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Mel's New Bakery


melmck

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I have tried the long hours etc.... in my own restaurant always with the carrot that if it succeeds there will be rewards, but it did not work out for reasons that I wont get into here ( that is a whole other story about under capitilization and bad weather), but almost 2 years later, I can deffinately tell you I wont be going back to 12-14 hour days, I like having a life with my husband and friends. It was deffinately worth the effort and I have no regrets about giving it a go.

Those who think that the only way a kitchen should be is balls to the walls should look around at those they work with, most only want a paycheck, they dont have the ambition and drive to become chef, but they do have skills, which should be appreactied, we all know how hard it is to find people with those skills, so dont burn them out, encourage them, appreciate that they have a life away from work, work is not their life. I strongly beleive kitchen staff are under apprecaited, the economics of the industry do not allow wages that reflect the level of skill required, remember you can earn more as a laborer in construction than you can as a line cook so why put up with the crap.

Sorry about the rant but I really feal that if this a business that is becoming more main stream then it should start to become more proffessional in its working conditions and less medevial.

Karen

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All I am saying here is what is happening in the day to day . Do I do everything right? Do I make managerial mistakes, character judgment mistakes? Do I wish I could do things differently? Wish I had tons of money backing me up? Wish I could afford to pay people to do this shit? uhhhhh yep. It is very easy for folks (in my area and here in cyberland) to tell me all the things I should do and shouldn't do. It's like being a new parent. I figure out what works best for this business everyday. In expressing what my day to day fires to put out are, I'm sharing a slice of life. Working this hard isn't something new to me. I am not going to break. I have been working massive hours and two jobs for 20 years already, and honestly I am doing very well. I am very accustomed to long hours, and I worked like this everywhere I work. Sure, I'd like a commemorative plaque. A statue would be even better. Basically I am doing what has to be done, within the financial constraints I have. I certainly don't think saying what my reality is is bragging. It's just the way it is.You bet yer ass as soon as I am in a position to do so I am hopping a jet to Hawaii (where the in-laws live) and have Mom-in-law cook me up some Aku tuna just caught that morning.. Lay on the beach and eat shave ice all day while I make up stories about different people in their bikinis.

I can tell you that I pay my people well. I do not overwork them because I cannot afford the overtime. I am well aware that everyone has a 'life'. And this is a 'job'.

I don't know how old anyone here is, doesn't matter. I am not judging who does what or why, I am just telling my side of what is going on in the running of this new business. Things have really picked up and I'm super busy, but next month might be dead. Who knows? Go with the flow. If my business goes under I'll spend a year on the couch chilling out, like I did when I was on unemployment. I took naps everyday. It was awesome.I love naps! Whatever will be will be.

I am proud of what I do, what I make, what I have accomplished. My happy customers are the reward. The fact that I almost broke even this month is my reward. Whether it is personally rewarding, on some levels it already is. On others I might be fucked for life! It all rounds out my experience in life and I have learned more doing this than anything else. Owning a business is the education of a life time. I am not trying to prove anything except that I make great stuff. It's just food. I'm not saving lives or anything, just making it more delicious. I hope. I am not trying to be hyper-defensive either, just explain my position. But consider this-- what if I slack off, sleep in, take weekends off, take 'me time' 'do something for myself'? Business falters, fails. Instantly. Lose house. Lose marriage. Declare bankruptcy. Take all the me time in the world.

What does anything really mean in the end? Unless you end world hunger or cure diseases or discover life on other planets, hmm--- maybe as pastry chefs we just end momentary hunger, cure cravings and discover that the butter/heavy cream food group is highly neglected! It is you know..... :raz:

Melissa McKinney

Chef/Owner Criollo Bakery

mel@criollobakery.com

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I just want to say this then I'll get out of here.

The only reason I ever feel compelled to pipe up here in a somewhat critical, slightly negative way, is when I feel that disparaging comments are being directed towards the people who make business' work for the owners, the employees.

I'll bring up age when somebody who is 20 something starts acting like anyone who gets tired of working grueling schedules, not necessarily LONG grueling schedules but grueling schedules, mismanaged work days, is a whiner. A wimp.

Not saying you're guilty of that, Mel, just that's what happens to a lot of people.

I also know a lot of employees make life misery for the owners by not showing up, etc., but it's kind of a vicious circle.

Tons of people who do this for a living do it for a living, they don't care about food, they're not geeks on it, they don't get excited about how great the brioche looks today or how fantastic the new ice cream is, or how some new technique they read about really DOES work, they're just punching a clock. I know you know that.

Anybody who shows up for work almost everyday of the year, to cook on a couple of propane burners, like Wendy does, love's what they do, and those kinds of people always seem to get the shit end of the stick, I know I did.

I'm thrilled that you're getting awesome reviews, I'm sure you have kick ass product, I hope you make a million bucks, or at least enough to do everything you want to do.

Just as a person who has ridden some pretty big assed tidal waves of work, reviews, raves, and other such stuff, in another line of employment that isn't that much different from the cooking world, sometimes you wake up washed up on the shore wondering what the hell hit you...

2317/5000

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I have tried the long hours etc.... in my own restaurant always with the carrot that if it succeeds there will be rewards, but it did not work out for reasons that I wont get into here ( that is a whole other story about under capitilization and bad weather), but almost 2 years later, I can deffinately tell you I wont be going back to 12-14 hour days, I like having a life with my husband and friends. It was deffinately worth the effort and I have no regrets about giving it a go.

Those who think that the only way a kitchen should be is balls to the walls should look around at those they work with, most only want a paycheck, they dont have the ambition and drive to become chef, but they do have skills, which should be appreactied, we all know how hard it is to find people with those skills, so dont burn them out, encourage them, appreciate that they have a life away from work, work is not their life. I strongly beleive kitchen staff are under apprecaited, the economics of the industry do not allow wages that reflect the level of skill required, remember you can earn more as a laborer in construction than you can as a line cook so why put up with the crap.

Sorry about the rant but I really feal that if this a business that is becoming more main stream then it should start to become more proffessional in its working conditions and less medevial.

Karen

Oh well, I guess I have a bit more to say...

This post really says it all.

Rereading some of your stuff too, Mel.

Has it been a year yet?

Man, 120 hours a week, something has to be able to be done to correct that?

Jesus, I'm working something falling between 60 to 70, 80 hours right now, and I think it could be less with better planning..

More productive with less hours, or at least less frustration in those hours spent.

Truly dig what Karen says about level of skill required and how much people are appreciated.

There's this little petite woman who works at the other place of my chefs who kicks so much ass.

She's about 4'11'', from Peru, maybe 27, and she just pounds it out relentlessly, pretty much quality stuff.

I've seen her tempted to take a shortcut or two, I rarely see her taste anything ( a pet peeve of mine with any cook, TASTE EVERYTHING YOU MAKE! ALWAYS!!!) but damn, she's good, and, I don't know, kitchen politics can be weird, especially in these kinds of places but, I've told my exec a few times, he should realize how lucky he is to have her, even if she's a pain sometimes.

Medieval indeed.

One thing I am really appreciating right now is how well my restaurant that went down was managed, kitchenwise, by my chef.

I always knew it was, that why I stayed on for 2 years w/o a raise.

2 people quit in those 2 years, out of a crew of 8 or nine, and those weren't the core people.

All 7 to 9 dollar an hour people who also didn't get a raise , those are. some damn good retention number's.

2317/5000

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I should have said this in my first post, I mean no disrespect to Mel, I think what she has acheived is amazing in a very difficult segment of the buisness. reading her blog has brought back lots of memories, some good some bad. In regard to the last couple of posts what I remember as owner is the frustation at not being able to clone your self, it is not that you really expect those working for you to have the same goals, you just hope! I do think wendy that working conditions etc might make an intresting topic, so we are no longer hijacking mels blog.

karen

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On reflection (while in the shower) what I was trying to say is this..... I completely understand where you are coming from, and was always aware that you were trying to have a good working enviroment, and meant no criticsm of you business and have really enjoyed your blog with all the ups and downs, and hoping it all comes together. I was really responding to others that had replied to your blog, because I really dont understand the need for machismo in the kitchen, tuff yes, insane yes, senstive to critism no, PC no! Sorry karen

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Machismo?.....maybe.

Medieval?.....maybe.

Unfortunately, the bedrock reason for all of this is not overly susceptible to amelioration: it's a damned hard business, with very tight margins. It would always be nice to have a few more people on hand ("many hands make light work") but unless you have an unusually tight-knit family, or perhaps a religious cult of your very own, people will expect to be paid their work. It would be even nicer if we could offer our staff (the deserving ones, anyway) a good living in exchange for their efforts.

Unfortunately, that would generally mean the end of the business.

“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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I gotta chime in here, too.

Mel - I know exactly where you are and I really appreciate reading your description of it. My husband and I were there and we have been through the process of start-up/success/settling in that you are experiencing. I think you're going to be just fine, and so are your employees - and if they're not fine, they weren't the right ones in the first place. Just from this blog, I can tell you're experienced, intelligent and thoughtful, and if you apply those qualities to the decisions you make in your business, you'll come out okay.

As for taking time for yourself vs. burning out? To us, it's always just a question of priorities. Right now, our main priority is to build a business that supports our family, pays off our debt, provides good work and pay for our employees, and has the potential to grow in the directions we feel are right for us. We could cut back the hours we put into it, but we'd just have to pay someone else, and right now we'd rather put that money into paying off our property. (We have decided to have our accountant do more for us this year. We can afford to put some $ into that service, we've decided we really like and trust the guy, and I hate, hate, hate bookeeping!)

The best thing we've done for our time off/sanity quotient is to find and keep a couple of employees that we can leave in charge if we want to get away. We left for six days last spring break - and left the restaurant open! (In the past, we had only taken vacations during our annual week long July 4th shut-down) That was a HUGE step for us. We feel lucky to have the employees that we do, but I know it wasn't just luck that brought them to us. Or that keeps them from going elsewhere. They work for us because we treat them as well as we can. They know they can make decent money doing something they enjoy in a positive environment working with people they like for employers that care about them. We'd like to be able to pay them more, but as another poster said, the economics of our business don't really allow that. We spend a lot of time trying to figure out what we can do to give them more without having to spend more $ we don't yet have. We do a lot of flexible scheduling - we have lots of students/moms/etc who need to change their schedule frequently. It seems to help. But NONE of this happened the first year - it all came along gradually.

Anyway - good luck to you - and congratulations on your success. Just try to stay healthy - stay away from those with viruses, keep your immunity up, take your vitamins, eat as healthily as possible - you probably have your own set of defensive strategies....Things will settle into a routine (hopefully a busy one!) eventually and you'll be able to devote some time to yourself :cool:

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Machismo?.....maybe.

Medieval?.....maybe.

I'm so bummed I had this huge paragraph I've been workin on...and lost it.

I BROKE EVEN for MARCH !!!! Hooooollllllyyyyyy shit!

Ya know, the machismo is convincing ourselves that we can keep pushin' on. And when you grow up the only woman in the kitchen with a bunch of rough boys, you gotta trump their asses or go down crying. Once in a very nasty naughty kitchen line, slamming out dinners, the Sous Chef said to me, "Hey Mel, did you have wild animal sex with your man last night?" and I had to turn to him and say, "No, as a matter of fact it was with your wife!" totally deadpanned.HA HA HA he shut up fast.

Now I'll shut up , if I don't make quiche ASAP there's going to be a revolution...

don't worry about apologies, I just want to make sure I am coming across clearly and concisely. Oh Lord, please don't let me be misunderstood.............

Melissa McKinney

Chef/Owner Criollo Bakery

mel@criollobakery.com

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I was flipping through the May issue of Food & Wine today and as I came to page 171 I see a recipe for Raspberry Shortcake bars. I quickly skim the column and at the bottom see the name Criollo Bakery. And on page 173 there's a photo and reference to this blog.

Today Criollo is a hit....

National Press Woo-hoo!! Congratulations. You must be thrilled.

"Some people see a sheet of seaweed and want to be wrapped in it. I want to see it around a piece of fish."-- William Grimes

"People are bastard-coated bastards, with bastard filling." - Dr. Cox on Scrubs

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Actually, I was just being nice and giving hope or upsight to difficulties in life. Quite honestly I would never do what Mel has done. I do not have the capability to stay in one place very long. What you all don't know is though I may be young I have been extremely priveleged and could not ask for a greater kickstart into the food inustry. To tell you the truth to take on another field would somewhat ridiculous because my entire life has been surrounded by it, though I still and always will love it. And when I say this I don't mean I baked brownies with my grandma since I was 5. I have been fortunate enough to have chosen this path at a very young age, maybe 10 and have been pursueing it ever since. I've had the luxury of meeting thousands, yes I mean thousands, of chefs and food industry people in my life and have great relations with well over 100. I've actually had to turn down some recommendations to school because 2 is enough and I had to scale it down to 8. No I am not a master or even top professional but life has dealt me a straight flush from the beginning and I am going all in. I have been warned 10 fold the amount the average person here has of the industry's difficulties and have experienced quite a few. This is only because I have been willing to throw myself into any fire there is. And I don't think it is stupid like a lot of you. You have to live your life and when I say that I don't mean doing crazy stupid things like a college student. I mean and obstacle comes at you don't go around, blast right through it. Oh wow you live and learn because you did something stupid that screwed your life up and you tell young people not to do it. Well I'm not talking about jumping your bike off a 40 foot ramp or dooing 140mph in a car over a bridge with the lights out. This is life, knowledge, and don't forget a job. But its our job and we shouldn't turn bitter over it in any aspect; and we shouldn't be so hasty to contradict people. There have been a lot of replies from things I have said that present a point, sometimes a better point, but sometimes they are presented so forcefully it's hard to take someone serious without thinking there just a bitter old person whos been, or beleives to have been through too much.

I am not going to be one of those stupid kids who needs to be heard and is critizing the matured because they don't feel anyone is listening. Quite honestly I don't really care; and I don't care if anyone judges me because you know why... I have yet to walk away from a goal. If I don't get there I ask why, when I find out why I regroup myself, learn or acheive what is necessary for the greater and a run after it again. And if it takes my whole life, then fine, because I know I never stopped learning the whole way there. I don't see my life slowing down a bit, and from what I have already taught myself it just makes me want more and more.

You know, listening to mels and teds threads lately I want nothing but to help them out. That the kind of drive I have. I have realized that no matter where I am I can learn, whether its in school, at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, or just helping a friend out here and there. I think we dwell on life too much as it being "short". Maybe its short because we don't get fullfillment out of our memories. I can't really elaborate too much on this because I don't have the sources to go by. You'll just have to give me 30 years. All I know is when I able to work no more not only will it be a sad day but I want to make sure that not my goals have been reached, but that the path I took fullfilled me. And everyone is on a different path young or old so we shouldn't critize or place judgement for that, because when we do we are looking back on our own path instead of looking forward through THEIR path.

You guys can butcher this any way you want but I'm not here to impress(even if I could) anyone but just to bring another chair to the conference circle.

Dean Anthony Anderson

"If all you have to eat is an egg, you had better know how to cook it properly" ~ Herve This

Pastry Chef: One If By Land Two If By Sea

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You guys can butcher this any way you want but I'm not here to impress(even if I could) anyone but just to bring another chair to the conference circle.

That's all I'm doing (any everyone else is doing), that's the whole point of contibuting online in this type of public forum. These types of threads aren't private diarys. We do feel pride and emotion for each other here as a group..........in alot of ways I feel very connected to everyone here. I feel like we are sitting down and sharing close thoughts and experiences like a group sitting down to have a drink together.

Sometimes I have addressed Mel specificly in my words, sometimes I've just attempted to share what I've learned with anyone and everyone that might be reading. Don't forget we have people drop by whom are dreaming of opening a bakery. I want them to walk away seeing all sides of professional baking and ownership. We're here to educate, to serve a purpose.

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Thanks, everybody. I was working away at 100 mph when someone came and showed me the article, I didn't even know it was out yet. It is so pretty, and th e paragraph just nailed it, a whole fricken page, I can't beleive it! I am so excited I could barf. Today has been sheer hell day actually, the day when exhaustion and stress are catching up- and I do feel overwhelmed, which is very atypical for me. But today's the day! Ah, let me bitch and moan WHY today--- my strongest front counter person couldn't make it in, on our busiest weekend, and could find no replacement-- I had to drag my bro-in-law in here who's never worked a cash reg a day in his life, sorry dude!! Scrambling to get all the special orders out on time.Then my lunch cook shows up 1 1/2 hours late. So I had to fire her, this was the final of many offenses. Looooooong story. So I was upset, because it always blows firing people, especially ones you are close with. Kicked off Mel's tears which rarely surface , ya know I haven't had a good bakery 'cry', suprisingly. Damn my British blood! Except when I had to fire people that I didn't want to. Being tired as hell, stressed out to da max, kicked off the near breakdown you all have been alluding to. yeah, well, shit! bound to happen sooner or later. but there were so many orders to wrap up- special cakes and cookie platters, so I pulled my ass up and got to frosting. scraped up whatever machismo was left in my carcass.

The paragraph in F&W said 'a candid and emotional blog', and today proved to be just that. If you cry into the macaroons, you don't need to add salt....

Just think. it is exactly THIS blog that got the mention! So all of you helped to put me in the magazine. By supporting me, sharing our stories whether we like them or not.

My fridges/freezers are EMPTY !! Very scary.

Melissa McKinney

Chef/Owner Criollo Bakery

mel@criollobakery.com

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Online version

Can't read the recipes, though.

“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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My parents found, in their semirural location in Nova Scotia, that Sunday was invariably the busiest day of the week. Between the Sunday drive, the church lunch, and the obligatory visit to Aunt Fanny, an awful lot of people were on the road past their bakery. Most of them, having stopped once, were back every week thereafter.

There was even a family from New Glasgow (a couple of hours away, which in Nova Scotia is pretty far) who drove up to visit their aunt every second week, and uhhhh...drop into the bakery. Their aunt, who was no dummy, joked that we should go the retirement home and offer to send samples to far-off relatives of the residents.

“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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Congratulations! I believe a movie is in order!

Hey how come you're not selling at the Farmer's Market yet? What's a matter? Not enough energy?? (this is a joke, please don't throw a pan at me....)

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Sooooo, now I know it must be something we all learn in this industry. So much for genetics.......But don't we all agree that pain is one thing and sickness is another? Who know's when your infectous?

This is a bit late, but there was an interesting article in the Seattle Times a few months ago about when to go to work and when to stay home.

Go to work if ...

You're exhibiting low-grade signs of sickness (headaches, minor sore throat, etc.)

You don't have a fever.

You have a dry cough with very little mucus.

You're recovering and are no longer contagious.

You do your best to avoid human contact for as long as you're ailing.

You remember your manners and cover your mouth when you cough and sneeze.

Stay home if ...

You have a fever of any kind — you're contagious.

You have a persistent cough accompanied by mucus buildup and runny nose.

You have a severe sore throat.

You are throwing up.

If you must go to work ...

Tell colleagues you are sick.

Go out of your way to avoid human contact.

M. Thomas

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