Empire Bake

It's been almost a year since Superstorm Sandy hit the northeast, and many bakeries and other businesses are still working to get their business back on track. Whether or not you have ever been directly affected by natural disaster, the aftermath of such an event affords us all the opportunity to evaluate just how well prepared we are for future...

I was fortunate enough to have an associate share the following story with me. It's easy for all of us to get bogged down by the daily grind; so focused on budgets and bottom lines that sometimes we forget what matters in business. For me, this story served as a poignant reminder - it's the little things that count. The...

Exactly which foods are taxable? If you run a bakery, bagel shop, deli or nearly any other retail food business, you may have asked yourself this very questions many times. Don't sweat it if your confused - a lot of people are. The tax guidelines read a bit like stereo instructions! A loaf of bread is not taxable - unless...

The Blue Duck Bakery Café has been baking fine artisan breads, cakes, cookies, pies and pastries on Long Island's east end since 1999. Since their first location in Southampton opened its doors, business has continued to grow in both the retail and wholesale markets. In October of 2008 The Blue Duck expanded into their second location in Southhold, NY. Traditionally...

Bakers and foodservice professionals alike often wonder, what's the difference between Blast Freezing, (often referred to as Deep Freezing), and more conventional freezing methods? The question we most commonly hear is: Why should I invest the extra money in BLAST FREEZING? The short answer is quality. The distinction between freezing (or hardening) and blast freezing is in the difference in...

I meet many people who have a dream of taking that cherished family recipe for a baked dessert or food item and creating business out of it. Often, they have no idea of how to go about doing that – sometimes even after they've already started the business and find themselves floundering. Earlier this Spring, Joe Connolly, business writer for...

“You must learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t possibly live long enough to make them all yourself.” -Sam Levenson As a kid, I loved to collect things: superhero comic books, baseball cards, and…acorns. Huge oak trees showered the schoolyard each fall with fat, brown, irresistible acorns. One day during recess, I followed an impulse and filled the pockets...

A Lesson Learned in Growing a Bakery Business Many years – and several lifetimes ago, it seems... I must have been looking over his shoulder a little too closely – inspecting how well he had cleaned the 60-quart bowl for the bakery’s vertical mixer. Gary turned around, glared at me, and in a voice strained with frustration, started jumping up...

Twitter this, Tweet that - you’ve heard the chatter. How could you not? Over the past year, Twitter has exploded into a cultural phenomenon. You've probably heard how other businesses have found success riding the Twitter wave, but you’re still wondering if it’s right for you. Whether you own a bakery, bagel shop, or pizzeria, the first thing to remember...

This is a question we hear all the time. As one looks for an oven to meet their production needs, there are often many questions as to which is the “right” oven to purchase. Differences in design can have an impact on the quality and quantity of product that you can produce. There are three basic types of gas/oil fired...