I got plenty locations!!

First of all let me say how much I have enjoyed reading this forum since I stumbled upon it last Wednesday. There is a "boatload" of knowledge & experience here, and posters are so generous with their time and advice. I thank you all.
I have been cooking on a regular basis since I was twelve (oldest daughter of two working parents), cooked for four children (as a single parent) and have done every job to be done in the back and front of the house excluding gourmet. Although I keep my nose in those cookbooks as much as time allows, I have only made a few dishes for friends (guinea pigs) :)
I have access to an unbelieveable location.....but it will play out come Jan. 2006. The state/county is making a divided highway out of the two-lane road that travels a half mile from my farm. The new highway crosses two bridges over West point lake where there is much fishing and skiing traffic on the weekends. During the week these roadworker guys eat from convenience stores (yes, I admit I have stalked them :)).
I have been successful in running homemade breakfast rolls (pepper bacon, country ham , sausage, and Country fried steak) as hard as my F150 will go. But I grow paranoid of the nearby convenience stores and I know they have GOT to be suffering, so it is a matter of time before they squeal me out. After reading non-stop for the last six days I have settled on a concession trailor:

1. I can move it. There is a college 15 miles away with no food vendors.

2. There is a large fishing population that would keep me busy starting in Feb. Getting up early is not a big deal for me as I used to work for an old man from 4:00 am to 10:00 pm for two years. Breakfast was short order, lunch was steam table veggies-I made the plates, and dinner was fried catfish, hushpuppies and fries.

3. I met a guy today who is selling all his restaurant stuff. Three stand alone gas fryers and one stand alone electric one. $350 apiece. A six burner gas oven ($300.00)with grill, oven, and two warming shelves (perfect for my homemade rolls to rise). Only problem is it probably weighs a billion tons and I don't think my truck will haul it. I will have to check them out because they haven't been used in a year since he closed (why, oh why do people think cooking is easy work?)

4. He gave me the health contacts to talk to, he said I could get by with a Peddlers Permit after the trailor is inspected.

5. There is only a Hawaiin Ice shack at the Home Depot.

6. Also my truck is paid for and very attractive, and I don't think buying a new one that has a kitchen on it makes much sense. There is a local VFW and several churches around so I could rent their kitchen and get commercial refrigeration later, maybe.

7. Health is lax in these parts....I had a cafe'/antique shop and got the kitchened OK'ed. The house was built in 1876. Used a Res. refridge with a therm in it. Only had to install a little hand sink.

Gee, I've started talking and can't shut up....sorry. :)

My question is this: Do I need an oven? My homemade rolls are KILL-ER but the heat would be killer too. I've cooked over fryers and grills for long hours, but an oven may push me over the edge. Plus in some of the places I've worked in my lifetime, there ain't much you can't deep-fry :) or cook in a sauce pan on the grill.

Whatcha think?

Copper

quote:

Originally posted by pogophiles

Why don't you cut a deal with one of the convenience stores to stock your product?

That's a great idea and I have considered it to at least see how the rolls do without me yappin away until folks pay me to leave (ie. buy a roll), the problem is they always want to give me a job and I'm tired of working for others. Most of them carry lotto, beer, fishbait, fuel and have a grill and a couple of fryers. What a mix, huh?
When I tried to sell my burnt sugar cakes and green tomato pies to restaurants they always want to put me to work. I'm not complainin, but its not the direction I want to take. But your idea sounds like a place to start without morgaging the "farm".
Thanks Pogophiles!

Copper

sounds like a plan to me copper! hope it works for you. Have you tried baking in a toaster oven?? experiment at home see if it works, the other option is baked EARLY at home. The entrepreneurial (sp) spirit is roaring nowdays, a local woman set up during a recent hot spell with a couple icechests in the bed of her small pickup and sold simply bottled water, $2 for a lrg, $1 for a small

I hope I'll run across your trailer one day and try your green tomato pie!

Best wishes, and please keep us all posted.

Hi cooper. Try a house gas stove a small apt size with 4 burners and a real gas oven. My next unit eill have one of these. Cowboy Bob's texas weiners in PA
Good Luck Go for it!

A cheap alternative to an oven is a cheap gas grill with an upper rack. I've cooked many a biscuit on one.

Dreamz....toaster oven! Eureka!
I have also cut them in half buttered and thrown on the grill long enough to give the butter a crunch and warm the bread. Then slapped the meat on them. A coupla toaster ovens would be nice for an array of things. THANKS!

Would love to serve you a green tomato pie, Bushie. You'll NEVER touch another apple pie, especially with a quarter inch slab of cheese melted on top. :) I grow my own tomatoes, and peppers (banana, cayenne, jalapeno' and bell)


Copper

quote:

I have also cut them in half buttered and thrown on the grill long enough to give the butter a crunch and warm the bread.

Not exactly what I'm talking about when I mentioned the grill, but if you get the heat right and the roll pan at an even height with the upper rack, you can bake 2 to 3 times more than what one toaster oven can.

quote:

Originally posted by Slick

quote:

I have also cut them in half buttered and thrown on the grill long enough to give the butter a crunch and warm the bread.

Not exactly what I'm talking about when I mentioned the grill, but if you get the heat right and the roll pan at an even height with the upper rack, you can bake 2 to 3 times more than what one toaster oven can.

Hiya Slick....I was respondin to Dreamz. Sorry for the mix-up... my mind is whirlin 'bout a mile a minute. I was sayin to Dreamz I could cook rolls early and then slice and toast on a short order grill.

You are talkin about a small propane grill? The kind you can simmer beans and stuff on the side and rolls up above? I would need a vent wouldn't I?.....I am used to cooking on one surface. Many times on one cast iron big skillet with the first things I cook moving to the outside to keep warm and then starting the next ingredient in the middle then bringing all together and so on. Would you pre-cook the rolls (they take bout 12 minutes at 400 degrees) and then toast or cook all on rack? They take refrigeration wonderfully (week), but need bout an hour to rise on a warm shelf..

Copper

quote:

You are talkin about a small propane grill?

Yep. I guess what I was thinking was using the grill out of the back of the trailer. They're light and could secure inside the trailer when mobile.

quote:

Would you pre-cook the rolls (they take bout 12 minutes at 400 degrees) and then toast or cook all on rack?

My experience with rolls is limited, but using the grill you can expect a longer baking time. I don't know how well your rolls hold, but if they hold well I probably would have the finished product in a warmer (grill can be used for holding, too).

Not sure if this would work or not.. But them old style pizza ovens that taverns used to have to cook them frozen Tony's (or whatever brand) pizzas might do the job... Not big or anything, but they normally have a timer and temp adjustment on them... I see these little boxs (used) all over the place for what little they ask for them...

(Pic Link stolen from www.centralrestaurant.com )

Thanks for the ideas UncleVic (toaster) and Slick (moveable grill). I would LOVE to have both. The bait shop/grill/convenience store that rakes in the Biz does little pizzas in a toaster like that, burgers on the grill (36"), and of course a couple of deep fryers.

An update on cutting a deal with the Conv. Store.
The owner doesn't speak very good English (like I'm one to talk )
I asked him if he would like to taste one of my breakfast rolls. He loved it! Problem is he wants to give me a buck apiece for them I just laughed. You gotta understand these are BIG. About 4" in diameter with a 1/4 lb. of meat on them (before grilling).My cost runs from $.42 for ham end cut to a $1.00 for pork loin and cube steak in meat alone. The ones that are fried are hand breaded with Coppers Top Secret Recipe
Since I am a regular customer (smokes, Beer and gas) I thought he would at least give me a shot. What I got was a boatload of $hit. He said no one would pay $3.50 for them (retail, I couldn't tell him the roadworkers give me a fiver for one breakfast roll and a can of soda and tell me to keep the change), then he said -get this-my rolls were too flaky! Too Flaky? Things at this point took a nasty turn. Do I sound indignant? I went from a simmer to a rolling boil in 1.2 seconds. Cut me a little slack I'm a redhead.
I asked him if he was aware that the odor of old grease that permeates 3 miles in all directions from his place was so horrible that as soon as I get home with my beer I take it out of the packaging and freaking burn the stinking thing and that I would walk 10 miles with a gascan before I bought another drop from him (OK, so I probably drink more beer than my truck drinks gas, but that's not the point.)

Needless to say-No Deal was struck.

Copper

PS thanx for letting me get that off my chest. Wanker!

Being married to a redhead and having 2 redheaded daughters (the oldest got married this fathers day and talk about BRIDEZILLA) I have learned the safest place is in the studio with the door locked from the INSIDE! I understand your difficulty with the store owner, I offered the owner of the convenience store I USED to frequent a chance to display one or two paintings and take a cut from the sale, his counter offer was insulting. These kinds of places aren't interested in promoting the local people just taking their money for mass produced products. I have much better response from momNpop business's, but your product doesn't lend itsself to this kind of promotion. The startup won't be easy and it may be a while before you start seeing a real profit but I say Grab for the Gold Ring!

quote:

Originally posted by dreamzpainter

Being married to a redhead and having 2 redheaded daughters (the oldest got married this fathers day and talk about BRIDEZILLA) I have learned the safest place is in the studio with the door locked from the INSIDE! I understand your difficulty with the store owner, I offered the owner of the convenience store I USED to frequent a chance to display one or two paintings and take a cut from the sale, his counter offer was insulting. These kinds of places aren't interested in promoting the local people just taking their money for mass produced products. I have much better response from momNpop business's, but your product doesn't lend itsself to this kind of promotion. The startup won't be easy and it may be a while before you start seeing a real profit but I say Grab for the Gold Ring!

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.....so your are an artiste'? Kewl! I did portraits for a while but found it very stressful. They would say, "My nose isn't that big!" while I was thinking to myself, "Its actually minimized in the portrait." I gave it up. Good money but too hard to please folks with their looks, bout as hard as pleasing their tastebuds I would suspect. Thanks for the encouragement,
Copper

Day Nine of Coppers Ultimate Plan:
Cooked no rolls today because Roadworkers let me know they would be running errands (cashing checks and stuff).
So I spent the day dumpster diving. Was very hot after 9:00am (if you have done this you know this). I think I may have retrieved bout $500.00 of copper and aluminum.
That makes me $500.00 closer to my dream kitchen on wheels. If there is another tragedy I will be equiped to feed lots of people that are homeless and have no power. I am going for "cooking equip" and not esoteric value. After all I can make it look good, I'm an artiste' (Bwa-hahahahahahhah) just want two axels with brakes, and the "works on the inside. I'm not interested in pulling anything bigger than a 7'x12. Loaded. I don't need much room (just enough to turn around) cos I'm tiny.

Copper

Oh, boy! Two redheads on one website? Houston, we have a problem.

quote:

Originally posted by Michael Hoffman

Oh, boy! Two redheads on one website? Houston, we have a problem.

Bwa-hahahahahahhahhahahhahhahahhah
Copper

quote:

Most of them carry lotto, beer, fishbait, fuel and have a grill and a couple of fryers.
Copper

Where is this paradise?

quote:

Originally posted by Caramel Copper


Thanks for the ideas UncleVic (toaster) and Slick (moveable grill). I would LOVE to have both. The bait shop/grill/convenience store that rakes in the Biz does little pizzas in a toaster like that, burgers on the grill (36"), and of course a couple of deep fryers.

An update on cutting a deal with the Conv. Store.
The owner doesn't speak very good English (like I'm one to talk )
I asked him if he would like to taste one of my breakfast rolls. He loved it! Problem is he wants to give me a buck apiece for them I just laughed. You gotta understand these are BIG. About 4" in diameter with a 1/4 lb. of meat on them (before grilling).My cost runs from $.42 for ham end cut to a $1.00 for pork loin and cube steak in meat alone. The ones that are fried are hand breaded with Coppers Top Secret Recipe
Since I am a regular customer (smokes, Beer and gas) I thought he would at least give me a shot. What I got was a boatload of $hit. He said no one would pay $3.50 for them (retail, I couldn't tell him the roadworkers give me a fiver for one breakfast roll and a can of soda and tell me to keep the change), then he said -get this-my rolls were too flaky! Too Flaky? Things at this point took a nasty turn. Do I sound indignant? I went from a simmer to a rolling boil in 1.2 seconds. Cut me a little slack I'm a redhead.
I asked him if he was aware that the odor of old grease that permeates 3 miles in all directions from his place was so horrible that as soon as I get home with my beer I take it out of the packaging and freaking burn the stinking thing and that I would walk 10 miles with a gascan before I bought another drop from him (OK, so I probably drink more beer than my truck drinks gas, but that's not the point.)

Needless to say-No Deal was struck.

Copper

PS thanx for letting me get that off my chest. Wanker!

My late neighbor made and sold artifcial flyies, for fishing, for years to Fisherman, Bait Shops, and sports shops! In fact, He sold alot of them, but He could never get convience store owners to stock them, alot of these places were very close to lakes and rivers that had a high volume of fishermen. All of these owners kept telling him, He was too high price! But the Fishermen, Bait shops, and sports shops that he sold to, told him, You are very reasonable for the high quality flies that you tie! His dealings with these store owners and the owners you deal with, make me think, these owners want cheap price and don't care at all about quality!

UncleVic-that would be the city of LaGrange, GA. I live in a small town close by and it is the "big city" for us. The lake would be West Point.

garry, I have heard this from others. Making fishing lures is an art. And so is making my rolls.

Thanks for the responses,

Copper

quote:

Originally posted by Caramel Copper



UncleVic-that would be the city of LaGrange, GA. I live in a small town close by and it is the "big city" for us. The lake would be West Point.

garry, I have heard this from others. Making fishing lures is an art. And so is making my rolls.

Thanks for the responses,

Copper

I am sure, your rolls are a art! I am also sure, your rolls are to die for! I was just trying to make a point, these convience store owner are how for the mighty dollar, not for something good. If these store owners want something good, they weren't be putting Blimpie, Taco Bell, Mc'Donalds, and etc into their stores!

quote:

Originally posted by garryd451

quote:

Originally posted by Caramel Copper



UncleVic-that would be the city of LaGrange, GA. I live in a small town close by and it is the "big city" for us. The lake would be West Point.

garry, I have heard this from others. Making fishing lures is an art. And so is making my rolls.

Thanks for the responses,

Copper

I am sure, your rolls are a art! I am also sure, your rolls are to die for! I was just trying to make a point, these convience store owner are how for the mighty dollar, not for something good. If these store owners want something good, they weren't be putting Blimpie, Taco Bell, Mc'Donalds, and etc into their stores!

garry-oh, I did get your point! I took it as a compliment. You are correct about conv. stores. They can compromise quality for convenience. We can't.

Thanks,
Copper