So like any professional foodie, I have my selection of favorite celebrity chefs. They are as follows:

Anthony Bourdain because he’ll be the first to tell you that he isn’t a chef. I like him because he’s talented as a chef, sarcastic and has a very grounded outlook on working as a chef.

Next on my list is Susur Lee, a fellow Canadian. I admire him because he’s honest, hard working and most importantly humble. Not to mention he has 5 restaurants.

I think Lynn Crawford is also amazing because she’ll kick your butt if your not pulling your weight.

I also get a kick out of Gordan Ramsey. Yeah I said it.  I actually like the guy.  I don’t like his show Hell’s Kitchen. As a matter of fact I found it quite degrading the first time I saw it and I certainly don’t watch it now, but I do like Kitchen Nightmares (preferably the European edition because they don’t bleep out the swearing and the bleeping drives me too distraction) I believe he has talent and knows what he’s doing. I mean he has like a bazillion Michelin Stars. I think he must know something.

Respect should also be given to Jamie Oliver because of his strong believe that healthy food should be served out of school cafeterias and junk food is not the option.  He’s a maverick and good is not good enough with him. 

And of course, I bow my head to Mrs. Julia Child. The stories she could have shared not to mention a nip or two from a bottle of Brandy.

This is all leading to the explosion of food related TV reality shows that have cropped up in the last few years and the sometimes unhealthy expectations/pseudo reality that the average consumer has regarding life in a commercial kitchen, what can be created, and the road to celebrity chefdom in all it’s glory. Let me paint you a picture.

A customer came up to me soon after I opened Anna’s Indulgence. They asked me if I watched any dessert reality shows, which at this point I admitted to seeing a few.

This led to the customer then explaining to me that they wanted a cake for their child’s 3rd birthday. The kid was turning three, and the cake had to be grand.  Because the child had a thing for mermaids, the cake had to be a mermaid. Because the parents were on a tight budget for the food (because they had spent it on mermaid balloons, plates, napkins and goody bags) they only had $50 to spend on the cake. Then they wanted to know if it was possible if I could make them a three foot mermaid cake, for the next day I might add, all for the grand total of $50 (because it was their child’s birthday dontcha’ know)

After I picked my jaw up from my freshly waxed floor, I asked them out of curiosity where they got the idea for this cake.  Wouldn’t you know it, the idea came from a dessert reality TV show. I mean, if they can do the cake on TV, in 30 minutes, then it’s possible right? Needless to say, once I explained that I would need more time to design and create, not to mention a 50% non-refundable deposit before I began, they seemed to be less enthused.  Then they asked me what a conservative estimate for a cake like they described would cost. I gave a figure somewhere in the thousands. They soon ran away.

The truth behind these shows is there as far away from reality as one can get. I also think that some of these so called star chefs are nothing but a bunch of phonies who thrive on drama (in my humble opinion that is). Some of the food reality shows that now exist make it seem just about anybody can be a star and they make it look easy and glamorous. What the viewer doesn’t see is the army of apprentices and assistance’s doing all the grunt work off camera. That it can take days to create a food masterpiece and because of the time and the skills involved, the end result is going to cost A LOT of money.

The viewer never see’s the long hours of planning and executing the project, the endless rounds of drawing out the vision or planning the menu, the sore feet and tired back. Have you noticed that in these dessert shows especially, they never tell the viewer what the final price is nor how long it took to make the cake? Because it doesn’t make good TV! The truth would make people faint!

With all this ranting aside, food reality TV shows have done some good as well. It has opened up a world to the average person while educating them on different types of food and food styles, shown an insiders view into the world of the KITCHEN and an awareness to what people are eating and getting people to talk about food and question it. It has also brought professional recognition to some truly talented chefs. That part I admire.

I’m also not saying that all cooking shows are bad because if you were like me, I used to watch The Frugal Gourmet, make sand pie’s in my back yard sand box as a kid, was overly curious with regard to what went on behind the door the servers in the restaurant kept walking through and yes I do own a copy of The Joy of Cooking.

I’m just one of those overly practical, grounded realists with the optimistically attitude that people will see it for what it is. You want reality, go outside or better yet, visit the local restaurant or the neighborhood pastry shop and check out what remarkable things they are doing every single day. In my book, they are the true reality stars.

Join me for my next feature: Dessert is not meant to take off the pounds, but to take off the years. How dessert is actually good for you.

So what is Anna’s Indulgence Dessert Bar anyway?

It was my pastry business, a reality that was the result of many years of dreaming, and planning fueled by passion, determination and a mountain of hard work. A business that would never had taken place if it wasn’t for those chefs and pastry chefs who took the time to share their skills with me from the beginning, Larry, Vickie, Peter and Suzanne. Thank-you.

I accomplished the goal of turning my little dream into existence.

The reality of owning a business came to an end in June of this year. Yes, I made the decision to close my business.  I’ll admit, I’ve been rather quiet on why I closed. It was a very personal and very difficult decision to make. I knew once I got the ball rolling, there was no turning back so I had to be sure. It was no ones business as to why I closed. I’m aware that people like to talk. I also know that those who talk the most or are the loudest have the least amount of anything good to say.

After working non-stop for 5 years within the business, spending thousands of dollars to keep the business moving forward and many sleepless nights; I came to the heart wrenching realization that I no longer wanted to be a business owner. So I did something about it. I closed the shop, spent some time getting back to my old self and started focusing on the next step.

The point of this entry is not to have a pity party.  It’s about my experience of being a business owner. I’m going to attempt to shed some insight on things that nobody ever tells you about with having a business. For those that dream to someday own a business, I will never discourage you from trying. I think you should. The lessons that are gained from owning a business, one will never learn in any classroom.  These life experiences are invaluable.

Here are some hard truths that I learned in no particular order:

Having a business is one of THE hardest and most stressful jobs on the planet, next to maybe brain surgery.  Not everybody is cut out to be a business owner. Just because you have a skill at something, and maybe your good at it, doesn’t mean being a business owner is right for you. The problem lies with not knowing what you are suppose to know when you need to know it. It will always cost something whether in time or money to get in the know so to speak.

Having a business is very, very expensive.  If you think your start-up costs are high, you haven’t seen nuthin’ yet. Once you open the doors, you have to keep paying for things just to keep the business going. It never ends. You have to ask yourself if you are prepared to make some major sacrifices (lack of pay cheque, little free time, added stress etc) not just for the short term, but potentially for the long term. There is no guarantee that it will be worth it in the end.

Nobody will care about your business as much as you care about your business. An exception is family and close friends. Thank-you and I love you. That doesn’t mean you won’t receive support and encouragement from others, but at the end of the day, are they investing into your great scheme? Once you leave their sight, your business venture leaves their mind, usually for good.

Location is very important, but it’s not everything and once you actually open, it becomes secondary to what you actually sell.

The prime location is gold, but you have to be able to afford this golden location before you make one dollar. Landlords usually want some guarantee that you are committed (in the form of 1st and last months rent and a signed lease agreement, anywhere from 3 to 10 years) before they hand over the key to your space. Never forget that to them, it’s business and if you have a bad day or slow sales, rent still has to be made.

In my case, I had a great landlord, I was lucky. Most business owners; when looking for their location get caught up in traffic counts and how visible their business is from the street, but unless you can afford rent from $2000 a month and up (that’s usually before utilities) you need to keep looking.

Everybody (including those who have never dared to own a business) have an opinion about what you should or shouldn’t do with your business and will share it with you whether you want to hear it or not. “Why don’t you sell doughnuts?”, “How come you don’t give out free refills?”, “You should really have a slushy machine for your customers.” That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t hear out valid concerns or suggestions. It’s also important to remember that most people mean well and really do want to help.  You will learn pretty quick what to take to heart and what to let go.

No matter how hard you try, or how obvious it may be, there will be some people who will never get what you are trying to accomplish with your business or even why you are trying to do it in the first place. These people are dead weight and will never spend a dime in your business but will think nothing of wasting your time. You need to get rid of them as quickly as possible.  You have to learn this out of necessity.

There is a misconception that one goes into owning a business because they want to be they’re own boss, not have to answer to anybody and do what they want. I hate to burst the rose coloured bubble here, but there will be many people you will have to answer to (your banker, your landlord, your customer) and there’s little time to do what you want because your time gets filled with the millions of tasks that take priority.

In the time since I closed Anna’s Indulgence (hard to believe it’s been almost 5 months now), I’ve had time to reflect on the business and on being a business owner. I didn’t realize until just recently, that though it was my choice to close and though I don’t regret the decision to do so, I’m going through a mourning period. I am mourning the death of a friend. Not a pleasant thought, but true. 

After all, it was a dream of mine to have a business. I picked out all the equipment for the business. I drew up the plans on where to place all said equipment. I had a great work table.  That was my dessert case.  I had an amazing floor mixer.  I didn’t have to share my walk-in freezer with anybody (fellow pastry chefs will understand this). I picked out the wall colour (Banana Split) and made sure the shop looked classy and inviting. It was my showcase on what I could do. It was all mine, right down to the floor tiles and the hot water tank.  I was happy there, it gave me peace.

Then something changed.  I believe it came down to burn out, very common in business owners. Not just physically but mentally and emotionally.  I have never doubted my career choice as a pastry chef. I love the creative aspect of the job the most.  If I could have been left alone to create, design and just to play, maybe I would have been happier.  There were things I could have done better but I also knew deep down, that unless I had the passion for my business, it wasn’t going to work. Somewhere the passion died and I felt like the business was choking me.

In the end, people will think and say what they want about Anna’s Indulgence Dessert Bar. I have no regrets about opening Anna’s Indulgence nor closing her down. It was a very expensive way to learn some lessons. I do miss the business but not enough to go back.  Although the memories are good, they are still raw and bittersweet. 

For those who have a businesses, I wish you nothing but success. I know how hard it is and how hard you work at it everyday. For those who wish to someday own a business, may you find the courage to go forth and make your mark.

Stay tuned for my next entry; The Three Foot Mermaid Cake and Why I don’t Like Some Reality Food Shows.

Yeah that’s right, I said it…

Even though I hold desserts in high regard, even I have to admit that there are some real stinkers out there. Here is a take on some of the sweet stuff that I truly believe are overrated combined with my failed understanding why there’s many fans of these items.  In no particular order of grossness:

1) Deep fried cheesecake. What on earth is this all about? Basically you take a piece of cheesecake, wrap it in a tortilla, fling it into the fat fryer, slam it onto a plate, pour some over the top sweet sauce with the addition of cream from a can and serve it to eagerly anticipated customers. AND THEY LAP IT UP! It’s been described to me as “Heaven on a plate”,  “Pure utter bliss”,  “You don’t know what you are missing” I do know what I’m missing, and it’s pure yuck.

To be fair, I am one of the few who doesn’t like cheesecake. As a pastry chef (no I’m not a baker) I have to make a lot of cheesecake and I have made some interesting versions of the dessert (strawberry black pepper, blueberry white pepper, chocolate maple fudge, chocolate banana) I have to find interesting combinations in the effort to help take away my distaste of this particular dessert.

But deep fried cheesecake is just wrong. On so many levels. And it’s everywhere.  It’s so popular that almost every dessert menu I see, has a version of it and it ends up being the biggest seller. Who was the genius who came up with this?  I mean, is this the best they could do?  Really? I don’t get it. I don’t like it.

2) Next on my list of distaste is the the always present marshmallow peanut butter square at every craft sale, church sale, bake sale, Christmas potluck, and family reunion. You know the one with the mini coloured marshmallows? People stop that! Nobody likes it! It tastes bad, looks like some chemical freakish meltdown, and it gives the appearance that who ever made it, was too cheap both in effort and cost to give a crap. In case you still need more convincing that it’s just no good, then I ask you, why is it the one dessert that is always leftover?

3) The next dessert that I am sooo over is the chocolate fountain. I’m going to tell you why every culinary professional grimaces behind the customer’s back whenever they suggest a festering bacteria pool such as the chocolate fountain at their event.

To begin with, in order to have the fountain do what it is suppose to do (present a nice continuous curtain of chocolate) the fountain has to sit on a flat, level surface and the chocolate has to be thinned out. One can buy prepackaged, already thinned out chocolate. In the pastry shop, we have access to chocolate that has either been thinned out with cocoa butter (reserved for the client who spends top dollar for the fountain extravaganza) or one can add liquid oil to cheap chocolate (what can I say? If your not prepared to go over $3.95 per guest, don’t expect to get the good stuff. You get what you pay for)

Once the fountain is on display and people are filling their gullet with chocolate coated fruit, they are unaware that in most cases, the people that went before them have in fact double dipped.  So for the next person in line, they are going to be treated to a delightful buffet of someone else’s saliva. Hmm yummy.

The final thing I have to say about this mess, is well…the mess the fountain makes when in use. I’m talking about the hardened pools of sludge like substance that remains allover, and I mean all over the fruit, the table, the floor, the walls and I have even seen where the chocolate somehow has made it across a room to be found ground into the carpet, over the chairs and into pieces of art on the walls.

There are other desserts I don’t like, but the above are the three biggies. However I do want to make an honourable mention to some ingredients that I think are just plain nasty.

1) Raisins. I hate them. Don’t get confused though and think I hate grapes or wine for that matter. Lets clarify and say that all though raisins and wine come from grapes, wine does not come from raisins.  (I seem to have to defend why I will drink wine) ‘Nuff said.

2) Tapioca. The texture is just plain gross.

3) Canned apple pie filling. Are fresh apples that hard to come by or that expensive that one has to resort to this?

4) Imitation banana or maple syrup flavour. They’re too strong, and too sweet. And when in use, over used.

Join me on my next post: “Anna’s Indulgence Dessert Bar: An Ode to a Journey Pt 1.” Now put down that deep fried cheesecake and go for a walk!

Hello, and welcome. Thanks for joining in on the conversation. Allow me to introduce myself and why I am keeping a blog.  My name is Anna and I am a trained red seal pastry chef with over 16 years of industry experience.

Beside making and consuming desserts, my hobbies include reading, writing (in case that wasn’t obvious) cycling (during one summer I cycled 2000km) walking, and anything that challenges me creatively. You would describe me as passionate, stubborn, driven and outgoing. 

I am also loyal, compassionate, cheeky, honest and trustworthy. My sense of humor tends to be dry and sarcastic, but I’m not hurtful. I do however have a low thresh hold for bullshit and I can pick up on it pretty damn quick (Just so you know). I am happily married to a great guy named Colin and we have a cat named Finn. We live in Brandon, Manitoba and share the house with my parents.

I decided to join the legion of blog writer’s because, well frankly, I love dessert.  I love making dessert, I love consuming dessert, I love the ingredients that are used and I love being a pastry chef. I will not pretend to have all the answers on the topics that I will introduce, and I ‘ll be the first to admit I don’t know everything there is to know about desserts.

First off, I think some clarification is in order. When people ask what I do for a living I tell them that I am a pastry chef. They somehow get it confused and start referring me as a baker. Please don’t misunderstand me, I don’t think there is anything wrong with being a baker. However a baker is someone who’s main focus is producing bread. A pastry chefs focus is making desserts. 

I’ll admit, the difference is subtle, especially when both professions work with a lot of the same ingredients and unless you work in a large kitchen that has a separate bakery and pastry shop, the titles are treated as one and the same.

To make matters more confusing, I possess a Bakers Red Seal.  Let me explain.  When I wrote the red seal exam in 2001, there was no red seal for a pastry chef (why I don’t know) The closest I could get to what I did was a Bakers Red Seal.  It was an important step to take because if I wanted to advance within the kitchen hierarchy, I needed a journeyman’s ticket.  It also made more sense to challenge the Bakers Red Seal as opposed to a Plumbers Red Seal (I’m just sayin’) The exam consisted of 100 multiple choice questions, 50 on baking (breads/terminology) and 50 on pastry(dessert theory/production) So although I have a Bakers Red Seal, my training has focused on desserts, you know, what a pastry chef does.

This is what I do: I create dessert menu’s for restaurants, banquets and any other special occasions (Christmas, New Years Eve, Easter, wine pairings etc).  I oversee the pastry department production. I plan both the employee and work production schedules.  I’m responsible for ordering supplies, and meeting with clients to discuss their desserts which could include a wedding cake, chocolate work (individual chocolates or a show piece) or a sugar showpiece.

I train new pastry staff as well as oversee ongoing training for existing staff.  I conduct employee evaluations, interview possible pastry department candidates and yes, sometimes I have to fire someone who isn’t meeting the standards. I train any students/apprentices that are present.  I also conduct dessert demos/sessions for interested parties. Oh and if there is time, I myself have to actually make some of the desserts. 

I am expected to have people skills, pastry skills, artistic skills, HR skills and management skills. I am trained to be an organizer, multi-tasker, motivator and miracle worker. Ah yes, mid-management.

I will end today’s blog here. I hope you have enjoyed what you have read so far and will keep coming back. Stay tuned to the next topic: desserts that are overrated and get waaaay too much attention.