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Mel's New Bakery


melmck

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I am so busy I do not have time to think feel absorb, Eye Of The Tiger, baby just keep pushin to get these doors open and bring in some cash to pay for all of this!!!!!

CAN I GET AN AMEN?

I've been pushin my retail opening for weeks now....You are givin me the drive MEL! Wish me luck for possibly this Thursday???

"Chocolate has no calories....

Chocolate is food for the soul, The soul has no weight, therefore no calories" so said a customer, a lovely southern woman, after consuming chocolate indulgence

SWEET KARMA DESSERTS

www.sweetkarmadesserts.com

550 East Meadow Ave. East meadow, NY 11554

516-794-4478

Brian Fishman

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I'll get pics up soon, this is Mel's BLOG...but just to let you guys know I opened this weekend to a very warm welcome...very soft opening. Grand opening in about 2 weeks

"Chocolate has no calories....

Chocolate is food for the soul, The soul has no weight, therefore no calories" so said a customer, a lovely southern woman, after consuming chocolate indulgence

SWEET KARMA DESSERTS

www.sweetkarmadesserts.com

550 East Meadow Ave. East meadow, NY 11554

516-794-4478

Brian Fishman

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Hi! Sorry for the lapse, trying to open a goddamn bakery here...you must all be bored now and feeling neglected. oh well. I WISH I was bored. oh to be bored, and watch garbage on TV just look at one spot on the ceiling for about 4 hours. while on Demerol..

I am exhausted, stressed out and running on adrenalin at 100mph. I bounce between being excited and terrified, freaking out completely. Normally I am cool, calm and collected, especially under fire in a busy restaurant. but this time it's different. it's all me, and it's fricken huge. No, I am not starting some teensy little shop, this baby is 2750sq.ft. oh the things I have learned this last year. I'm sure the next will be quite a ride. I guess the anticipation factor is what makes me nauseous. not knowing, what will opening day be like? will I hit my numbers? will I surpass them and be soo busy, let's hope so, and pay back this loan. All my big equipment has arrived and instead of being so excited, well a little, stainless steel makes me all tingly inside, I think HOLY SHIT I HAVE TO PAY FOR THIS!! Why did I spend all this money? What the fuck was I thinking? Please, just let Criollo Bakery be a smash success and have money rolling in ka-ching ka-ching then I won't even care.

There are many people who I curse as I go along these days. Thinking about all of the people who have jerked me around, who are full of shit, there are so many tales to tell about being a business owner, and I haven't even opened the doors yet. I want those reviews to be flawless, the ultimate way to get back at the ones I curse. without saying a word. HA !

Melissa McKinney

Chef/Owner Criollo Bakery

mel@criollobakery.com

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I love this! Congratulations and my condolences! :wink:

My mom opened her own business (kitchen design) ~ 15 years ago. I remember the scariness she went through. The first couple years were slow(er) and really had her on the ropes for a while. She's made it, though.

You are doing it! You must be so proud! (and tired and scared and... and, proud!)

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  • 4 weeks later...

Mel,

Hope all is going well with the bakery, thought I'd bring the thread back to the first page. I am sure quite a few of us are going through withdrawal.

At least let us know you're alive, some sort of signal, helloooooooo........... :unsure:

Patrick Sheerin

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Criollo Bakery Ben FYI

4727 NE Freemont

Portland, OR 97213

Mel; Let me add my admiration and best wishes for success in your gutsy (and huge undertaking). Having opened two places of my own I have a small idea of what you have gone through and are going through.

ALL THE BEST TO YOU

colestove

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  • 2 weeks later...

Did I miss it somewhere? Name of the bakery? An address? What part of town? Opening day? I'll be there with bells on! If you need people to sample and tell you if it's good... invite the Portland Food group! We came out for Chef Rodrigo's pre-opening of Low BBQ on Hawthorne to show our support. I somehow missed this thread...life has been crazy the last month...it was all the buzz among the eG'ers in Vegas at the World Pastry Forum!

Pamela Wilkinson

www.portlandfood.org

Life is a rush into the unknown. You can duck down and hope nothing hits you, or you can stand tall, show it your teeth and say "Dish it up, Baby, and don't skimp on the jalapeños."

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Address. Right above me...duh! I must have cruised right by it! Replacing the old Alameda Bakery would be my guess by the address. Are you open yet? I'll come peek in the window on my way home from work tonight. Glad to have a bakery in the neighborhood again. :cool:

Pamela Wilkinson

www.portlandfood.org

Life is a rush into the unknown. You can duck down and hope nothing hits you, or you can stand tall, show it your teeth and say "Dish it up, Baby, and don't skimp on the jalapeños."

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Closed on mondays. I'll be back thursday. That Criollo Cake is callin' my name. Glad to see a bakery back in the neighborhood again.

Pamela Wilkinson

www.portlandfood.org

Life is a rush into the unknown. You can duck down and hope nothing hits you, or you can stand tall, show it your teeth and say "Dish it up, Baby, and don't skimp on the jalapeños."

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Oh, good, she's open!

I'm desperately eager to hear how things are going, but realistic enough to know that we're somewhere down around the 479th priority on her list right now. And rightly so.

Oh well, it sounds like there'll be a few other Gulletters in a position to give us updates now.

“Who loves a garden, loves a greenhouse too.” - William Cowper, The Task, Book Three

 

"Not knowing the scope of your own ignorance is part of the human condition...The first rule of the Dunning-Kruger club is you don’t know you’re a member of the Dunning-Kruger club.” - psychologist David Dunning

 

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Headed there tonight before a wedding rehearsal dinner...will munch and report tomorrow. :biggrin:

Pamela Wilkinson

www.portlandfood.org

Life is a rush into the unknown. You can duck down and hope nothing hits you, or you can stand tall, show it your teeth and say "Dish it up, Baby, and don't skimp on the jalapeños."

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Excellent article. With those hours, it's no wonder that she hasn't had time to post an update. I particularly think it is great that she has physically partnered with her neighbor, a coffee shop, via french doors between the two shops. Did she never mention that here or did I just miss it?

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Mel,

The article looks great, it seems to capture a lot of what you were talking about in the past few months. Hope all is going well. Continued well wishes for your endeavor.

PS Would it be rude to ask for pictures???

Patrick Sheerin

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Power went out at work last night and I didn't get out until 9 pm...sorry. It will be next week until I can get over there and be able to report. I really wanted that cake too. Damn.

Pamela Wilkinson

www.portlandfood.org

Life is a rush into the unknown. You can duck down and hope nothing hits you, or you can stand tall, show it your teeth and say "Dish it up, Baby, and don't skimp on the jalapeños."

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Stopped in last night. Lots to report. At work. I'll have to write more later. But my first impression when I walked in the door was "WOW!" the place looks nice! So much nicer than it was before. It's clean, beautiful, open, warm and inviting. Before I even got off the bus, I could smell the cake in the air. OMG! Was offered a sample of the chocolate truffle cake and I expexted it to be good but DAMN! The girl can bake. I melted right into my shoes. After chowin' down on potato, onion and rosemary focaccia ( which was killer) I introduced myself to Mel and got the grand tour. I am so totally blown away by all the work she's done. More later. (Workin' for a livin' just gets in the way of livin', don't it?)

Pamela Wilkinson

www.portlandfood.org

Life is a rush into the unknown. You can duck down and hope nothing hits you, or you can stand tall, show it your teeth and say "Dish it up, Baby, and don't skimp on the jalapeños."

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And Mel mentioned that she'd really love to be in here chatting. She's just busy working 20 hours a day. She showed me the sofa in the back where she sleeps maybe two hours after closing on the weekends and before she gets up to start the next morning's pastries. She has before and after shots that her Dad took that I'm looking forward to. It was pretty nasty when she first got the place. She's worked so hard. Not only quite the baker but plummer, electrician, etc., etc. Anybody in Portland should head on over and check it out. Her stuff is great.

Tuesday - Thursday 7am-7pm

friday-saturday 7am-10pm

sunday 7am-3pm

Pamela Wilkinson

www.portlandfood.org

Life is a rush into the unknown. You can duck down and hope nothing hits you, or you can stand tall, show it your teeth and say "Dish it up, Baby, and don't skimp on the jalapeños."

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Auesome, thanks for giving us an update on her bakery! I figured she's been busting butt and couldn't find time to post........we all know how that goes.

DuckDuck, any chance you might have a digital camera????????? I'd just love to see a picture to go along with your review.......if you have a chance sometime.??

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Yah know, I don't. I just barely got a computer at home. I suppose that's the next step in this addiction, isn't it? I'll see what I can do though. I don't know if my picture taking can do it justice. It's really nice. I'll work on it.

Pamela Wilkinson

www.portlandfood.org

Life is a rush into the unknown. You can duck down and hope nothing hits you, or you can stand tall, show it your teeth and say "Dish it up, Baby, and don't skimp on the jalapeños."

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I'm a flight attendant who has been approached to open a bakery cafe in a small town in Western Wisconsin. I've been reading Mel's reports here on a regular basis. Now, I may FINALLY be able to visit her bakery. I will be in Portland on August 3rd, leaving the morning of the 4th. If I visit, I'll try to take pictures, as I have a digital camera (and if it's okay with Mel). Can anyone tell me how to get there via public transportation, as I read the posting about the bus stop nearby. I stay FAR from downtown but don't mind using public transportation to get around. Thank you so much.

"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all."

-Helen Keller

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Take the #33 Fremont bus from Gateway or Downtown. From the airport, the redline max stops at gateway and there is a stop there for the #33 bus. Get off at the stop on 48th and Fremont and she's a half a block away from the Alameda Brew pub. The big iron hops flower hanging off the front of the building at the brew pub always works for me as a landmark.

Pamela Wilkinson

www.portlandfood.org

Life is a rush into the unknown. You can duck down and hope nothing hits you, or you can stand tall, show it your teeth and say "Dish it up, Baby, and don't skimp on the jalapeños."

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