Ride or Die

Oh dang, it's been so long since February. A little over half a year. Here I am again, typing this up while feeling that cold air from outside. I'm also extremely tired due to these 12+hr shifts for the past couple of months. In case I failed to mention, we've officially opened! I don't think that actually needed any mentioning since a few publications had already announced it. I'm also half hoping that no one visits this page since it was linked in a public article online earlier. 

It was such an exciting process at the beginning. The brand spankin' new kitchen was ready for use. The test trials for the spring/summer menu. Banana Chocolate Crunch went through 3-4 revisions, which was worth it as it quickly became one of our best sellers. The cleaning itself wasn't that spectacular but I still felt pretty motivated while scrubbing. I was a nervous wreck during the opening month. Even my family and staff noticed. Now that we've been riding this out for nearly 4.5 months, I feel like a pro! I certainly wish that were the case. There's plenty to learn and like recipes, many ways to revise until optimum efficiency is obtained. Some days, I can barely keep up with the amount of production necessary. I do have a kitchen assistant who alleviates some of the work. So, essentially, I no longer have to endure work hours that fall into 4am but rather more so 12am! That's 4 extra hours to do other things, such as ordering, paying bills, and apparently updating my blog. Sleep is so overrated! 

But in all seriousness, this position has been such a killer on the mind and body. My knee has been aching and on occasion, I'd have to limp a little but I can't stop working. Have a splitting headache? Suck it up, pop a pill, and keep going. Lacking sleep accompanied by blurry vision? All these motions have been so repetitive so it should come naturally. Keep the arms and legs moving. When I feel like passing out, the words etched on a friend's kitchen wall at The Pines come to mind: Ride or Die. That's how I keep myself pushing through time and time again. Autumn has started and the menu needs to transition into the more seasonal ingredients. The mind is so occupied by a number of other priorities but it has to be done regardless. Multitasking is not a special ability. It's a standard... daily.

Sometimes, people question why I make the desserts so complex. If they were simpler, I'd have a much easier time in the kitchen. Time-wise, it sounds very appealing to me but the concept of taking the easy route does not. Perhaps this is due to being surrounded by all the snobbish fine dining influences I've had since I started this journey. No offense. I actually like that they are snobbish because it exudes confidence. I have all these flavors and textures that I love and what better way than to combine them all into one dessert? As long as they play together nicely. It's also how I was trained, anyhow. I'd also much rather spend the extra time and effort on hand making tart shells. I'll confess, I have ordered pre-made before. It only happened once and never again. It felt so weird and more importantly, the flavors just cannot match those made from scratch. 

A number of people find that the pricing of our desserts are a bit high especially when compared to the numerous Chinese bakeries surrounding us. To be honest, this was expected. Without considering the amount of time and effort put into each individual piece, it might appear slightly overpriced for a seemingly small sized pastry. When ingredients, techniques, and difficulty level are put into perspective, the price is in reality relatively cheap. I sometimes question why no one bats an eye when shaved ice desserts range from 7 to as high as 12 (patbingsoo, I'm looking at you) but at times I'd hear someone commenting how a piece of my dessert tastes good but not worth it for the price. Is it because shaved ice looks larger in a bowl? It's essentially water and xx-flavoring that has been frozen and shaved by a machine topped with fruits (sometimes canned?) and mochi pieces to give an example. Not to bash on shaved ice. I frequently order this dessert regardless of price just because it's refreshing and tasty. Just wanted to throw an example out there because I'm seriously confuzzled by consumer perceptions here.

On the other hand, the disgruntled commentary makes it extra comforting when there are people who recognize the work I do and appreciate it. It gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling inside to know that I've successfully made someone's day brighter (and stomach happier). At the end of the day, the key learning is: You cannot satisfy every single person. So, I apologize in advance to all those who do not agree with my concept of what a dessert is. If I could, I would cater to everyone's needs but sadly, I can't and I can only hope that people would understand.

That being said, now I want some shaved ice despite how cold it is tonight and how sleep-deprived I am currently. Hope you're all in bed dreaming happy and sweet thoughts. Until next time, y'alls.

Almost One Year and a Little History

So, in one week on February 11th, Honeybee Pâtisserie LLC will be 1 year old! Time really flew by. One year ago, I was so confident that the shop would have been opened by summer. Little did I know! 

The brainstorming really began in the fall of 2013. I was initially going to name it 5Thirty, which was based on a favorite album (05時30分) from my unhealthy childhood obsession with Hong Kong pop star Andy Lau. The story behind that name is it represents the time when most employees get off from work and get to relax. I had wanted the shop to be an oasis from the rush of NYC where people can kick back and enjoy some cakes. That's still the focus currently, in case anyone is wondering. The name was eventually scrapped because I was afraid of copyright infringement of some sort. How heartbreaking would it be to get sued by Andy Lau! My dear friend Pocky suggested naming it after my blog and after some thought, I did. In the following months, I met with a few contractors who enlightened me on the entire process regarding architects and engineers. "What? I need to have approved drawings for you to start work? I can't just tell you I want an oven here and a sink there?" Apparently, that's not how the DoB rolls.

I decided to quit my job and seriously do some research while looking into architects and engineers. It took some time before I found an architect whom I could afford and was somewhat on par with my aesthetic likes. He was officially hired in February along with the engineer. That was when I slapped down the $210 fee to form this company since I needed a registered business to file the drawings under. Then, I had the luxury to discover through lots of direct mail marketing that I was legally bound to publicize the LLC formation in two local newspapers for 6 consecutive weeks within 3 months or else face consequences. I scrambled to get those inserts in and I'm betting not a single person read my notice or even knew it existed. This obligation varies from state to state by the way.

Anyhow, fast forward to May and with just one revision, drawings were approved! I held onto those stamped documents so close to me with tears of joy in my eyes. It was back to the grind again with searching for a contractor. Gosh, those meetings were so utterly painful. They were like disappointing blind dates. Some of them were the type who gave the false pretense that we had a spark but they would never call back or worse, ignore my calls. It took nearly THREE months to finally find someone, who surprisingly lived just around the corner from me. No, I didn't find him by walking around my neighborhood but I did look up licensed contractors on the DoB site under the last name "Chan". I admit, not the best method but it was my last resort. Why "Chan"? That name is more common and yielded more results than "Ng" or any other Chinese name did. Also, I picked Chinese so that they can communicate with my mom if there were any circumstances that needed it (and indeed there were many). I did Google-search these companies as well for their portfolios and some background check so it wasn't entirely random. On a side note, I found out who did the renovation of Saint's Alp Teahouse at St. Mark's Place while I was doing this DoB searching. Too bad they never responded back to my inquiry.

It was at this point that I realized my original budgeting for construction was way off, hence, launching the Kickstarter campaign. Sorry folks, I really did try to find the most cost efficient crew to do the job but unfortunately, given that we're in NYC, there's no escape from exorbitant prices. I think everyone knows the rest of the story from thereon.

This brings us to today where I'm trying to get the gas meter set up but am getting denied because the gas company cannot find DoB's approval in their system. Why do you do this to me, DoB? Why did you miss your payments so often that the meter had to be removed, previous tenant? At least I was able to submit the application for the Food Establishment Permit. Let's see how DoHMH will treat me. Fingers crossed.

Anyhow, I hope that you enjoyed my little history of the 1.5 years into the making of Honeybee Pâtisserie. Did you know that business names are not allowed the use of any accent marks? Legally, we are just "Patisserie" so it does get a little confusing sometimes because the correct way of spelling it is with a circumflex over the "a". I don't think this matters to many people anyway, aside from proficient French speakers perhaps.

Sun is about to rise so I best head to bed. Oh yeah, I was grooving to the 5:30 album as I typed this up. hah. Have a great rest of the week y'alls.

Savoring Final Moments

What an arduous journey it has been so far since the last post. I'm proud to say that we're over 90% complete! The notorious display case that had caused a huge delay (and headache) in the completion of the counter setup finally arrived last week. Man, was that a workout just to shift it from outdoors to indoors. Then, I got sick shortly after when the final touches were being made. We could have reached 95% had I been at the shop instead of sitting at the doctor's office. Thank goodness for technology, messages were being relayed back and forth with the help of my brother and husband. The remaining percentage is just some minor installations (surveillance and POS system), setting up gas account, and passing inspections.

I was asked the other night if I was having fun. Initially, I had wanted to say scream "NO!" because I was mopey dopey over the delays. On the other hand, the question had also made me reflect on what was accomplished so far and despite the tribulations, it has actually been somewhat fun now that phase one is nearly over. There were moments I had really wanted to toss in the towel because there was always an influx of issues one after another. It seriously takes a huge amount of patience and organization. I guess the proper metaphor would be as though you are preparing mise en place for a busy night ahead for the first time at a new restaurant and working a station you had never before. There are so many things in your list to prep but you need to evaluate your time and how efficient you are so that you can have everything ready by the time service begins. Has to be of quality too. No half-assed stuff. Did that make sense? I know. I do that metaphor thing way too often. Anyway, things ended up working out and even though we weren't able to open in 2014, I'm still pretty darn happy that it hasn't come to a complete halt.

It has been partially trial and error. Not every decision made has been the best one but meh, do better next time. Sometimes there's success and sometimes there's mistakes but you try to turn it into something worthy. Okay, I realize that the word should be "failure" as opposed to "mistakes" but I don't believe in failure because I want to succeed. Who doesn't?! Just make sure you don't end up cutting into the building's structural beams because that might be something irrevocable. And yes, that was one of our early major issues. Wasn't my fault though! The plumber decided to take the matter into his own hands without the approval of anyone.

So, that's my update so far. Not sure how insightful this piece was but too late. You've already read it and I've taken up your time. Oh yeah, awning is supposedly scheduled for installation later this week. The whole neighborhood will soon see the store name. Honeybee will no longer be a secret that I have enjoyed keeping all these months.

The Truth Comes Out and Renovation of the Mind

Warning: I am going to share my true experience and it might sound more like a rant so please bare with me. Okay, so my original intention was to keep this pastry shop start-up progress as simple as possible without too many details because I admit that it sometimes get kinda boring to read. I was picturing that I could give off the impression that I've been extremely well composed all throughout and seriously know every single thing I'm doing but dammit, it's been real hard. That's the truth but surely it comes as no surprise to anyone unless you're a pro at this entrepreneurial game or you're just naturally gifted (hats off to all you business owners out there). It's been like running a marathon but you're no where close to the finish line but you have to keep running even though your legs feel like they're about to retire on you any moment. God, how I wish there was a car to just hitch a ride from. Then aside from forcing your legs to move against its own will, there's a crowd of people along the way each holding different signs but they're all essential for paving the path so you have to read each and address every one while you're running. No, you can't wait till next week to handle the issue. This is when I discovered that there really aren't enough hours in the day to complete the to-do list. Sometimes I get so absorbed that I don't realize which day of the week it is. Before I know it, we've been 2.5 months into renovation. Like what the what?!

I've come to realize that no amount of research can prepare you for becoming a business owner. It's helpful to be well versed in codes and regulations but when it really comes down to it, the best learning process is to just jump in. Hands on. Exactly like the kitchen. You can read all the recipes and procedures but you won't know how it looks until you whip out the mixer and start whisking. Learn to adapt to the climate changes. Not every day will be dry. Sometimes it'll be humid and that moisture is gonna mess with your macarons whether you like it or not. I'm still learning and trying to keep up with the pace of things but I tend to think that I've grown less naive and have gained a dose of realism. Sometimes things won't go the way you had planned and you'll have no other option but to revise the recipe. One way or another, it's about finding a method that works best for you.

So I hope this didn't sound as repulsive as I am imagining it did. It's been rather thrilling and I can really see every step being taken. This entire project is unfolding and I'm looking forward to see the outcome. Not only is the space being renovated on but who I am as a business owner as well. I'm learning about my capabilities and finding out where my limitations lay. Only one year has passed and this is just the beginning of a long adventure.

I'll try to be more diligent to my blog as Honeybee grows and hopefully can share some insight with the rest of you. If not, this could also serve as a record for me to look back on in the future and laugh at myself for being such a n00b. It's important to be able to admit faults and take things with a grain of salt. Criticism will always surround you and follow you wherever you go. Don't let it dissuade you though. There's a reason why you quit your steady day job. Never let the passion fade.

On that note, take a gander at my passion. What's a blog post without pictures, right?

Congratulations if you've made it this far. Thanks for taking the time to read my meanderings. I tried to be cohesive but it's late so gonna hit the sack now!

Nearly One Month In

It's been almost about a month since we've begun renovation on Honeybee's space. There's hardly any trace left of what was once a Malaysian restaurant. All stripped naked and rebuilt anew. It's a pretty interesting process. It made me wonder a little about why I hadn't chosen to be an architect instead. hah. Maybe something to consider in my next life!

This is going to be our new electrical panel. It's about 2/3 the size of my body! That's how you can tell that there will be some heavy duty machinery and lighting. Crazy amount of wiring going on.

On another note, our Kickstarter campaign ended successfully. It was a close call but we made it with the help of our many friends, family, and some new faces. I'm currently still waiting on a few backers to respond to the survey so that I can organize all the rewards and its timeline appropriately in my spread sheets. Always spread sheets for everything! I have also been working on my recipes and inventory list on Excel as well! Really comes in handy. Not only in media and sales planning.

What else is new? My sleeping schedule is officially screwed up. Oh wait, that's not really anything surprising. With the sudden cold autumn chill, I also got sick. Hurrah! One of these days, I'm just going to stay in bed all day long...

I wish I can say more but my mind is operating at 1%. If only I could be just like Lucy! (Not that I watched the movie or anything) The sun is coming up and I better head to bed. Catch some zzz's. Update you all next time!

Kickstarting Honeybee

It feels like a lot has happened these past few months, yet, it also feels like not much. It has been such a huge learning experience and an emotional roller-coaster. Lesson #1: Separate personal feelings from business. One good news is: our drawings have been approved by the Department of Buildings! What an experience that was. The concept kept evolving as we encountered issues with codes but finally we have something that looks pretty good and abides by the rules. I'm so excited to see it come to fruition before my eyes. Well, construction hasn't exactly begun yet but at least we have found the contractor to do the job.

During this waiting period, we have been honing our espresso brewing skills. We have been using different beans from local roasters to store branded Archer Farms to mass produced Starbucks. In the end, I found it best to support our local Brooklyn roasters. Sure, it might be a little pricier but we all benefit in the long run. We get good coffee and they get business. Mmm, the smell of coffee is so comforting. Not nearly as good as freshly baked butter cookies because we all know butter is the king of all delicious scents.

We also recently launched our Kickstarter campaign for our Honeybee Pâtisserie shop. I am so thankful to even have the opportunity to get support from 28 backers in just 3 days. It's really amazing how much you can learn from this project alone. 

Here is to aiming for a Christmas opening date. Just in time for my favorite holiday. Let's hope my next update will involve pictures of demolishing walls!

Year of the Horse Gallops Into a New Venture

Happy Lunar New Year! It's been a while since I last updated and with all the excitement going on, I figured I should start recording the process. In the initial stages, I am signed up for the New Business Acceleration Team (NBAT) offered by NYC. One step closer to finally achieving my dream of a dessert cafe. It's really crazy that I sometimes can't believe it's happening despite all the research I've done these past months. With businesses popping up everywhere, I was always under the false pretense that it must be an easy process. Boy, was I wrong. There's so many directions to go and so many priorities, it's difficult to weigh each one. If I ever start to break down, I'll vent here and maybe it'll help me get back up again.

In the meantime, today we made some crêpes. We were emulating the Japanese types that have a slight crunch compared to the French ones. Since it was New Year's, we used pieces of turnip cake (a traditional dish of the holiday) as the filling. This is surely not a traditional way of eating it!

Crêpe Batter

1 cup all purpose flour

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Pinch of salt
3 eggs

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1¾ cup warmed milk

1. In a bowl, sift together flour, sugar, and salt.

2. Beat eggs into flour mixture with a whisk until fully incorporated.

3. Add half of the milk and melted butter to flour and egg mixture until smooth. Add the rest in. (It will be very liquid but it makes it easier to spread in a pan or if you have a crêpe maker). Let it stand for about half an hour in the refrigerator to relax the gluten.

4. Pre-heat a non-stick pan over medium heat. Take the pan off heat and pour a bit of batter in the center. Quickly swirl the pan around so the batter spreads evenly to the edges. Cook for about 2 minutes or until the underside is brown.

5. Lift the edges and flip the crêpe to cook for a few seconds more. Remove from heat. Then garnish as you wish.

These came out a little more buttery than I had wanted so next time I would either lower the quantity to half tablespoon butter or completely omit it. At least the edges were crispy! We also made another one with nutella, sliced strawberries, and bananas but I didn't take a photo of that. Anyhow, the possibilities are endless! I'll be off to assemble another one. Until next time.