Guitar Cutter.. Which one to Purchase ?
Posted in: Opinion
If you go to tcfsales.com you can see the Dedy products. We have one and like it a lot. Not cheap but good.
Pete
Forum Activity for @Pierre (Pete) Trinque
Posted in: Opinion
Kitchen Aid Panning Attachment
Posted in: Geek Gear - Cool Tools
Andy,
We have one and Dianne uses it often. The one issue is cooling like Edward mentioned. We too had gotten a number of requests and we cannot keep them in the shop. It's a good stop gap solution to see if they really want the product enough to warrant a bigger unit.
Pete
DIY Guitar
Posted in: Geek Gear - Cool Tools
Clay,
Agreed. Looking to see if we can do the whole thing in a manner that keeps the weight down so that it can bemoved easily and is durable enough to withstand the moving and workload.
Pete
DIY Guitar
Posted in: Geek Gear - Cool Tools
Andy,
I have a welding buddy who says he can put one together with alum. but I have to say, the one Clay shows is very interesting. The only downside I see is the required footprint. It's a manual version of what SG is selling for 6500.00. The wheels are turning......
looking for foil supplier
Posted in: Classifieds F/S or Wanted
Clay,
Thanks for the info, we will check Frank's site out. The next question is the printer outerwrappers. Is that something we do locally or is there an on-line source.
Pierre
What's your dream machine?
Posted in: Opinion
Daniel,
Thank you for your great response. I've been away from the site for a few days hand dipping. LOL. Your last paragraph is exactly where we are at out shop. We currently have three Hilliards (Papa bear, Momma Bear and Baby Bear or Little Dipper) and have worked through the tempering issues with them. Jim @ Hilliards has been a great help with that. We too are dreaming of a Selmi under the Christmas Tree but don't expect one. We are hanging in there with production, but are at the point where we need an enrober to get to the next level. As I mentioned we looked at the Perfect Enrober in Philly, we looked at the Hilliard's 6" coater and at other options. We don't have the capital to just order a Selmi, but we need to look at all options to bridge the gap. That is why your response was so helpful. We know that any machine takes time to learn and tweak to fit our needs. We are doing molded, truffles, hard ganaches, etc, so we need a well rounded machine. I had also heard the negative comments about the wheel and over-crystalization so it was good to hear that with a little practice and patience it works fine.
You gave me much info so now I have another potential option. Will see if there are any used enrobers out there. Wish us luck.
Again, many thanks for all of your time .
Pierre
What's your dream machine?
Posted in: Opinion
I'm dreaming of a Selmi with Enrober. Our business is growing to the point that it may shift from a dream to a necessity. The question I have for you is about your Perfect Enrober. We looked at it in Philly last year. You mentioned that it is a good entry level enrober. Why? BTW.We are currently using Hillard's and hand dipping.
Pierre
Chocolate going down the drain
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
We just opened our shop in March of 2010 and one of the reasons why was because we needed to find a facility with a grease trap (County Code).
We have been told by another chef to run a pan of boiling hot water down the drain once every few days. Hope it helps.
Pierre
If Selmi is the Cadalac what is a JKV and why?
Posted in: Chocolate Education
David,
Not sure if I'll be of much help, but here are my thoughts. We opened our shop in March and are currently using 3 Hilliard machines. We bought them used and sent them back to be refurbished last year. They are doing a fine job, but they are not a Selmi. We have looked at and drooled over the Selmi for sometime now and once we can afford one we will purchase it. We have heard from several other chocolatier's that the Selmi keeps temper extremely well, can switch chocolate relatively easily and has a small footprint. The enrober is what we are really looking for because the production boost of the Selmiversus the Hilliard system is like night and day. Also the enrober is a quick dis-connect and can be stored in a small space in the upright position. I have not used a JKV but I have heard that they are harder to clean and that the wheel can sometime be problematic. Again, that is second hand info. Last, the Selmi has very good service and support where we have heard not so good reports on JKV. That's my two cents worth. Like you, would love to hear from others.
Pierre
preserved cocoa pods how do i get one
Posted in: Chocolate Education
Laura,
Just saw thisdiscussion and had to contact you.
My wife and I have just opened our chocolate shop in Arizona and were looking to bring in some cocoa pods for display. If possible could you relay the info on the company you used. I don't see any contact information on Jeff's response.
Any suggestions from you will also be great as you just went through the process.
Thank you,
Pierre
Is opening a chocolate business in a hot climate doable?
Posted in: Opinion
Melody,YES, it is doable. We are currently working to open a shop in Tucson, AZ. We have different issues than others, but, these issues are workable. We also have to deal with high heat, but lower humidity for most of the year. As we were looking for space we did focus on the HVAC system to be sure that it could handle the temp requirements. We also are looking to vendors who can get us our supplies year round versus in the Spring and Fall. We offer cold paks to our retail customers. We are working on our delivery van to get the right temperatures for our local deliveries. All of these are challenges but not deal breakers.Good luck on your venture.Pierre
Wholesale Packaging...quick!
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
I'd contact Brian. He will understand the urgency of your situation.Pierre
Local Regulations for opening a Chocolate Shop. Kitchen- Yes or No?
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
Elana,Thanks for the info. That is key.Another twist came up yesterday. Depending on the landlords, they have their own contractors to do the work, so you can not get competative bids. Then the contractor will only use parts and equipment (sinks, grease traps, etc.) that they buy and they must be new for warranty purposes. Nice profit margins for them.Not all landlords are like that, but it's something you should ask up front.Pierre
Local Regulations for opening a Chocolate Shop. Kitchen- Yes or No?
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
Brad,WOW. Thanks a lot for all the info. We have started the process that you described and it is a lot of work, but it's also an education that we will use in the future.I know what you are talking about with the sales and real estate people. One offered the services of their kitchen design architect. They will do the kitchen layout for $2,800.00 but will not guarantee that it will pass code.This town has a bad rep when it comes to Business Development, but what I hear from others, we are no different that most locals.Thanks again for your info and more importantantly you insight that we can make it happen if we work through the pricess and paperwork. I will keep you informed.Pierre
Local Regulations for opening a Chocolate Shop. Kitchen- Yes or No?
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
Thanks for the info. We have started the process and YES we will need a grease trap. Amazing how when you talk with the property broker they tell you what you want to hear. Fortunately, having had much help from people like yourselves, we kept asking the questions and not signing documents until we were sure we knew what we were looking at. We have adjusted our property search more towards restaurants and have found a number of potential sites. When We get frustrated I keep telling myself "It will all be alright once we start making chocolate."Pierre
Local Regulations for opening a Chocolate Shop. Kitchen- Yes or No?
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
I met with an architect that works with the county here in Arizona and he agrees that it will be considered a kitchen. However, he believes that we may be able to stay away from the grease trap and special wall covering and ceiling tiles required for a restaurant. He also believes that I should emphasis selling retail out the front of the shop rather than telling them I will primarily be doing wholesale.Challenges are what makes life fun.
Local Regulations for opening a Chocolate Shop. Kitchen- Yes or No?
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
Thanks Andy.We have already planned on the induction burner option.We have had some informal talks with the health dept. but they seem unclear on where we would be, so asked us to justify our position. There are no other facilities in the area to use as a model.Pete
Local Regulations for opening a Chocolate Shop. Kitchen- Yes or No?
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
My wife and I are looking at leasing real estate to open our chocolate shop. The question is this: Are we bringing in a "kitchen." We will be producing our products onsight with bulk chocolate. Our equipment will include tempering machines, enrober, reach-in fridge and freezers, microwave, 3 sink cleaning station, work tables, etc. We are looking at an approx. 1000 sq ft space with 150 sq ft of showroom and the remainder for production. If this is classified as a kitchen then the regulations will be that of a restaurant and more costly.I would like to hear if anyone has gone through this process and your thoughts. We understand that each city has different regs but general info might help as we get set to meet with the officals.
updated by @Pierre (Pete) Trinque: 06/28/15 09:24:19AM
Quotable Quotes
Posted in: Opinion
My favorite is:"Ne croyez pas que le chocolat soit un substitut a l'amour est un substitut au chocolat," which translates to:Don't believe that chocolate is a substitute for love. Love is a substitute for chocolate.Miranda Ingram