Hi all. You remember a couple of months ago I posted that I had met with the owner of a bakery/restaurant who wanted to sell my cakes, baked goods, etc. I booked one wedding cake already for Oct. 14, and while I was out of town this last month, got another wedding cake that's due tomorrow.

I've held off complaining here about the conditions in the kitchen because I didn't want to whine and I also told the owner's daughter that I liked this web site, and I was afraid she might read anything I wrote, but now I am close to not caring what she sees.

You guys, the kitchen is SO dirty. The floor is slick with grit and grease. There is crusty junk all over the tops and switches of the big mixers, and when I mix soomething (today, my white cake batter), dark junk keeps falling into it.

I have to work there when the restaurant is open, and so all the employees are busy doing things for the restaurant, and there's very little room to work (and you know how we need to spread out when we're working on our cakes!). The freight also usually comes in the morning so there are boxes everywhere. Today the cook was making sausage on the table and one of the big mixers, and there was "pork juice" (sorry, don't know what else to call it) on the work table.

There are none of my home comforts...those silly little things like organized measuring cups, spatulas, bowls of all sizes....everything is old, dirty and broken. Once I found (by some miracle) a serrated knife and tried to cut a 1-lb block of butter with it, and the handle broke off.

The only choices for mixers are the huge industrial mixers or a cheapo handheld ... waaaah! I need my KitchenAid!!!

I'm re-cooking my 15-inch layer right now because I just can't serve it knowing that the black gunk from the mixer fell into it (I picked out all I could). I feel like I'm at the end of my rope and I simply cannot work there. I just don't know how to tell the owners (who really seem like nice people, and did give me this opportunity) and how to deal with the wedding cake I already have booked for Oct. 14? I would wait until Oct. 14 to "quit", but today they already wanted to schedule another bridal consultation this weekend.

Thanks for reading my sad story...I'm feeling really down right now! I'm going to be working on this wedding cake all night...illegally, because my home kitchen is "contaminated" according to the county Health Dept. Only a licensed kitchen is clean! Yeah, right.

Honesty,
I would try to find another place to work. Like try to rent out a churches basment that has a kitchen or something like that. I would tell them there just isn't enough room for your to work. I would not tell them there kitchen is dirty though it is. Don't burn your bridges yet. Hang in there

Ewwwww! You don't say where you are located, but by the description of the cleanliness of the kitchen, you are not in Los Angeles! I don't know about anywhere else, but here in L.A. all of our eateries have to display the grade they are given by the board of health in a prominent place. Given the condition you describe, I would lay odds that ther kitchen you are using is at best a "C", which would not bode well here.

Quit, if you need to, but don't burn any bridges.

Debbi

Was there some reason you couldn't bake this at home? I'm sorry--I'm not up to beat on this story--please forgive.

I don't know--but there's two ways you can look at it at this point:

First, look at the things people have done in the past to get to where they are. Then put yourself in a similar light, and tell yourself, "This is just another rung on the ladder I need to climb right now." And then deal with it the best way you can.

Or, just book through a certain date there--and give resignation. It's not like you have to absolutely explain every reasoning as to why. People's lives change all the time. Why not yours?

I guess there's one final option: If you're enjoying the exposure your getting while there, and it's working in any way you feel positively affects your profession as a decorator, and you want to go on---then you COULD have a "sit down" with the owners, and explain the way you're feeling and see if there's a way they can clean up the place.

These are just my takes on the subject. I hope you find the best route for your decorating, and I'm sure you'll do well.

--Knox--

that is one tricky situation. My first instinct would be to call the health department - b/c they seriously need to get in there and take a look.... I'd be worried about the customers the restaurant is feeding! Not to mention your own reputation for your cakes - and what might be in them! How do you know the eggs, flour, sugar, butter, etc.... aren't contaminated with something? I'd hate for someone to get sick from one of your cakes b/c even though you're extremely careful, something slips in - or falls in when you're not looking.... or you know like a rat craps in your mixer and you don't see that and start making the batter..... BLECH!! EW!!!

I don't know how to handle it but I would try to get out. Maybe you could tell them that you just don't feel that you are able to work with everyone else in the kitchen and that you are a very organized, VERY clean person and just feel that you never can find anything, and that things aren't to YOUR liking on cleanliness.... but I don't know.

Good luck! I might even talk to the bride and ask her if she minds if you bake the cake from your home and not their kitchen.... then you could still technically "quit" but keep your prior commitment to that bride - I certainly wouldn't take any other consultations though ....

Girl, I feel your pain. I just switched kitchens for the same reason. There is no point in renting a kitchen that you cant work it. You're wasting the $$.

I am not in LA I'm in Texas, where you can't legally sell food made in your home kitchen. That's why I can't make the cakes in my own kitchen (but I'm doing it anyway).

Puppyloveconfections...the deal with this place that I have is that I make baked goods for them to sell, and they will also take a small portion (how much has not yet been discussed) of my cake profits. I think that's more than fair because they act as the "finder" for the customer, and I use their ovens. So I'm not actually paying any money in rent...it's just my time. That's why it's going to feel bad to tell them "thanks, but no thanks". They really have been nothing but kind to me.

When I was a teenager, I worked in several restaurants and the kitchen of a nursing home. None of those kitchens were anything like this. I have no idea if this place has had a recent health inspection or what its score was. If this is what passes for clean in my county?? I'm never eating out again.

That's disgusting! I understand about re-baking in your own home...I would have done the same!

Definitely give notice and don't do any more consultations. It's also a little leery to me the percentage of profits he would like has not been discussed yet. Is the client paying you directly or to the restaurant?

It's time to move on.

Well....you could always drop a dime on them...meaning..make an anonymous phone call to the health department in your area and make a complaint.

They should go check it and if it is as bad as you say they will make them clean their act up.

Of course if it is really that bad the place might get closed down.

But..I would not use that kitchen. Not knowing what you know. There is probably tons of cross contamination going on there.

I certainly wouldn't worry about burning bridges. Talk to them about your concerns -- because that is some serious "ick" factor stuff going on -- not to mention being potentially dangerous to peoples' health.

If they are unwilling to clean up their act, then report them to the health department and don't worry about burning a bridge. If they won't clean it up voluntarily, that's a bridge that NEEDS to be burned.

Update -- I think I've found a solution that doesn't hurt any feelings! I found a licensed kitchen in my town (only 4 miles from me) that will rent me space for $10/hr. No minimum, no contract, nothing up front. Just call when I want to come and pay when I leave! I went and looked at it today and it was so nice and clean, I wanted to cry. I would have it all to myself when I rent it -- they will give me a shelf for dry storage and a shelf in the refrigerator. There's a 6 qt Kitchen Aid and a Hobart. Two HUGE convection ovens! Measuring cups, spoons, spatulas. Tons of counter space. And all to myself when I'm there! PLUS, I can come in the evenings, which is really the best time for me (I was having to get up at 5 to go into this other restaurant).

So! I went in and told the owner's wife at the restaurant that the current arrangement wasn't working out for me as far as my home life was concerned, and that I had rented a kitchen closer to home where I could go in the evenings. I said if they wanted to keep referring wedding cakes to me that I would pay them a 15% referral fee. And she said yes! She wants to keep my dummy display cake there because people really enjoy looking at it. And she booked another wedding cake for me, this one on 9/30.

Not everything is worked out -- they still haven't paid me for the wedding cake I did last weekend (she said she would let her husband do that because she didn't know how much to give me). And they still have the 1/2 deposit of my wedding cake on 10/14. But I really feel like I found a way to get out of there without causing any hard feelings or burning any bridges. And she still wants to refer cakes to me. I assume the owner will be calling me tomorrow...he may not be as accommodating as the wife. But at least I've made it clear that I won't be cooking there any more, and I have another, better kitchen lined up.

Thanks again to everyone for your advice.

That's great! A location you are comfortable in using. We decorators need all the space we can get so we can spread out our cakes, tools, etc., and a clean place at that!

Follow-up soon about payment due to you from the previuos location.

Good luck!