Hello from Pennsylvania

[Xabia Jim]

Re: Hello from Pennsylvania

Yes, this will be a fun post to follow.....

...."When People share a meal together - they talk"

....."this is a healthy & viable board"

seems like these two comments are related....we all like to eat, share e-meals together and chat...via internet!

How many loaves to feed 1000 people? 100? Does that need a larger oven or would CJ's size work? Note that Jim is near Toronto and is not afraid of cooking in the colder weather

But Pizza's.... there is none left when we make 12 for 8 people! Feeding 1000 could be a challenge. Maybe that's time to call in the portable FB oven on a trailer!

Good luck, maybe we can have a FB rendevoux sometime in PA...construction or cooking conference!

XJ





"

[CanuckJim]

Re: Hello from Pennsylvania

XJ,

Dave and I have been trading emails about this and other stuff. I suspect he would need a 5' x 7' at least. Mine is a 4' x 3', and I wish it was larger. Related to your other post, I'll be taking some height measurements shortly, noodle some, and get back to you. Interesting topic that I don't recall coming up before.

Jim

[McLane]

Re: Hello from Pennsylvania

Yes, this will be a fun post to follow.....

...."When People share a meal together - they talk"

....."this is a healthy & viable board"

seems like these two comments are related....we all like to eat, share e-meals together and chat...via internet!

How many loaves to feed 1000 people? 100? Does that need a larger oven or would CJ's size work? Note that Jim is near Toronto and is not afraid of cooking in the colder weather

But Pizza's.... there is none left when we make 12 for 8 people! Feeding 1000 could be a challenge. Maybe that's time to call in the portable FB oven on a trailer!

Good luck, maybe we can have a FB rendevoux sometime in PA...construction or cooking conference!

XJ

"

The "1000" is an estimate for the future that looks at the growth that we have experienced in the last 10 years. We don't put any pressure on drawing attendance, but we feel that if we continue to do what we've been "led" to do, then the numbers will continue to grow. It will be some time before we are dealing with numbers like that. Right now our numbers for a dinner type of meal (we serve a full hot breakfast at the 2 morning services on our main campus, and bread is rarely served at that time) are about 300-400 max at our main campus, with two off site locations that average around 100 or so at a time. Up to this point, we have been baking Italian, French and "Potato, chive & cheddar torpedoes" in a convection oven with little problem. We have a Hobart commercial mixer with a bowl that must be close to 5 gal in size and a home refrigerator-sized Crescor proofer that has allowed us to prepare a good deal of bread at one time. I made 40 loaves of the torpedoes 2 weeks ago, using 1# of risen dough per loaf.

As far as a future get together/conference/"bread bash" in Edinboro; sure, we live for stuff like that!

[McLane]

Re: Hello from Pennsylvania

George,

The margin question has to do with time, not cost of ingredients, unless you're adding things like olives or walnuts. True artisan bread baked in a wood fired oven takes an enormous amount of time: wood gatering and cutting, firing the oven, making and forming the dough, retarding, baking. Unfortunately, the word "artisan" has been co-opted to mean simply the shapes, not the method. You have to sell a lot of bread to make ends meet, and I charge $7 for a kilo sourdough boule. Pizza is another matter. What does Pizza Pizza (yeech) sell a large pizza smothered with so so ingredients for? Add up the time and ingredients costs involved. You probably find that a $12 pizza like that costs about $1.50 to make. People are used to $2 loaves of Wonder Bread AND $12 junk pizzas, but they're not used to real bread.

Jim

The Greater Erie area is a tough market. You could have the best pizza or bread that hands could make, even if you priced it at 15% below market value. If the guy across the street sells garbage goods for 50 cents less, they'll go there. We have the unique, and I'd say very fortunate, situation of being the only town where a Hooters restaurant closed due to lack of business. The fact that they had nearly naked women serving food could not overcome the fact that their customer service stunk.