July 01 2012

ISSUE 2

Natalie Small

ESS-ENS Baked Treats

Intimate Catering

The information given in this issue is to assist and alleviate the stress of trying to figure out what steps to take and where to go to do what, when you are ready to start your Food Business. The information given by the businesses being featured is not for you to duplicate but to inspire you to find your own niche in the Food In-dustry. For example: if you want to open a catering business … special-ize in a particular type of cuisine which would separate you from the competition and give you a unique client base.

The Food Business in Barbados is a million dollar industry. There are many avenues you can ex-plore in entering the food industry: 1. Baker 2. Shopkeeper 3. Restaurateur 4. Caterer 5. Private Chef 6. Specialty Goods Manufacturer

PROS:

High demand market. As you may have

learned, there is a high and renewable demand

for food.

Relatively low start up. Many catering com-

panies have started from the back of their

vans and flourish from there.

Steady work. If you are successful enough to

land a few steady contracts, you could have a

steady work flow.

CONS:

Large supply market. As with many indus-

tries, high demand also means high supply, as

many companies flock to participate in an in-

dustry where there is high potential, it may be

difficult to compete with fast food chains.

Hard to find contracts. While you may find

yourself hosting your friends’ parties or

cooking dinner for your child’s sports team,

you may have trouble getting those contracts

that may provide steady work.

Expensive service. While there are still many

people who cannot simply provide a box of

pizza to the guests at their events, you may

find your customers wagering with the price

you charge. Remember that with a catering

business, you are not just providing food but a

service.

The food industry can be very rewarding, and

starting a catering business is one way to go

about getting into it. However, there are costs,

demand evaluations and market supply factors

you should consider before taking the plunge.

EVENTS:

Weddings

Parties

Conferences

Corporate events

Graduation

Christening party

Fashion Shows

Charity event

Trade shows

How to attract attention:

Attract business through ads in the newspaper, in

well read magazines. Create a blog or Facebook

page dedicated to your business.

Establish a relationship with the wedding vendors

in your area: florists, bridal shops, photogra-

phers, videographers, hotels, bakeries and cake

decorators, jewellers and musicians. They can

help spread the word.

The critical ingredient is getting off your butt and doing something. It’s as simple as that. A

lot of people have ideas, but there are few who decide to do something about them now. Not tomor-

row. Not next week. But today. The true entrepreneur is a doer, not a dreamer. – Nolan Bushnell

The golden rule for every business man is this: “Put yourself in your customer’s place. –

Orison Swett Marden

I had to make my own living and my own opportunity! But I made it! Don’t sit down and wait

for the opportunities to come. Get up and make them! – C.J. Walker

The important thing is not being afraid to take a chance. Remember, the greatest failure is to

not try. Once you find something you love to do, be the best at doing it. – Debbi Fields

The winners in life think constantly in terms of I can, I will, and I am. Losers, on the other

hand, concentrate their waking thoughts on what they should have or would have done, or what

they can’t do. –Dennis Waitley

Success is often achieved by those who don’t know that failure is inevitable. – Coco Chanel

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MINISTRY OF HEALTH REGULATIONS

Contact the nearest Polyclinic to the location of your new restaurant to find out the

procedures you need to follow

when thinking of opening your eating establishment.

A few things to consider:

You need a Health Certificate

Cleanliness of environment

Food safety measures

FIRE DEPARTMENT REGULATIONS

Contact the nearest Fire Station to your location to find out about the procedures you

need to follow

Checks:

Emergency exits

Fire extinguishers

LIQUOR LICENSE

Can be applied for at District A Magistrate Court

Licenses are needed only for establishments who will be selling alcohol.

A temporary license is needed for persons who do not usually sell alcohol but will be

holding an event where alcohol will be sold

INSURANCE

All establishments who deal with the public on their premises, should at least have

liability insurance to cover any incidences or accidents that their customers or staff

may be involved in on their premises.

In 2007, Selena Dobson em-braced her entrepreneurial spirit and fol-lowed her passion to cook and bake with the creation of “Intimate Catering”, which offers both Caribbean fusion and international cuisine. Her drive for new challenges has given way to “Ultimate Cupcakes” which has proven to be very popular among her many fans. Selena’s chosen career is one of hard work and satisfaction. She has overcome many obstacles. Being a busi-ness owner, mother, wife, poet, and now dabbling in the singing arena, makes her days hectic but she takes it in stride.

She has excelled amidst the “nay sayers”, discouraging words and physical challenges to become a respected business woman with a product known for its excellence. Her advice to any person thinking of becoming an en-trepreneur is to be willing to put in the work and make sure that what you are offering is a unique product or service. Selena’s positive attitude and vibrant personality en-

sures that she will be someone to watch in the future.

Intimate Catering is a gour-met catering service, which offers affordable services and a wide ar-ray of delicious food items where taste comes first. We pride our-selves in keeping our gourmet ca-tering as organic and environmen-tally friendly as possible, with both food preparation and packaging. We cater all events, specializing in parties and weddings. Also catering to special needs such as gluten free and vegan clients. We offer a Pri-vate Chef Service.

Ultimate Cupcakes are a work of love from Intimate Catering. Basically our chef has come up with some amazing and truly ULTIMATE cupcakes and wishes to share them with you! We use the best ingredients and spare no cost to en-sure that your experience is second to none!

Celebration Cakes (including Xmas)

Special Cakes, Pies and Tarts

3 Course Meals

Buffet Meals

Finger Food and Amuses-Bouches

Ready-Mixed Cocktails

Fabulous Desserts

Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner

Bread and Fruit Baskets

Themed Cupcakes!

Amazing Sandwiches

Gift Baskets

One of a Kind menu options

Personalized Service

Nestled inconspicuously on the sloping side of Gall Hill Christ Church, with a view that

would be envious in any country, sits the modest baking studio of ESS-ENS BAKED TREATS, we

sat down with Baker Extraordinaire and mother of two Natalie Small to do this interview.

Natalie has a very jovial and upbeat personality with a clear vision of where she wants to take her ca-

reer. She is very determined to be successful in achieving her goals, both professional and personal.

Her passion for cooking started at age six when she remembers watching her mother cook for friends

on a regular basis. The atmosphere created by friends, the aroma and smoke from the browning of

sugar fascinated her. Her mother would also bake at Christmas – cakes, sweet bread, all the goodies.

The smells flowing from the kitchen sparked the desire in Natalie to learn how to cook and bake even

more.

Fast forward ten years. Natalie finally got her wish when she was accepted into the Barba-

dos Hospitality Institute. It was there under the tutelage of Lairy Nurse, Peter Edey and John Trotman

that she was well on her way to realizing her dream. At the end of her academic journey she was intro-

duced to Evan Gooding, and after a lengthy conversation he was amazed by Natale’s love for cooking

and baking….. in his words ‘’I have never seen anyone with such a passion for cooking and baking as

I do in you’’.

Mr. Gooding is credited for giving Natalie her first job at Grand Barbados under Chef Mi-

chael Skeete. Her first assignment was to man the omlette station at the breakfast buffet table, within

one week she was flipping omlettes which amazed the chef because to learn the proper technique took

time. Natalie excelled at flipping omelettes , but something else was pulling at her apron string. The

chef would find her in the pastry shop trying to learn new things from Stephen Brooks and not at the

buffet table where she was stationed. Her interests were now focused on making mousse, working

with chocolate, decorating cakes and any other techniques related to baking. The chef saw what

peeked her interests, and eventually becoming frustrated with her disappearing act, he transferred her

to the pastry shop. Her dream was temporarily side-tracked by the events of September 11, 2001

which affected travel to Barbados, but Natalie’s spirit was not to be daunted by these events, so she

stayed in contact with her mentor Evan Gooding.

I am inspired by Duff Goldman of

Charm City Cakes and the late Stephen

Brookes Pastry Chef, Grand Barbados.

Natalie ventured on to Asta Beach Hotel – now Amaryllis – where

she was employed as a pastry cook for two years, but would eventually be

lured to the elegant and picturesque Villa Nova Hotel. “The executive chef

there Renne Griffith was one of the best chefs I have ever met” she remi-

nisced. “He could make anything from the smallest amount of ingredients

and still make it look and taste great … I can see him now, he was a boss.

Everything was made from scratch at Villa Nova: pasta, sauces, ice cream,

even the decorations that topped the food.” This is where Natalie received

her Fine Dining experience. Unfortunately, her time here was also short

lived due to the hotel’s financial problems.

Natalie then went to Jumbies Restaurant as the pastry supervisor.

The juggling of family and career started to take its toll and a choice had to

be made, she chose family. She realizes now that her mother had made the

same sacrifice years earlier. Her life in pastry kept nagging at her and she

finally returned to the world she loved so much.

This time no more restaurants. She made a change and started

working at Yvonnes Bakery, where she was exposed to a different aspect of

baking, which proved to be a great learning experience.

“I knew I had the strengths to be a baker at the New Carlton and A1 Super-

market bakery division, so I applied. After an hour long interview, I was

offered the position of Sous Chef. One month later, a promotion was offered

to me, that of Bakery Manager.”

As for Ess-ens, Natalie does not see any limitations to her vision of

what she can offer to her clients. “My life experiences have prepared me for

anything that is required and I continually look for emerging trends and the

latest innovations to offer.”

From cupcakes to children’s cakes, bachelor and bachelorette to wedding

cakes, she does it all with a passion second to none.

Twenty years ago, Alex Dzieduszycki co-launched Terra

Chips. Next he brought Alexia Foods to the world, and

now he’s working to reinvent the frozen waffle market.

Dzieduszycki shares some of the lessons he’s learned,

tried-and-true practices and practical advice for creating

memorable and successful specialty food brands.

By Denise Shoukas

Lessons from a Serial Entrepreneur

Alex Dzieduszycki has a knack for finding holes in

the specialty and natural food segments and filling

them with new and innovative products. With

partner Dana Sinkler he started Terra Chips. Little

did they know at the time that the exotic root

vegetable chips produced out of a storefront in

Manhattan’s East Village would become iconic

and officially set Dzieduszycki on the path to be-

come a visionary in the specialty food industry.

THE BEGINNING OF TERRA CHIPS

A self-described cook by trade, Dzieduszycki’s

journey began when he returned from a stint

abroad in the 1980s to work for Jean Georges

Vongerichten at Lafayette, where the chef got his

first four stars. “I quickly realized there are very

few people like Jean Georges at that level. He

helped me identify for myself that I needed to find

my own way in the food business,” Dzieduszycki

remembers.

“It was a good thing for me to recognize. I thought

my focus should be more on the catering side or

something more production oriented, like my pre-

vious hotel experience,” he says.

Dzieduszycki and Sinkler began a catering busi-

ness, but the seeds for the Terra Chips business

were already simmering. “We had seen vegetable

chips and lotus root chips in our former jobs, but

they were usually little garnishes,” he notes. Inter-

ested in creating a signature dish for their com-

pany, Dzieduszycki and Sinkler created a trio of

taro root, sweet potato and lotus root chips. But it

was a happy accident that elevated their vegetable

chip concept. “We were playing around with beet

juice and Dana figured out how to cover the taro

root with it and create another chip altogether,

which really made that brand special,” Dzieduszy-

cki says.

The breakthrough moment was in December 1989.

He recalls, “I was doing a party for 40 editors from

Family Circle magazine. I was by myself, under

budget.

Excerpt

I put out one big basket of the vegetable chips in

the center of the room and then proceeded to put

an entire buffet of appetizers together.” The next

thing he knew, “40 editors descended upon that

basket and tore it to shreds. I called Dana and said,

‘We’re in the wrong business.’” And their specialty

food company was born.

Dzieduszycki knew it was prudent to try making the

chips with the smallest investment possible. “We

figured out what the least amount of money was

that we would need to invest in equipment to be

able to make this product on a manual basis, on a

very small scale,” he recalls. As for the name that is

now synonymous with exotic vegetable chips, Sin-

kler’s wife at the time coined it during a brain-

storming session. “Vegetable chips sounded so

blasé. Once she said Terra Chips, we trademarked it

right away. It was a perfect and beautiful name,”

Dzieduszycki says.

THE CHALLENGE OF GROWING TERRA

Demand for the chips grew quickly as did their

need for more space, so production moved to bigger

facilities. Meanwhile, Jack Acree, currently execu-

tive vice president of American Halal (dba Saffron

Road) in New York, came on board. “He was the

first salesman we hired and in five years, he helped

us get to $5 million,” asserts Dzieduszycki. “He and

Sinkler were solely responsible for that first plat-

form.”

Acree says, “The product, far and away, was the key

to that. And one of the key parts of the product was

how much people were willing to pay for it.”

In 1991, they were paying $8 for an 8-ounce bag.

Acree explains, “It was what we needed to charge

because it was labor intensive to make and we

owned all of our own production.

He continues, “I quickly understood who the right

customers were because we still had limited produc-

tion capabilities. There were many times when we

couldn’t sell to everyone who wanted to buy because

of that.” And then, by sheer luck of being in the right

place at the right time, around 1993 Whole Foods

changed the nature of health foods to natural foods,

he recalls.

“A product like Terra Chips was a perfect example of

how you could eat something that was natural but in

no way, shape or form sacrifice the food aspect of

what you were eating,” says Acree. “It was the per-

fect poster child for the message [Whole Foods]

wanted to get out to all of the consumers they were

trying to attract.” That’s when the chips’ growth

really blossomed.

CREATING A STRONG VISUAL IDENTITY

A common thread through both of these brands is the

look of the packaging—strong, clean and inviting. “In

the beginning at Terra, we didn’t know the difference

between real packaging design and advertising. So we

were fumbling about with different advertising firms

here in New York City. And then we met a guy who in-

troduced us to Bright Strategic Design in California,” he

says. In 1992, the team at Bright put a professional face

behind the brand and the products. To this day,

Dzieduszycki works with the same firm and relies on its

expertise on any venture he’s considering.

Although spending big money on packaging and design

was an enormous investment for a fledgling company,

“it was the best investment that we ever made,”

Dzieduszycki says, “because we got so much press and

recognition. It paid for itself in droves.”

FINAL ADVICE “You can have a plan, and you have to have a plan, but the biggest thing is to be prepared to respond to something that you don’t even know is going to hap-pen. Be flexible so you can take advantage of what-ever positive things com your way.” PROFESSIONAL ASSESSMENT: What You Can Learn from Dzieduszycki’s Brands

Food and beverage brand marketing expert Tammy

Katz of Katz Marketing Solutions in Columbus, Ohio,

examines Dzieduszycki’s approach and discusses

ways other specialty food companies can strengthen

their own brands.

PERFECT YOUR PRODUCT

Treat product appeal a ‘Job 1’. Tirelessly optimize

your product formulation, and continue to improve it,

so that it significantly out performs competition.

Continuously and objectively monitor how well your

product appeals to consumers with external taste

tests. Don’t depend on internal taste preferences.

HIRE OR ACQUIRE TO FILL LAPS SKILL

GAPS

You or your leadership team, should be pragmatic

and egoless about identifying what you are truly great

at - and leverage this strength. That’s what drives

long-term superiority in the marketplace. Similarly,

acknowledge where you lack skills and hire or ac-

quire those competencies to fill the gaps. Ensure that

if your company doesn’t already excel at sales, mar-

keting, operations and finance, it soon will.

Click here to read the entire article

CHOOSING A RESTAURANT CONCEPT

There are three main types of restaurants: -

QSR - Quick Service Restaurants: meaning there

is minimal or no table service, a limited menu,

food is cooked in bulk in advance and kept hot,

food is assembled and packaged to order and

both take away and eat in are options.

Casual Dining: These are restaurants that have

reasonably priced food in a causal atmosphere.

Except for buffet style restaurants, causal dining

provides table service. Causal dining fills the

gap between fast food and fine dining restau-

rants.

Fine Dining: These are full service restaurants

with specific dedicated meal courses. Décor of

these restaurants feature a higher quality of ma-

terials with an eye on “atmosphere”. The wait

staff is usually highly trained and often wears a

more formal attire.

Ethnic Restaurants: These restaurants focus on

one type of cuisine, e.g. Chinese, Mexican, Ko-

rean.

Competitive Analysis: Simply visit your potential

market contributors, this will help you to under-

stand who your competition will be. Do some

market research by comparing your menu prices

to theirs to test the reasonableness of yours.

The type of concept you choose will determine

the following areas in your restaurant planning:

1. Your equipment needs

2. Your type of table top items (flatware, plate

ware, napkins and linens)

3. Storage, cooler and freezer size

4. Employee uniforms

5. How large a building you will need

6. How many employees you need to hire

7. Your parking lot size

8. What type of signs and advertising will be

needed

DEVELOPING A BUSINESS PLAN

Not everyone who starts a business begins with

a business plan, but it is recommended if you

have plans to seek funding from any loan

agency.

The way to show loan agencies that you are se-

rious about your business idea is to have a busi-

ness plan. Your plan should be clear, focused

and realistic; showing them that you have the

tools, talent and team to make it happen. The

business plan gets you in the door, where you

the have the opportunity to convince the loan

officer that you can put your plan into action.

A business plan should show how your business

will generate sufficient revenue to cover your

expenses and make satisfactory return for the

loan agency.

Reasons for having a really good business plan:

Support a loan application

Raise equity funding

Define and fix objectives and programs to

achieve your goals

Create regular business review and course

correction

Define a new business

Define agreements between partners

Set a value on a business for sale or legal

purposes

Evaluate a new product line, promotion, or

expansion

WHAT’S IN A BUSINESS PLAN

1. Executive Summary - A short description of

your idea in two pages or less.

2. Company Summary - A factual description of

your company, ownership, and history.

3. Products /Services / Both - a description of

what you are offering and how they stand out

from competing products and services.

4. Market analysis - provides a summary of your

target market, your competitors, market size

and expected market growth.

5. Strategy and Implementation - Describes how

you will sell your product, how you will put

your plan into action and establish milestones.

6. Management Summary - provides background

on the management team, their experiences

and key accomplishments.

7. Financial Plan - contains key financials

including sales, cash flow and profits.

MAKING A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS PLAN

A well thought out idea

Clear and concise writing

A clear and logical structure

Illustrates management’s ability to make the

business a success

Shows profitability

HOW DO YOUR WRITE A BUSINESS PLAN

Writing a business plan can be a little daunting,

you may need to seek help for a knowledgeable

person.

Get Professional Help:

The professional will help to put your ideas

down on paper and in the correct language. You

will need to be prepared to think through your

idea and understand the underlying concepts.

work closely with the professional in order to

maintain the essence of your business idea and

to ensure he/she develops a good plan.

Do some reading:

There are many websites dedicated to assisting

with Business Plan writing. Many books have

been published on this subject.

Business Planning Software:

A good business planning software will provide

you with an outline for a well-developed,

objective-based and professional business plan.

It will structure your plan for you. It will ask

questions to determine the underlying concept

within your business idea.

CHOOSING A NAME

Your name should represent the type of Food

Business you are starting. Choosing the correct

name will help you sell your product, be easy to

remember and influence your décor and adver-

tising.

REGISTERING YOUR NAME:

Take a visit to the Corporate Affairs Office on

Belmont Road St. Michael. Make a search of the

name you would like to use, to be sure it is not

already taken.

CHOOSING A LOCATION

Bare in mind:

Traffic - You will want to choose a location that

has heavy foot and motor traffic at the peak

times you will be open. Consider surveying the

location to get a good idea of the traffic flow.

Visibility - The use of signs will help with

visibility: sandwich board signs, easels for daily

specials on the outside to draw foot traffic, ads

in local newspapers and creating a Facebook

page.

Readily accessible parking - Customers need to

be able to find a place to park or they may con-

sider it to be more of a hassle than its worth.

PRICING OUT THE MENU

When working out your menu prices, you must

consider everything in the dish, e.g. every

sauce, ingredient and garnish. Taking the time

to price out each item on a spreadsheet will

give you a more accurate price point than

averaging the costs for the items.

The best price points either represent a

unique level of quality or has a significant

value to your customers.

TIPS FOR SIGNAGE

1. Change your sign’s message frequently.

2. Use all capital letters for your message on

reader boards and pole signs.

3. Keep the message short, easy to read and

legible by commuters passing by.

4. Do not make legally questionable claims.

For example, “You will loose weight with

our low calorie menu”.

5. Have visibility from the directions heading

towards your business.

6. Put your sign close to the road in direct

view of drivers and pedestrians.

7. Put your sign in an area that would allow

the viewer at least seven seconds to read

it.

8. Place your sign where there are no

obstructions, such as another sign, building

or shrubs and trees.

9. Keep your sign clean and make sure none

are burnt out.

10. Always Double Check Your Spelling!

If you are purchasing an older restaurant and re-

tooling it or buying second hand equipment, you

may face challenges getting everything up to

code.

Theft

It takes good staff to make a good restaurant.

Unfortunately, bad staff can cost you far more

than poor performance. Restaurants are a busi-

ness which employee theft is very easy. Owners

and managers don’t easily notice if some food is

taken, or if a bottle of liquor is missing. In res-

taurants that don’t use point of sale of systems,

it’s also very easy for wait staff to write up

checks for less than what was actually ordered so

they can pocket the difference on cash sales.

While it may not be something you can imagine

someone would do, it unfortunately is and indus-

try hazard ad can seriously impair a restaurants

profits.

by Eric Feigenbaum, Demand Media http://smallbusiness.chron.com

Anyone who has ever started a restaurant

will tell you it's a complicated business. Restau-

rants involve timing, sanitation, teamwork, smart

supply buying, great cooking and even better

service. Whether you're starting a small specialty

bistro or a large chain restaurant, there's a lot to

manage to put your best foot forward. The pit-

falls to setting up success are numerous, but with

planning and patience, you can overcome them.

Finances

Rarely do restaurants pen and become overnight

successes. Gaining awareness and popularity in

your community takes time. Meanwhile, you

have to have the ingredients on hand to make

anything on your menu at anytime as well as the

staff it takes to serve however many patrons

may come. Restaurants vary widely in their

timeline to profitability. However, making sure

you have sufficient finacing not just to operate,

but to operate a decent marketing campaign will

help get you off the ground faster. You might

consider fliers, advertising, grand opening, cou-

pons, direct mail and even a publicist to get cus-

tomers walking in the door.

Health Inspection

Your restaurant has to meet country health codes

and clear inspection before you can operate.

This isn’t just a matter of keeping a clean

kitchen. This includes equipment in good order,

refrigerators at right temperatures, being free of

pests, having systems in place to prevent waste

from attracting pests, approved dish washing

methods, and proper kitchen ventilation with

clean ducts and hoods.

BASIC COOKING AND BAKING

CLASSES

ANY AGE

$50.00 PER SESSION

TUESDAY MORNINGS

9AM - 11PM

ALL INGREDIENTS AND

UTENSILS PROVIDED

RENDEZVOUS GARDENS

250 1764

Useful Resources

http://www.specialtyfood.com/

http://www.entrepreneur.com

http://podprad.info/business-economy/

top-10-business-ideas-in-food/

Realising your dream is a cycle of three stages: Desire Faith/Belief Action When you have a desire to achieve a goal, you need to find the strength / faith /confidence and belief within yourself to prompt action. When you have acted, this increases your desire to see it through to the end. This action ignites the burning de-sire that it takes to fuel the strength / faith / confidence and be-lief you need to take more action. This cycle continues feeding itself, until you have achieved your goal.

“ Set your mind on a definite goal and observe how

quickly the world stands aside to let you pass.”

Napolean Hill, Think and Grow Rich

ASHIEK ENTERPRISES

ashiekenterprises@live.com

2340581