I'm done with Holiday menus, wine dinners, drunk bosses, dirty kitchens,wedding cakes for 2 people ("that will be 3 tiers, right?", managers of the week, waiters who know better, staff meetings and short paychecks. I found a warehouse space, some cheap equipment at an auction and I'm diving into a business of my own. Better extremely late then never.
Wish me luck!!

By Chefmanny (Chefmanny) on Sunday, August 08, 2004 - 09:32 pm: Edit

Go for it dude!!!!!!!!!
Good Luck!!!!!

By Chefspike (Chefspike) on Monday, August 09, 2004 - 01:16 am: Edit

The Best of Luck to You !!!
So where are you doing this?
State, City, County ?

By Stuntbaker (Stuntbaker) on Thursday, August 12, 2004 - 12:38 am: Edit

Key West, Florida is where I ended up.(Somehow) And is a little like the wild west for an experienced baker in that there's just noone here doing it. A couple of penny-ante dough slingers but they don't fear me none.

By Chefspike (Chefspike) on Thursday, August 12, 2004 - 12:50 am: Edit

hey flor-e-da !!!!, thats Manny's backyard.
take no prisoners!

By Stuntbaker (Stuntbaker) on Thursday, August 12, 2004 - 01:08 am: Edit

Yup. FLA for the last six years or so. I started baking for a pastry shop outside Boston many years ago owned by a brilliant and reckless brit. You out there Gerard? You must remember Maxim's Patisserie. I think you knew the owner and his partner (and his partner's partner?).
Then Atlanta, then back to Boston, then Key West. Don't tell my wife but I'm never leaving here. The tarpon jump high and the days go just slow enough for me.

By Chefmanny (Chefmanny) on Thursday, August 12, 2004 - 07:50 am: Edit

And the hurricanes blow hard!!!!!!
Hope you bailed already dude!!!!

By Stuntbaker (Stuntbaker) on Sunday, August 15, 2004 - 07:34 pm: Edit

We stuck it out and I guess we got lucky down here in the keys this time. My heart goes out to the people up North though. Charley was a lot more severe than any one thought he would be.

By Chefgibz0 (Chefgibz0) on Sunday, August 15, 2004 - 08:08 pm: Edit

Hell Yeah! Stunt Man!!! Go for Broke! I have been dippin my toe into the whole "on my own" thing for a while now and for some reason (my wife?!?) I just don't do it....I hope everything works out for ya. Just pull out yur 6 shoooter baguette and blow away those dough slingers. Best O' luck to ya man.
Peace.

By Chefmanny (Chefmanny) on Sunday, August 15, 2004 - 09:24 pm: Edit

The Keys did get lucky dude...you could of been in Punta Gorda!!!!!!...or Puta Gorda as we say in SF!!!!!

By Stuntbaker (Stuntbaker) on Sunday, August 15, 2004 - 10:13 pm: Edit

Yeah. One guy in PG said he decided to "ride" it out in his single wide. After he got hit in the head with his microwave, his refrigerater fell on top of him so he decided to hide behind his lawnmower for the remainder of the storm."'Happy Friday the thirteenth.', he sniffed." was the AP quote.

After reading that I must admit I was left wondering; if you've got the means to get your hands on a mower big enough to use as shelter in a class 4, why not think about upgrading your domicile to at least a double wide with tie downs?
But what do I know.

By Chefgibz0 (Chefgibz0) on Wednesday, August 18, 2004 - 08:51 am: Edit

Manny and StuntBaker......Hey is what they say in the mainstream news about the desruction true or is it much worse?? I do not want to sound crass or morbid but I have heard that the death toll is more like 400 not 19....And they say no looting but I have also heard that gangs from Miami and TB are pillaging the hard hit areas........... What is the truth??

By Chefmanny (Chefmanny) on Wednesday, August 18, 2004 - 03:19 pm: Edit

There's law enforcement in every corner, no looting, if any it's minimal!
Down here in these cases they shoot first and ask questions later!...so the looters and punks are hesitant.
There's so much law enforcement it's scary, and there's no hotels so they sleep in their cars at night!
The damage is bad but, a large portion happened to wealthy people so I don't feel too bad for them!
The poor bastards living in the mobile homes though, they are SOL!
They probably won't be allowed to put them back, (the mobile homes), like aftter Andrew down here!
It's bad, but relatively fair. Response was much faster this time since they had their stuff together since Andrew, crews were in place, plans were in place and it all just takes time now!
Electricity is the first thing the are working on now!
Many more deaths will happen because of stupidity after the storm, like people touching live wires, falling off roofs...etc.

By Stuntbaker (Stuntbaker) on Wednesday, August 18, 2004 - 04:37 pm: Edit

Yeah the long arm of the law is here fo sho. One guy trying to drive his minivan back to his crumpled house in Punta Gorda was stopped by local police. When he got insisted on getting by, they pulled him from the car and tasered his ass right there in front of his kids. Brutal.
So the looters might be out of work. Maybe they could apply for unemployment benefits?

By Stuntbaker (Stuntbaker) on Thursday, August 19, 2004 - 12:13 am: Edit

Who said 400 people died anyway?, that sounds a little extreme to me. Were they trying to sell windstorm insurance by any chance?

By Chefmanny (Chefmanny) on Thursday, August 19, 2004 - 05:55 am: Edit

Nobody I know of!!!

By Chefgibz0 (Chefgibz0) on Saturday, August 21, 2004 - 09:40 am: Edit

I read it on an internet web site. The guy proclaimed himself to be a resident or a municipal worker. He said that in Punta about 400 ppl died and that murauding gangs from T.B. and Miami. I just wanted to verify the validity of the story...........

By Chefmanny (Chefmanny) on Sunday, August 22, 2004 - 12:56 pm: Edit

On the other hand if they are illegal, such as migrant workers they are not counted!
They are undocumentable!...

By Chefgibz0 (Chefgibz0) on Sunday, August 22, 2004 - 01:17 pm: Edit

Just read another story of tractor trailers full of body bags and journalists being pushed away by gun point from the story.......hmmmmmm????

By Chefspike (Chefspike) on Friday, August 27, 2004 - 12:26 am: Edit

I didn't hear any of this.
has this been verified?

By Chefgibz0 (Chefgibz0) on Friday, August 27, 2004 - 08:40 am: Edit

NO, that is why I am asking the likes of Manny and StuntBaker. They are down there so I thought the could verify the stories that I have read.

By Chefspike (Chefspike) on Saturday, August 28, 2004 - 01:21 am: Edit

you'd think they would have heard something.
can't be true.
the whole country would have heard, ya can't keep something like that a secret.

By Stuntbaker (Stuntbaker) on Sunday, August 29, 2004 - 10:40 pm: Edit

I take it all back! It's all true! It turns out that "hurricane" Charley was really a super high tech special effects sham created by the New World Order in order to make off with billions in hurricane relief dollars and free bottled water. Now they've got us all held hostage in our homes. I can't tell if it's night or day anymore. Send help...please......I don't know if we're going to make it....the Rockefellers and Limbaugh will surely rule Florida before the week is out. I've got to go....I hear the helicopters again.

By Chefspike (Chefspike) on Monday, August 30, 2004 - 02:48 am: Edit

another one (liberal-commie) hits the dust.
how many more to go?
lol..

By Chefspike (Chefspike) on Sunday, September 05, 2004 - 11:03 pm: Edit

and just so nobody thinks I'm being a BULLY,(boohoo) I was just kidding when I wrote that above.
God forbid I don't want to offend anyone who can't take a joke or can't understand my humor.
Sorry I used the word "GOD".
Christ, I don't want to offend any of you non-believers.
Not that being a non-believer is bad or that theres anything wrong with it, you understand.

By Stuntbaker (Stuntbaker) on Tuesday, September 07, 2004 - 02:03 pm: Edit

Don't worry spike, I think folks in this thread have shown a thick enough skin so far but just in case, let's not try and swap any pie dough recipes. We don't want any one to get hurt.

By Corey (Corey) on Tuesday, September 07, 2004 - 08:27 pm: Edit

Guts and Butts!
geez, in the buffet it looks like a herd charging the buffet line. I saw one family of 6 the other day, prolly easily a ton between them. hate to have to pull a unfinished plate out of their faces. bus people must have nerves of steel.

By Chefspike (Chefspike) on Wednesday, September 08, 2004 - 08:10 am: Edit

U. G. T. R., St. baker
Corey, don't know how you do it eveyday man.
I wouldn't last a week.
Have you ever tried to tease those people? Put food out and then take it away.LOL.

By Corey (Corey) on Wednesday, September 08, 2004 - 12:18 pm: Edit

And, they will eat anything, like locuses. I made some displays out of pineapples, I was trying to get fancy, and set them on the edge of the salad bar, and when I went to get them to show the chef, 6 were missing.... and don't even get me started on christmas stuff, we do a huge gingerbread display and sometimes we notice bite marks on stuff when we go to add to it. last year I did a gingerbread shepherd and white frosting sheep with little raisens, and around the last week or so, more than half the herd dissapered... buffet cooks get no respect at all.

By Chefspike (Chefspike) on Wednesday, September 08, 2004 - 05:49 pm: Edit

do they still hang people for stealing a mans HERD, in nevada.