July 23, 2007
Sweet biz | A chat with George Gilfoil, founder of Geo's Patisserie Café in Portland
Founded: November 2006
Employees: Gilfoil, plus two full-time workers
Startup costs: $80,000
Projected revenue, year one: $120,000-$125,000
Projected revenue, year two: $175,000
Contact: 699-2655
27 Forest Ave., Portland
www.geospatisserie.com
What is a typical day like for you?
I show up between 3:30 a.m. and 4 a.m. and start wheeling out breakfast stuff, and then for 7 a.m., I come out and make the coffee, turn the lights on, get the place ready and open it up. The staff arrives at 8 a.m. and the first thing we do is get lunch out, then we work on the cakes, and then work on orders and then start on tomorrow's stuff. Business hours are 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday thru Friday, and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, closed on Sunday.
How did you prepare to start the business?
The first thing I did was start a business plan. I went to the Economic Development Center at City Hall and looked at a bunch of their business plans. I took a class with a friend of mine a couple years ago on writing a business plan, so I had some groundwork. Private investors [comprised of friends and family] saw my business plan, my enthusiasm, and tasted some of my goodies.
How do you get people in here?
Advertising. I'm in the Portland Press Herald, the Falmouth Forecaster, the Current, the [South Portland] Sentry, the Portland Magazine summer guide. Talking to everyone I see. Sometimes I go someplace and bring desserts with me or I'll see someone look in the window and I'll just run out there and give them a cookie.
How do you choose your menu?
I do a lot of things that have been big hits before, like at different places I've worked at. Probably about 40% or 50% of my tastes are the same every time: the chocolate raspberry truffle cake, the chocolate Othello cake, éclairs, a couple different cookies. I like to keep myself mentally active [and] customers coming in want to see different things.
Will you work these long hours as your business grows?
I think my job description will change. It will slowly evolve into close to a 45- or 50-hour week in the kitchen, training, making some of the higher-end cakes and special orders, and then try to branch off into wholesale hopefully by the end of the summer.
How will the wholesale branch work?
Cakes and breakfast stuff for hotels, restaurants, caterers, coffee shops. The idea is to get a business rolling here on a daily basis and get enough to pay the salaries and then work on wholesale so I don't have to worry about back-end stuff. The wholesale will be more profit, [providing] 10% of the first year's revenue and 20% of the second year's revenue.
How do you plan on launching that?
Me! On foot, with samples. What I'll probably do is write a letter of introduction and send along my resume and my credentials, try to set up a time to go see people, go visit, bring samples to find out if there is a need.
How old were you when you decided you wanted to be a chef?
About 20. I was actually going to school in Orono for computers and quit after two years and did cooking at [Southern Maine Community College in South Portland]. From there I went to the Ritz-Carlton in Boston for two years and trained there at multiple stations. It took a full week to get in, after four weeks of letting me wash lettuce and make orange juice. It worked out fruitful because when I went over to Germany and the many places I've been to, they knew that I was in a certain class of hotels and used to a certain level of work. Then I went to Dana Point, [in] southern California, and worked at the Ritz out there. I ended up working in the pastry shop and it ended up being the Midas touch with pastries.
So, you honed your baking skills abroad in Germany and France. Is working in kitchens in Europe different than working here?
Cooking is still more of a profession over there. It's starting to be recognized here in the states with all the different chefs on TV, but it's still not quite there. People are much more knowledgeable about food over there, like when five-year-olds come in and talk about marzipan and how it's made.
New Entrepreneurs profiles young businesses 6-18 months old. Send your suggestions and contact information to kelson@mainebiz.biz
Employees: Gilfoil, plus two full-time workers
Startup costs: $80,000
Projected revenue, year one: $120,000-$125,000
Projected revenue, year two: $175,000
Contact: 699-2655
27 Forest Ave., Portland
www.geospatisserie.com
What is a typical day like for you?
I show up between 3:30 a.m. and 4 a.m. and start wheeling out breakfast stuff, and then for 7 a.m., I come out and make the coffee, turn the lights on, get the place ready and open it up. The staff arrives at 8 a.m. and the first thing we do is get lunch out, then we work on the cakes, and then work on orders and then start on tomorrow's stuff. Business hours are 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday thru Friday, and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, closed on Sunday.
How did you prepare to start the business?
The first thing I did was start a business plan. I went to the Economic Development Center at City Hall and looked at a bunch of their business plans. I took a class with a friend of mine a couple years ago on writing a business plan, so I had some groundwork. Private investors [comprised of friends and family] saw my business plan, my enthusiasm, and tasted some of my goodies.
How do you get people in here?
Advertising. I'm in the Portland Press Herald, the Falmouth Forecaster, the Current, the [South Portland] Sentry, the Portland Magazine summer guide. Talking to everyone I see. Sometimes I go someplace and bring desserts with me or I'll see someone look in the window and I'll just run out there and give them a cookie.
How do you choose your menu?
I do a lot of things that have been big hits before, like at different places I've worked at. Probably about 40% or 50% of my tastes are the same every time: the chocolate raspberry truffle cake, the chocolate Othello cake, éclairs, a couple different cookies. I like to keep myself mentally active [and] customers coming in want to see different things.
Will you work these long hours as your business grows?
I think my job description will change. It will slowly evolve into close to a 45- or 50-hour week in the kitchen, training, making some of the higher-end cakes and special orders, and then try to branch off into wholesale hopefully by the end of the summer.
How will the wholesale branch work?
Cakes and breakfast stuff for hotels, restaurants, caterers, coffee shops. The idea is to get a business rolling here on a daily basis and get enough to pay the salaries and then work on wholesale so I don't have to worry about back-end stuff. The wholesale will be more profit, [providing] 10% of the first year's revenue and 20% of the second year's revenue.
How do you plan on launching that?
Me! On foot, with samples. What I'll probably do is write a letter of introduction and send along my resume and my credentials, try to set up a time to go see people, go visit, bring samples to find out if there is a need.
How old were you when you decided you wanted to be a chef?
About 20. I was actually going to school in Orono for computers and quit after two years and did cooking at [Southern Maine Community College in South Portland]. From there I went to the Ritz-Carlton in Boston for two years and trained there at multiple stations. It took a full week to get in, after four weeks of letting me wash lettuce and make orange juice. It worked out fruitful because when I went over to Germany and the many places I've been to, they knew that I was in a certain class of hotels and used to a certain level of work. Then I went to Dana Point, [in] southern California, and worked at the Ritz out there. I ended up working in the pastry shop and it ended up being the Midas touch with pastries.
So, you honed your baking skills abroad in Germany and France. Is working in kitchens in Europe different than working here?
Cooking is still more of a profession over there. It's starting to be recognized here in the states with all the different chefs on TV, but it's still not quite there. People are much more knowledgeable about food over there, like when five-year-olds come in and talk about marzipan and how it's made.
Interview by Tonya Collins>
New Entrepreneurs profiles young businesses 6-18 months old. Send your suggestions and contact information to kelson@mainebiz.biz
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