Building a commercial kitchen ... bakery.


If you've ever constructed something for the food industry (restaurant, bakery, etc.) you know firsthand how much work goes into getting such a project planned, approved, started and finished.  When we decided that Bella's Cookies should be available at food stores, restaurants, hotels, racetracks, casinos, etc.  we needed a facility that was regulated by the Division of Public Health and the FDA.  What to do... (the big dilemma) rent or lease a space that's close to home (we live around the Delaware Beaches... where commercial real estate is priced... whooo, that's a lot of cookies), buy some land (see previous quote), build a place further inland (travel where?), or build something behind our home (rent is great!); as you'll see below, we chose the last option.  Hey, it's home!

Delmarva Pole Building Supply is going to construct pole building (post frame construction) behind our home, that's the easiest decision we made.  In order for us to place the building where we wanted to, a shed needed to be moved, then the drainfield of our septic system needed to be moved, and then our well needed to be reclassified as a public well (our original well was 50 ft. short of where it needed to be as per Public Health regulations) and that needed to be drilled.  Because we're operating an all natural and organic cookie company, we had a custom water treatment system installed, which makes the water the purest of pure ... soft, a balanced ph, and filtered through an maze of organic materials that remove anything and everything.  To level off the ground where our building was to be constructed, 4 loads of fill dirt were needed.  Delmarva Pole Building Supply came and constructed a frame in about 5 days.  Our plumber then laid all the underground pipework and connected the drain to a stub laid out by our septic company specifically for use in our new building.  Our electrician then came in and we planned out exactly where all the equipment is to be located and roughed in wires through the walls and ceiling.  The gas company was next to come and laid out a gas line behind the building where our convection ovens will be located.  A concrete floor was poured, which took some time before the pouring mainly because before the floor could be poured we had to make sure all the drain lines, etc (anything that was going to run underground) were in place and protected.  Construction of interior rooms soon followed, a walk in freezer arrived and insulation board will soon be installed.  Our driveway was extended 50 feet and paved so that delivery trucks can access directly to the roll up door.

We're in the building... mixing and baking.  What a difference!  It's good to take your work elsewhere and do it.  Public Health has been, inspected, given the nod of approval and now we are planning how we will start releasing Bella's Cookies in all the markets, restaurants, etc.  It's been a fun ride, a nerve-wracking ride, but there is still much to do.  Now ordering ingredients from distributors and having 64 ft tractor trailers pull in our driveway and deliver ingredients, shipping cross country, etc.  Some new pictures will be posted once everything is fully complete.  What you see down bottom is about 90% done... to our liking, of course there will always be the little things you want to fix.  What I think is most interesting now is... late at night when we are done mixing and baking and the kitchen is a wreck, I feel like I'm back in my restaurant working days... cleaning up the kitchen.  I put on a concert DVD, a CD, TV or movie and just go to town cleaning up.  I always end with mopping the floor and locking up at night.  I guess you can say my job is Director of Sales and Marketing... and Head Janitor.  Comes with the territory though.  Have we sent you any cookies lately?