That Was the Week that Was.

Well, what a week it has been. First off, I had to go to the planning committee meeting where, wait for it, approval granted! Yay! But, there was an objection from a neighbouring property, which I hadn't even realised was there. Had I noticed the house (hidden away, behind my property, near the railway line) I like to think I would have knocked on the door and introduced myself. As it is, they are the first people who have been in any way negative about this plan of mine, so I want to meet them anyway. A letter is on its way and hopefully I will get a different point of view. If I can counter those arguments we will be a stronger business for the experience.
I have been testing, tasting, cooking and eating all the Italian products I ordered and I now have some really nice things to put in the web shop. I have tried an awful lot of truffle products and while I do understand what all the fuss is about, there are some things that just should not be paired with that intense mushroom flavour - chocolate for one and sweet sugared almonds for another, I kid you not! You just know they're not going to make it into my shop, don't you? The rosemary and saffron flavoured almonds are nice though.

I have also got some authentic Italian Carnaroli risotto rice, that comes in the proper canvas sack, a few tomato sauces, which, while they will never be as good as home made, are close enough to find space in my cupboard for those days when I just can't be bothered or when the toms in the shops look a little pale & watery. There are a few truffle based things I like, marvellous for stirring into pasta or creamy sauces and a truffle butter which is great on pan fried steak or just with steamed asparagus. I thought it was too expensive at £7.00 or so but a quick google search turned up the same product at £19.95! And that was reduced! Seems I might have a bargain on my hands.

I have also discovered something called Caputo flour, which might not sound that exciting, but it is the same flour that all the pizzeria in Naples use so it is the real McCoy. I used it to make a pizza last night and it really was the best pizza I have ever made - the dough was light & could be rolled out thin, it crisped up nicely on the base but remained soft & chewy in the middle without getting stodgy - all in all, a triumph.

Just Cook Italian

This week I have been mostly eating Italian...

I have had some great, productive meetings with Bruno & Tony, the balsamic vinegar guys, and, when the web shop is ready, I am pleased to say I will be able to supply their Tradizionale balsamic and a few condimentos from their range. I have to say, it has been extremely enjoyable to taste and compare different vinegars and learn all about the centuries old production method. I feel like I am becoming a bit of an expert and now have a goal of visiting a proper acetaia for myself to learn more.

I have also met with Simon & Franco, the other Italians I was introduced to. They are wholesalers who stock a huge range of authentic Italian products that they supply to delis and restaurants in and around London. It's great stuff but an awful lot of it is in catering sizes that are way too big for the home cook. Happily, they also have a new range of products that are available in smaller quantities and look really delicious.

I have ordered up a whole load of samples that my testing & tasting team (hungry friends & family) will be getting our teeth into over the next few days. If everything is up to standard then I'll try and do a deal to get their products in the shop as well.

Feeling well fed and half Italian - Ciao!

News at 10

There's news. It's not good but it's not bad - it's just news. I've spoken to the planning department - they recommended approval (yay!) but a committee member wants to review it (boo).

So, off to the committee meeting next week to see how I get on.

Fingers, legs, toes etc crossed.

Getting up to Date

Now I am talking to everyone I meet, explaining the concept, asking for feedback. On the whole, it is very positive. A few people don’t quite get it, not straightaway. Some say, great idea, but is it the right time, there’s a recession you know? My reply is that since jobs aren’t so secure anymore, perhaps now is exactly the right time.

I go to the Good Food Show and meet a whole bunch of potential suppliers, both for the school and the shop. I spend a load of money on ‘samples’ and a couple of signed copies of Heston Blumenthal’s new book. I think he is one of our most innovative ever chefs and I want the books as prizes for an idea I have for the website.

Bruno and Tony, who bring in a fabulous balsamic vinegar from Italy, are fantastic. They invite me to the Gordon Ramsey show as their guest. It’s nowhere near as good as Good Food, but I get introduced to some more Italians who have some great products, so it’s still worthwhile.

I have meetings with Clinton, June and Karen, who look after web, ads and branding respectively. All good, but I still can’t commit to anything without planning. 22nd December arrives – nothing in the post. 23rd and 24th go by, still no decision. Well, it is Christmas. I decide to not worry about it until next year, but 2nd January arrives and still nothing.

Alright, I think. Monday 5th. The first proper day of the New Year. Post arrives, no decision. As Sir Isaac Newton once said,

“if the apple won’t fall, let's go shake the tree.”

Where's that phone number?

For those of you who have stumbled onto this blog, this and the preceding posts are a brief history of Just Cook, the Captains' Log, if you will, of my starry eyed enterprise.

This post brings us more or less up to date with the conception, now I've just got to get through the pregnancy and give birth!

All advice, suggestions and constructive criticism gratefully received, so please leave your comments.

A Vision

Amateur Chef is dropped in favour of Just Cook. I can’t move forwards with the school until planning consent is awarded. The decision is due 22nd December and what will be, will be. Can’t do much about the power issue either. That needs to wait until Julian (the sparks) is back from Florida.

I start thinking about the whole thing as a business and not just a dream. Where do I want to be in 5 years time? 10? What will Just Cook look like? What will it be? A vision starts to form, and the cookery school is just the foundation of it.

I want to teach people to cook, really cook and not just pop some pre processed, salt laden tray in the microwave. I want to open up their minds to the simple pleasure to be had from the taste of well reared chicken, cooked simply, compared to speed raised mass market fodder, drowned in fatty sauces. I want to teach people how much fun it is to cook, so they will teach their children. I want people to understand how important it is that we support the small, local producer who raises his crop and rears his meat with love, care and attention.

Jamie’s Ministry of Food is on the telly. At first, I think, “you sod, you’ve nicked my idea.” Then I think, “Brilliant. You’ve proved the point mate, there is a need for my sort of business.” Grudgingly, I also acknowledge that Mr Oliver must have had the idea first, or at least acted on it more quickly. I believe in the importance of what he is trying to achieve and applaud his use of his celebrity. I resolve that when I get the school up and running, I will write to Jamie and offer him the use of the place, for one day a week or so, for his Ministry.

I also want to be a point of reference, of trusted advice, for people who want to cook at home. And I should be able to do it. After all, what better recommendation for something than that it has been used day in, day out in the school? If it can survive that test it’s something I don’t mind promoting. So the idea extends to include a web shop, but only selling stuff we use ourselves. And I can include ingredients. Not just mundane, everyday things, but special things, or difficult to find things. Little gems that my cooks and I have discovered and use ourselves. Things like proper, traditional balsamics or extra virgin oils still produced by hand in tiny quantities and tasting so different from more mainstream alternatives. And maybe, we can help those small guys by giving them a slightly bigger market than they previously had. And the revenue we earn might help us get the school built more quickly.

So now, in my head, we’re not just a school but a brand. For everything that people who want to cook at home might need. It may well take a long time to put this jigsaw together, but at least I have a picture.

What's in a Name?

Alright. Building the school is on hold until at least 22nd December, which is when the planning decision is due. Looks like I’ll have to abandon plans to sell gift vouchers for Christmas.

My little sister, who’s left her marketing job and been trekking around South America returns from Peru. I collect her from Heathrow and tell her my plans on the journey home. She doesn’t like the name. Why not? “I don’t like amateur. It sounds low quality.” I am miffed, it’s my idea after all. 'Actually,' I retort, 'it’s French. It means ‘lover of’ and it

“reflects a voluntary motivation to work as a result of personal passion for an activity.”

I looked it up, and it describes me.'

But you said it’s not about you, she replies. She’s right, I thought. It’s not.

We have a brainstorm. Names are suggested and discarded, like chaff from wheat.

What about Cook?
Cook what? Cook School? Bit obvious, don’t you think?
No, not Cook School, Cook, just Cook.
You can’t call it just Cook.
Why not?

Just Cook. I like the sound of that.

Bumps in the Road

Where are we, in the potted history of this venture? Oh yes, the idea had taken root, it’s around mid September and things are proceeding nicely. Well, you knew it couldn’t last.

Problems arise, one after the other. First of all, the quotes come in. It’s going to cost money. A lot of money. More than I had thought, that’s for sure. So, a call to the bank is in order, only there is this thing called a credit crunch, and all of a sudden, they are ominously silent.

Then the plumber calls.

“It’s going to cost how much? Just to extend a water pipe and run a new waste? Frankly my friend, if you didn’t want to do it you should have just said so. I could buy a small car for what you’re quoting me.”

Well at least that problem was easily solved. Another plumber, another quote. Much more reasonable.

The electrician rings.

“You don’t have enough power.”

What do you mean? “You don’t have enough power to run all those cookers. You need the total supply to the building just for you. If you turn all your cookers on the rest of the building will switch off. You’d be real popular with all your neighbours when they found out it was you causing them all that trouble.” Sigh. What’s the answer? “Spend money. Probably a lot of money.” Oh bugger.

I have a hunt around the area for other premises, but they are a lot more expensive. Worst way, it is still less expensive in the long run to put in a new electricity supply than it is to rent somewhere with enough power for my needs. Looks like I just have to accept that I need yet more money.

I look into the regulations. Fire safety requirements aren’t too bad, considering. The builder pops over for a site visit. What about extraction? Building regs? Anything else I haven’t thought of? “No probs. Fitted out a few restaurants in my time. I’ve already costed all that in. Don’t worry.” At last, someone with solutions not problems. And he’s a builder! Faith restored. “What about planning though? Have you got permission? You’re bound to need a change of use.” Aargh!!

I still haven’t resolved exactly what is needed to solve the power issue. Kitchen units, considering I don’t need any fancy gizmos, are pretty pricey. I’ve got a verbal deal on the hobs and ovens and I don’t want to lose it because I delay placing the order. I haven’t got enough money. And now I need to make a planning application. I make a quick call to sparky. He thinks he’s got an idea, but will need to come and have another look. Result. When can you come? When I get back from Florida, I’m off for a month. Damn.

I decide to put in the planning application without knowing if I can definitely solve the power issue. When will I know? 8 weeks. 8 weeks? That’s Christmas! Still at least I’ve done something to move things forwards.

Taking Root

OK. So now it's July and I've got an idea. A cookery school. Offering hands on, practical, one day courses in different skills. A one day course in sushi, bread making, baking, Italian, Indian. The list goes on and on. I'll be able to support local producers and farmers markets. I can demonstrate the difference in flavour between mass produced supermarket fare and carefully nurtured, well reared meat. We can promote sustainable practices and prove that it needn't be expensive to eat good quality food.

And I can see myself, up the front, hosting a course. Teaching people. Sending them away happy and satisfied, having learnt new stuff that they will remember and use. In my mind, I can hear them, hosting their first dinner party and telling their friends about the balsamic vinegar tasting, how they made butter from cream and "of course the bread is homemade - have another roll."

I've even thought of a name - Amateur Chef, and I register the domain. Who is the amateur chef, my wife asks, you? No, of course not. It's the customer. But now a bit of doubt is setting in. I don't know enough to teach all those courses. Bread making sure, but not advanced stuff like brioche or croissants. Indian, Italian? No problem. But sushi? Baking? No chance. And if I can't offer a wide enough range of courses, then the numbers don't stack up. It isn't viable.

The only solution then, is to learn those skills. So, I get on the net and start to look into courses at catering colleges. But they take too long - three years, full time and me with a mortgage? Impossible.

More searching and I find out about Leiths, Tante Marie and Le Cordon Bleu. You can compress a course into less than a year, but what a price! My wife, ever supportive but also a realist, points out that I have given up a pretty good income for a (currently) mediocre one but I'll be giving that up as well if I pursue this. I've still got to support my family and we don't have the savings to pay for the course and a years bills. Another non starter. So I start looking into residential and holiday courses. And I find a few. Things are looking up. But hold on - they are aimed at recreational cooks, will I learn enough? The irony of going to a cooking school so I can start one myself isn't lost on me either. So I give up on the idea.

Except that I can't let it go. It's taken hold of me and I am compelled to pursue it. OK, so I can't teach the courses at the moment, don't worry about that, a solution will present itself. In the meantime, I can still look into all the other stuff that will be needed. Like premises, equipment, regulations, costs. So for the next few weeks, that's what I do. I trawl the net researching areas, property, prices. I compress my sales appointments into one day so that I can make time to drive around looking at potential premises. I spend the evenings drawing up budgets and forecasts. I even go so far as to discuss it with my bank manager who gives me a thumbs up, a verbal agreement to lend me some money.

"Come back when you are ready and we'll do the paperwork."

With that endorsement my confidence is high that I can make this change in my life and make it successfully. I stumble across some premises that look like a great place to start - not quite as big as I would like, but certainly affordable. I arrange a viewing and then another. I put down a deposit so I can have the keys without taking a lease. Now I can start getting some quotes for the installation of a load of kitchen equipment.

Everything seems to be going smoothly. The location I have stumbled across is better than I thought - it's a pretty little village in Essex with thatched roof cottages, it is on a direct link into Liverpool Street Station, there are some tourist attractions nearby, and it's not far from The Cricketers, Jamie Olivers' parents pub. Wow, a ready made foodie connection! Now, if only I could buy the skills I need to run the classes.

Doh! That's it! The last doubts fade away. I can buy the skills I need. All I have to do is find people with the right skills and get them to host the class! I am back to what I know how to do - bringing other peoples skills together to provide a service. Nothing can stop me now.

Planting the Seed

To start my story, to get to where I am now, I have to delve into a little history. Not ancient history – I won’t bore you with tales of my childhood and schooldays, early successes and ignominious failures, lessons learned and advice unheeded, but we do need to go back to the end of 2007 to trace the first steps of this new journey.

There I was, running my own business – an accident repair centre if you’re interested, and, I think, doing a pretty good job. I mean, I’d built it up to over a million pounds in turnover from next to nothing, in less than 10 years, and without actually knowing how to fix a dent or paint a panel. You see, my ability lies in being able to bring other skills together to provide a service, and I am passionate about giving good service. The trouble was, our customers – the ones actually paying the bill – were insurance companies, and, well, they’re not really bothered about service, only cost. That’s reality, and I am not complaining about it, but it made it very difficult to provide what I considered to be the right levels of quality and service and still remain profitable, and gradually my business stopped being a great, fun place to be and turned into a tiring, stressful job that I wasn’t that keen on.

So, when circumstance conspired with fate, and an opportunity came along to get out of the accident repair business and into the wonderful world of technology, I closed my eyes and jumped. At first, it was a pretty comfortable landing – I was learning new things, in a new industry and meeting new people. It was bound to be fun for a while, but then I realised a few things:

I wasn’t really passionate about the product.

Without passion, you can’t excel at what you do.

The fun, for me, comes with the responsibility of being in charge, and I wasn’t.

I really, really, like to be in charge!

The realisation put me in mind of one of my favourite quotes about business, that I had forgotten somewhere along the way.

“If you don't do it excellently, don't do it at all. Because if it's not excellent, it won't be profitable or fun, and if you're not in business for fun or profit, what the hell are you doing there?” Robert Townsend, actor, director, producer, writer.

That’s when I started looking for something fun, that I enjoyed, that I could make a living or perhaps even a business out of. But what? What did I enjoy doing? Reading and learning new things. OK, great, but I couldn’t conceive of a way of getting paid for that.

What about golf? I love golf. But I’ve been playing for 7 years now and have a handicap of 22 – somehow I don’t think Tiger Woods would have much to worry about if I announced my intention to turn professional but I am sure my bank manager would.

There is always the food industry. Anyone who has met me will tell you that my waist size is a testament to how much I enjoy my food, but what to do? Friends suggested a restaurant. Hmm. Risky and expensive. Food critic? Excellent idea. Getting paid to eat out and give my opinion, how cool is that? You can’t even get it wrong – it’s my opinion! But hey, all those jobs seem to be taken already. Bummer.

What about a chef then? Hey, look, you know, I love to cook at home. I’m even pretty good at it. Good enough to know that I’m not good enough, if you know what I mean. I’ve even been on a few cookery courses but although they were fun and enjoyable, they were too much demonstration, too little hands on practical for me. If I ran them, they would be a lot better…