourless chocolate sponge, and an anglasie based chestnut bavarian. something to think about a little later this year perhaps, when I think chestnuts I think Winter, they go exceptionally well with chocolate like a dark chocolate mousse juxtoposition with linear piped lines, maybe with a chocolate (thin layer joconde or flourless punched with rum) and buildt up as a Pave'. Michael P.S. Most Americans don't know what they are missing, Chestnuts are Fab...

Thank You Cheryl and Sugarella, the oblique is a Pistachio/chocolate Pistachio bavarian, dark chocolate mousse, pistachio Financier embedded with marinated brandied griottes, and wrapped with a pastel joconde banding, we only for the moment will be using acetate on the frasier. the whole cakes are priced at different ranges, from 19.99 for a Wildberry/Praline to 29.99 for triple chocolate mousse dome with that fancy shmancy "mirror glaze" as recently demo'd here.The flagship store is located at the Reston Towne center II in fairfax, Virgina. So far the response has been favorable, the office workers, even the construction workers, from across the street are stopping in there tracks. I passed up on significantly larger more lucrative U-boats(including the White House and Vegas) to spearhead this, it should pay off, I hope. It's kinda a big secret for Fairfax-no press release yet, I need more help, before this projectile goes Polaris. As to how much we will raise the price to, good question...I will still like to charge only 3.50 for a very good fresh apple tart, but due to our company, with the Condos going up across the street for a modest cool million I don't think $5.25 for the Signature Elite fun stuff is out of the question. P.S. Sugarella, you may ask away, please don't feel your asking too many questions. Michael

thank you Miss Amy, I look it at this way, it's Art, and a beut of a craft, if done smartly, it has taken a quarter of a lifetime to reach that skill level, albeit a long and winding yellow brick road, all things considered, the industry has been good to me. Michael

the above pics were taken this morning and over the weekend, it's at snapshot a pretty good representation of what I am all about. Most of the individuals are being sold at or just above the $4.00 mark (introductory pricing) I have only been with this outfit for two weeks but I had them custom configured and up and running in six days. Rome wasn't built in a day, but in about a week, LOL Michael

yes it is, but it is an inverse, you are coating the cake first with Dark, striping it with white, thin applying droplets of liguid food color, they will react with the white and create that "globular" effect. ← also thank you John, I have seen your work, and the Force runs deeps with you also my young Jedi, I had a Chocolate company back in the 90's in Timonium called "Pirouette", very big hit, Americans balk at high end Chocolate sold at over $35.00/pound with with the right marketing and a brick and mortar local to back it up, you can make it work.

yes it is, but it is an inverse, you are coating the cake first with Dark, striping it with white, thin applying droplets of liguid food color, they will react with the white and create that "globular" effect.

sorry folks, it's been a little hectic getting ready for Easter weekend. allow me to recap, and I am sorry the pics were taken after the fact with a digital camera phone, and due to the nature of the glaze, it has to be done quickly. first the cake has to be frozen, both of the above glazes heat very nicely in the microwave but do need to be kept refrigerated. the glazes should be warmed to about 110 F. not to hot. first glaze with the white this was pored over with a laddle second immed. drizzle randomly the dark-get creative and have some fun with it third dab the thinned out (I used water) food paste or gel the food color seperates and some how reacts with the Titanium dioxide - it literally steaks it self - very way cool! fourth - and I am talking quickly, with an off set swirl the patterns around do not drag to much otherwise you mar the impression and it will be murky, you want clean delianations between white, blue, dark and a blending of white and dark to cream milk chocolate 'blended streaks". i hope this helps, play with it, it's a blast the counter teen at our sister store this morning kept repeating the word WOW at ten second intervals, when she saw the cakes, so I guess I accomplished my mission statement. Here's a few more displaying this technique we by the way getting $4 for an individual, and 29.95 for the 7" both price are a steal. here in Reston, VA Michael

OK, Finally and I got it right, on the second go around. the domes are triple chocolate mousse with a chocolate sponge punched with rum. the formulas are as follows: White glazing: Boil: 5oo grams heavy cream 160 grams glucose Pour on: 600 grams white chocolate 700 grams white Pate' a glace' (compound coating) Add:6 sheets of softened gelatine (bronze quality) add enough of the whiting agent (Titanium Dioxide) to tint the ivory glaze white Dark Chocolate fondant "Mirror" Glazing (superior for Opera as well)-regardless of what the Canadians might say LOL Boil: 400 grams Corn Syrup 500 grams Heavy Cream 100 grams Glucose Add: 200 grams bittersweet Chocolate 1 kilo Pate' a glace' brune (dark) the way I put them together was freezing down the domes, unmoulding them, and set them on a wire dipping rack and applying the white at a medium warm temp with a laddle, then with a spatula the dark glaze was applied quickly, and with a a small paint brush, dabbed on strategically I applied delphinium blue which emulates wedgewood china to a T. Very quickly smooth the surface of the dome with an offset, but dont drag the colors too much otherwise you will get a "murky" effect. as a foot note the drippings may be reused for the small individuals, and the white glaze maybe tinted red, or any color for even more spectacular effects. Good Luck and thank God for MOF's Michael

I met with the editor, David Kee- last summer while with Marvelous Markets, he helped develop Dairylands new product line up. Magazine has nice layout, although much probably due to it being a maiden copy has been taken from existing material out there. I will be developing something in the 3 rd quarter myself, albeit, somewhat more comprehensive, keep your eyes peeled, it will be advertised in Pastry arts and Design later this year.

I use a "mirror" chocolate glaze which can be used with exceptional results: Boil: 800 gr corn syrup 1 qt heavy cream 200 gr glucose pour on: 400 gr dark chocolate 2 kg pate a' glace reheats nicely in microwave