Open Kitchen etc.

East Coast meets EFY

2012-05-05T11:04:00.000-06:00

It all starts with an idea; an idea to go a step above the rest. Sopra Brands had that idea and now almost two years later, that idea was brought to the East Coast. Yeah it is just frozen yogurt, but like Momma Karen always says "if you are going to do something, do it right." So after countless hours of work and numerous creators, EarthFruits Yogurt was born.
This is not an infomercial and I'm not trying to sell anything... unless you're interested in a franchise! There are so many people who make and have made EarthFruits Yogurt a reality. But since this is what I have been eating and breathing lately, I thought I would give a behind the scenes look at building the EFY brand.
The past year, the team has been preparing for this summer and fall. With multiple stores opening up nationally and internationally, we have been on the countdown leading up to the first franchise opening in New Jersey. Preparing for an opening is kind of like those great scenes in Braveheart when everyone is preparing for battle. Except that the likelihood of fatal injury is relatively low. It is funny how much work goes into a 1700 sq. ft. yogurt shop.
Many years ago, my buddy Craig and I opened a convenience store called The Market at the Gateway mall. The initial store was smaller than a prison cell, with a second kiosk opening later. We thought such a small business would be easy to run and that it would basically take care of itself. Man, were we wrong. I learned a valuable lesson with that venture- no matter how small and simple a business is, if you want it to succeed, you have to work it and live it.
So as we prepared to open the franchise store in Hillsborough, NJ., we tried to comb over every detail of the operation, the training program, the marketing and also the construction that was already in progress.

Finally it was time to head to New Jersey, it was showtime. I have had the honor of being involved in quite a few restaurant/store openings in my career, but I still get nervous. It is guaranteed that not everything will go to plan, there will be delays, there will be heated words and one thing is for sure... you are about to work your ass off. But there is something so gratifying and dare I say, addicting, in watching a project come together.

When we arrived the store was coming along nicely, but now the final countdown was on and also the delicate dance of trying to prepare the store for an opening, around contractors trying to finish their projects. Never an easy task, now add New Jersey bravado to the contractors and you have controlled chaos!
This was a new store design for us, so we were all excited to see the swatches of colors and patterns come together.
Most frozen yogurt concepts throw some paint on the wall and buy some plastic furniture and call it good. We decided we wanted this to be a beautiful, relaxing place for people to hang out ...and buy some yogurt!

A crucial part to any opening, is the initial training of the new staff members and also the franchisee. The success of the brand is dependent on instilling the same standards and passion that the franchisor has for their concept into the trainees. The staff members are the people on the front-lines of your business. They are the ones talking to your customers and actually running the brand. I had been preparing for this training for over 5 months. With the help of some very talented people, we created an entire training program full of Power Points, manuals, instructional videos and quizzes.

I have to give kudos to Jim, the NJ franchisee. He did an excellent job in hiring and providing me with some quality trainees.

One of the sections of the training covered knife skills and the proper way to cut and prepare our fresh fruit selections. We decided to film a video of me demonstrating the correct techniques. This was a nerve-racking experience for me but thanks to our talented graphics department (Juan), the video turned out awesome.

Watching people watch you on television is definitely a weird but kinda cool experience. Luckily my few witty jokes landed and they didn't seem bored out of their minds.

Once the staff had the basic fundamentals down, it was time to practice what they had learned. They did a great job and luckily we had no knife accidents... whew!

With the staff trained, it was time to prepare for the opening and put the finishing touches on the store! A good detailed cleaning and numerous walk-throughs to ensure nothing had been missed and we were ready to go! (I make it sound so easy.. not the case. Thank you to so many people)

Ten days after arriving in New Jersey, we opened the doors to the public. I think everyone had a feeling of relief, excitement and an overall sense of accomplishment. That is the addicting part of opening new concepts, that rush you get when you see it all come together, especially when its comes together so well!

Yeah Jim's first customer was our director of operations, but Jeff's money is as green as the next guy's!

Congratulations to the entire Hillsborough team, you guys rock!

Front and Back

2012-03-25T11:08:00.000-06:00

I was once asked in an interview whether customer service or the quality of the food was more important. Initially I was caught off guard by the question. I had never been asked this before and I had never thought of one without the other. And that is exactly how I answered the question; I explained that in my experience, one cannot survive without the other. Subsequently, I got the job.

There is an old school mentality within the restaurant industry in which you have two teams working in a restaurant, Front of House and Back of House. Although the functions of these two groups are drastically different, they are working for a common purpose- to take care of the guests. But it is easy to always picture the grass being greener on the other side. For example, the cooks were able to eat whatever they wanted and the servers worked less hours and were considered lazy.

I really disliked this separation and never really understood why it had to be this way. I began to think that if I truly wanted to be a great operator, I would have to leave the kitchen and experience the Front of House.

This was not an easy transition for me. In the Back of House there is always something that needs to be done. Restaurant kitchens are a 24 hour process; you are always prepping or planning for the next day or event. Sauces are simmering, proteins are marinating and the knife-work is always waiting for you. The kitchen has so much preparation to do before a guest even steps foot inside your establishment.

On the contrary, the Front of House doesn’t necessarily “go on” until right before the doors open. But trust me; once those customers start to flood in, the Front of House staff is working just as hard as anyone. If you have ever served in a restaurant, you know that you don’t get to have a bad day. There is no shutting your office door and just pushing through the day. You are on stage and everyone is looking at you.

As a Front of House manager, one of your primary functions was just talking with the customers. This was relatively easy for me but at first I was surprised at how shy I could be in just approaching a table and starting a conversation. But as I got more comfortable with this, I realized I was like the host of a huge party. I enjoy playing the host of a party and ensuring everyone is having a great time. I started to become familiar with our regulars and in essence I was just visiting with friends. I loved it.

As I started to see both sides of the coin, I realized how important each side of the team was to the success of the business. I realized that both sides really were not that different, and actually we all were contributing to something that was very special. In today’s world, often times dining out is not something you do before the main event, it IS the main event.

Then one day as I was preparing for a staff training, I realized that essentially we were all entertainers telling a story. The dining room was our stage, the uniforms were our costumes, and the restaurant was our backdrop. The menu was our plot, the chefs were the writers and it was up to the servers to deliver the story.

Once I started to think of the restaurant industry in this way, it just seemed to make a lot more sense to me. So I immediately started preaching this at my daily line ups with the staff. The reaction was a little cold at first, but once I started explaining it and showcasing the similarities, the staff started to buy in. I would ask them “Where else does the entire staff stand and perform while the guests are seated and watching the performance?” And yes, every now and then, I would get the answer “a strip club” but they were starting to get it. I can’t say that both sides always worked harmoniously from that point on, but it consistently got better. As sales increased and the overall guest experience improved, I noticed a difference. We had stopped focusing on our differences and started focusing on our common goal, thus becoming a stronger team. Maybe there is a life lesson in there somewhere.

I knew that with this ideology I would be able to train this moving forward and hopefully see the same results. Ironically, one of the next concepts I would be working with would only require one or two staff members most of the time. There was no Back of House or Front of House, there was one team and you had to play both roles. In the frozen yogurt world, one employee can do all the prep and still be at the door to greet the guest. Honestly, it was refreshing to think of operations as being that simple. But what I realized is that you have to find the right kind of person, who can play both roles well. Finding someone who can measure and use a knife, but who is also not scared of holding a conversation with a complete stranger is not an easy task! Yeah you can find people that can do the job, but do you want someone who can just get the job done? Or do you want someone who is passionate about what they do?

So the next time you are dining out, look around and notice all the performances going on around you. Is the stage set? Are the costumes clean and uniform? And is the story melting in your mouth?

And don’t forget to tip your servers!

Method Behind The Madness

2012-02-25T11:49:00.001-07:00

Before the dawn of recipe apps on our mobile devices and 24 hour cooking channels, recipes and the unorganized books that held them together were regarded as closely held secrets. Momma Karen’s recipe book looks like my binders I had in elementary school. Random scraps of paper with scribbled writing shoved in no discernible order in any pocket that was available. But it made sense to me and it makes sense to her. When she needs to find a recipe, out comes a folded piece of paper that undoubtedly brings back memories of whoever created the recipe and the meals shared around it! There is something special about preparing and cooking a recipe that has been handed down from generation to generation.

To cook food means to heat it in order to make certain changes in it. Skillful cooks know exactly what changes they want to make and what they have to do to achieve it. I believe there is a chef in all of us; there is something exciting about buying raw ingredients and using it as a blank canvas to create a meal. No matter how simple, dining on a meal that you created is always rewarding even if you have to scrape some of the burnt pieces off!

Something that had always been difficult for me was that cooking was my career and the last thing I wanted to do at home was cook! My professional cooking days are long past and over the last few years I have really started to enjoy cooking at home again. This could also be attributed to me continually trying to impress and show off for the little lady!

Recipes are important tools because they are a means of recording and passing along essential information. In spite of their importance, recipes have many limitations because they assume that you already have certain knowledge and understand the terminology. Which may be true in some cases but I thought it would be helpful to go over the basic cooking methods and how they affect the foods being cooked.

Cooking methods are classified as “moist heat” and “dry heat.”

Moist- heat methods are those in which the heat is conducted to the food by water, stock/sauce or by steam.

Dry-heat methods are those in which the heat is conducted by hot air, hot metal, or hot fat. Dry-heat methods are usually divided into two categories: without fat and with fat. (kind of like me before and after I got married)

Moist-Heat Methods

Poach, Simmer and Boil all mean to cook food in water or a seasoned and flavored liquid. The temperature determines the method.

To boil means to cook in a liquid that is bubbling rapidly and is greatly agitated. Water boils at 212°F at sea level. Boiling is generally reserved for certain vegetables and starches. The high temperature would toughen the proteins of meats and fish.

To simmer means to cook in a liquid that is bubbling very gently. The temperature should be between 185°F and 205°F.

To poach means to cook in a liquid, usually a small amount that is hot but not actually bubbling. The temperature should be between 160°F and 180°F. Poaching is used to cook delicate foods such as fish and eggs.

Steaming means to cook foods by exposing them to direct steam. In commercial kitchens, steaming is usually done in special steam cookers that are designed for large quantities and standard-size pans. But at home, you can use a covered pan or tightly wrap the item in aluminum foil or parchment paper so that it cooks in steam formed by its own moisture. "Baked" potatoes wrapped in foil are actually steamed.

Braising means to cook covered in a small amount of liquid, usually after an initial browning of the item. In almost all cases, the liquid is served with the product as a sauce.

Dry- Heat Methods

Roasting and Baking mean to cook foods surrounding them with hot, dry air, usually in a oven. Roasting usually applies primarily to meats and poultry. Baking applies to breads, pastries, vegetables and fish.

Broiling means to cook with radiant heat form above. It is a rapid, high-heat method that is usually used only for tender meats, poultry, and fish and for a few vegetable items.

Grilling and Griddling are cooking methods that use heat from below.

To grill means to cook on an open grid over a heat source, which may be charcoal, electric element or a gas-heated element.

Griddling is done on a solid cooking surface called a griddle, usually with a small amount of fat.

Sautè means to cook quickly in a small amount of fat. The French word sauter means "to jump," referring to the action of tossing small pieces of food in a sautè pan. Always preheat the pan before adding the food to be sautèed.

Pan-frying means to cook in a moderate amount of fat in a pan over moderate heat.

Deep-frying means to cook a food submerged in hot fat. Most foods are fried at 350°F to 375°F.

Most of these terms are common knowledge but now you have the methods behind the madness. Hopefully this helps in understanding which method to choose or is recommended in those amazingly crumpled up recipes that have been passed down to you!

Mother Knows Best

2012-02-20T15:59:00.000-07:00

Growing up in the Wright household food was always an important subject. Mostly because we love to eat and we were always wondering "when is dinner going to be ready?" We were all busy going in different directions but my parents insisted we have dinner together most nights. You had to finish everything on your plate and stay at the table until everyone was finished. Table manners were a must and conversation was expected. I believe this is where my love of dining and enjoying a meal all started. Even though I didn't realize it then, my parents were creating a love for the art of dining inside my head!

So when I decided to attend culinary school after graduating high school, it seemed like a natural progression. Little did I know the insanely crazy and competitive world I was entering. Culinary school opened me up to a whole new universe of food, drink and the inner-workings of the restaurant business. I knew I would never dine or view food in the same way again after my first week!

That was over ten years ago and my passion is still going strong. I have had the good fortune to work with some amazing chefs and restaurateurs over the years and dining out is still one of my favorite things to do!

I don't know everything, I have forgotten a lot and I still have so much to learn. But what makes the culinary world so great is that it is constantly evolving while still being founded on the same old principles!

Enjoy!

The 5 Mother Sauces

The "mother sauces" are five basic sauces, which are the foundation for making hundreds of various secondary sauces or "small sauces." Once you master these five sauces, you can make most any sauce to compliment, enhance and bring out the flavor of the food it is served with.

Bechamel - This classic white sauce, was named after its inventor, Louis XIV's steward Louis de Bèchamel. The king of all sauces, it is often referred to as a cream sauce because its appearance and is probably used the most frequently in all types of dishes.

Made by stirring milk into a butter-flour roux, the thickness of the sauce depends on the amount of roux you add to the milk.

Veloutè- Is a stock-based white sauce. It can be made from chicken, veal or fish stock. The term veloutè is from the French adjectival form of velour, meaning velvety. In preparing a velouté sauce, a light stock is thickened with a butter-flour roux.

Espagnole - Also called a brown sauce, it is traditionally made of rich meat stock, a mirepoix of browned vegetables (a mixture of onions, carrots and celery), a browned roux, herbs and sometimes tomato paste.

Hollandaise/Mayonnaise - Two sauces that are made with an emulsion of egg yolks and fat. Hollandaise is made with butter, egg yolks and lemon juice, usually in a double boiler to prevent overheating, and served warm. Mayonnaise is an emulsion of vegetable oil, egg yolks, lemon juice or vinegar and seasonings. It is widely used as a spread or base for an Aioli or Remoulade.

Tomato -This sauce resembles the traditional tomato sauce that we might use on pasta and pizza. The tomato sauce of classical French cooking consists of salt belly of pork, onions, bay leaves, thyme, tomato purée or fresh tomatoes, roux, garlic, salt, sugar, and pepper.

Vinagrettes are often included in this group, but were not part of the original five. In the early 19th century, the chef Antonin Carême created an extensive list of sauces, many of which were original recipes. It is unknown how many sauces Carême is responsible for, but it was estimated to be in the hundreds.

In the late 19th century, and early 20th century, the chef Auguste Escoffier consolidated Carême's list to five mother sauces.