This week I attended the class "How to Write a Business Plan" for the food industry at the Natural Gourmet Instiute in NYC. This was a course taught by Terry Frishman, formerly of Kraft and it was a combination of business school and crack cocaine in a three hour binge. Frishman was direct, detailed and moved at the same pace as the Amtrack Excella, but doing so managed to cram an entire week long course into a few hours.
The class though thorough, was a complete "wake-up call." And there's nothing wrong with that. In fact, it's what most of us need, so we don't end up throwing away our time and money on some inflated dream of happiness and success without the hard facts, costs and competition that are sure to come down the line. Frishman did a really good job pinpointing which ideas had major issues, like my own (personal chef) because many businesses related to food are successful based on volume. I couldn't quite convince myself on my own that my idea wasn't going to earn me beau coup bucks, so I needed her to tell me, and she did.
The positive side of it all is it really does force you to truly focus on your business, your competition, your strengths, your weaknesses and what is truly going to make your business or service stand out from everyone else. Frishman said a business plan can take a few weeks to years to finalize, but creating one is "only informing yourself."
If you're interested in starting a fast food vegan chain, or vegan cupcake business or even your own line of pickles like some of my classmates, I do highly recommend creating a full fledged plan. Better yet, take a class (preferably more than a few hours) that can really walk you through how to prepare yourself for the road ahead and invest wisely in a potentially profitable food business.
Showing posts with label cooking skills. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cooking skills. Show all posts
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Adventures in Cooking
Yesterday, my husband and I attended a cooking class at Adventures in Cooking, Wayne, NJ. I was surprised to see that this somewhat small, specialty cooking store had it's own fairly large demo kitchen for classes. The kitchen was equipped with two ovens, two stoves, a large demo counter for the chef and one of those overhead mirrors so you can see everything that was going on. The chef was Daniel Rosati, a gentile and warm-hearted chef who has his own cooking school in Italy.
The class began with Rosati walking us through the five soup recipes we would be making. He explained how he discovered each of these recipes and told us about each region of Italy that they are from. He explained all the ingredients we would be using and where we were making substitutions for ingredients that were indigenous to regions in Italy, but not available here.
The class last three hours and all the participants split into small groups each crafting their own soup from the list under the guidance of Rosati. The atmosphere was casual but each group carefully watched their pots and worked together to complete their soup.
At the end of the class Rosati personally served class members a bowl of each soup, starting with the most mildly flavored and working up to the most intense. There was no need to eat after this class.
At the start of the class store owner, Arlene Ward shared some sad news. After many years of owning the shop and running these classes she was facing retirement. This 75 year old store owner, who doesn't look a day over 60, spoke from her heart telling class members the doors would be closing sometime in February 2009 and that the building would be sold.
If you can, try to make it to this unique location for a class or just to shop. There may be a time when these businesses no longer exist and this is just another disappearing.
For more information visit: http://www.adventuresincooking.com/ or call 973-305-1114.
The class began with Rosati walking us through the five soup recipes we would be making. He explained how he discovered each of these recipes and told us about each region of Italy that they are from. He explained all the ingredients we would be using and where we were making substitutions for ingredients that were indigenous to regions in Italy, but not available here.
The class last three hours and all the participants split into small groups each crafting their own soup from the list under the guidance of Rosati. The atmosphere was casual but each group carefully watched their pots and worked together to complete their soup.
At the end of the class Rosati personally served class members a bowl of each soup, starting with the most mildly flavored and working up to the most intense. There was no need to eat after this class.
At the start of the class store owner, Arlene Ward shared some sad news. After many years of owning the shop and running these classes she was facing retirement. This 75 year old store owner, who doesn't look a day over 60, spoke from her heart telling class members the doors would be closing sometime in February 2009 and that the building would be sold.
If you can, try to make it to this unique location for a class or just to shop. There may be a time when these businesses no longer exist and this is just another disappearing.
For more information visit: http://www.adventuresincooking.com/ or call 973-305-1114.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
No Cost Cooking Classes
If you are looking for some no cost cooking classes check out your local Williams Sonoma store. The store near me offers an in-store demo class every Saturday at 12noon. They do ask you to sign-up in advance, but you can also just show up.
Today's class, Classic French Food, demonstrated how to make French Onion Soup, Basic Crepes and Chicken Provence. I was impressed to hear that the chef doing the demo owned her own local catering company and had worked for Emeril Lagasse.
The store does push some of it's products. The chef used the Williams Sonoma Demi-Glace de Boeuf in the soup, which retails at a steep $29 for a little jar. The upside is they do provide you with a free booklet of the original recipes (without the store products) plus you get the demo and all the chefs tips and short cuts with it.
If you sign-up in advance you are guaranteed a taste of everything. There were sixteen people signed up for the demo I attended, but probably about 30 people total watching. The chef knew many of the people by name so it looks like lots of folks are weekly regulars.
Plan to spend about a full hour at the store. I did spring for the $29 demi-glace. What the hell. It looks like a pretty cool product (works like bouillon but better) and you can add it to almost anything.
Classes are either Saturdays or Sundays. Check your local store for a schedule.
Today's class, Classic French Food, demonstrated how to make French Onion Soup, Basic Crepes and Chicken Provence. I was impressed to hear that the chef doing the demo owned her own local catering company and had worked for Emeril Lagasse.
The store does push some of it's products. The chef used the Williams Sonoma Demi-Glace de Boeuf in the soup, which retails at a steep $29 for a little jar. The upside is they do provide you with a free booklet of the original recipes (without the store products) plus you get the demo and all the chefs tips and short cuts with it.
If you sign-up in advance you are guaranteed a taste of everything. There were sixteen people signed up for the demo I attended, but probably about 30 people total watching. The chef knew many of the people by name so it looks like lots of folks are weekly regulars.
Plan to spend about a full hour at the store. I did spring for the $29 demi-glace. What the hell. It looks like a pretty cool product (works like bouillon but better) and you can add it to almost anything.
Classes are either Saturdays or Sundays. Check your local store for a schedule.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Knife Skills 101
Knowing how to use your knives is at the heart of being able to get your dishes prepared quickly and efficiently. Wednesday night my husband and I cook the Knife Skills 1 class at the Recreational Division of the Institute for Culinary Education in New York City. The instructor was Norman Weinstein, author of Mastering Knife Skills (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 2008).
There were 12 students in the class and we each got our own station which included a cutting board and a set of knives. Mr. Weinstein walked us through what he calls the basic four knives you need to get started; a bread or serrated knife, a 8 or 10 inch chef's knife a paring knife and a utility knife. We all preferred the 10 in chef's knife over the 8 inch. At the heart of the class is the few basic "strokes" I'll call them, that you need to know. We found out, we are all working way too hard in the way we cut food. "Relax your shoulder." "Your arm is too tense." "Your grip is too tight." See a pattern here? Slicing and dicing is really much easier than we think, with the right knives and the right techniques. The guy next to me was so tense I thought for sure he was going to lose a few fingers over the course of our three hours. He didn't and Mr. Weinstein never gave up on him.
The environment was very comfortable and light, except when we first arrived being about 15 minutes late. We disrupted things and the instructor let us know that. Unfortunately we were at the mercy of the Lincoln Tunnel which seemed to close off an artery adding an extra hour to our commute.
Below is the class description from the school. Give it a try!
Online at: https://web.iceculinary.com/icereg/details.asp?cid=KNIFE1&DT=
Class description:
Knowing how to use knives skillfully is critical for cooks, yet many people have never mastered proper technique. Similarly, good knives form the foundation of a well-equipped kitchen, yet even some accomplished home cooks don’t know how to select and care for them. In Knife Skills 1, you’ll use Wüsthof-Trident knives to slice, dice, and chop in the safest and most efficient manner. You’ll also learn the proper way to sharpen your knives. Note that Knife Skill courses may be taken in any order. Chef-Instructor Norman Weinstein has been teaching everyone from first-time cooks to professional chefs how to better select and use knives for more than 20 years. He is the author of Mastering Knife Skills (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 2008). He’s been profiled in Wine Spectator and the New York Times Magazine, and has appeared on the Food Network. He was the 2003 honoree of the New York Association of Culinary Professionals.
There were 12 students in the class and we each got our own station which included a cutting board and a set of knives. Mr. Weinstein walked us through what he calls the basic four knives you need to get started; a bread or serrated knife, a 8 or 10 inch chef's knife a paring knife and a utility knife. We all preferred the 10 in chef's knife over the 8 inch. At the heart of the class is the few basic "strokes" I'll call them, that you need to know. We found out, we are all working way too hard in the way we cut food. "Relax your shoulder." "Your arm is too tense." "Your grip is too tight." See a pattern here? Slicing and dicing is really much easier than we think, with the right knives and the right techniques. The guy next to me was so tense I thought for sure he was going to lose a few fingers over the course of our three hours. He didn't and Mr. Weinstein never gave up on him.
The environment was very comfortable and light, except when we first arrived being about 15 minutes late. We disrupted things and the instructor let us know that. Unfortunately we were at the mercy of the Lincoln Tunnel which seemed to close off an artery adding an extra hour to our commute.
Below is the class description from the school. Give it a try!
Online at: https://web.iceculinary.com/icereg/details.asp?cid=KNIFE1&DT=
Class description:
Knowing how to use knives skillfully is critical for cooks, yet many people have never mastered proper technique. Similarly, good knives form the foundation of a well-equipped kitchen, yet even some accomplished home cooks don’t know how to select and care for them. In Knife Skills 1, you’ll use Wüsthof-Trident knives to slice, dice, and chop in the safest and most efficient manner. You’ll also learn the proper way to sharpen your knives. Note that Knife Skill courses may be taken in any order. Chef-Instructor Norman Weinstein has been teaching everyone from first-time cooks to professional chefs how to better select and use knives for more than 20 years. He is the author of Mastering Knife Skills (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 2008). He’s been profiled in Wine Spectator and the New York Times Magazine, and has appeared on the Food Network. He was the 2003 honoree of the New York Association of Culinary Professionals.
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