BLU Boy Chocolate Cafe and Cakery

Fat, Fertile, and Forty: Life on the Other Side of the Rainbow

Dorothy and even Toto I suppose, in his canine sort of way, like so many of us, couldn't wait to cross to the other side. Having survived a storm of no less intensity than hers, I have touched down and am ready to tell you what I saw and learned spinning around in that vortex that was the first 6 months after opening BLU Boy Chocolate Cafe and Cakery.

Top 6 Secret Tips for Opening a New Business (Part 1)

6. While you can spend years imagining "What it's going to be like to have your own shop" the reality is in fact quite a different thing.

    For whatever reason, in spite of everyone around me telling me the contrary, I somehow thought I would have more time just running a chocolaterie/patisserie than I did running the catering business full time and being a physician full time. Well I don't have more time. I replaced 2 jobs with 1 and somehow I am working twice as hard. All I know is that it's easy being a doctor. Don't laugh. I'm serious.

5. Find a mentor, grab on, and don't let her go.

    I work very hard at what I do. It's one thing my father passed on to me. But it was due to wonderful luck and 1 person's remarkable act of kindness that I have a business mentor who has helped to keep me steady and true while navigating a most often unfamiliar and uncertain path. Everyone who ever thought you could do it all by yourself reconsider. One of the best pieces of advice I have received came to me late one night while I was a medical resident in pediatrics. Direct from a "made for T.V. movie" is my story of being on call, sitting at the nurses station in the middle of the night tending to a very sick child. As the medical resident in charge, the child's well being was my responsibility. Young, green, and feeling completely out of my element, a wise old nurse came, sat next to me (I'm not kidding here) and said, "NEVER worry alone."

4. Be true to yourself and all the people you encounter as part of your business.

    Operating a small independent business frankly, is tough. For a whole lot of reasons every day is faced with one challenge or another. "David, it's too hot and the chickens aren't laying enough eggs." OK, I feel for the poor dears but now where am I going to get the eggs I needed today to make the cakes I said I would make for tomorrow? "I understand Mr. Fletcher that the thermostat on your REFRIGERATOR is broken and is too cold and everything in it is FREEZING but I can't provide you with service until next week." Alright, I  understand that I am not the only one with a refrigerator but what am I supposed to do TODAY? "Hey Budd, I know you didn't order those 3 cases of salted butter but that's what they sent." But I don't want my butter cream to taste like a movie theater popcorn! You see, it would be pretty easy to start down the path of bitterness, cynicism, and chicanery. Sometimes it might actually help to get things accomplished BUT there is always a price. Sure, it would be a much easier response, when asked by a customer to make  a 1/2 dozen cookies from her grandmother's favorite recipe, to say "let me get back to you on that" and then never return the phone call. But the greater value, I believe, comes in explaining that "no doubt this wonderful cookie deserves to be resurrected, I am going to have to charge you so much in labor and non-standard ingredients that maybe these 6 cookies are not really worth it." Be honest and sincere in every interaction because at the end of the day whatever tiny bit of rest you might get has to be peaceful.

3. The first chance you get begin working to achieve balance in your life.

    Truth is I haven't fully figured this one out but every fiber of my being knows it to be true.

2. Surround yourself with people smarter than you are and don't feel threatened by them.

    Some how, through no wizened or experienced action of my own, I have the pleasure of working with a great staff. They make coming to work fun and oddly enough make leaving work even remotely possible. Without them, this vision I have turned into reality would not be possible. And for those of you business owners who repeatedly say it's hard to find good help in a college town I say to you, "You are flat out wrong. It's you that is the problem. Re-evaluate who you are as an employer and open your eyes to the sea of wonderful, enthusiastic, young people around you who are willing to invest in creating something special".

1. Don't forget that you did this on purpose.

    When you wake up in the middle amidst all the mess and stress (trust me you will) it's very easy to forget that you created the path you are traveling. Remind yourself that it's great to be your own boss. It's wonderful to make the decisions (for better or for worse). It's  rewarding to treat you customers the way you would want to be treated and see that it makes a difference (not in sales but in your and their day). Remind yourself that not everyone gets to play with 40 pounds of chocolate every day!

There you go.

Finally, feeling as if my head is a bit above water, I will share with you that my goal is to post much more often than months past. But remember, "The road to Hell is paved with good intentions....and chocolate." Really, really good chocolate.

Tic toc Tic toc

We have been working feverishly to get the new shop open. Dave, Mike and Zach have continued their skillful work. The plumbers snuck in at one point and finished their duties. Lights are in and shinning brightly on all the other tasks that need to finished in the next week or so.
Yesterday we had a former World Barista Championship competitor provide us with his insight into espresso. There's much to know.
In the midst of this preparation Scott and I had the real pleasure of giving a class through Ivy Tech and the Bloomington Cooking School on Couture Cupcakes. I am repeatedly amazed with the creativity of people. It was a great group. Thanks to Jan and Kelley for the opportunity.

We have assembled our staff and today will begin training on all things chocolate, caffeinated, and buttercream filled.
Stay tuned as we are just ever so close!

Brown County Coffee

Quick update date on the BLU Team…
We are absolutely thrilled to have on board the caffeine Pied Pipers of Brown County, Nick and Audrey Schultz. Together they own and operate Brown County Coffee .
I learned of Nick and Audrey a few months ago after talking to my friends Dave and Krissy Tallent . Always in pursuit of local vendors we can use to supply our needs, Nick and Audrey are a remarkable find. Genuinely nice people who’s only interest it seems is to elevate the quality of coffee available in Southern Indiana along with the coffee knowledge of those who do consume it. They are coffee bean artists and scholars all in one.
Nick has gone out of his way to help us get the coffee component of our new business up and purring like a Rolls Royce – with just the right equipment and the perfectly roasted, superior quality beans. I really can’t wait for you to meet them and their coffee!

3 Little pigs and our house of 2 by 4’s

I am anxious to show you how our “small scale remodel” is progressing. Right now the shop is full of “innards” with nothing looking pretty at all (except Scott, of course).

One can, however, begin to see the outline of what is to come – something quite pretty after all. But patience is a virtue and something I don’t have much of just now.

Dave and Mike, and Dave's son Zach are all working very hard building and coordinating. Jurgen and his team have the plumbing roughed in and have already been understanding about some of the changes I have requested that differ from the well drawn out plans – these things you thing of after you think you have already thought about everything.
You know that is the trouble with a project that is part of a very old dream. You spend and have spent so much time thinking about it – running it through your mind over and over – that it seems like you couldn’t possibly forget anything or not have every last detail covered. Not true, of course.
Just driving back from a lovely 3 day trip to Chicago (where we accidentally left all the very nice chairs we just bought for the shop - road trip anyone???) which was just a great excuse to get away for a few days but also to hit the big city for some fixture shopping. It was a huge success and I got to check a bunch of things off my list.

300 or so more things to go!

The Cast of Characters - Part 1

Great news. Construction on our new space - a "small scale remodel" the building department defines it as - is set to begin next week. The ball is at the top of the hill and I am about to give it a shove to start it rolling. Just in case you don't know the whole story let me step back a few paces and fill you in.

I gave you the short version of my life to this point a few posts ago. Quickly I will span the gap from 2003 to last month.

When I finished culinary school I came back from New York entirely inspired to create everything possible within the pastry/dessert realm and BLU Culinary Arts, LLC was born.  You can read a little bit more about those days here and here . For the past 4+ years had been learning/experimenting/refining/enjoying life surrounded by sugar and butter but came to a realization.  Our business, while growing, lacked some focus. Fun no doubt it was and is, but my partner Scott and I began feeling the need to narrow our scope. Maybe, in fact, we didn't need to make every kind of dessert known to the free world, but instead we could focus on the things we enjoyed most (which fortunately coincided with the things our customers and clients enjoyed most) - coffee, chocolates, and cakes. This idea, this distillate ,this grand plan = BLU Boy Chocolate Cafe and Cakery. More about that another day.

For now I want you to know who has helped us get to this point - the first nail is about to be hammered and our "small scale remodel" will begin.

As most of you know we are thrilled to be part of the  Buskirk Chumley Theater space. Danielle McClelland and the board of the BCT have been  a pleasure to work with and nearly as enthusiastic as me to see this  project get underway. We are fortunate to be so close to a great stage, full of creative energy and excitement.

Originally I had envisioned creating the plans for my little boutique of chocolate and caffeine all by myself. I bought a sketch pad, a ruler ,and some new No. 2 pencils. How hard could that be, I thought. Well, with much urging from Scott and a few of the wisest of my friends I abandoned that idea when I realized I had 550 sq. ft. of space to work with and the space would have to be organized with the precision of a Swiss watch. In short, I needed some help! But tell me this. How do you go to a complete stranger, reveal your deepest most personal vision, and hope they get it? Kirkwood Design Studio is the answer (812-331-0255). Specifically, architects Ernesto Casteñeda and Mary Krupinski. I just can't say enough great things about them. They made my travels into the world of design and finding an enthusiastic contractor first class. Sincere, honest people with experience.

Bids came back this week and I am really excited to have on board as general contractors Hagemeyer and Co, Inc. (812-327-0309). Dave Hagemeyer and his son who have worked one some of the most successful restaurants in Bloomington will be leading the rest of the craftsman team made up of Jim Britton of Price Electric (812-339-9769) and the staff of Jurgen's Plumbing (812-824-6152).

There you have it. Some new additions to the BLU Boys' team. If you are passing by, stick your head in to welcome them and cheer them on!

It's a Blank Slate - a little teeny tiny blank slate

A lot going on this week including a memorable bout of food poisoning - the origins of which I shall take to my grave (which last week I thought was going to be sooner than later) - so I just want to throw up  a few photos of what wonderful humble beginnings we have to work with.
We - the BLU team - are so fortunate to have secured this fantastic, historical space (more on that later) with all it's palpably inspiring Karma! To be so close to all the creativity that oozes from the Buskirk Chumley Theater stage - give me goose bumps. So, in return we have begun to take give it a little TLC.

Back of the house.

The contractor bids come back this week and so we spent the down time impatiently cleaning and scraping and priming.

Just a few more..

A panoramic (really)

Stay tuned to see what happens next week!

Life on the other side of the rainbow: chocolate, cakes and coffee...OH MY!

This is my story and I am sticking to it.

Short version for those of you in a hurry: I was a doctor who went to culinary school to become a pastry chef and chocolatier, left medicine, and am now in the process of opening a chocolate and dessert shop.

If you have a little more time to kill: I remember from a very young age wanting to be a chef. Even before people like Rachel Ray, Emeril and Bobby Flay(next time I see you remind me to tell you a story about this one) made being a chef glamorous and worthy of celebrity. Even as a child there was something that seemed romantic and nurturing and creative about the profession. I don't particularly remember doing a lot of cooking ( although I always remember doing a lot of eating - odd, I might have gottten those two things confused and should have become a professional eater instead) None-the-less I got diverted from path and ended up in medical school. Before I knew it I was a medical resident and then finally out in practice in the middle of beautiful no where Kentucky.
Remarkable enough the entire time I practiced medicine I could hear the whispers of flour, butter, and sugar calling my name so I spent a lot of my extra time experimenting in my home kitchen, learning as much as I could from the likes of Julia Child and Martha Stewart. No, they weren't my only friends, but I knew I could always count on them - for dessert, anyway. i went through cookbook after cookbook soaking them all in and finally came to realization that I wasn't getting any younger. I moved to Bloomington eventually, started work as a physician at Indiana University Health Center, and began planning for the next step in my pastry education - culinary school.

"Do I need to go to culinary school to learn to be a chef?" is a question I get often from usually young and enthusiastic baking hobbiests. The short answer is no. Many fantastic chefs have trained their way to the top acquiring more experience than I will ever have. However, if you are a 38 year old professional who's life clock is tic tic ticking and want to move things along a bit, culinary school is a great way to go. A lot of experience and knowledge acquisition in a little bit of time. So, in the fall of 2003, bright eyed and cheeks of tan, I went to New York to train at The Institute of Culinary Education. Almost a year of shuttling back and forth evey weekend while I worked at the student health center during the week gave me a wealth of knowledge and the inspiration to do something with it! I came back to Bloomington full of sugar and spice (which added about 20 pounds to my othewise delicate frame) and a few months later BLU Culinary Arts, LLC was born!

BLU Blog???

From the start you need to know...this isn't one of those blogs created by someone who actually likes to write and can take great photos. There, I said it.

Instead, it's a blog created by a physician turned pastry chef/chocolatier. Truth is that I'd rather be in the kitchen than sitting here typing away. Naturally then you might as why I have joined the rest of the free world in creating MY blog?

Yesterday I was sitting in the middle of a very messy 550 sq ft of what will eventually be our new chocolate cafe and cakery. In a matter of maybe 30 minutes I think 5 or 6 people stuck their head in the open front door (open because the fumes from the paint primer were overwhelming) to find out what was going on. Strangers, with just enough curiosity to stop and check it out. No smell of baked bread or chocolate cake. Just paint. It made me realize that in a neat little town like Bloomington something new is exciting. A bit of adventure. It then became clear to me that the process of sharing our story and progress (or lack there of) might interest some. A blog was born.

I also do think that detailing my experience as we start the process of opening our new cafe just might be helpful to someone considering the same or the start of any small business for that matter. I have had a few fantastic mentors in my short (5 years) pastry/small business career and I can honestly tell you without them I wouldn't be entering this endeavor quite as comfortably prepared. Not that having a mentor will guarantee a small business owner's success but it does add a dimension of accountability. And God knows someone has to be held responsible and it certainly isn't going to be me. Don't misunderstand. I'm not suggesting you follow along and one day do what I did. Just the contrary. It's more likely you will want to do the exact opposite. So keep that in mind.

Finally I have to say that over the course of the last 5 years we have had thousands (OK, maybe only hundreds but I woke up today feeling particularly enthusiastic) of really sincere supporters many of whom want to know what's happening with the new place. This will help to keep you posted. If nothing else add a bit to the collection of bathroom reading. Something, that when you need just a few minutes of distraction, will be perfect.

Cheers,

David Fletcher

Owner, BLU Boy Chocolate Cafe and Cakery