tammylc

Thanks Vanessa - I appreciate the support! I'm still figuring out if this is something that I would want to do full time. It's certainly an exciting idea, but also an exhausting one - constantly having to think about marketing and promotion and keeping myself in business. My poor son was so sad when I had to leave yesterday. He was clinging to me and saying "Mommy, don't go. Don't go, mommy." That was really hard. We're going to do some special fun stuff today, though, to make up for it.

Is anyone airbrushing with luster dusts? What do you mix them with, and in what ratio?

What about Hannah's Bretzel? You're the one who gave me the recommendation originally, and it was a great one! I can't remember how long it took me to walk there, but I don't think it was very long.

Tonight was my first night using the commercial kitchen. It went well. I left the house just after 7:30 pm and got home just before 1:30 am. That included going to Meijer to do various shopping, washing all of the new equipment I'd purchased, and get oriented to the space and stuff organized. (I need one more storage bin to do that last part right.) Oh, and making 200 pieces of chocolate, of course. I was only planning on making 100, but there's an event planner vendor's showcase thing going on this week, so I figured I might as well make extra so I could take little boxes of chocolate to it to hand out with my card. There were some very good things about the space - lots of room, for one. Three compartment commercial dishwashing equipment, for another. Keeping up with the dishes was really, really easy. Lots of spare equipment I could use - no need to keep rewashing my rubber spatulas, for example - I could just grab another one from the drawer. And there were some things that were not so good - they keep the temperature in the kitchen very low - 61 degrees. Things did set up more quickly, so I had to be really on top of managing the temperature and the level of beta crystals in my chocolate. Preheating my molds (by blowing hot air on them with a blow dryer) helped, but a couple times I forgot to do it. Still, I only have one tray that's really excessively thick. It also has some temper issues, so it might be a lost cause anyway. We'll see tomorrow. Since they only have big giant pots, I bought a couple of smaller stainless steel pans to use for making caramel and the like. But what I didn't realize is that the single burner unit they have is not an electric burner, as I'd thought, but an induction burner. Which is very cool, except that it requires a pan of a certain diameter, and mine was not wide enough. So I ended up having to use the big pot to make the caramel. I don't know if it was an consequence of making it in a too big pot, or just that the kitchen was sooo cold, but the caramel stiffened up a lot and was difficult to work with. We'll see what they're like tomorrow when they are at warmer room temperature - they may end up being a chewier caramel rather than a creamier caramel, but that's okay. I don't know what I'll do about this in the long run - try to find a slightly bigger pot? Buy my own hot plate that's a better size for me? I have to get up bright and early tomorrow to go back in and cap off the molds. And, if I'm feeling really motivated, dip some pretzels and Oreos in the leftover chocolate. Then I need to go to Baker's Nook to pick up packaging materials for the boxes I'll hopefully sell tomorrow. And Staples to get business card stock and labels. Then into my office to print some business cards on the nice color laser printer there. Then I have to make the ingredient and date/weight labels, so I can put those on the boxes and meet those pesky labeling requirements. And then get back to the kitchen by 1 when the anniversary party starts. Damn, that's just too much stuff to do, with not enough time. It was a busy week at work and in the evenings, so there was only so much I was able to do, unfortunately. But for now, sleep would be good. If I'm lucky, I can get 5 hours.

Well, you do have to list all the ingredients, although you can use "flavorings" and "spices" and the like. Our debate was on how specific the package labeling had to be, with me arguing that "assorted chocolates" was fine, and her saying that I needed to explicitly spell out what the assortment was. The confusion was probably mostly my fault, I have to admit. In my current business model, I have special occasion sales, where I make lots of chocolate at once to fill a bunch of orders. There's a limited flavor selection to choose from, but people can be quite precise about what goes in their box (2 caramel, 3 passionfruit, 1 hazelnut, etc). So I thought the best way to go would be to make a label that gives the ingredients for each of the potential chocolates, knowing that not everyone will have all those flavors. I make a flavor guide insert with pictures, so people can cross reference if they need to know the ingredients for a particular piece. If I'd just presented her with a label that assumed an equal amount of each chocolate and had the ingredients for them lumped all together, she probably wouldn't have batted an eye. But she got all caught up in the level of specificity and worried about "fanciful names." Live and learn!

I hadn't noticed that before. That is very cool. I was already sorely tempted by a couple of their molds, so I think that discover is going to push me over the edge...

I'd come across that site recently myself. You're right that they don't have much selection, but they do have some really interesting and beautiful molds.

I would try chcolat-chocolat in Canada, they have an extensive selection & good service. Here is another resource Ecole Chocolat Mark ← That was the list I was looking for! Thank you Mark! chocolat-chocolat does look very good, but the shipping is expensive, so I need to make sure I can put together a large enough order to justify the cost.

Recently, somewhere on the Internet, I came across a really comprehensive list of companies that sell chocolate molds. But I can't for the life of me remember where. Help? It had all the usuals (JB Prince, Tomric, etc) but a bunch of others as well.

Possibly. But most wine coolers are geared to maintaining humidity, not getting rid of it, so I'm not sure. I did see a little countertop wine cooler at Home Goods yesterday and considered it briefly. But they're not cheap either...

That's where we settled things, actually - I agreed to go look at a box of mass market chocolates and follow their lead. Because I know that they are not required to do what it is she's asking for. Thanks, Mark!

Couple funny things I just remembered. When the inspector left, the owners of the kitchen were totally jealous - "She was sooo easy on you! She's never that nice to us!" On the way there that morning I'd been saying to myself, "I hope she's not in a bad mood!" and I guess that worked. Her laptop was in the shop, so she was a little off her game, having to do everything by hand. We had a long conversation/debate about labeling, with her saying that I needed to clearly spell out the exact contents of a box on the label. Ie. 4 caramel filled chocolates, 4 coffee-liquer flavored chocolates, etc. Which is clearly not the case, given all the boxes of assorted chocolates (Pot of Gold, etc) you can buy in stores, with mystery pieces that you have to bite into to identify.

I do a mix of enrobed and molded pieces, and the ratio is still working itself out. I won't be storing chocolate there much, if at all, since I'm just making to order and not maintaining a stock. One of the challenges of working in a space that's not just mine is how to manage air-drying/crusting times. Ultimately, I'm going to investigate getting some sort of enclosed cabinet that I can use for that (like this one, although that's really much bigger than I need), but for now I'll just be managing my work times around their schedule. Fortunately, they are closed on Sundays, so I can leave things out overnight on Saturday. Anyone have any thoughts on whether using a fan would help speed up this process? Although I expect that sometimes I'll have to "cheat" and use the refrigerator.

Michigan differentiates between different kinds of establishments. I am a retail food establishment (which lets me sell both wholesale and retail), but not a retail food *service* establishment. I'm guessing that the food handling license you describe probably refers to service establishments. Call whoever the licensing agency is in CO, they should be able to help you figure out what you need to do. Also, there's probably some sort of local small business agency that can answer questions. To the best of my knowledge, I have now met all my state and county requirements.

Depends what you want to use it for! My most important criteria was finding a place that was affordable, since paying much for rental could quickly eliminate any profits I might make. We worked out a profit sharing arrangement, which makes it low risk for me and gives them and incentive to help me grow my business! You will want some designated space to store your supplies, so there are no conflicts about what belongs to who, and your materials aren't ending up on the floor or something. Obviously you'd want to be sure that everything in the space was in good working order. You'll need to have a conversation about sharing equipment - are you bringing all of your own equipment, or can you use theirs? I'm sharing sheet pans and a food processor and things like that, but needed to bring my own small saucepans, as they just don't have the size that I need. Those are a few ideas to get you started. Hope that helps!

I'm proud to report that I'm the shiny new owner of a business establishment license! Woo-hoo! It wasn't even that bad. After talking to the inspector on the phone and hearing the stories from the Main Dish Kitchen owners, I was really nervous. But it was fine. And now I don't need to be reinspected for 2 years. My first day (evening, really) working in the space will be Friday, when I'll be making some chocolates for the Anniversary Party/Open House event Main Dish Kitchen is having on Saturday. Mostly to give away, although I'll make up a few boxes to (hopefully) sell as well. Now I just need to decide what flavors to make.

Banyuls, is a nice somewhat unusual choice, as Forest said. Ports are more typical, although it's important to avoid ones that are too sickly sweet. I had a couple of wine flights with chocolate recently, I'll look up the wines that we tasted when I get home where my notes are. Nothing too dry, basically. General rule when pairing wine with dessert of any kind is that the dessert shouldn't be sweeter than the wine (because then the wine will taste sour). That said, a nice rich sherry could be interesting to try.

Those are great! I love the "planetary" look. And I'm sure they look even better in person - getting good photos of chocolates is really hard.

(Cross-posted from my blog) Blackbird has been on my Chicago to-eat list for quite a while now. But I get to Chicago so infrequently that there's always been something above it. So having a Monday night in Chicago was a blessing in disguise - most of the top tier restaurants are closed, and Blackbird was one of the few that was open. One look at the aintriguing menu and it quickly jumped to the top of my list. I'm pleased to say the menu was as delicious as it was intriguing. And the location was certainly convenient - after 20 or 30 minute taxi rides to most of my Chicago dining destinations last time, this was just a few minutes ride from my Magnificent Mile hotel. One of the reasons that I hadn't been to Blackbird before is that I usually seek out restaurants with tasting menus. That way I don't have to make those hard decisions, and I get to try a whole bunch of different things. Blackbird doesn't have a tasting menu, but that was another hidden blessing, as it was nice to walk out NOT stuffed to the gills. But it was hard to decide, since nearly every appetizer and entree looked tasty. We finally settled on two entrees and two appetizers, then each ate half and switched for maximum tasting opportunity. The amuse was a split pea soup with a piece of perfectly seared salmon, some smoky bacon, and tiny cubes of tart apple. Very nice. Appetizer #1: confit baby octopus and duck prosciutto with cocos beans, jerusalem artichoke and perserved lemon. The texture of the octopus confit was fascinating. Not rubbery at all, and somehow firm and soft all at the same time. The jersualem artichoke puree was delightful, and the duck prosciutto was swoonworthy. It all just came together beautifully. Appetizer #2: crispy confit of swan creek farm suckling pig with cavollo nero, shaved winter radish, horseradish and banylus vinegar. On the menu, the words "suckling pig" were bolded, which was certainly eye catching. Some of the bits of confit were a little dry, but other bits were moister, and while I preferred the octopus, this was certainly no clunker. Entree #1: seared loin of venison with parsnip, artichokes, smoked grapes and bacon caramel. This was wonderful, and a good example of what appealed to me so much about Blackbird's menu. I've been to lots of "food science" restaurants, and Blackbird strikes a good balance of using some excellent techniques from molecular gastronomy without making it the focus of hte meal. In this case, the bacon caramel and smoked grapes - wouldn't have been out of place at <a href="http://tammystastings.blogspot.com/2006/10/alinea.htmlv">Alinea</a> or <a href="http://www.wd-50.com/">WD-50</a>, but they also worked with a fairly straightforward presentation. The venison was perfectly cooked. The smoked grapes were a wonder - still crisp, but surprisingly smoky. Excellent. Entree #2: fried leg and slow-roasted loin of royer's farm rabbit with white corn panisse, fresh huckleberries, brussels sprouts and caraway. Lots of fun little bits to this one. The white corn panisse was really lovely, and the huckleberries worked really well. The coating on the fried leg came slipped off and was soft rather than crunchy, but all in all this was another winner. The room is clean and modern, and unusually (but pleasantly) bright. The tables are quite close together - they're making the most of a tight space. The music is a little funky, but not so incongruous as at <a href="http://tammystastings.blogspot.com/2006/10/schwa.html">Schwa</a>. Service was just right. I wouldn't proclaim anything I ate as one of my "best dishes ever." But everything was very solid, very tasty, and very nicely presented. Quietly innovative. It was just an all around great meal, and I'd go back to Blackbird in a heartbeat.

I'm horribly jealous of you all. Can't wait to hear the reports!

I'm mostly just winging it. I know what my material costs are, and I'm starting to get a better sense of how long it takes, so I can figure out the labor costs. And then there's overhead - space rental, equipment, fees. Plus I know what my target market charges, and thus some sense of what they can pay at wholesale, so I'm making a determination based on all of that. I need to run through a whole bunch of recipes tonight to figure out which are widely divergent from the base wholesale price I'm playing with.

Just got back from an meeting with a potential wholesale customer, one I'd be absolutely thrilled to have carry my pieces. The meeting went really well. No decision for a while yet, but I'm really optimistic. And I need to follow up on another potential wholesale customer, a little lounge places that I visited in Chicago last week. One of their specialties is chocolate, and I had some with me, so I brought them down with a card for them to sample. They expressed some interest, so now I just need to follow up and close the deal. My inspection is scheduled for Tuesday! Edited for spelling and grammar.

Those look fabulous! What did you use to cut them? Your cuts came out much cleaner than mine.

I agree - the Pad Thai is what to order there. I also like the Tom Kha Gai soup. Especially for $1.15 a bowl!

Although I'm getting better, I'm still tending to work "messy" when I'm molding, so I get a lot of chocolate on the sides and bottom. Are you all just impeccably neat?