|
Home | Restaurant | Pastry Shop | Catering | About Us | Contact Us |
|
Pine Bush New York |
|
52 Main Street |
|
845.744.5220 |
|
Hours
Monday & Tuesday - Closed
Wednesday - Thursday 11am-5m Lunch Available 11am-3pm
Friday - Saturday 11am-8:30pm Lunch Available 11am-3pm * Dinner Served 5:30pm-8:30pm
Brunch Served Sunday 10am-2pm |
About Us |
Our Story |
|
Our experience started fourteen years ago, totaling twenty-six years and spans various culinary markets.
As many other young girls do, Michelle started her experience in her grandmother’s kitchen watching and waiting for her turn to stir the cake batter and lick the spoon. Her inspiration was a loving hand from her family. Michelle’s first job was with the Executive Chef in Fairfield, Connecticut. She started out taking orders in a small kitchen of a concession stand at the local beach club. This gave her the foundation for the work ethic that she still holds today. Michelle stayed with the Executive Chef for the next five years, where she worked in the off-premise catering outlet, the banquet hall, bar, restaurant and deli. She was able to gain stamina, think on her feet, and learn by watching her boss grow a business.
. |
|
With five years under her belt, she decided on a culinary college, a program that was hands on all the time and was rated one of the top three in the country. The New England Culinary Institute, in Essex Junction, Vermont, leads a two year program that gives students a chance to learn for six months and then leads them out into the “real world” for a seven hundred hour internship. This gives the real life experience that backs the lessons that they teach. The first internship that Michelle took was at a catering company called Lucas and Company in Avon, Connecticut, where she was given the opportunity to work in the prep kitchen and work on the sites of the parties. They were in peoples homes, halls, and tents that were set up as kitchens. This experience taught her the fundamentals of off premise catering, working in different conditions and the ability to adapt to different environments.
As school progressed, Michelle realized she wanted to go back to her roots and take an internship in the baking and pastry field. At The Market Place Kitchen located in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, she was given the opportunity to create high-end retail individual desserts, wedding cakes, cakes, cookies and tarts. Michelle realized that there was still catering companies that could make all their own pastries and did not resort to low quality or purchased products. With this internship becoming Michelle’s first real job, she was ready to move on and work with people that had the same back round that she did.
Phil started his experience from a small newspaper ad for Wilton cake decorating classes. At the age of twelve he signed up and was a natural born cake decorator, amongst a class of adult students. From there he began working at the Noonmark Diner in Keene Valley, New York. Spending almost four years at the Noonmark, he learned the importance of home cookery and preparing foods from scratch. He learned how to make home made breads, donuts, cookies, and mostly their signature dessert, pies.
In 1997, Phil also continued his education at the New England Culinary Institute. Phil learned the fine art of being a chef verses only cooking. His first internship was in Lake Placid, New York where he worked for a Italian-Greek Restaurant named, Nicola’s Over Main. He learned the art of classic Italian-Greek cuisine and desserts. It was a short six month experience, but a life time of knowledge. His second internship was at The Vanilla Bean Baking Company in Troy, New York. He wanted to experience a bakery that was on a very large scale. At the Vanilla Bean, he learned the ins and outs of a large bakery. It was all about production. The Vanilla Bean made an average thirty wedding cakes per weekend and three hundred birthday and dessert cakes per week. Within a six month period, he worked his way from a cake decorator to running the thirty seat café that was located at their Latham, New York, location. Over a year, he learned how to run a small café with owners that had no restaurant background. The café grew in volume and popularity. At this point he knew that he had learned all he could from The Vanilla Bean and it was time to move on.
A distant love affair between two culinary graduates now enables two chefs to come together and work at their dream and life together. Phil and Michelle became employed at Perk-A-Deli in Newburgh, New York. At Perk-A-Deli, they learned the art of food “to go”. This shop had multiple concepts. It was a deli, gift shop, pastries, chocolates, full service dining, and take-out prepared foods. The concept was great, but it taught us that location can kill even the best concept.
We moved on to a restaurant that was located at the Winding Hills Golf Club in Montgomery, New York. Here they were able to let their creative juices go and build a reputation in the community. Michelle originally started out as a pastry chef and Phil as the Souse Chef. As the business grew, they both took on added responsibilities. Michelle became the event planner while still holding down her time in the kitchen, while Phil was promoted to executive chef. These jobs had many responsibilities and taught them time management, the skill of menu creation, successful event planning, restaurant line experience, and front of the house management. The restaurant finally came into its own with consistently high quality food, fine dinning gourmet service and events that where like no other. Over the years it was named one of the top ten restaurants in the Hudson Valley. With the communities backing, it also became known as a great place to dine with great service.
Phil left Winding Hills to work for a large corporations, he chose the largest in the world, Sam’s Club, a division of the Wal-Mart Corporation, as a high volume bakery manager. This is where he was able to take a struggling bakery in Fishkill, New York, from loosing money with a bad reputation, to a thriving bakery that has a solid reputation, and most importantly making money. Sam’s Club was able to teach him the fundamentals of budgeting and monitoring the financials within a large retail corporation.
Michelle spent a few memorable years at Holberts Catering in Montgomery, New York, where she was involved in all aspects of this reputable catering business. She produced the pastries for all of the events as well as their family run restaurant, The Yankee Kitchen and the Back Yard Bistro. She created wedding cakes, was involved in food preparation, and the orchestration of multiple catered events.
Phil and Michelle Hopkins were interactively involved in the growing process within all the businesses from which they worked. They feel that time has now come that they have experienced multiple culinary avenues and have the knowledge to use their skills to again offer a reputable business within the Hudson Valley. |
|
Our Vision For The Future
Our Mission For The Present that look wonderful and taste even better.
Values To Guide Us
People First imaginations. We are committed to an environment that attracts, motivates and recognizes high performance. relationships with business partners and our community, quality is our signature.
throughout all aspects of our business. We strive to ensure that our vendors and suppliers share our commitment to socially responsible practices. |
|
Culinary Creations Confections & Cafe, Inc. ©2010 All Rights Reserved design by Philip Hopkins |