IronWorks

Saturday, June 14, 2014

My Experience of Babby Stacks Café

Not sure how to start nor do I know where I should begin so, I will have to start by saying this is the result of a Facebook post that a good friend posted that was a result of a breakfast venue that took place a few weeks back. The place of topic was the Babby Stacks Café. Now, I know that this will be my own meandering thoughts regarding an experience that I encountered this morning. When I first took notice I looked up this café on the web and found that they have good reviews and most of which is towards their Red Velvet pancakes. Their menu for “best seller” RED VELVET pancakes are topped with fresh whipped cream and chocolate crumbs, served with cream cheese syrup. Now, I do need to note that this is my first time being at Babby Stacks Café and thus I being sound with an open mind wanted to take a chance and try this café out. Upon entering you are greeted with an open atmosphere with a bright ambiance tone, the host was pleasant upon entering and acknowledged all who enter with a warm greeting along with a polite smile. While being seated I noticed that the café was packed with patrons which is always a good indicator of how much people enjoy any establishment.

Well, enough of the small talk and let me get down to the heart of this or should it be more of what my honest thoughts might conjure up form what transpired. My wife and I took a look at the menu and since we were there for the pancake part of this, my wife went on to order the lemon ricotta pancakes and I being who I am wanted to try what everyone has been boasting about ended up ordering their “best seller” RED VELVET pancakes. This is where I need to remind those reading this, that I tend to be a little critical of what it is I eat.

When server introduced our order I noticed that my Red Velvet pancakes were a vibrant bright red color with all the toppings mentioned on the menu. This is where I have to say sorry to those having been there and like what they have ordered. The very first thing I noticed is that the pancake was a bit on the thin side and what seemed to me as if it were more of a crape that went wrong during the poring process. The pancake itself was nothing to boast about and so I shrugged it off and dug in. At the first look, I noticed that the pancake was extremely thin and was a bit dry due to the thickness. When I took a bite, my assumptions were duly noted as my pallet confirmed what it was that I placed in my mouth. The first bite brought to me the taste of a butter milk pancake drowning in red die No.9 with a burnt chocolate after taste and no smell of a freshly cooked red velvet aroma. The cream cheese syrup was more of a welcome to what I would refer to as a bad over developed crape. The aftermath of this experience has left a red die No. 9 taste with an urge to go home and make a real red velvet pancake with the same toppings so as to deliver it to the Babby Staks Café for them to try.

My wife’s dish was a bit like the same as to it being more of an over developed crepe with a fresh lemon smell due to she ended up squeezing two slices of fresh lemon juice all over her over developed buttermilk crepe in which was refreshing and had a more pleasant smell than mine. So, for the end result and for the quality one gets at the price being offered one can do better by asking their under developed home cook to make them a pancake breakfast.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

BOC Wk 10: Getting Fired

It was in 1993 at a business called, Earth in Upheaval. I was hired for highend detailing of the customers cars. The cost of one detale started from $ 300.50 - $700.00 per car. Mind you, this is bases on both racial discrimination and what I said. Ifrst of all I enjoyed working there despite the owner. We still do not like eachother even to this present day. It all started one summer, as four of us, this included the owner as well as two micanics and my self, we were pushing a car in to the shop. I was asked a question from the owner, and he said, “Hey Kevin, are you jewish?” My reply was f--- no, I am German. The owner stopped and stood erect and walked back in to the shop. All the micanics heard what I said, and one cameover and stated that, “I can’t believe you just said that,” Their was a coowner who also worked as the leat micaninc and, he walked out to me and reminided me of why the owner reacted the way he did. He stated to me, “he was a llittle by when he was pursicuted and branded for being a Jew by the German SS.”

In my defence, I replied that I was not the one who branded him, and that just beacause he only hires Jewish workers that does not give him the right to attack me on where I was borne. There was one insident when he was on the phone with a customer, and they were yelling at each other over the phone. I was standing in front of his desk, and he had a wrench in his hand and he threw it on his desk and it ended up bouncing about five feet in the air. As it was in the air, I said to him staring straight at him and said, “you better hope that does not hit me, I will throw it back at you if it does.” The entire shop went silent as the wrench just missed my face by two inches. He had the gull to ask me to pick up the wrench and hand it to him. In my discuss I stated, “you threw it you pick it up.” I then proceded out of the shop and went back to detailing a customers car who in return saw the whole thing and gave me a $250.00 tip for an intreging intertainment moment.

Since that time, we were on talking terms of work only and what was needed done and that was it. Around a month later, he asked me what I do besides working here, and I stated that I do car detailing on the weekends. A month or so went by and he came out side and fired me due to I was German and that I was working for my self as well. I ended up getting even with him by reporting him to a friend of mine who investigated illegal dumping of toxi chemicles. My former employer ended up getting a very huge fine for dumping automotive chemicles into the near by creek that has a constent flow of water. In the end I have not regret except for I was young, and I should have reported him to the California Labor Commissions Office.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

EOC Wk9: Personal Freedon Vs. Union Membership

1. What would you do if you wanted to work for a company and you had to join the union to get the job?

a. To me, a union is a false safe of security. Its like going camping knowing that where you are camping there is a 99% chance of getting attacked by a Grizly Bare, and you think you are safer inside a tent. This is the same with the union. In this case, I would decline the offer to work for that company. In these trying times, the union is for thouse who do not want to work hard or don’t want to work at all. If you are an asset then why do you need a union to tell you what to do or not to do. And it is ususaly by one of your peers that is doing all negociations.

2. What if they called a strike over an issue you did not agree with?

a. In this case, like may other cases for instance, Safeway grocrie store chain in California was constantly on strike every other month. As a union worker you have no choice but to strike, if you crossed the line you were considered a trator and eventualy you would get fired by your union peers. Why then not save your self and your family fron the greif. Resign and move on to a better carear.

3. What other issues night concern you if you HAD to belong to get a paycheck?

a. There was a company I worked for back in mid ninties, where some of the workers wanted the company to go union. All in all, it was a long proccess and at the end, the company also was in a position where they were being bought out. The end result was, if the workers go union, maby they might have a chance on saving their job. In the end, during the union vote in, the workers were harrased by management that they will loose their job if the voted for a union. Well, needless to say there was no vote, and yet those individuals lost their job on account of the company was down sizing and was sold. There is a lot of concern belonging to a union and getting the proper pay, due to the pay is usually starts out small ant taps out around $15.00 per hour or if you are luckey $18.00 per hour. No Thanks, If you do your job you do not need a union.

BOC Wk9: History of Labor Unions in the United States

I have found a Web sight that gives an great analagy of what history has to say about the United States Union acts. Also, I feel obligated to let you read the article your self. I do not want to quote all what was said due to it is a good written gathering of history on the labor unions here in the United States. To read this article fallow this link. Read more: labor union: In the United States — Infoplease.com http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/bus/A0861691.html#ixzz16tMt5MrV

Acording to most of what information I have read, the labor union arose in the second half of the ninteenth centry. It brought a great major change in the way people worked. This is when the mass industrial age started to introduce machines that were made for mass production. This led to less skilled individuals and, this ended up making employeers take advantage of their employees due to, no job was secure. Samuel Gompers helped found the American Federation of Labor in 1886, in hopes to create a union for all workers. More often then not, minorities, women, immigrants, and the unskilled workers were often left out.

During the 1930’s, workiers started to demand pay raises and better job security. Of course employeers started rejecting their demands and thus, a wave of strikes swept across our country. Most often strikes ended up in violance of some sort. On Memorial Day in 1937, several thousand workers demonstrated in front of the Republic Steel Plant in South Chicago. Angry words were exchanged, followed by a thrown pop bottle. Shots were fired and tear gas grenades were thrown into the crowd. Ten strikers died, and 90 others were wounded in the protest.

Quote, “Carrying American flags and singing union songs, the marchers-- men, women and a few youngsters--formed a long line as they crossed the grassy field. Their destination was the main gate at Republic Steel's South Chicago plant on the city's Southeast Side, but facing them were about 150 Chicago police. (www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/chi-chicagodays-republicsteelstrike-story,0,7125620.story).

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

EOC Wk 7: How to Evaluate Employee Performance in 15 Easy Steps.

1. Performance – Performance requirements must be stated in a performance plan tailored to each employee's position and work assignments. Performance requirements must be stated in a performance plan tailored to each employee's position and work assignments. Does the employee demonstrate a postitive initiative to improve the overall work environment?

2. Attendance – Quote, ”In a 1985 study on "Rates of Absence among Nurses" it was found that 50% of absenteeism could be controlled through attending to employees’ physical and emotional needs.” The more peole like working for the organization, the higher their motivation to attend regularly. Recognition of good employee attendance helps improve attendance. Studies show that employees with a low absence ration feel confidence and have supprtive relationships in their work place.

3. Focus – Is the employee focused on the tasks at hand, or Is the employee more focused on personal issues going on at home?

4. Communication – Does the employee have the ability to adequetly communicate with pears, managers, and customers? Have their been any issues due to employees communication skills? Is the employee getting cought in the rhetoric of other’s negative influences of others at work or from everyday life? Quote, ”The point is not to take sides or decide whom to blame. Rather, it's to determine what needs to be done in order to improve the situation in the work place.” (www.workfamily.com/work-lifeclearinghouse/TipoftheMonth/tip0005.htm)

5. Educatcation & Training – Has the employee demonstrate the knowledge, skills and abilities to accureately assess and provid the appropriate services towards their job function?

6. Strengths – What are the strenghts that this employee have that contributes to the goals or the success of the business?

7. Goals – What does this employee see himself or herself in the next five years? What accomplishments do they expect to acheve during that time?

8. Integrity – Does the employee know the code of conduct standards and the legal and policy standards of their job position?

9. Productivity – Motivating employees is key to the scuuess of any business. Is this employee prodictove in their work? Does he/she work passionatly and with dedication?

10. Work quality – Has there been positive or negative feedback from customers regardig the quality of work performed? What have you experienced with observing this employees work quality?

11. Stress – does this employee show stress when performing deadline for a task? How well does this employee work under pressure when thire is deadlines that needs to be met when asked to work more hours to acomplish this goal.

12. Team Wrok – How does this employee work with others on completing tasks? Does he/she show leadership skills? Did he/she take part or take control of planning discussuions and implimentation?

13. Willingness to ask – When asked to do something out of employees grasp, does this employee ask for assistence? Does he/she take the inititive to educate and find out how to acomplish a task by looking for solutions or getting the proper training?

14. Trustworthy – Quote, “According to Dr. Duane C. Tway, Jr. in his 1993 dissertation, A Construct of Trust, "There exists today, no practical construct of Trust that allows us to design and implement organizational interventions to significantly increase trust levels between people.” Here is a nother Quore, “"Aristotle believed these three characteristics to be the intelligence of the speaker (correctness of opinions, or competence), the character of the speaker (reliability - a competence factor, and honesty - a measure of intentions), and the goodwill of the speaker (favorable intentions towards the listener).” Most of all does this employee have good ethics and the willingness to do what it takes to magnify their job to their physical ability?

15. Liability or Asset – Is this employee more of a liability to the future of the business, or is he/she an asset the the success of the busineses overall progress?

Thursday, November 11, 2010

BOC Wk7: Finished Optimal Resume

OBJECTIVE

Secure a culinary position within the Food & Beverage Industry utilizing my skills and abilities to contribute to our mutual success.

EDUCATION

The Art Institute of Las Vegas / Henderson, NV 07/08-Present

Bachelor of Science Culinary Management/Baking & Pastry

Empire College / Santa Rosa, CA 03/02-9/03

Associates Degree-Information Technology

EXPERIENCE

Retech/Lockheed Martin / Ukiah, CA 09/96-01/02

Fabricator

Proficient in blue print reading, and in all fabrication procedures, worked independently to complete projects in a timely manor.

Personal Consultant / Ukiah, CA 09/03-Present

Computer Technician

Computer assembly, & Repair, Small Business & Home Networking, Hardware and Software Diagnostics.

Sport Dodge / Fort Bragg, CA 10/07- 07/08

Professional Driver

Transported Vehicles

VOLUNTEERING

Extreme Makeover Home Edition / Las Vegas, NV 03/13/09

Prepared and made tarts and pastries for volunteers and family for opening day.

Charity Event for Hungry Children / Las Vegas, NV 03/06/09

Prepared and made a three tier cake for 100+ people for a charity event.

Escoffier Society Dinner / Las Vegas, NV 02/18/09

Created and produced assorted Artisan Breads, Assisted in preparation and plating of Desserts.

SKILL SET

¯ Basic Culinary Skills	¯ International Cuisine	¯ Organized
¯ Baking Science & Theory	¯ Hispanic Cuisine	¯ Detailed Oriented
¯ Concept & Theories of Culinary Technique	¯ Asian Cuisine	¯ Problem Solver
¯ Concept & Theories of Culinary Technique	¯ Planning & Cost Control	¯ Communicator
¯ Pastry Techniques & Dessert Artistry	¯ Purchasing & Product Identification	¯ Team Player
¯ Pastry Techniques & Dessert Artistry	¯ Purchasing & Product Identification	¯ Positive Attitude
¯ Artisan Breads & Baking Production	¯ Sanitation & Safety	¯ Dependable
¯ Artisan Breads & Baking Production	¯ H.R. Management	¯ Optimistic
¯ Technical Abilities in Fabrication	¯ Serv Safe Certified	¯ Creative
¯ Classical Cuisine	¯ Critical Thinking	¯ Works Well Under Pressure
¯ American Regional Cuisine	¯ Computer Application Skills	¯ A Desire to Learn
¯ Grade Manager	¯ Computer Hardware Skills	¯ A Desire to Cook

REFERENCES

Furnished Upon Request

EOC Wk: First Optimal Resume