“It’s a penny ballgame, Ms. Black. It’s a penny ballgame.”

Standardization is the key to profitability. Pennies become dollars, then either profits or losses over time. No matter how creative your concept or your chef, you should be able to predict your costs, your revenues, and the difference between them. It’s easy to let this slip, and let ‘good enough’ take over, until you no longer understand why you’re not making money. Together we can audit, cost, clean up, organize your cookbook and set up a system to make it simple for you or your chef to keep up. Having correct, costed, standardized recipes reduces expenses, streamlines operations, increases profitability and your sanity!

If you are required to pass inspections for feeding special populations, your recipes and rotation need basic nutritional analysis, labeling, perhaps coordinating with dietitians for approval. Once set up correctly, this is simple to track, plan and report.

Food allergy is a crucial area for effective policies and procedures, thorough training and recipe analysis. With good systems in place, you can be sure your guests are being fed safely.

We can consider the best tools available for your needs and get you started on collecting your work so it’s easy for you or someone on your staff to take over and keep up with.

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This is a totally random side hustle, but hey, I see a need! Sharp knives are not about luxury, but about safety and professionalism. Professional cooks already know, and home cooks are stretching their skills these days and learning: knives should be sharp! 

Whether your knives are top-shelf, professional or cheap as heck, a good sharpening makes prep safer, easier and more fun. 

How do you know if it’s time to sharpen? Well, if you’ve never done it, that’s a clue. Another way is to cut a tomato: a sharp knife should move through a tomato like breathing, with no resistance whatsoever. 

$5.50 per blade regardless of size, brand or condition: there is no “knife shaming” here. Place your order online at “Check, Please” at the top of the page, and I’ll reach out to arrange details!

pickup and delivery available near Hillsborough, NC for a small fee

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Retail, commercial food businesses in North Carolina are required to have a Person In Charge (PIC) who is a certified Food Safety Manager. Anyone working in a food-related business needs to know at least the basics. Safe food is intentional, and it begins with competence at every position. Even organizations or people who are not subject to inspection should take food safety seriously.

Staff should understand food safety not just from a book, but also in terms of their actual responsibilities in your place of business. In my classes, learning is enhanced by the cumulative knowledge in the room. We share and learn from each other, and (truly) have fun.

A few times a year there’s a full Servsafe Manager’s Certification course offered, and typically monthly Refresher+Exam Only sessions: see Events page.

Custom training is a great choice for many: instead of you trying to fit into pre-scheduled classes, the training and exam proctoring are arranged to fit your needs for your particular staff, at your location. 

And for those who prepare meals for churches or other organizations that are not inspected please read and share this digital booklet with your groups! We can do custom training for your facility’s needs, wherever you are.

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A perfect score is not easy to achieve. Don’t be fooled by how many are here: every one of these businesses worked hard every single day. My kitchens are always taught to treat health inspectors as allies and mentors, and to live ready. A surprise inspection should be a good surprise: let them catch you doing things right, with the most important work your customers will never see.

Congratulate people when you see these, send them to me and I’ll post and share them!

And if you need help reaching for a perfect score where you are, call me.

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