I'm sitting in our little office at the back of the bakery. It's 8am on Christmas Eve and we are done.
Well, done but for the bread selling. The baker just left, after starting at 3pm yesterday afternoon (so that's 16 hours of baking). And I am here, having arrived to help at 1am. I'm trying to get away, but I'm waiting for some danish to freeze solid for a customer to bake their own while we are closed.
This is our first Christmas as small business owners. It has been a huge year, and we have dealt with so much, well out of our areas of expertise, I can't even think how we have done it. Even the baker said this week 'Wow, Christmas! I thought we'd be divorced by now!'. Thrilling that we aren't. Thrilling that we are still going. Daunting to wonder how we will do it for another year.
Some BIG business must do's in 2010
- hire and keep a baker with interest, talent and skills. They can provide them , or we will train!
- do my own books. It's not hard but for some reason I'm terrified of messing up the computer. The motivation is to keep the book keepers salary for myself!
- get the furniture, permits and staff I need to open the shop later and Sundays.
- better and more beautiful, creative baking. Can't wait to see what recipe books Santa brings...
Best wishes for the season.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Thursday, December 10, 2009
christmas cards
Tis the season and the christmas cards are rolling in fast. Collecting the cards this year has become a lovely part of the afternoon routine for my family- checking the letter box, bringing in the pile, opening the cards, talking about who they're from, what's on the front, why we don't have snow here at christmas...Cards are really helping build the Christmas momentum in our house.
However, since we own a business we are getting a lot of cards from people we deal with, suppliers and such. I have to say, a card from a business is not such a joy. Maybe I feel like this because our first card was from the broker who sold us the business (who gained about $5000 from the transaction) with whom we have had no contact since. Then a card came from the accountant's office, signed by everyone in the office. Which is nice, but currently we are still waiting on our tax figures from our 'swamped' accountant, but apparently she's busy signing christmas cards. Then a sales man who I deal with sporadically dropped in a card. But he was really only checking out what we are using and if there is a sales opportunity there.
I do realise that christmas is a massive marketing tool. Every business book recommends sending a christmas 'something' to your customer data base to remind them you exist. But isn't christmas supposed to be about something else? Family, friends, personal reflection during a sacred and spiritual time. It's not the best opportunity for people with whom you have an account to 'remind you they exist'. I get those reminders every month..
What about those who don't participate in Christmas? I have received nothing from my Indian drygood supplier, nothing from the Jewish papergoods people. What about the faux pas of sending them a card? In our multicultural world, it's potentially a very bad decision to use a religious holiday as a business opportunity. What say you on that, marketers?
So, I've decided that a business custom thank-you and New Year acknowledgement on the Christmas statement, along with our holiday trading hours is the most appropriate action for us. I'm comfortable with it and it's as sincere as I can be. Afterall, it's just business.
However, since we own a business we are getting a lot of cards from people we deal with, suppliers and such. I have to say, a card from a business is not such a joy. Maybe I feel like this because our first card was from the broker who sold us the business (who gained about $5000 from the transaction) with whom we have had no contact since. Then a card came from the accountant's office, signed by everyone in the office. Which is nice, but currently we are still waiting on our tax figures from our 'swamped' accountant, but apparently she's busy signing christmas cards. Then a sales man who I deal with sporadically dropped in a card. But he was really only checking out what we are using and if there is a sales opportunity there.
I do realise that christmas is a massive marketing tool. Every business book recommends sending a christmas 'something' to your customer data base to remind them you exist. But isn't christmas supposed to be about something else? Family, friends, personal reflection during a sacred and spiritual time. It's not the best opportunity for people with whom you have an account to 'remind you they exist'. I get those reminders every month..
What about those who don't participate in Christmas? I have received nothing from my Indian drygood supplier, nothing from the Jewish papergoods people. What about the faux pas of sending them a card? In our multicultural world, it's potentially a very bad decision to use a religious holiday as a business opportunity. What say you on that, marketers?
So, I've decided that a business custom thank-you and New Year acknowledgement on the Christmas statement, along with our holiday trading hours is the most appropriate action for us. I'm comfortable with it and it's as sincere as I can be. Afterall, it's just business.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Hey! A wonderful chef and his wife (with whom I have both worked) have just bought a restaurant. Yay! Congratulations to them and best wishes for a great start on their own.
It's called Colenso and it's in Woodend.
Check out the menu on their website www.colenso.com.au and pay attention to the Prix Fixe menu on Friday and Saturday nights. Gorgeous and great price too.
A lovely weekend away in a little B&B wth dinner and breakfast at Colenso might be just what the body needs.
FYI- Woodend is about 40mins from Melbourne at the foot of the Macedon ranges and the spa country (meaning not far from Daylesford).
It's called Colenso and it's in Woodend.
Check out the menu on their website www.colenso.com.au and pay attention to the Prix Fixe menu on Friday and Saturday nights. Gorgeous and great price too.
A lovely weekend away in a little B&B wth dinner and breakfast at Colenso might be just what the body needs.
FYI- Woodend is about 40mins from Melbourne at the foot of the Macedon ranges and the spa country (meaning not far from Daylesford).
food-centric tales
Today playing chasey in the backyard, my son named himself the Gingerbread Man
(run, run as fast as you can, you can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man,)
and he named the baker, his father, the Muffin Man.
Yes, absolutely, everything in our house revolves around baking. Yep, everything.
(run, run as fast as you can, you can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man,)
and he named the baker, his father, the Muffin Man.
Yes, absolutely, everything in our house revolves around baking. Yep, everything.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
the cake
Christmas cake is a very hard thing, both as a baker and an eater. I suppose, as with all food, it's about personal preferences. Dark or light? Heavy? Moist and crumbly? Nuts or not? Gross red cherry things or not? Boozy? Citrusy? Jammy, figgy puddin' cake?
I find it really hard to do christmas cake. The time and the cost make me hesitate, and then the recipe variations are too many. I've really yet to find my true cake, the one I would make every year forever. The christmas cake my grandchildren would remember me by. I'm still trying.
But, of course I had to make something for my customers. So we have cake. It has no butter in the recipe and heaps of soaked, boozy fruit. The cake is really just there to hold the fruit together. It's a nice cake, baked weeks ago and aged as it should be. I was worth it (the trouble, time, effort and stress), but I want better.
What's my perfect christmas cake? I think it is not light or dark, but a golden medium colour cake, with moist, juicy fruits of all kinds, even cherries. It also has walnuts and the fragrant hint of marzipan. It is crumbly and cakey, not a heavy fruity brick. And no white icing.
Once I made a marzipan fruit cake from a Nigella recipe I think it was. I'm searching it out now, for my second wind of christmas cakes in the bakery. I'll be doing a 'quick Christmas cake' for the last two weeks in December, a bit cheaper than the Christmas cake, because it's more a simple fruit cake. In fact that's probably where I'm going wrong in my quest. I'm reading Christmas cake recipes, when I really want to get myself a brilliant fruit cake recipe.
The same issues can arise when making fruit mince pies. But for me this is easier, because I know how I like my fruit mince pies to be and so I make them that way. Pastry with a bit of baking powder and egg, so it's cakey, light and soft. It creates a gentle pillow around the fruit and carries it beautifully into your mouth. And warmed with cream it's like a little sweet pudding from heaven.
But I've had criticism about my style of pies, from my very own household even. All I can say is there's no right or wrong, it's a preference. Shortcrust mince pies and light christmas cake are fine for some people, dark, heavy cake and soft pillow pies for others. I just hope I've got enough cuatomers who like my christmas style, and then enough pies and cakes for those who do!
I find it really hard to do christmas cake. The time and the cost make me hesitate, and then the recipe variations are too many. I've really yet to find my true cake, the one I would make every year forever. The christmas cake my grandchildren would remember me by. I'm still trying.
But, of course I had to make something for my customers. So we have cake. It has no butter in the recipe and heaps of soaked, boozy fruit. The cake is really just there to hold the fruit together. It's a nice cake, baked weeks ago and aged as it should be. I was worth it (the trouble, time, effort and stress), but I want better.
What's my perfect christmas cake? I think it is not light or dark, but a golden medium colour cake, with moist, juicy fruits of all kinds, even cherries. It also has walnuts and the fragrant hint of marzipan. It is crumbly and cakey, not a heavy fruity brick. And no white icing.
Once I made a marzipan fruit cake from a Nigella recipe I think it was. I'm searching it out now, for my second wind of christmas cakes in the bakery. I'll be doing a 'quick Christmas cake' for the last two weeks in December, a bit cheaper than the Christmas cake, because it's more a simple fruit cake. In fact that's probably where I'm going wrong in my quest. I'm reading Christmas cake recipes, when I really want to get myself a brilliant fruit cake recipe.
The same issues can arise when making fruit mince pies. But for me this is easier, because I know how I like my fruit mince pies to be and so I make them that way. Pastry with a bit of baking powder and egg, so it's cakey, light and soft. It creates a gentle pillow around the fruit and carries it beautifully into your mouth. And warmed with cream it's like a little sweet pudding from heaven.
But I've had criticism about my style of pies, from my very own household even. All I can say is there's no right or wrong, it's a preference. Shortcrust mince pies and light christmas cake are fine for some people, dark, heavy cake and soft pillow pies for others. I just hope I've got enough cuatomers who like my christmas style, and then enough pies and cakes for those who do!
Thursday, November 26, 2009
betrayed
Staffing is a constant, ongoing issue in the small business world.
Getting
1. the right people to
2. do the job you want them to do
3. for the money you can afford to pay them
is a multi-factor nightmare.
At the moment in my shop I have five people employed who fulfill one of the three criteria. I would not be alone in finding it difficult to secure the best people, since they rarely present for the jobs I have to offer.
So I have invested considerable time in getting my staff up to speed, on food safety, operating procedures, company policy, customer service goals, minimum acceptable work levels. Some of this stuff is so obvious, I really do loathe having to tell my staff about it. I get embarrassed when someone has not noticed something obvious that requires their attention because IT'S THEIR JOB.
I have one staff member who has pushed and pushed for more hours and changed work circumstances, and got everything she's asked for. Today I found out that she has handed her resume to a casual staff member to get assistance in looking for other work.
This is the first real conundrum for me as an employer. When I was an employee jumping from job to job with no loyalty was all part of hospitality work. It was one of the privileges of having skills to sell. Now as an employer, having it done to me is really shocking. For a start this employee does not have skills to sell. The time I have spent training, the effort I have made to give her the work she asked for, relegating other staff so she can get her hours, I expected a bit of loyalty, but no. I don't get loyalty or commitment or anything but a FU behind my back. I'm hurt and annoyed.
How do I react? Currently I have a useful person doing a consistent job. I need this in my business right now. And so far as the future, I had plans to offer her the full hours she wanted and develop my business with her as part of that core team. I don't want to do this now. But perhaps she's going looking because she doesn't know what I may to offer her. Perhaps she simply doesn't like the job.
I have another staff member who is a consistent but sloppy worker, and who cannot change her behaviours or attitude, as much as I coach her, encourage her, put up with her. Her attitude is the pits. She often comments that customers are being difficult (asking for things we sell, for crying out loud!), and she sneers at people. I have made a huge effort to train all staff about our bread so they can speak knowledgeably when serving, but listening to her talk to customers, she doesn't care. At all. I tolerate this because she turns up every day at 7am, 5 days a week and I need this in my business, because it's something I cannot do. Presently I'm desperately trying to find a way for her to exit the business. I'm sure she has no idea about this. So she will eventually feel betrayed for her loyalty, once she is aware of our plans.
Some of my problems are about communication. I am absolutely not good about confronting people in the moment or after a problem has passed, or taking people aside for a talk, pointing out failures, doing any of that 'one minute manager' stuff. And I need to, because putting up with the mediocre is costing me time, wages and the end result is my customers are affected, so my business is affected.
I often think about how I feel when people I know come into my shop. Mostly I'm embarrassed about the run down, dusty way it often looks, the grotty plates on display, the smeary glass and badly displayed (divinely delicious) bakery items. NO WAY should I feel like this, when I pay people to sort out these things. Shiny, clean glass, beautifully displayed food, with the correct name and price on them and happy, happy service is all we have going for us, and some days we do even have that...
These staff have gotta go.
Getting
1. the right people to
2. do the job you want them to do
3. for the money you can afford to pay them
is a multi-factor nightmare.
At the moment in my shop I have five people employed who fulfill one of the three criteria. I would not be alone in finding it difficult to secure the best people, since they rarely present for the jobs I have to offer.
So I have invested considerable time in getting my staff up to speed, on food safety, operating procedures, company policy, customer service goals, minimum acceptable work levels. Some of this stuff is so obvious, I really do loathe having to tell my staff about it. I get embarrassed when someone has not noticed something obvious that requires their attention because IT'S THEIR JOB.
I have one staff member who has pushed and pushed for more hours and changed work circumstances, and got everything she's asked for. Today I found out that she has handed her resume to a casual staff member to get assistance in looking for other work.
This is the first real conundrum for me as an employer. When I was an employee jumping from job to job with no loyalty was all part of hospitality work. It was one of the privileges of having skills to sell. Now as an employer, having it done to me is really shocking. For a start this employee does not have skills to sell. The time I have spent training, the effort I have made to give her the work she asked for, relegating other staff so she can get her hours, I expected a bit of loyalty, but no. I don't get loyalty or commitment or anything but a FU behind my back. I'm hurt and annoyed.
How do I react? Currently I have a useful person doing a consistent job. I need this in my business right now. And so far as the future, I had plans to offer her the full hours she wanted and develop my business with her as part of that core team. I don't want to do this now. But perhaps she's going looking because she doesn't know what I may to offer her. Perhaps she simply doesn't like the job.
I have another staff member who is a consistent but sloppy worker, and who cannot change her behaviours or attitude, as much as I coach her, encourage her, put up with her. Her attitude is the pits. She often comments that customers are being difficult (asking for things we sell, for crying out loud!), and she sneers at people. I have made a huge effort to train all staff about our bread so they can speak knowledgeably when serving, but listening to her talk to customers, she doesn't care. At all. I tolerate this because she turns up every day at 7am, 5 days a week and I need this in my business, because it's something I cannot do. Presently I'm desperately trying to find a way for her to exit the business. I'm sure she has no idea about this. So she will eventually feel betrayed for her loyalty, once she is aware of our plans.
Some of my problems are about communication. I am absolutely not good about confronting people in the moment or after a problem has passed, or taking people aside for a talk, pointing out failures, doing any of that 'one minute manager' stuff. And I need to, because putting up with the mediocre is costing me time, wages and the end result is my customers are affected, so my business is affected.
I often think about how I feel when people I know come into my shop. Mostly I'm embarrassed about the run down, dusty way it often looks, the grotty plates on display, the smeary glass and badly displayed (divinely delicious) bakery items. NO WAY should I feel like this, when I pay people to sort out these things. Shiny, clean glass, beautifully displayed food, with the correct name and price on them and happy, happy service is all we have going for us, and some days we do even have that...
These staff have gotta go.
Monday, November 23, 2009
stuff going slow
Yesterday we went on a day trip to visit some friends in Romsey. It's great going there, so close but far enough out of town that you feel like you're in the bush. And you can smell the paddocks and mountains, not cars and traffic. You can even hear any cars and traffic. It rained the whole way there, which was pure joy.
These friends are chefs, and a visit there always involves a lovely eating experience. For those of you who are not chefs, this does not mean we get a multi course degustation, matched to wine. In my experience when chefs cook for chefs, the smart ones go simple, fresh and use the best. It's the best way to cook anyway and leaves you plenty of time to chat and gossip. We had braised chicken and rice followed by a tomato and cucumber salad with some amazing, creamy feta that turned this simple dish into a luxurious lunch finale.
Well, lunch was being prepared when we got there and from a cupboard appeared something I haven't seen in ages- a pressure cooker. Saucepan style, handles that clip together and a little steam whistler on top. My children and I perched at the end of the kitchen bench watching that contraption whistle like a train, mesmerised. Lest it be said that our braised chicken was ready within the hour, tender and bone meltingly sweet and soft.
I decided right then that I have been stupid all this time, and I'm gettin' me a pressure cooker. Stuff your slow braised, 8 hour, overnight anything. The environmental impact of running the oven on 70 degrees for 12 hours for your pork belly or even just running the electric slow cooker overnight ..well, it flies in the face of current energy consumption directives.
That aside, the major factor influencing my home cooking currently is time. Most days I have less than 20 minutes to get a meal on the table and I rarely have the energy to get organised the night before. If I eat pasta more than once a fortnight I go spare, it's never enough of a meal for me, I actually get why Italians have it as an entree. A baby in the house means stir fry is off the menu for a while (regardless of what the baby books say about finger foods, crunchy veg and the joys of mopping noodles off the floor, I'm not doing it.)
But with a miraculous pressure cooker, I can have my usual go-to dishes, faster. Braised chicken and lentils, lamb and potatoes, even bean soups are go. And when I've run out of ideas, I'll just cruise the cookbook section of the op shop. Once I've picked through the microwave cooking and the 'Taste for Life' anthologies, I can see some gems being unearthed there. Can I do creamed rice in it? Wouldn't that take like, 4 minutes? Imagine how fast I could get a bolognese out of there, for sure. Gosh, I could throw together the meat sauce at the same time as the bechamel and have lasagne ready in an hour. That could save my marriage.
Hold me back, I'm off shopping....
These friends are chefs, and a visit there always involves a lovely eating experience. For those of you who are not chefs, this does not mean we get a multi course degustation, matched to wine. In my experience when chefs cook for chefs, the smart ones go simple, fresh and use the best. It's the best way to cook anyway and leaves you plenty of time to chat and gossip. We had braised chicken and rice followed by a tomato and cucumber salad with some amazing, creamy feta that turned this simple dish into a luxurious lunch finale.
Well, lunch was being prepared when we got there and from a cupboard appeared something I haven't seen in ages- a pressure cooker. Saucepan style, handles that clip together and a little steam whistler on top. My children and I perched at the end of the kitchen bench watching that contraption whistle like a train, mesmerised. Lest it be said that our braised chicken was ready within the hour, tender and bone meltingly sweet and soft.
I decided right then that I have been stupid all this time, and I'm gettin' me a pressure cooker. Stuff your slow braised, 8 hour, overnight anything. The environmental impact of running the oven on 70 degrees for 12 hours for your pork belly or even just running the electric slow cooker overnight ..well, it flies in the face of current energy consumption directives.
That aside, the major factor influencing my home cooking currently is time. Most days I have less than 20 minutes to get a meal on the table and I rarely have the energy to get organised the night before. If I eat pasta more than once a fortnight I go spare, it's never enough of a meal for me, I actually get why Italians have it as an entree. A baby in the house means stir fry is off the menu for a while (regardless of what the baby books say about finger foods, crunchy veg and the joys of mopping noodles off the floor, I'm not doing it.)
But with a miraculous pressure cooker, I can have my usual go-to dishes, faster. Braised chicken and lentils, lamb and potatoes, even bean soups are go. And when I've run out of ideas, I'll just cruise the cookbook section of the op shop. Once I've picked through the microwave cooking and the 'Taste for Life' anthologies, I can see some gems being unearthed there. Can I do creamed rice in it? Wouldn't that take like, 4 minutes? Imagine how fast I could get a bolognese out of there, for sure. Gosh, I could throw together the meat sauce at the same time as the bechamel and have lasagne ready in an hour. That could save my marriage.
Hold me back, I'm off shopping....
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