Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Purchase my gourmet products at Davenport Farms!

I have very exciting news!

You can now purchase my gourmet international sauces and condiments at Davenport Farms located on Rt 209 in Stone Ridge, NY.

I LOVE this specialty food store/farm market and I shop there all the time. It's a local family-owned farm market, greenhouse and wholesale vegetable farm. My kids love their ice cream (it's hard in fact to drive by the store without them asking if we can stop for ice cream every-single-time :)

I can't resist their cake loafs or farm fresh veggies and fruit. I also get beautiful plants from their greenhouse. They serve a variety of hot soups and sandwiches- made fresh each day and all are very popular lunchtime options. Ever since I started Baron's International Kitchen I hoped to see my gourmet products on the shelf at Davenport Farms and now it feels like a dream's really come true. Thanks so much for the opportunity, Bruce!

You've got to stop by and check it out. Davenport Farms is conveniently located, on the way to or from Stone Ridge, on the corner across from the Sun Creek Center and the Stone Ridge Volunteer Fire Co. Bruce Davenport- the owner, Tony, Elvis- all the folks there are always so helpful and friendly. You can visit them online but I recommend going in person. You'll enjoy perusing the shelves.

Terry

Sunday, March 14, 2010

3, 2, 1...LAUNCH!

Welcome to the official launch of Baron's International Kitchen!

I wanted a way to bring together delicious foods from destinations around the world. This led me to create products that are inspired by the recipes of friends and family living in international locales. My products are made locally here in the Hudson Valley (New York).

There are several gourmet products available as you'll see in my online store. The Caribbean Marinade combines traditional West Indian spices and other ingredients that infuse chicken, pork, steak, seafood and tofu with a vibrant flavor that doesn't overwhelm the palate. Use either version of this flavorful sauce to make some of the Caribbean recipes featured on the recipe page such as Caribbean Baby Back Ribs with Pineapple Plum Sauce- a luscious Caribbean meal or Antiguan Jerk Chicken Wings- hot or mild, you won't be able to put down these finger lickin' wings sure to be a hit at any party. The Caribbean Hot Sauce hits HOT then soothes with a delayed mustard flavor that awakens the palate. It invigorates the taste of beef, chicken, pork, hot dogs, burgers and even deli salads, BBQ sauces, mustards and mayonnaise spreads. The Portuguese Repolho Relish is sweet and tangy - it tingles the taste buds.

Gourmet gift baskets are also available.

So, help get the word out about Baron's International Kitchen, on the web at www.baronsinternationalkitchen.com.

Now...let the ordering begin!

Terry

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Bid on my gourmet sauces at online auction site

My gourmet Caribbean sauces are up for bid on an online auction site.

I've donated a gourmet gift basket to a fundraiser in support of a good cause. The "Caribbean Delectables Gourmet Gift Basket" features 3 of my gourmet sauces- the hot and mild versions of the Caribbean Jerk Sauce and the Caribbean Hot Sauce.

The gourmet gift basket was provided to the bidding for good online auctions site. The auction is open until this Saturday March 14th at 6PM EDT and proceeds from this fundraiser will support the ongoing high-quality work of the team at the High Meadow School- recognized as one of the best progressive private elementary schools in the Hudson Valley, NY.

I hope you will visit the site and support Baron's International Kitchen and the High Meadow School by placing a bid on the Caribbean Delectables Gourmet Gift Basket.

Let the bidding begin!

Terry

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Brief launch update

The launch is getting closer and closer and I'm absolutely exhausted working to get ready for it. I've been pretty much focused on making inventory for the past couple of weeks in order to meet launch demand as well as so I can start approaching gourmet and specialty food stores to carry my gourmet products. I was in the kitchen at the Reservoir Inn this past Monday from 4AM until early afternoon and I made 7 cases of the Caribbean Hot Sauce. Yesterday I was back in the kitchen from 4AM until 7:30 PM and I made 5 cases of the hot and mild Caribbean Marinades. I feel totally wiped out today but the positive receptions that the Caribbean Marinade - Mild Jerk Sauce and the Portuguese Repolho Relish received from patrons at the Reservoir Inn restaurant has been fueling my energy levels (along with lots of coffee :)

I expect next week to be the last week of making inventory for a while. I'll be back in the kitchen at the Reservoir Inn on Monday and Tuesday and I'll be making the largest quantity at one time so far on both of those days. I guess I'll need to arrive earlier in the morning than I have been so I can wrap up before the Restaurant starts to prep for dinner. If I get started around 2AM, I should OK.

Alright, more to come soon so stay tuned,

Terry

Restaurant patrons rave about Portuguese Repolho Relish

I mentioned in my last blog post that Shawn at the Reservoir Inn was planning to make a weekend dinner special, Roast Pork Loin & Kielbasa with Portuguese Cabbage Relish featuring my Portuguese Repolho Relish. Here's how that went...

I was talking with Shawn's sister Kim about it and she said everyone who tried the dinner special really loved it! In fact she said, there was one guest who was trying to decide between this and another dinner special. She told him, "Oh no, you've got to try the Cabbage Relish dinner special, it's really good" so he did order it. After the meal, she said he thanked her saying, "oh, thank you so much for recommending the Cabbage Relish special. I really enjoyed it, it was so good!" Yey! I'm so thrilled that people are enjoying my gourmet products. Yep, these family recipes are out of this world scrumptious.

OK, well, that's it for now. More coming soon about my progress getting ready for launch so stay tuned,

Terry

Friday, March 5, 2010

The countdown to the company launch begins...

Well, it's been exciting gearing up for the company launch but it sure has been a lot of work. I've been in the kitchen making inventory mostly- had a 19 hour workday on Tuesday, basically it was a huge marathon cooking session and I totally LOVED it! I'll be putting in many more days like this in the next couple of weeks to make as much of my gourmet and specialty sauces and condiments as possible for the launch. I may not get much sleep but at least I'll be having fun :)

Lots more going on other fronts now too...

I've started looking into the Farmer's Market opportunities in the area. My initial impression is that there's a lot to learn about- the insurance, booth, fees, scheduling...and the application process itself seems quite involved. I'll take it one step at a time as I have with everything else so far and I'm sure I'll be able to figure it all out. I'll keep you posted on how that's going and of course update the events page on the website to let you know where I'll be and when.

I've also started a list of gourmet and specialty food stores, restaurants and gourmet delis that I will be approaching to use and/or sell my gourmet and specialty foods. Those are a secret for now but I will share news about new developments as they occur.

I've begun to think about a public relations strategy for the launch that will fit my limited budget. I have a few ideas that may work out. I'll share more about those in the coming weeks.

OK, well, that's it for now. Stay tuned for more news and updates about the launch.

Terry

Mild Jerk Sauce a hit at local restaurant

Hey everybody,

I've got some great news! Shawn Keizer, Proprietor of the Reservoir Inn used my Mild Jerk Sauce to make a Rack of Lamb weekend dinner special at the restaurant and it was a hit. He said, "...very popular and people seemed to really like it." Really cool huh!? This coming weekend, he will be making another dinner special - Stewed Loin of Pork and Kielbasa with a Portuguese Cabbage Relish (featuring my Portuguese Repolho Relish). Give Shawn at the Reservoir Inn a call to make a reservation and give his dinner special meals a try. The website is www.reservoirinn.biz and the phone number is 845 331 9806.

There are a couple of other things going on that I wanted to just write quickly about...

Michael Hansen, the owner of The Hansen Caviar company told me that shoppers have purchased several of my gourmet foods- very exciting! I'm considering several marketing strategies that could help increase sales at the store. More on that soon.

So, I just filed my corporate tax return. Thanks so much Akram! Akram Ibrahim and his team at Hudson Valley CPAs did a wonderful job. I have been working with Akram for some time and I have to say he's the best out there. He takes my calls, he always takes the time to answer my questions, he never talks over my head and he has helped me become a much more informed and educated business owner. I very highly recommend giving Akram and his team a call if you're looking for an Accountant who will be a partner in your business' future success. He has 2 locations- New Paltz (845 790 3343) and Poughkeepsie (845 454 8780) and competitive rates.

Let's see, what else...Oh yes, I received my Certificate of Authority. Woohoo! So now, I need to use the identification number on a resale certificate which I provide when I purchase items for making my gourmet sauces and condiments and I can save the sales tax on those purchases. Contact me if you have questions about the process and I'd be happy to share my experiences with you.

Well, that's it for now. I'm now starting to get ready for the company's official launch which will be soon. There will be a lot to do but it's exciting and I'm looking forward to the next couple of months. More about that soon.

Terry