Mel's New Bakery

[nightscotsman]

organic naturally leavened breads

laminated doughs

breakfast pastries

cookies, including organic options and many varieties

cakes ( many varieties and styles, including special occasion cakes and wedding cakes)

pies tarts tortes cheesecakes (I was never allowed in fine dining to make them, too pedestrian they'd say. I don't know what the hell you snobs out there have against cream cheese!)

savory pastries, quiche

seriously gourmet doughnuts ( all fresh made doughs, fillings, glazes, ganache and toppings, and unusual shapes too, why not?)

some vegan options

bags of crackers, spiced & candied nuts, dog biscuits, croutons, etc...

lots of individual desserts

lunch-soups, salads, sandwiches and panini on my bread

candlelight desserts on Friday and Saturday night.

and much, much more...

Yikes - so much for sleep!

I've extremely excited for you. Wish I could be there to help you out. I will absolutely stop by next time I'm in Portland to visit family (I was born in Portland and lived there for 30 years). Yeah, next time I get a vacation - hah!

By the way, I still don't think you've told us what you're naming the place or the address. What date are you planning to open by?

[Joni]

Yes..please let us know the location and date. I see you have DOG biscuits. My 100 pd black lab loves Great Harvest snickerdoodles...so I will bring him by for your grand opening (or perhaps he could be the taster earlier!!). Good luck and again, let us all know so we can be there on opening day!!!

[EllenC]

What an awesome blog! Keep up the good work.

[SethG]

Good luck to you, Mel! And please keep the reports coming.

[melmck]

Definitely dog biscuits-- I have a Newfoundland mix, and a Yellow Lab. They also love pate, gravlax and whipped cream!

Today's fun chore was to shop vac out the interior guts of my revolving oven. We are talking about 6" thick carbon black. Which is now up my nose! Me and my shop vac, having a grand old time. I was so filthy and my husband said when I got home, baby, YOU STINK!!!

So far, I haven't had any serious dilemmas or traumas. YET. Of course costs are going through the roof, and an additional $3K plumbing bill barely phased me. Some other interesting news, the closest bakery to my location, just closed. Not for lack of customer interest, but management issues. So this means I am the only bakery in this area! All those customers will be mine , ALL MINE!!!! Maybe their employees too. I have a very good feeling about a strong start, and staying very busy. Let's hope so. As I get closer you will all be a part of it.

All of the vultures have been circling-- vendors and purveyors of crap I don't want. And banks have been calling about merchant services every 5 minutes.

Until the next time

[tan319]

Your blog is out of sight!

I hope you knock Portland on it's ass!!

YAY for you!!!

Keep it coming!!!!

[bripastryguy]

Mel,

You are an inspiration to me!

You keep on truckin

CRIOLLO BAKERY will be the best in the Northwest!

[melmck]

Yesterday we found a 50 year old petrified dead rat in the floors we had torn up for plumbing. He still had his death-grip claws. It was morbidly fascinating!

Painting the kitchen, WOW what a difference from dingy dirty greyish blah to creamy creme anglaise. (that's what it looks like!) pretty glossy so it washes well.

Let me tell you all something that pertains to anyone out there opening a bakery/cafe/restaurant etc. The sales people who sell you all the big equipment, never tell you things like, you need a dedicated 220v circuit for this as well as a floor drain, or you need to go through three phases of permits and inspections before you can proceed...you'll need another $5,000 worth of specified hand sinks per square feet, one for each area etc etc. I really thought I had done my homework/research on all this stuff. buut NOOOOOOO, you forgot this and this.

My fun toys are arriving now, panini grill ( Emerald City Equipment in Seattle has the best prices on Italian made) dishes, slicer, juicer, and I am spending thousands on a daily basis. It is fun but terrifying!

I got my first blurb in the paper about my new project. Now I feel really BUSY!!!!! Anyone out there in Portland, I'm hiring!!!!

MEL

[Cynthia G]

Mel, I've been enjoying your adventure. I'm just glad I'm enjoying it from afar. Really exciting..... and really scary!

Best of luck to you.

Oh... and when the husband says "Baby, you stink" the only proper response is.... "Well then, run my bath, pour me a drink and get ready to give me a massage!"

[Abra]

I am having such a blast reading this. I think I speak for many of us when I say that you're doing what we wish we were doing, only it's nice that you're doing all the really grueling part, not us!

I hate to reveal my idiocy, but what is laminated dough?

[aidensnd2]

Abra- Laminated doughs are those which have the butter/fat layered into the dough such as puff pastry and croissant.

Without going into too much detail you make a basic dough, roll it out, put a layer of fat on the dough and then fold the dough over encasing the fat. Then you roll the whole thing out and give it 'turns' folding the dough over itself so you end up with many layers of fat and dough. When the dough bakes steam from the fat layers causes the pastry to rise and gives you nice buttery layers of pastry...

Dan

[s'kat]

Dude, you are rockin' my Monday! Very exciting- thanks for letting us peek over your shoulder on this venture.

[Joni]

Mel...where was your blurb? Must have missed it! Where is your location?

[tan319]

Mel, I was wondering if you would be willing to share with us what resources you used to come up with your business plan?

I'm just starting to google this, came up with this so far...

http://www.ntia.doc.gov/opadhome/mtdpweb/busplano.htm

Just for an example that is.

If I was going to endeavor to try something on my own, I want investors.

It's the only way I could do it.

If you get a chance out of your surely insane schedule, I would love to know anything you would care to share.

Thank you!

[yorkshirepud]

Mel, I was wondering if you would be willing to share with us what resources you used to come up with your business plan?

I'm just starting to google this, came up with this so far...

Tan319,

Hope you don't mind me stepping in to offer you a link. Check out this example on RBC Royal Bank. This is a fully written business plan for a fine foods company. I hope this will be of assistance to you. It's Canadian driven, but I'm sure you can work with it all the same.

[JanKK]

Mel ....thanks so much for sharing your story! I just started reading tonight and couldn't stop.

I'm not a professional PC but I love to bake. I've had many people say "you should open a bakery!" and even had a couple of folks willing to finance it. I explained that I had no idea what was involved with that kind of venture, but I knew it would be lots of money, lots of time, and lots of work ---not like whipping up a couple tortes or cookies at home. Now I know where to send them to read up on the rigors of opening a bakery!

That being said, it also sounds incredibly exciting and looks like you're headed in the right direction with the right attitude ...

Wishing you success and happiness beyond your wildest dreams!!

--Jan

[Berlinsbreads]

Mel-

I, too, am loving reading your posts. I live over on the Northern OR Coast and am just starting my first job as a baker soon. I hope to visit your bakery on one of my many trips into "town." Your list of products and your philosophies are right along the same lines as mine----I can't wait to check your place out. It is one of my dreams to open a bakery someday, too, so it's so fun and interesting to read what you're going through.

Do tell where you're going to be located and when you're goal is for opening! Also, what was the blurb and was it in the Oregonian? I missed it, too.

Good luck to you!!

[andiesenji]

Wow! What a project. I can just imagine the hurdles you have to jump to get your business licensed. It has to be at least as bad as it is here in So.Cal.

I no longer work professionally but used to rent a certified kitchen at a local private school to do my baking when I was still doing some catering.

I didn't want to go through all the hassle to get my kitchen at home certified even though I have professional equipment. (Blodgett oven, Hobart dishwasher, Hobart mixer, etc.)

I went to Dunwoodie baking school back in the 50s, then worked in my mother's bakery in Wisconsin until we had a major blow up and parted way. (Mainly because I worked nights in the bakery then was expected to take on additional jobs if another employee did not show up to work in the store or take one of the delivery routes.)

I still love baking and do a lot for just my own pleasure, plus experimenting and developing new recipes and resurrecting very old recipes and working out modern formulas for them.

You are a very brave and gutsy lady to take on such a project and I wish you well.

Andie

[melmck]

Yes, whenever I give friends the grand tour, they say Woman, YOU ARE INSANE, or girl, YOU CRAZY!!!! and then I say that I am not afraid. I have always jumped into big projects, in the past without thinking through, but this is one very weel thought-out project. One year of planning everyday, running those numbers back and forth. I am a former math failure, never even made it past 2nd year algebra in high school. But I know kitchen math off the top of my head. I can eyeball filling for 500 tarts. I now know every single stinkin' document the SBA and business plan books has to throw at me. Sheesh! I have my husband double-check me, he's a very smart man, self taught computer programmer as I am a self-taught pastry chef. Or learned on the job, in the lion's den, as some would put it. So he is my back-up. (He is also an incredible cook, baker etc...he will probably work his full day then run down the street to the bakery to help turn doughs and shape.) Like now, he works his job and we slave away getting the bakery ready until night falls

The last few days were BRUTAL. Physically brutal, lots of overhead painting, and crawling into disgusting weird places, like on top of the ovens where no person has gone before...until now. It's a bitch when you have to sand old dough off the walls and ceiling! POWER SANDER!!! Me and my power tools, and my trusty 18v driver. I must admit it makes me look and feel TUFF. That's right, TUFF. Actually I look like serious trash, my pants ripped, I safety-pinned them together, and duct-taped them. (Iggy Pop approves here,), when I lay down on dirty surfaces, my tits are the first thing to land in the dirt. I get up and have two very dirty circles on my shirt. Then I go out to run errands and people must be thinking I am spare-changing them! Maybe I should...

Yesterday we borrowed a friends truck, the world's scariest truck with no brakes and the steering's shot. We then loaded 4 humongous maple table tops in to the back, this took 6 strong dudes, and one TUFF chick. the tables are 2in thick, 3 and 4 ft. wide by 10-12 ft. long. Ver heavy, arm-breaking bastards. Off in the truck, hoping we don't kill anyone on the way. It is also 85 degrees. unheard of for April in Portland!! we make it out alive. whupped exhausted annhilated, sweaty. Looking and feeling real purty. Go home and make buffalo burgers and Spud Puppies. ( world's best organic tater tots)boo-yah!

OK< as far as the biz plan. I did all of the research myself from the library, Internet, and SBA resource library, which has books on how to open any type of business under the sun. A lot out there is geared to the tech industry, I applied what needed to be done relating to food service. I will say, making sales projections when you have nothing to base them on is hard. It was a huge challenge, so I stayed on the conservative side of what I thought I would do S-Sat, Jan-Dec. Luckily I worked at a very successful restaurant/bakery very close by, with similar demographics, so know what kind of volume can be done around here. Also your state or city's home page has links for business information, including start-ups. If you are thinking SBA, you must be diligent and thourough with research. KNOW what the hell you are doing. The actual license is no big deal, $100 bucks and a form to fill out. Legal fees for legitimately setting up Articles of Organization, Operating Agreement etc cost about $1500.

Anyone who says "Oh you should open a bakery" to a non-professional should be slapped immediately! Just kidding, but it isn't some cutesey little shop where you bake happy cookies all day long. It is incredibly hard work, which I hope will pay off eventually. I have a great location, years of experience in all but owning my own place. I will be working 7 days pre-sun-up til beyond sun-down. My nose is killing me from breathing all the Hanta virus filled dust and grime of yesteryears. The inside is torn apart and I am completely stuffed up. My arms are killing me. Open a bakery, it's real fucking cute.

[bripastryguy]

Keep on dredging along. The fruits of your labor will be the sweetest you have ever tasted. We are all behind you!

[Derek Wildstar]

Yours will be a definite stop next time I am anywhere near Portland. Best of luck, and what's the name and location, again? (A little more advertisng never hurts.)

[Berlinsbreads]

Yes, is the bakery located in NW, NE, SE, SW? Where?

[Tarek]

Mel,

Thanx for sharing, your chronicles are brilliantly gripping,

I think you oughta be a writer in your next life.

will you have mail order at your new bakery? javascript:emoticon(':rolleyes:')

Tarek Mokhtar

Laguna Beach,CA

[JustKay]

Wow Mel!

I'm new to the forum and have been spending time reading the posts all over.

I thoroughly enjoy your sharing with us what you're going through.

I wish you all the best and I hope one day I will be brave enough to take the plunge, as you did.

Edited May 7, 2004 by kew (log)

[chromedome]

On the one hand, I'm dying for my "Mel fix."

On the other hand, I'm glad that you're getting some sleep, instead.

(You are remembering to sleep occasionally, right?)