Working Long Hours and Finding Good Help

Pursue Your Dream

Interview with Pastry Chef/Owner Zueen Bhosle

Madeleine Bakery & Café

Rutherford, NJ

By Jeff Yoskowitz and Kathryn Gordon

www.madeleinebakery.com

When we arrived at Madeleine Bakery & Cafe we were greeted by Nancy Roman, a good friend and neighbor who comes in to help Zueen ,the owner, during lunch and to help greet customers.

After talking to her a bit it was clear to us that Nancy has helped encourage Zueen to open Madeleine Bakery & Café.  In fact, Nancy told Zueen,  “If you don’t pursue your dream, it will always be in the back of your mind and you will never know what it would have been like if you had tried”. 

Then Zueen arrived.

Jeff:   Hi Zueen, how are you doing? You've been here in for months in Rutherford. Is it what you expected?  

Zueen:  It’s going great – but I’m a bit tired!  I get here at 3 or 4 in the morning to do all the baking until around 10 am, and I’m here in the front until we close in the early evening.  We close a bit earlier on Saturdays.   Meanwhile, my mother arrived from India for a visit yesterday, so at least this week I don’t have to worry so much about my 5-year old daughter.

Kathryn:  You’re doing all your own baking?  Why don’t you get an assistant baker?  You could advertise on Craig’s list.

Zueen:  I’ve been a bit scared of using Craig’s list. I haven’t had luck yet with a good baker.  Most of them don’t want to start at 4 am, and then if they agree, the reality sets in and they don’t like the schedule.  I’ll go beyond my budget for an assistant baker, but I've had trouble getting the right person so I've been doing all the work myself. 

Jeff:    No wonder you’re tired!  Why are your hours different on Saturday?

Zueen:   During the week we get a lot of commuters because we are across the street from the train station, and lunches for office and school workers.  On Saturday, it’s mostly families with kids, and I think for this area those hours are okay.

The train to NYC is across the road from Zueen’s bakery; you can see the skyscrapers in the background.

Jeff:  What does your typical morning customer purchase with you being so close to the train station?

Zueen:  They buy coffee and pound cake, or the baked goods (outside of the refrigerated case).   We’re the bakery which opens first in the neighborhood each morning.  My customers love the Illy coffee we serve.  Some don’t like paying 25 cents more for it, and will walk past us to another location near the train for their (cheaper) coffee.

The madeleines at Madeleine Bakery & Café

Kathryn:  What are the biggest requests that people have?

Zueen:  I think people are looking for new stuff every day. When the customers come in, they like to see what’s new!   For some reason, anything I make with wine, beer or chocolate, coffee, mocha goes really fast.  Fruit items have moved more slowly.

Jeff:  Have you considered making more dummy cakes for display?  That might help generate cakes sales, or let people know you can make them.

Zueen:  Until I find another baker, I know that I can’t do all of it myself, so no.  I’m too nervous to put more dummy cakes out, in case I get orders!

Jeff:  In terms of the equipment you have, do you feel what you have is adequate?

Zueen:  Yes, I do think I have enough equipment for growth.  I need people, not equipment.  People have been my biggest challenge so far.

View of the production kitchen

Zueen:  I’ve looked for baking assistants but do you know what I’ve noticed? They don’t know how to be organized and keep their work stations clean, and that really bothers me.

Kathryn:  Have you considered putting a help-wanted sign in the window here?  Something with the parameters like:  experienced baker required; will train (4 am start).  I think you really, really need some help with the baking, Zueen.  You can’t keep it all up yourself.

Zueen:  I tried a sign in the window before but there have been some weird people who walk in!  However, I will try that approach again. 

I agree with you that it’s not sustainable to do this all by myself.  I feel at some point my brain stops working regarding what I want to do next.  When there’s someone else, there’s someone you can talk to and bounce ideas around.   Depending on how creative they are, we could collaborate together on the menu.  Paul (the Chef) and I collaborate on the sandwich menu, and that works out extremely well.  I just want someone to come in here who loves to bake!

Kathryn:   If you haven’t been happy yet with the candidates you've gotten to help bake, maybe you should always make potential bakers trail.  Aren’t some of the issues you’ve noted “trainable to some extent?”   Maybe you just need to modify your hiring approach, and help show the people exactly what you want from them in terms of your standards.

Jeff:  Zueen, What’s the long term goal here and what’s your plan for it? 

Zueen:  My plan is to add more products because really people love what we make.  I’ve gotten very great responses.  

Zueen:  I’m still getting a lot of new people, who didn’t realize that we’re open.  I’m trying to get county permission to put a sandwich style sign outside on the sidewalk.    I might start doing light dinners and I want to hand out free samples at the train station, and give flyers to evening commuters.

Kathryn:  Is parking an issue here in terms of attracting customers?  I noticed coming in its largely metered parking, and some of the zones have limited time slots. 

Zueen:  Everyone in Rutherford is used to not being able to park!  And a lot of people just walk here during the day, come in after school…

Jeff:  I know that your husband Samir has helped from the very beginning. What is his role now?

Zueen:  He helps with all the finances and paperwork and tracks our customers and sales with our POS system, while I’m more here, concentrating on the baking and day-to-day management.

Jeff:  We’d love to talk to you more Zueen, after you’ve had some more time to settle in to see how your bakery has grown!

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Going Mobile

Interview with Gary Ele

Executive Pastry Chef/Proprietor

Oz Patisserie Mobile Dessert Truck

www.ozpatisserie.com

By Kathryn Gordon and Jessie Riley

Kathryn:  Hi Gary!  Jessie and I have known you for several years from working with you at the World Pastry Championships.  We see updates all the time on Facebook about your food truck business!  How long have you had it?

Gary:  I physically started the truck business in July of 2010. The planning phase started in December 2009.

Jessie:  What did you do before you opened the truck business?

Gary:   My background includes: US Navy, CA, IL, HI, VA; Norwegian Cruise Lines America, Honolulu HI; Sandia Resort and Casino, Albuquerque NM; Casino Arizona, Scottsdale, AZ. 

Kathryn:  How did you come up for the idea for a truck versus another format?

Gary:  I wanted to work for myself for years but could not afford a “Brick and Mortar” business.   I was a little ahead of the curve and started looking outside the box and came up with the idea of a Mobile Dessert Truck. There are many Food Trucks across the country, but I wanted to do a fine dining style of desserts.  My goal is “Michelin Quality at Street Food Prices.”

Jessie:  How's it working out for you running your business in a truck?

Gary:   Business is booming! I enjoy being my own boss and setting my own schedule.  

Jessie: Is it what you expected?  

Gary:   Actually it is more than I expected. I enjoy making the desserts that my customer base wants and what I want to experiment with and if something does not sell it comes off the menu.

Kathryn:  Is anything more difficult than you anticipated?  How many days a week are you open?

Gary:  The hours can be long when I get back-to-back events.  Normally I am open 6 days a week, but that is flexible dependant on the weather or booked events. I may not open prior to a very large event in order to have time to prepare, depending on the expected customer count.

Jessie:  What's your customer base like?  Are you in the same location on certain days of the week so you have regular followers?

Gary:  The majority of my daily customer base is post high school educated professionals.  I try to stick to a certain schedule of locations around Albuquerque for the daily operations, I have a very strong and loyal customer base that have on occasion driven up to 20 mile or so just to get the soufflés or some of my one-time-only specials.

Kathryn:   How do you post your daily location for people to find you?

Gary:   I use Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare and post updates daily. I can be located on Facebook at OZ Patisserie Mobile Dessert Truck , Twitter at @OzPatisserie or Foursquare at Gary Ele.

Kathryn:   Where do you bake?

Gary:  I bake in the truck. It is fully equipped with a convection oven, induction stove, mixers, sinks, refrigeration and storage. I do not require a separate commissary.

Jessie:  Do you have staff to help you?  If you suddenly have a run on something you’re selling, does it mean that you’re “out for the day?”

Gary:   Currently I am my own staff.   I normally carry enough stock to get through the day, but if I do run out of something I either make more on the truck or apologize to the customer.

Gary: As I am the “staff,” I am out with the truck daily. I do some wholesale to other trucks for the late night crowds.  My days run between 10 to 16 hours and I prefer to bake early in the mornings this time of year due to the hot weather.

Jessie:  Because it seems like you're always running "specials" when I see your facebook postings -- clearly you're always thinking up new menu items.

Gary:   I normally carry between 10 and 15 different items. Anyone in this business knows you have to constantly keep up with either new trends or go way back to the classics.

Jessie:  Is a truck format very expensive?

Gary:   The truck format can go from reasonable to the absurd depending on your budget. I am fortunate to have a strong mechanical background so I bought the basic shell and did the majority of the work on my own.

The capital investment someone needs to set up something like I have would vary between about $20,000.00 to well over $100,000.00 dependant on whether you have the need for a full kitchen or have a commissary to cook in and just serve. A truck I know of in Orlando just does Cup Cakes and everything is done in their commissary, packaged, loaded on speed racks and put in the truck.

Kathryn:   On your website, it says you can rent the truck for a party?

Gary: I do private catering where customers rent the truck based on a person count. More and more I am doing unconventional weddings; no cake, but an assortment of desserts.  Dependent on the extravagance, location and the budget I will vary the cost.  At some pay-as-you-go events I will set a minimum fee.

Jessie:   Gary, is there anything else that you think about, or whatever that I have not asked about that we should include? 

Gary:  This has been the most exciting time of my Culinary Career. I get excited when I see the faces of my customers as they try either something familiar or new. I have never been happier with the place in my life.

Kathryn:  Thanks Gary! 

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Time to Expand?

Time to Expand?

An interview with Master Boulanger Philippe Soulard by Kathryn Gordon

Name of Business:  La Maison du Pain

        At location # 1 of 3, Angers France
        http://lamaisondupain-angers.fr/

Kathryn:  So Philippe, I’ve been coming here to visit with you at la Maison du Pain for the annual ICE culinary course to learn about artisan, levain leavened breads since 2006. Now I hear that you have opened 2 additional locations of la Maison du Pain?

Original location of La Maison du Pain in Angers

Philippe:   Our city, Angers, underwent an extensive 3-year construction project for a tramway.  After the first few years, the construction really impacted our business.   Nobody could really drive through the city so demand for our product was limited to neighborhood walk-in customers, so we were forced to expand to other locations. 

Kathryn:  Do you offer the same products in the new locations as you do in the original location, or does it vary by neighborhood? 

Philippe:   We sell the exact same products at each location.  We make 65 different bread products from 29 different doughs!   The second location is a second production bakery that I took over – and the third location is retail only.  Honestly, the third location is in a better neighborhood (people with more income) than the second location, and the demand is steadier there across the product lines.

Kathryn:   If you took over a production bakery, how did that go, if you changed a pre-existing product line over to your products and renamed everything to the name of your business, “la Maison du Pain?”

Philippe:   The transition was a bit rough at first.  For example, there was a type of bread people wanted, but I didn’t want to make it so I didn’t bake it.  We lost some people at first but since then, demand has stabilized.  We’ve been open in that second bakery location about 6 months.  The third location has only been open a few months. 

Wife Catherine, who manages the retail operation

Kathryn:  I know you use a lot of organic (biologique) flours – but you’ve also said your customer base is not affluent enough to solely demand organic products because of the higher retail price.  What are your food costs? 

Note:  the stone-ground, water-driven mill that produced Philippe’s organic flours is Moulin de Sarre, www.moulin-de-sarre.fr and is very interesting to visit if you are in the Loire Valley. 

Philippe:  My food costs are about 25%.  I don’t look at it on a product-by-product basis, but overall that’s what it is.

Kathryn:   You and your wife Catherine live here with your family above the original location, and she manages the retail shop.  And that has allowed you to tell if your staff are starting work on time at 4 am!  How on earth are you managing the other full scale production bakery you are now operating?  

Couche, new, 10 years old and 50 years old

Philippe:   I only need 4 hours of sleep a night.  It was difficult at first, because I needed to find very good people, including a very friendly retail staff.  In France, firing employees is difficult so you have to be very careful making sure you are selecting the right employee…   For the production staff, I moved over one of my sous chefs as the manager of the second production bakery.  I kept the bakers who had been employed by the bakery I acquired and brought each of them to work here with my staff to learn my product.  Gradually everyone was trained.    

Philippe in the store with some of his breads

Kathryn:  Your specialty is levain leavened breads – you seem to try to only use commercial yeast minimally, like for the rich yeast products (brioche, croissants) and for one of your 10 different baguettes.

(Philippe produces one cheaper, machine driven, yeast risen baguette for the older generation who lived through WW II and don’t care for the more chic/nutritious/high end breads with whole wheat, rye and grains.  That customer base likes the commercial white flour).

Kathryn:  Are the breads truly the same in each location, because I’ve tried making “your” breads in NYC and they work.  They’re great breads, but they’re not exactly what you make here in Angers.  And your 3 locations of la Maison du Pain are all within the Angers city-limits (or about 5 miles apart).

Philippe:  It’s true.  I try to have the same product line at all 3 locations but at the second bakery location, even using the same brands of flour, and having trained the staff myself, – some of the breads come out a little different.

A crusty wheat levain loaf

Kathryn:  And within the same city, the available city, water in the bread doughs is presumably the same!  For instance, if I try to make your formula using water from NYC (which has chlorine, fluoride and who knows what else), I should expect a different result!   Of course – you have a bit more of the “wild yeasts” available here in a location that has been a boulangerie for decades, than some people have at their US bakeries (or their homes).  

Kathryn:  How much commercial yeast to you use in your dough formulas?

Philippe:  There’s nothing wrong with using a bit of commercial yeast and I use the fresh variety in some of my doughs. 

If you strictly use levains for all your doughs, the levains and the doughs take up more space in your bakery.  You need space for longer fermentation of the levain and space for longer fermentation of the pates (doughs).  And space equals money.

Kathryn:  How did you finance your expansion?

Philippe:  In France, you can get a bank loan for 7 years if you file an application that includes your resume.

After 7 years of operating a business, I would have to pay a higher tax to the government than for the first 7 years.

It is more economically viable in France to re-mortgage and expand a business, or at least try to expand until you retire and sell your business (where you would then pay less taxes because you are in retirement).

I was able to get the bank loan for the expansion because we were successful with the first location.

Boulanger Philippe showing how his ovens work in a class; we visit Philippe for an artisan bread lesson in the annual ICE Cuisine Course in France (www.moulinbregeoncuisinecourses.com)

Kathryn:  And you have quite a resume!  You even come from a family of bakers.

Philippe:   My father was a baker, and my brothers are bakers.   I went to school for several years for bread, and then I travelled around the country to boulangeries working for a flour company.  I had to help work at different bakeries every day.  I really learned a lot about bread doughs, in different environments, and what I wanted to produce for my own line of levain leavened bread.

Kathryn:  With all this expansion, you need a website!   You have all this cute stuff in the retail shop:  aprons with your logo, bread baskets with your logo, reuseable shopping bags… 

Philippe:  Yes, we know!  As we’ve been discussing for years.   It will be live this summer. 

Kathryn:  OK Philippe, thank you!  And we’ll follow-up again with you in a few months when the website is live.

Couche, used for proofing shaped breads, 50 years old 

Want to Learn More About Our Services? Our Primary Website is

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Ready to Jump In

Ready to Jump In

Interview with Cameca Johnson by Kathryn Gordon

www.creationsbycameca.com (website should be live in June)

Kathryn:  Cameca, you graduated from the pastry program at ICE August 2011, and since then you’ve said that you’re baking cakes for friends and family? 

Cameca:  I went to ICE initially with the idea that I would master plated desserts in a restaurant and open a dessert bar.  But after going through the program, a friend asked me to make a cake for her daughter’s birthday, and I continued doing that as more friends and family asked me to do it.  Now I’m really interested in all the different aspects of cakes, decorating and sugarcraft, and driving myself to learn as much as possible.

Kathryn:  How are you doing that?

Cameca:  I currently subscribe to a cake decorating magazine, and I work my way through each of their “projects” systematically.  I’ve also taken a lot of advanced classes, and I go anonymously to various classes offered at bakeries to check out what they’re doing and how they operate.  But that was difficult to do during the day with my 9-5 job.  So I’ve just resigned my day job!  Going forward, I’ll have more time flexibility. 

(Kathryn interviewed Cameca on the annual ICE Cuisine Course in France.  Cameca’s last day at her finance job was just before the trip to the Loire Valley.  www.moulinbregeoncuisinecourses.com)

Kathryn:  Wow, you quit!  Ok, so let’s talk about that decision making process.  How are you planning the steps to take to go from not charging friends and family anything except base ingredient costs – to quitting your day job and jumping into this business?

Cameca:   I took a 16-week workshop in business opportunities designed for business entrepreneurs to learn how to make their businesses sustainable, versus supporting an “expensive hobby.”  I’m just finishing those last classes now:  Workshop in Business Opportunities www.wibo.org.  I have my last session when we return from France.

Kathryn:  So you have a business plan, from having finished that course?

Cameca:  The WIBO program gives you a structure, and then you fill in the aspects of the business plan for your own specific business, customer base, etc.  They provide a wealth of information.  And they bring in actual entrepreneurs to give insight regarding their own experiences.  They provide mentoring resources via direct contact as well as seminars, workshops, etc. to participants who need specific legal or accounting questions addressed, before someone is ready to start paying for those services on their own. 

Kathryn:  So having gone through that program, what about your business incorporation, liability insurance, websites/marketing, your overhead/food/labor cost analysis…  Where are you with all of that part of the process? 

Cameca:  I did cost out each of my cakes, and know what it costs me to make using wholesale ingredient prices and packaging costs.  

Kathryn:  Up till now, you’ve worked in finance – so that must help!  Since you have that skill-set, are you planning to keep up with all of your own accounting, or use a program?

Cameca:  Right now, I am manually maintaining my own general ledger. 

Kathryn:  What about paying yourself? Do you think that your customer base will support it as compared to other market prices for cakes?

Cameca:  I think so.  Honestly, I didn’t think about paying myself at first.  But I think I should “pay myself,” because it is taking me 8-10 hours to make, decorate and deliver each cake.  I’ve also looked at what people are willing to pay for cakes – people in other markets besides people living within Manhattan.

Kathryn:  How are you charging for the cakes? By the serving?

Cameca:  Yes, but I do charge differently for simple buttercream versus the more expensive fondant, and I charge additional fees for sugarpaste flower decorations (which require more labor skill and time).

Kathryn:  How do you get your cakes to your customers? 

Cameca:  I am actually about to buy a second hand car. Friends and family can continue to pick up their cakes from me, or I will charge a delivery fee from my production place in Queens with gas and tolls.

Kathryn:  Where will you be doing your production?

Cameca:  I will be using an incubator kitchen in my area on a shift-by-shift basis (The Entrepreneur Space).  Not too many of their customers are cake bakers – so the incubator has cake pans I can use, as well as additional equipment.  I pretty much just have to schedule time to bake and bring in my ingredients.  My friend’s husband goes to Restaurant Depot, so that is one way I can get wholesale ingredients.  So I have no overhead cost unless I have a customer order.

Kathryn:  What if this takes off, what would be your next step for production?

Cameca:  Next, I would sign a lease for monthly space at an incubator kitchen that would be open 24 hours a day.  After that, I would try to rent and renovate a studio space for a commercial kitchen. I think that jumping to a retail storefront as a next step is too expensive.

Kathryn:  What does the incubator require besides the fee for the 8-hour production shift?      

Cameca:  In addition to the application, the incubator requires:  1) a security deposit; 2) proof of insurance (including worker’s compensation if applicable; 3) Food Handler’s certificate; 4) business registration and tax ID number; and 5) emergency contact information.

After I start using the kitchen I will apply for the 20C Food Processing Establishment License.

Kathryn:  How are you marketing your new business?

Cameca:  After France, I am meeting a high school friend of mine shortly to work on the website and Facebook page.  I am trying to obtain some free PR through doing competitions and charity events.   I will make samples for a charity event for 500 people in June, so I am hoping to have brochures ready by then with the website up live.  Another strategy I plan to try is advertising in small local papers.  Friends are also already helping me with referrals.  And I’ve been trying to take my own photos of all my cakes, to help get the website and Facebook pages up and my brochures ready.

Kathryn:  How many flavors of cakes are you offering, and are you doing tastings?

Cameca:  I have about 7 standard flavors, but I will customize.  I do tasting consultations and that cost is included in the final proposal to the client.  So far, most of my current customers want round, tiered cakes with fondant and “wow” colors.  Maybe from watching TV!

Kathryn:  What kind of deposit do you require?

Cameca:  Currently I collect 25%, but I am considering going to 50% upfront. 

Kathryn:  Cameca, I hate to ask, but how are you financing this?   You rent your apartment now, right?  How are you going to be able to pay for all of this?

Cameca:  I have some savings from my prior job in the finance industry that will cover me a few months, and some employee stock that will be automatically liquidated shortly since I am leaving.  This, together with the rehire policy from my employer (since I left on good terms), is my safety net.  The stock sale may actually generate some tax losses, so I am hoping that I will not have to pay any taxable income penalty.

I also still have a part-time (evening and weekend) job that I got after my externship that will be continuing, for now.  And I’m lucky it allows flexibility in scheduling, because it’s in catering and I can tell them when I’m available, and when I’m not.  If I had to start working there full-time, the catering job would pay for my rent. 

Kathryn:  So what words of advice would you give to some other person, like a recent graduate, who thinks they might also be ready to make this kind of a move?

Cameca:  Think everything out.  You need a plan prior to doing anything.  Don’t just quit your day job without a plan – if you work for someone, find out what that company’s termination procedure is.   In some positions, you might be vested.  Determine if this the right time strategically to leave, or if you wait a bit longer is it more beneficial to you in terms of future retirement pay?  Do you have any unpaid vacation days that they will owe you based on how many years you’ve worked there?  And finally, how many months will all of that accumulate to help pay your production and living space rent(s)? 

Kathryn:  OK Cameca, those are very useful questions that anyone else in your shoes who is considering jumping into this industry on your own should be ask themselves.

Thanks for sharing those thoughts, and we’d like to follow-up with you in a few months of baking cakes in the incubator kitchen!

Want to Learn More About Our Services? Our Primary Website is

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Food Photography

Food Photography

Interview by Kathryn Gordon with Expert Food Photographer Steve Legato
Website: www.Stevelegato.com
Email: Steve@Stevelegato.com

Kathryn: Steve, I know you did the beautiful photography for my book, Les Petits Macarons! and everybody loves it, too. What is your background?

Steve: I first was interested in being a documentary photographer actually- that was about 16 years ago -but my first opportunity to photograph for magazines was to shoot food for their restaurant reviews. My passion for photography was immediately fueled with a newly found intrigue and passion for food; there is just so much to know and experience and see; tastes, ingredients, techniques, history, culture, trends, philosophies...  Food is amazing.

Kathryn: Do you specialize in photography for magazines, books, websites, brochures, packaging, etc. or “do it all?”

Steve: I do all of these, and each requires a certain nuance in the way you shoot it. Editorial, websites and such tend to be more cutting edge and creative, whereas packaging and book photography is very exacting and meticulous. I love and enjoy aspects of each.

Kathryn: We visited your studio in Philadelphia for a week to shoot for my book with Running Press. Are all shoots done in a studio? I know that you travel a lot. Are your shoots ever done on site in restaurants and bakeries?

Steve: I've done food shoots in generator rooms, bathrooms, kitchens, dining rooms, rooftops, on my back porch- as well as my studio and on location at restaurants, bakeries. Where ever there is light (an outlet) and a little room, there is a way!

      Steve in his studio lining up a shot for Kathryn and Anne's macaron book

Kathryn: What are the challenges to food photography, particularly to pastry, baking and confections? Do you cringe when you see bad photos of food?

Steve: The challenge is always to describe the food clearly (even if it’s messy!) I want the viewer to quickly understand the food as if they were also present there and took a bite of it…What is the experience of eating this? How does it feel? Dry, moist, tender, crisp- even sweet, savory, salty, bitter, creamy, acidic, hot, cold... I'm trying to portray the sensuality of food, of the experience of eating, the perceptions...

In a purely photographic sense, there is the challenge of composition; to create a flow to an image, a tension, a sense of poetry or beauty; sometimes that's based on just the food itself, sometimes on how elements are arranged within the frame, the focus, point of view, etc.

I do cringe sometimes but more so if I see an indelicacy or indifference in treatment. That might sound strange, but there are parallels in almost any occupation; music, cooking, writing, etc. That being said, a bad picture of an exquisite meal can be a wonderful reminder of that experience- like a post-it note rather than a poem, and I appreciate that as well.

Kathryn: Your studio had a fridge, basic stove, microwave and a freezer, which helped to shoot the ice cream chapter! What kind of kitchen is required to help shoot food? Do you always have to have kitchen facilities available too?

Steve: It's certainly nice to have the tools to create the food you need for the shoot. Think about it like having tools to fix your car, it's easy to have the 3 or 4 things you need to change the oil, but to change the timing belt, well...

The kitchen is the same way. You can get away with a minimal amount of tools and some creativity, but if you’re photographing 50 dishes this week, it indeed takes a full resource of kitchen and culinary tools, and expertise, to get that done and done well.

Kathryn: Do you ever provide the food styling and props, or do clients typically have to provide their own (or hire food and prop stylists)? On some photo shoots I've been on everyone has an assistant, too! The photographer has theirs, the food stylist theirs, and the prop stylist theirs! It can get crowded.

Steve: I usually work together with the client to hire a prop stylist and a food stylist when applicable (cook books, advertising, packaging, etc.) Their contribution to the final image is invaluable. A great food/prop stylist is behind every great food photo!

      One of 3 prop tables set up in the studio for the 5 day cookbook photo shoot

Kathryn: What should clients be prepared with before they enter the studio for a shoot? (What's the worst-story you can think of in terms of “bad food photography” you've encountered?)

Steve: I'd say to just be prepared for the process. It takes great ingredients, talented people, tools, organization and time, especially the time to make it all work well. Mostly I think it’s a fun and interesting experience for the client! (I do remember a chef at a diner wanted to draw grill marks on the “grilled” vegetables with a Sharpie...I talked him out of it, luckily :)  Especially in editorial shoots, you have to be prepared for anything, really in quite a Zen way, you see how you can find, interpret, adapt, and capture the beauty in most anything.

Kathryn: To establish a time frame, how long in advance do people have to schedule a shoot? How long can it take to receive the finished product, now that there are digital support systems?

Steve: It takes time to plan a shoot, procure the ingredients, and hire the necessary crew. For the major project, you can certainly plan a month in advance (even just to give enough notice to avoid scheduling conflicts). For me, I'd say about two weeks are sufficient, but when more people are involved, the more advance you need.

Finished files can be delivered right away -within hours in some rare cases- but most of the time I'd say a few days a week. It does take time to clean up images, to make adjustments such as color balance. I'd say that it's best to be clear with the photographer what your needs (and timing expectations) are- certainly they should accommodate to the best of their ability- we are, in fact, working for you!

Kathryn: On average, is there an average length of time it takes for a shoot? Is the client usually present?

Steve: The time a shoot takes depends...Editorial shoots are often quite quick—a few hours—even with ~12 dishes (as long as the restaurant can create the dishes quickly enough). For a cookbook or other more meticulous photography project, you have props, a set to create, as well as the actual dishes to be made by the food stylist. Typically, I shoot about 6 dishes a day.

The client is typically present to make certain the pictures are being made to their specs/needs. (Note by Kathryn: given the digital editing software, the client can actually see their shots set up in real-time on the screen and at the end of the day help review the progress made by looking at all the photos on the computer).

    Steve's shot of Kathryn's strawberry guava macarons as seen on his editing system

Kathryn: We assume someone of your experience level is expensive. Can you provide any general costs or price ranges (only if possible in this format, of course)!

Steve: Prices vary and depend on a few different things including what type of project, how the pics are used and to what extent, the complexity, and finally associated costs of producing the images. Think of shooting a bowl of soup for a major soup company vs. shooting a bowl of soup for a local diner. Within each level of project, there will be a range of prices that you will find most photographers come in at.

Kathryn: If someone who needs photo cannot (yet) afford an experienced food photographer, and they're trying to do their own photo shoots, do you have any words of advice regarding what kind of lighting generally works best? Any tricks of the trade you could share regarding setting up the food?

Steve: The best trick of the trade is to engage yourself and take a lot of photos. Even if the majority of them are failures, there is a lot to learn from each image. Consider what direction the (main) light source is coming from. Consider if it’s harsh or diffused light, a small source like a light bulb or a large source like a window. How dark are the shadows, how moody? (Shadows define the surface/textures as much as light does, so please do not try to take away all the shadows :)

In a very general way, I try to light food side lit or slightly backlit. If, on a clock face, the camera is positioned at 6 o'clock, the plate of food at the center of the clock, then I'd want the light to be coming anywhere from 9 to 3 o'clock, depending. If the light source is coming from the camera, it tends to rob the dish of any volume, flattening out its surface blandly, filling in any and all shadows (the same goes for overhead light in general).

Try setting the dish near a window and shoot facing towards the window. Then move slightly left or right and see the difference it makes. If shadows are too harsh, set up a piece of white paper or foam core to reflect the light back towards the dish. Vary the distance of the reflector to the dish to change the effectiveness. Try under or over exposing just to experiment.

You'll develop an eye for this, sensitivity and a sensibility over time. Just keep shooting!

Kathryn: That is extremely helpful information, thank you for sharing that. Are there any general comments you'd like to share that we didn't ask about?

Steve: Just like a chef would say, “taste!” I would say, “see!” Food photography is a wonderful thing to be a part of and to experience and be effected by, inspired by. I do believe that a good image makes a difference.

         Kathryn favorite macaron photo from Les Petits Macarons; photo by Steve Legato

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Macaron Parlour Inteview: Former Students and Their Chefs

Meet the Entrepreneur
An in depth interview (with future follow up) to explore the lessons learned by others like you in the baking business

Opening a retail pastry shop

Interview with the Dynamic Duo, Christina Ha and Simon Tung by Kathryn and Jeff

Current Name of Business:  Macaron Parlour

http://www.macaronparlour.com

111 St. Marks Place (between First and Avenue A) estimated summer 2012 (target July)

This is the first installment in our talks with Christina and Simon and we will continue to give updates on their progress.

The Story…

Christina originally came to ICE (Institute for Culinary Education) after working fashion PR, when she had realized over time that wasn’t the career she wanted.  Instead of sleeping at night, she started baking.  She happened to live right up the block from ICE and first took a macaron class with Chef Kathryn Gordon, and then the 12 week pastry series with Chef Jeff Yoskowitz.  After that, she went to Paris to Pierre Herme’s macaron school for a few days – which reinforced her decision to be serious about a career change.  She applied and won a James Beard scholarship and started at ICE.  In this timeframe, when she was deciding what to do with her career, she met Simon through mutual friends.  Simon was an attorney recruiter, and has worked in club promotions as well.   He always enjoyed baking, and has since taken the 12 week pastry series at ICE and other recreational classes. 

The Beginning

Christina began the program at ICE in January 2010, and she and Simon decided to form a business in March 2010.  They saw an ad for the Hester Street Fair in NY Magazine, which was looking for vendors.  They had about 6 weeks before starting to sell their macarons in April, to work on a website, establish a tax ID, and file the paperwork to form an LLC business.   A friend helped with the photography for the website.

Christina decided to try selling macarons and a few other items at the Hester Street Fair – but the macarons were always the most popular item.  They started with about 12 flavors, making 300 macarons per day. This took them 2 days to make renting commercial kitchen space, after the working illegally the first day of production out of an apartment (like most people who start!).  It didn’t hurt that Jeffrey Steingarten came the first weekend!  Soon they were making about 1,000 macarons a day using a commercial kitchen they saw listed through the ICE alumni posting.  Unfortunately, the person with that space lost their lease after a month – but utilizing a network of friends they had established at Hester Street, Christina and Simon were able to negotiate with a nearby bakery to use it on off hours. 

It was a struggle, because Christina still had a day job and was in school at ICE on the weekends.  By then she had given up her apartment and moved into Simon’s, which had lower rent.  They would bake Wednesday and Thursday nights until 4 am, and Simon would sell on the weekends.  Their macaron sales were profitable right away, even though they were ordering ingredients quasi wholesale thru l’epicerie.com.  Some food was sourced thru BJ’s, before they obtained a Jetro (wholesale) account.

Christina quit her day job and got hired out of externship from ICE.   Etsy (an e-commerce based website) generated initial online sales that supplemented the two days a week they could sell at the Hester Street market. Simon was packaging the macarons and carrying everything to the post office himself.

The Effect of Getting Press

Suddenly, Macaron Parlour started to get some press, including a spot in Daily Candy in August to cover the macarons with “American flavors” vs. French.   In December, they were mentioned on the Today Show and Style Magazine, and sales came quickly.

At this point, Christina got recruited to help open a coffee/pastry shop in Brooklyn, and they initially thought that they could move their macaron production out to the new shop.  Simon started to help make pastries at the shop with Christina but there wasn’t a budget to hire more employees nor was there enough space to bake macarons necessary for their business.   The oven broke where they had been doing production, so they found another baking location through friends from the Hester Street market network.  After 4 months they were able to find another kitchen in Sunset Park and they have been there ever since.  In April, Christina came back to ICE to enroll in the management program. She applied and won enough scholarships to cover her tuition from organizations such as Les Dame d’Escoffier, WCR and AIWF.

Their Next Steps

Christina and Simon decided to do the Union Square Market, which is expensive to participate in -- but they applied anyway, knowing how difficult it was to get in and at the same time participated in Madison Square Eats, a food fair run by the same management company. Due to their participation, when someone backed out of the Union Square market at the last minute, Christina and Simon got the call. To pay for the booth, they took the money out of their wedding fund and Union Square ended up yielding a profit.  

Christina and Simon realized the most common question customers would ask was:  “Where’s your store?”  Meanwhile, Christina was completing her business plan project in her management class at ICE, and all that was missing was the location. Christina mapped out all the “other” macaron shops in NYC and realized there was a clear gap in the East Village. 

Using Craig’s List, Christina found their future location.  The place had good ventilation and enough square feet (1150) for their production that they would not have to share with anyone else – and would allow room for expansion.

Getting Ready for Construction

Christina says the real world is very different than school, where the practice exercises are theoretical. First, with a viable location open to them -- they realized that they needed a real estate lawyer, to help with the lease process.  Steve Zagor, Christina’s management instructor, helped with that. They wound up with a ten-year lease with three months free, one of which was thrown in as a wedding gift!

Simon and Christina discovered there’s a stop-work-order from a ten year old excavation at the building, which is supposed to be inspected and cleared tomorrow (as of this writing). Christina knew an architect from when she helped open the Brooklyn café, and asked her to work for them because she liked her style.  Right now, they’re in the permit process with the city and hope to be able to begin construction soon. The duo are obtaining bids now and are using an expeditor through the architect. They are also receiving help from the New Business Acceleration Team (NYC NBAT) (for food businesses and grocery stores).   Unlike other city departments, NBAT actually answers the phone! 

Christina is currently focusing on the menu and understands from the Brooklyn experience that the neighborhood vibe dictates what will sell.  The shop’s hours will also be determined by their East Village location, meaning opening later and closing later than originally planned.   The couple is gearing up to start again at Hester Street and the upcoming Madison Square Eats before they try to open their retail location this summer. By finally opening their retail shop, Christina and Simon believe Macaron Parlour will receive the legitimacy a retail operation can bring to a company. 

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Want to Learn More About Our Services?  Our primary website is www.foodstartuphelp.com