Elevator Pitch

If you have any type of career training in the last 20 years or so, you have probably heard about the 'elevator pitch', a short synopsis that gives the listener a clean, precise, understanding of who you are and what you desire to achieve. Two years ago, I turned a short bus ride into a shift in my career path.

The story goes, I had a free convention pass to the National Restaurant Association show at McCormick place. Parking is always hard to find and frequently expensive, I took public transportation. I entered the bus, and sitting a couple of rows back from the driver, was a guy in his chef coat that looked familiar. It took me a few to put it all together but I realized that this chef and I had been connected via social media for a couple of years. Chef Blackmon is a very talented person who is in charge of culinary arts training for Chicago Public Schools. I am limiting his role to just this aspect of what he does for teenagers all over the city of Chicago, Illinois.

As we spoke about our industry, I expressed my desire to begin teaching and had found the school applications online were almost completely geared to academic educators, making it difficult for someone like myself to successfully apply. The story goes, there are often openings for skilled instructors, and I put myself up for nomination and swift as I could emailed my resume. Almost two months later, I got a call about my resume, Chef Blackmon had forwarded my information on to another program in need of instructors. Even without having an opening with CPS, I was afforded the opportunity to interview for another position.

Sometimes you wait in a hallway wondering which door will open for you, other times you wait in waiting rooms seeking the door to get out into a hallway, a path towards new goals. You never know what connection you will make that can propel you into new spheres. Always be closing because when you are not, there is a risk of missing your change to jump in the deep end. No more kiddie pool for me.

Some people are put off by this ideal as they may not be comfortable talking about themselves. I am not quick to do so either, I don't have much of an ego, but I have learned to give out pieces of my career as validation of my skills and ability. Sometimes that's all you really need to do prior to sending off your resume, or even at the interview. For the food business, a portfolio can do tons of bragging for you, not having to speak a word, it is always helpful to have pictures of your work, easily available online for customers and potential employers to review.  This invaluable tool can speak for you, even when there isn't a new opportunity readily available, and having this presence can really come to arms for you.

Our industry runs on sensory perceptions, sights, sounds, smells, and taste all come together to judge your work. While I know you can't duplicate, or represent, all the aspects of food we love without being there in the moment, but pics can be a valuable representation of what is possible. Once you have peeked someone's interest then you can duplicate the experiences.

Always be prepared because not all opportunities come neatly packaged with a bow on top, or are scheduled on a calendar. Be ready, be a pinch polished, learn to speak to your skills instead of heaping on details about yourself to fed your ego.

I'm Okay if You Say No.

Everyone that knows me understands that I don't like missing out on opportunities and I especially don't like leaving money on the table. I keep multiple streams of income going and I have always had a high octane can of energy.

It took me a while to get into the place where I am comfortable when potential clients pass me over and chose another vendor for their events. I admit that I once would be sad when friends, relatives, and associates would have an event and I wasn't even asked if I would like to be their supplier for the evening.

I am a dedicated person who works hard in my field and I strive for excellence in everything I do. I say this to what end? I no longer let being passed over upset me. There are tons of reasons that people may want a different vendor or service and those reasons may not actually have anything to do with me personally, my pricing, or other such reason.

I have had clients who wanted me to cut my pricing, given them the 'hook up', questioned why my prices are what they are, tried to guilt trip me into lowering my price, or just wasn't a good client to have at that time.  Just as clients have a choice of who they want to work with, I too have the same choices about what customers I want to work with or not.

Just recently, I did a tasting for a clients in short notice. The party planner that booked me is one in which I have worked with for several years, and she was confident that this event would be one that the client would have loved to have my service. Alas, this was not the case and I suspected so once I had met them at my door. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. The party planner emailed me with a list of concerns that the client expressed to her after our meeting. I simply responded that I didn't wish to prove or disprove the issues expressed in the email because I felt that it would be a waste of my valuable time. They declined and that's okay.

Most of the 'issues' expressed were not fair, not understandable, and not relevant to the question of weather or not I was able to satisfy their needs for the event. The biggest issue, and the only one I will cite here, was that I have a pet and she was lose in the house. After having asked if they had any aversion to my cat and/or wanted her to be in her kennel, they said no. Therefore, how was this on their list of reasons to decline.

I provide excellence at every turn possible, and when I don't think that I can provide it, I have no issues expressing my concerns. Getting to this mental and professional state only came to me with my growing maturity. Beforehand, I often would kick myself about someone passing me over, or I would feel the tug and pull to give price concessions just to secure that I would win the order. Every time I  stuck my neck out for someone else's event, without a doubt, I regretted it. I once worked up a menu for a so-called friend's birthday and I didn't earn a dime for my efforts, only to have her make a list of complaints afterwards. She knew there was no where else, and nobody else, that would have done such things for that small amount of money.

Such is life, you live long enough, you will learn to value your work and time as a precious commodity worthy of honorarium. Cash talks and b.s. walks.

Master chefs, Exec. Chef training, and other advanced training...

Long ago, when Jesus was a boy, there were only a few culinary educations that a student could attain without going overseas to Paris or London therefore I, like many others, took the routes that were available at the time. As I worked in the industry, longer and longer, I began to come across chefs who held titles that I had never heard of, Certified Executive Chef.  An organization called the American Culinary Foundation seemed to be at the heart of this accreditation.

ACF was founded by three chefs in New York to help promote culinary education, offer certifications and training, networking and the like. Here in Chicago, the ACF is getting more popular but as a hospitality industry worker for the last 20 plus years, it has only been within the last few years that I have noticed chefs using and working within this organization.

No matter where or when you receive your educational background that is focused in our industry, what you come away with is really determined by you as the student. I can take three kids to train and mentor, and after we are done, I will see three different skill levels within the students. Our industry is very skill based, and no matter who you are taught by, your skill level is truly your own. I say this, to many students, don't base your selection of schools based upon the price, famous chef instructors, or any other tangible matrix, but do so based upon your motivation and drive, and what you want to do with your career. What do I mean? It can get very expensive, well it has gotten in the last few years, seeking a culinary education. The popularity boom of chefs and the creation of the celebrity chef has opened many new schools who offer courses, certificates, and degrees in culinary.

No matter what is taught, and by who, the student's ability will grow with time and coaching.  If a student enrolls with no cooking experience,  they are somewhat behind than other students, but their raw ability can propel them to the top of the class. I entered into a culinary college with a very small population and without a huge reputation, 90% of what I do well, I learned from repetitive practice on-the-job.

The only advice I can give the aspiring chefs out there, study, practice, practice, practice. A school can teach technique and a foundation of skills. It is up to the chef to take off and sore. No two chefs have the skill or styles even after the same training. It takes time to realize what it is that makes you special and the only way to find it is to listen to customer and management critiques. I say this because if you are anything like me, most chefs only focus on the mistakes of a project, while other eyes see the glory. I am my own worse critic. I spend, literally, hours on a cake project and when I have stopped I can only see those things that could have been done better or those aspects that I would have liked to change, so often I am pleasantly surprised at the positive reactions of my clients. Go figure.

I am a huge supporter of higher educations. In my family, there was never any language of doubt about attending a college. It was always "when you go to college" not "if you go". I also know that not every person is suited to pursuing a PhD in philosophy. Trade skill are still needed and teaching programs are still required even with our nation's trending towards a intellectual model. Handcrafts will always be in demand.  

The best chef that I have worked for was one without any higher education. This titan of pastry had 40 plus years at the Palmer House. He began as a dishwasher and worked his way up to Exec. Pastry Chef. My chef was hardworking and hard on his staff, not in a mean fashion or abusive, he had one standard for us all, "Good work that is Palmer House good." We worked everything from butter, sugar, flour. We didn't use pre-made or mixes ever. The best days in that kitchen were days were we all worked in symphony and chef had nothing to complain about or correct. I learned a lot while there, including my passion for real scratch baking.

Chefs are broken before they are made, and the best instructors, will help students to build upon what they know as they teach them new tools in their toolboxes. Pursue your passion vigorously and wisely. Practice is the best teachers in this business and whenever you get to practice, especially with someone above your skill level, take it.

A chef has a lot of plates to spin, human resources issues, financial duties, order management, licencing, insurance, schedules, transportation, delivery, receiving, inventory management, vendors, networking, client requests, billing and invoicing, and all of this before the creation of sale items. We love what we do, no one would do this if they didn't, and we all take on much more work than can be done in a 8 hour workday. 

Quitting your boss

You may already know that 75% of workers who quit their jobs, voluntarily, said they decided to do so because of having a bad boss. Unfortunately, many of us are familiar with this bad trend. In food service, this still applies, as many of us don't walk in to the industry as seasoned chefs, food and beverage directors, management, and the like, a lot of us working in my industry have studied in other professions, worked unrelated positions, and came to us with some knowledge of order or management, but not of the style needed for my industry. We are all works-in-progress, but the learning curve is a lot steeper for those who have not been trained to our industry verses the ones that have had training.

No matter the industry, or company, you can find yourself working for a bad boss. I never wanted to be one of the bad bosses who, either feel that the title means that you can push your weight around, bugging everyone and ruling with an iron fist, or a boss who knew nothing about the work or workers they were in charge of managing. I have always wanted to own a company and therefore I took opportunities to learn different positions instead of just working as a chef in the back of the house.

I have worked for people in lots of different situations and not all of them were good or made any sense. I have been required to answer manager's requests from people who had very little knowledge of what I do or how long things take. This is critical, that you as a boss, or as a employee under a boss, work with a knowledge base as requests can be irrational or impossible to create. If you ask me for more cinnamon rolls be baked for the sales table, you need to know that it can not be done in less than an hour, for example.

The worst bosses that you can encounter are those who are promoted or became owners without understanding who and what management is all about. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses, and knowing which are yours will create the best environment possible. Too often people who are good cooks think that they can spend some money and open a food outlet and be successful. Food business is, without a doubt, a business first and foremost, but then you add food production, receiving, P&L, ROI, labor costs, personnel, shrinkage, edible portions versus actual portions, food safety, sanitation, injuries, liability, talent recruitment, menu and recipe development, marketing, cost controls, alcohol licenses, storage, payroll, and insurances. Many business do not have nearly as many perishable products nor the amount of personnel needed to run a successful operation in food.

I once met a bakery owner that left the confines of being a pastry chef in order to step into the ownership role. She is a horrible boss because she isn't good with customers or management of staff. The company did, of course, need a front of the house manager but she was not a good person to do this. I suspect that she has control issues and doesn't want a manager, someone that she could have hired with a good track record and a mind for innovation, but instead stopped doing the thing that she was excellent at in order to exhort control of the whole company. Too many people make this type of mistake when forming their businesses. She took her best cake designer, herself, out of the kitchen and made herself the management face without expertise in the customer service and/or management areas. In other words, if she was working for another organization as an employee, it is my opinion that, she would never have been promoted up the ladder to a management position due to her lack of expertise and poor disposition, but since she is the owner, few people can tell her what she should do to run her business efficiently.

I wish not to make mistakes like that, mainly because I fully understand what it feels like to be in that position, attempting to work underneath a bad boss. I know quite a bit about both the back of the house and front of the house. If I get blessed to own my own outlet, I will make the hard decisions needed to run the business smoothly instead of the choice to make myself some type of local celebrity. The front of the house and back of the house must depend upon each other for proper functioning but the work done between the two is vastly different skill types.

No matter the industry or line of work, a good boss is vital. What a lot of people do not understand about leadership is that it is not about being a bully, being in total control of operations, or not having anyone to answer to about your decisions, in fact a good leader must be cool and level headed knowing that the leader has more 'bosses' than they did as just a worker. A leader must respond to the demands of upper management, customers, AND the employees. A bad boss is one who doesn't take the needs of employees into consideration and feels autonomous to make unilateral decisions that effect everyone one involved without any giving anyone needs into account.

Check your ego at the door, and get to work. The culinary world isn't at all easy to be successful at what we do and no amount of kissing up will keep you employed when your work doesn't live up to expectations.  

Movable Merriment

Each year Chicago undergoes two distinct seasons, Winter's bitter days, and Summer's sultry nights. Each of them have their pro's and con's, issues and errors, but for a great many of us natives we look forward to the fairs, carnivals, concerts in the park, parades, festivals. Any chance we get to enjoy the wonderful scenery and feel warm air on your skin, Chicago takes the horse by the reigns and runs with it. We burst at the seems with music, mayhem, mysteries, rides, fireworks, and of course everyone who attends wants something in their bellies while the fun is being had.

Most customers either want the familiar or to be introduced to something new and exciting. Fairs are great for offering up some new treat like the fried Oreos, or a alligator on a stick. Other's can be street fairs highlighting the cuisine of the neighborhood. Greek fest, the Taste of Chicago, Fiesta Del Sol, or anytime people are in a celebratory mood, Chicagoan's do it up in style and eating is always a part of such merriment. Sights, sounds, and circuses are soon to be had once again in my beloved city.

The Mayor's Office of Special Events has the large task of permitting, scheduling, and overseeing all of the events in this large place. The weather will brake for good soon and our residents and tourist will once again turn thoughts to being outside as much as possible, shed off the layers of winter clothes, and run bare feet into sand and grass.
http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/dca/supp_info/festival_events_dates.html

Most don't give a second thought as to how all of these things work, take place, get permitted, ordered, and produced for their pleasure. The machinery involved just to get any type of food to these events is complicated and everyone involved must be extra careful in their efforts. Controlling food temperature in a remote location is not an easy tasks. Hot boxes and ice chests are needed if the location has limited electrical access but even if there is electrical you have to plan for refrigeration and lights, gas hook ups, and potable water.

Foodborne illnesses can multiply quickly, especially out doors on a hot Summer's Day. You also need to be careful of insects that can contaminate foods, then there is garbage removal, and hand washing. Lots of moving parts to make an event special. All food sales at these type of events are highly regulated and monitored. Food service handler licenses, food service business licences, and up to date health inspections must be earned in order to sell food on a food truck, carnival booth, or in a food cart.

There are so many things to account for before venturing out of doors to sell food. How much food should we be prepared to sell? What items should we sell? Do we need to be restocked once a day, three times a day, or all at once? What kind of staffing will this require and how many? Even if you are not selling food, such as at a church function or family reunion, these concerns are just the same.

Don't believe me? Just volunteer at your next opportunity to help cook at a BBQ at a park, and you will quickly see how complicated it can be just for your friends and family, let alone to be selling to the public. It's a good thing that there are people to handle all the logistics at a city celebration.

I don't know about you, but I am looking forward to going down to the lakefront again, walking outside without a coat or the 20 layers of clothes that Winter demands. Check out the list of upcoming events all over this city soon.

Knowing your worth.

This industry, like almost any other, has not only food and food production, it has every other aspect of business activities. Every office involves sales, human resources, OSHA, inventory, purchasing, hiring and firing, communications, profit and loss, accounting, and many more.... and so does every food business except we produce food as well.

 

Being a chef is like being a chemist and a artist at the same time. We apply cooking skills i.e. applied chemistry to food products and then make them artistic. All the personnel issues that comes with dealing with a staff happens everyday in a kitchen. You are in the trenches with the same people day in and day out relying upon them to bail you out and you to do the same in return. And that is long before you even open the doors to invite in clients.

 

So, how do you know what your work is worth? How do you judge if the company is paying you fairly or not, or even if you are paying yourself enough when you are in charge of the budgets? With the new age of information and immediate access, it is a good idea to go ahead and do some research into pay scales, after all, it can be done from the smart phone in your pocket.

 

There are lots of websites that have calculators online that you can use to assess your marketability. www.payscale.com  is one of these sites that ask you about your demographics, region of work, education, and skill sets, to determine what is an average salary for the job you either are seeking or already have. If you are seeking a new job, this can be used to determine if the company in question is adequately compensating its employees or you can check to see if it is time to request a raise from your current employer. When asking for an increase, this information can be invaluable as you can confidently give evidence as to why you feel that a raise is needed.

 

Every town and city is different. As I have been working in Chicago these last 20 plus years, I can tell you that the cost of living here is quite high compared to other markets and therefore you can ask for a higher wage than average because the cost of housing and food here is higher. A company cannot keep good staff if they cannot afford to live in the area as they will move away to more affordable regions to keep from risking homelessness or cut off utilities. It's simple mathematics.

 

Once you have entered the information and gotten a salary rage and a average salary for comparable work in your region, you must honestly ask yourself if you have adequately proven yourself in the position, or in the case of seeking new employment, have you had a strong track record to successful work history. If you are armed with this knowledge but haven't put in the extra work to get at the top of your pay scale, then you aren't likely to be able to leverage it into an increase or a new position paying top dollar.

 

Every one's experience comes at a price both for you to gain it and for your employer to use that knowledge by hiring you. The total of all you have done, have been trained to do, and the length of time you have been doing your job all comes into play when assessing the fairness of your compensation. Be honest with yourself and others when discussing this topic. Knowing your worth and what the next organization can and are willing to play, can make all the difference in your favor. 

For-Profit College Collaspe

In the recent past, there have been a lot of colleges and universities that have sprung up all over the country and also online. Some of these were a simple extension of an existing program but many of them were, in fact, a for-profit organization model. Colleges and universities traditionally do and can make money but are mostly under a not-for-profit classification due to the social benefits to the students and the community at large, they are similar to charities around the world, in this manner.

Higher education began within churches in the middle ages where students could enter a monastery, for example, to learn printmaking, languages, transcription, medicine, evangelism, or law to name a few. The educational edict then were expanded to educate more than just the people pledged to a lifetime commitment to the church and most of the early educators were those who had been apprenticed under the teachings of elders in the church.

For-profit schools sprang up all over the country in a recent boom and often filled in a gap that was left after many trade school closings.  These schools often were easy to enroll into and the registration process was more centered upon a student being approved for financial aid loans instead of having qualifications for the course type.  The end results left some students with a large amount of debt and not a lot of opportunities to use the training received.

The advent of for-profit higher educations began to unravel under scrutiny due to unfulfilled promises made to the students via job placement outcomes and educational credit transfer issues. Since these particular organizations were not in a charity classification, the organization could charge students tuition amounts in rages that weren't always equivalent to other programs.  However, they could be challenged to prove their outcomes just like other companies, and that is what has been bursting the bubble and many of these educational centers are closing.

If Kraft sells a cheese and claims that it improves your eyesight then the government has the right to make them prove their claim or be fined and sued for flause advertising. These types of action has been taken with the for-profit colleges resulting in school closures.

Le Cordon Blue is closing their US locations. As of January 2016, they have stopped enrollment and will close the doors completely by September 2017. In 2013, the schools, 50 locations globally,  settled a class-action law suit by former students who claimed that the diplomas they received didn't hold up to the promises of leading them to high-paying restaurant industry jobs and transferable college credits. This trend happened in many industries like automotive, nursing, medical billing and coding, beauty and cosmology, and paralegal programs.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-cordon-bleu-closing-1218-biz-20151217-story.html

Have Skills Will Travel

I have noticed, over the many years I have toiled in the food service industry, that some workers have either a larger than average ego or not enough. This phenomenon displays itself perfectly when there is a need to renew contracts or when there is a union vote pending.

There was a time in which I worked for a large grocery store chain as a bakery department manager. There came a time when contracts were nearing the end and negotiating began. Of course, this period of time was stressful of all concerned as it was literally was going to direct both the company and it's employees economic future. As things progressed, talk had an increasingly nervous tone. When talking to co-workers a negative sentiment was repeated with some members that was in direct opposition to my feelings about the matter. I don't expect the world to agree with me always, however it took some review for me to understand their point.

I have always said that my skills and knowledge travel with me and rather than bow to the demands of the corporate overlord I am committed to being justly compensated for leasing my time, skills, and knowledge. A few of my co-workers at that time, and a few others mimic the sentiment, were literally scared witless that the negotiations would result in them being jobless if they didn't cave into the demands of management. I am not afraid to value my time and put a price on it taking into account my costs of living, my three kids, the average wage for my work in the marketplace, and my education. All of these things can be valued and the fair exchange of my time for a wage is important. I have had offers from companies that were well below my average asking wage, and while it did make me a bit nervous to say no and wait for the next offer hoping that it would come quickly enough to not put my economy in jeopardy, I did so in effort to not misstep into a situation that would be inadequate.  By accepting too low of a wage, you are lessening the option to have adequate time to find the right job.

Too many workers are too afraid to find out if the rest of the marketplace needs their skills, if there are jobs available elsewhere for similar jobs, how much other's pay for the same work, and they are afraid to value themselves adequately.  I was taught the following sentence "I was looking for a job when I found this one." This sums up my stance to workplace evaluations. Any worker can transfer their skills to another job, if in fact the skill and training has been well earned. I find it hard, too hard on oneself, to not understand who you really are in life. A bad situation, no matter where it is, bad relationship with a spouse, or a friend or relative, or job, can be very costly. You put your physical and mental health in harms way.

In this economy, hell in almost any economy, valuing your contributions to the workplace is important. Just like you asked for, interviewed for, and was offered your current position, you can do so again, no matter how long you have been at the current job. As a chef, perhaps unlike some other industries, a long tenure is not common place. There are few gold watch retirement parties given to staff who have been with the organization for 20 years or more. It's just not how things work anymore. I did work for some highly talented chefs who had long terms with one company but they were older workers and nowadays it isn't common. Most chefs who are not partners or owners, typically work for 5 or 6 years at a spot, then move on, out of need to grow and/or company's wish to keep costs low. An experienced chef can be costly, but well worth it, and some organizations would rather take on two young chefs with limited experience and train them instead of paying one prized chef well.

Do some research! This age of Internet quickly offers up information about average wages in any industry, you can even get a better idea of wages by reading the want ads. Do some soul searching. Too many people undervalue themselves both in the workplace and in their social life. This is killing you slowly like a small dose of poison not able to kill right off but building up in your flesh over time. It drains your life blood and weakens your spirit.

Equally damaging is over evaluation. Do not fluff yourself up without cause or reality. This seems to be the realm of the young more so than the old. Older folks have been knocked around by reality and have had to plainly see themselves in a good mirror, just don't focus solely upon the flaws. Youthful workers often take things off their resumes to heart and make more of them than they really are worth.

When you dream, dream big! Shooting for the moon and missing, still leaves you in the realm of the stars. Personally, my big dream of owning my own bakery has been held in my heart for many many years, and while it is not yet a reality, I have been trained by some of the best, had experiences singularly superior to most, and have learned skills I did not anticipate. Lovely.

Mise En Place

Mise en place (French pronunciation: ​[mi zɑ̃ ˈplas]) is a French culinary phrase which means "putting in place", as in set up. It is used in professional kitchens to refer to organizing and arranging the ingredients (e.g., cuts of meat, relishes, sauces,par-cooked items, spices, freshly chopped vegetables, and other components) that a cook will require for the menu items that are expected to be prepared during a shift.^[1]

On my mind today is the constant search for the correct place, the true home of a chef, in this huge universe of food. A chef's skills move with the chef and the life of many a restaurant has been made or broken by the chef or lack thereof.  Finding the right place to work and thrive is very often hard to do these days.  The downturn in the economy was a big moment for the whole industry as belt tightening was required of every citizen and often we see that dining out and tourism are quickly reduced and seen as a luxury.

Not every kitchen and restaurant is well suited for every chef. The size, pace, menu, audience, and management all factor into how successful a chef can be under the specific environment. Chefs are like police in that we are often from a certain personality type and have loads in common but the differences between us can be very large. Some are much more the corporate chef or the rigid fine dining chef then there are ones like me of the more artist explorer type.

I am oh so familiar with the search for my place in this world in almost every way. I have had jobs both in the front of the house and back of the house. I have taken many opportunities that were not keeping me on a true chef path, however, since I have always wanted to be an owner and not just a worker, taking these chances to learn all that I could about my industry was a must for me. I have practiced excellent customer service for years, and have been called upon to use it in some of the most difficult of situations.

For the last year, perhaps a bit more, I have been trying my hand with teaching kids culinary skills at a couple of different locations, and with a group of high school teenagers and a group of 5-8th graders. Each group has their set of challenges and differing impacts to behavior. I have been enjoying teaching and now that I am a bit older and not in the best of health, I might have to teach nearly exclusively.

Every interview any chef goes to will have elements of a rose colored picture painted to entice the chef to accept an employment offer, that is if the interviewer wishes to hire said chef. Every chef needs to weigh what they have heard during the interview, what they have learned researching the company, and what their personal needs are in making a decision to accept or reject an offer. Lots of times, both parties, employer and employee, both walk away from the negotiating table with no offer due to a sense that their isn't a match being made. Sometimes, a one-night stand happens, i.e. chef only works at said place for a few weeks and either walks away or it is deemed that they aren't a good fit for that particular situation.

When I exited culinary school, I had already worked for a while with a couple of outlets, this had given me my early sea legs, so to speak. I worked for a wise chef that pointed me in the direction of the pastry department. I didn't have an interest in pastry, at the time, and thought of its' additional need for precision as something that I didn't want to embark upon. Needless to say, someone was right and I was wrong for once. My big moment that convinced me that I needed to be in a bakery was at one banquet I was cooking for, the time came to cut the wedding cake, I was disappointed by the bakery that the cake came from, and was not about to leave customers with such poor options for their big day.

The cake that day was following a very nice meal and good service. The fact that the cake was sub-par made me all the madder since it was to be the last thing they would eat. A cake is supposed to be that sweet high note of the evening not a major disappointment. This cake was cute but the cake didn't taste good and the way it was assembled made cutting it and platting it nicely nearly impossible. I was clear, right then and there, that I could do better an offer a product to people that tasted great and looked great. I had found my place in the spot light.

Hopefully, everyone can find their place on the wheel of life, in and out of the industry. Many people that I know are great in the kitchen but not always are they willing to work in the industry, not everyone in the industry want to be owners, or even have customer contact, and not every chef can bake or teach. We all have things we can naturally do and those things we can learn to do well, but nothing is more important than finding where you belong. Doing so will prove to be the most beneficial to your own sense of self worth.

Social Media and the Bakery

So.... today's twist and turns inspire me to talk about the computing age and the impacts to the food industry. When I first began working, right out of high school in the summer before I entered culinary school, no one knew or could predict the radical changes we would undergo to draw, attract, and maintain clients interest and loyalty.

Long gone are the days in which shoppers visited the 'neighborhood's' local bakery for their bread and sweets. The smaller bakeries first felt the squeeze on their ability to retain customer loyalty when the grocery chains incorporated a bakery department with in the stores. Opening the day before 6 am for business offering fresh baked bread, danish and donuts was usurped and firmly belongs to the chain outlets followed by a loss of the cake and cupcake business. Shoppers traded quality handmade products for the convenience of one-stop-shopping in an effort to save time and money, or at least that was the chant of the commercials we watched. Soon the family owned outlets with talented staff were hard pressed to price match the grocery stores therefore many sold or closed the businesses.

Those outlets that remained were ones that quickly adopted new styles and techniques, especially in the wedding cake, sculpted or carved cakes, and fondant enrobed cakes and other unique items. Bakeries could no longer only offer buttercream and whipped cream cakes which meant they were in need of hiring staff who could work with the new skills or retrain themselves to met client demands that the grocery stores did not offer. It should not surprise you that the chain stores added these offerings as well.

Now, any company that survived or was opened after Facebook became a household name with million of users, must use social media often in order to keep their business in viable competition in the marketplace. The showcase window, sign hanging, and a ad in the yellow pages can't keep you in the running to have a great wedding and holiday baking season. This monumental shift, while popular and accessible, brings negatives and positives.

So to the negatives, as I tend to like my bad news before the good news. Small business owners now have to either rely upon the tech savvy to make their online presence and maintain it, or learn new skills and keep in constant contact with their fans and customers. Knowing how to make a business Facebook page, using Instagram, Periscope, and maintaining a business web page, can take a significant amount of time especially when you aren't literate in the first place.

Success in this arena can attract new clients and concentrate your marketing funding to speak to those people in your most profitable demographic, but until the business can spend monies to have a marketing department or a dedicated staff member to handle these activities, the time that keeping up with social media marketing can be time consuming, especially as a new way to communicate are being developed every day.

The good news is that these activities are not expensive, especially if you do them yourself. Advertising your business no longer requires owners to hire publicity, advertising and marketing companies spending money on door tags, sale flyers, hand out brochures, print ads in newspapers, and issuing coupons. All the needs of small business owners to get the word out and keep the attention of customers can be done from your laptop while sitting on your favorite chair.

 I'm currently sitting in my recliner, reflecting on recent events, which prompted this conversation. My clients favorite way to reach out to me is on social media or email. This gives us the unique ability to talk with clients, decipher their requests, devise a design, and take a deposit all remotely. Keep in mind, that's when it all works, but when dealing with technology or learning new tech skills, we all have experiences where either the user or the program has failed to work effectively or not at all.

So over the weekend, I attempted my first podcast recording. I was excited as the conversation was quite interesting but, needless to say, something went wrong. Failing to create a usable recording made the effort as detectable as teardrops in rain. I am hoping that a second attempt to replace that interview will result in success but I know that the second attempt will not be exactly spoken as the first. I want all of the recordings to be very conversational, I do not feel the need to edit or sensor them, nor to have them sound as polished as a television episode.

Efforts to set a second appointment for a taping will have to wait. If it is not confirmed quickly, I will have to create another interview with someone else. C'est la Via, time waits for no one.