Busy Chef Speaks

By on March 30, 2007 10:23 am in Food

bcopt.jpgWe had a few questions about Busy Chef, the new enterprise moving into the Food Maestro space at 60 Henry Street in NoHe. It is not affiliated with Oven, which will be opening in the Afcionada space soon. BC’s marketing guru Michael Burak answers here:

BHB: Is the team behind Busy Chef the same as those behind CornerOfCranberry/Food Maestro/Aficionada?

Burak: No, they only lease the space from them.

Are they connected in any way with nabe restauranteur Nando Ghorchian?

No, there is no connection.

What is the background of those behind Busy Chef, where else have the worked in the food business? Anywhere we’d know?

Everyone connected is a seasoned restaurant professional. The team has a combined 50 years of experience. They come from well known restaurant groups. A formal announcement will take place in two weeks.

Is Busy Chef partnered with Blue Pig? What about the Cranberry Place?

The Busy Chef has no affiliation with the Blue Pig, but is under contract to provide food and bakery items for events at Cranberry Place.

What supermarkets are teaming up with Busy Chef?

The Busy Chef will announce the second week of April two Supermarkets in New York which it will be partnered with.

Do you forsee this becoming a chain?

Other locations are being developed as we speak. But, the company is focused on basing it’s operations, production, and manufacturing in Brooklyn.

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  • http://www.40gigsandamule.com Mikey

    I have to agree with the anonymous commenter. If it’s unavoidable that there be an acronym, how about going with nohi? Unless… wait, is it pronounced Brooklyn Heets and I’ve been saying it wrong it all these years?? Silly me.

  • http://brooklynheightsblog.com Qfwfq

    I think he meant “North Henry”…a nanoneighborhood within the microneighborhood of North Brooklyn Heights.

    Myself, I do not approve of the acronyming of places. I also do not approve the usage of “nabe”.

  • Homer Fink

    Q – you are a crank. I’m revoking your membership in the NoHe development & owners networking team aka NoHe Dont.

  • http://brooklynheightsblog.com Qfwfq

    NoHe Dont — now that’s an acronym I approve.

  • joe

    Busy Chef? Oven? The names are almost as rediculous as Aficionado and Food Maestro, and most likely created by the exact same imbeciles.
    These soon to be failures / money laundering / tax fraud facilities are most definitley affiliated with the previous three neighborhood disasters / corrupt owners.
    Until this particular lease holder (who apparently owes more than $60,000 in back rent) leaves, this will continue to be the cursed corner of Henry & Cranberry.

  • averagejoe

    I live in the building above and have found that the Busy Chef, and Oven are owned a run by totally seperate enitities then the previous group. The only hold over is the the Blue Pig. The scaffolding is coming down next week, and I for one think we could see something finally actually work on this corner.

  • Arthur_G

    So i take it this is not going to be the cigar bar about which I have been hearing so much chatter?

  • averagejoe

    I was told that a cigar bar will be opening in the old bbq place.

  • Homer Fink

    Wait… let me jump into my time machine for that one.

  • joe

    Plans for a cigar bar in the former bbq space is highly unlikely. It’s way too small – maybe 250 sq.ft. at best. Maybe they plan to combine that space with the old newspaper hole next door. Either way it’s doubtful.

    However, I might be totally wrong and missing the point.
    Perhaps failure is the new success here on Cranberry & Henry.

  • BP

    busyCHEF window signage went up today while Cranberry Place windows were being scraped.
    I will reserve my comments on their use of capitalization in their name for 90 days.

  • Nick

    wahoooooooo to anon! “please don’t refer to the north heights as NoHe”. How ’bout we just call it the north heights?
    why the sudden need for a name change… Manhattan South?

  • mike

    I am new to the North Heights and hear rumors (and have seen the train wrecks) that have gone up Food Maestro…etc. Can someone please tell me what is going on? Do the same owners put up these awful places?? Who are they?? How many buildings do they own?? Has this been going on for a long time?? What a waste.

  • Average Joe

    It’s all new people, let’s give them a chance. Things look positive for once.

  • Bran Muffin

    These restaurants are all truly pathetic attempts. Do these shortsighted restauranteurs think that our community won’t notice that they are all run or owned by the same inexperienced source?

    STOP wasting your money on these restaurants that are doomed to fail!

  • BP

    Well, their “announcements” are overdue already by one week.

    “Everyone connected is a seasoned restaurant professional. The team has a combined 50 years of experience. They come from well known restaurant groups. A formal announcement will take place in two weeks.”

    “The Busy Chef will announce the second week of April two Supermarkets in New York which it will be partnered with.”

    Hopefully, the former will resolve the issue over who owns/runs the business.

  • averagejoe

    You are pathetic! Walk in and meet the owner, jeez it’s a mice neighborhood place. Have you even stopped in yet?

  • Bran Muffins

    Ill tell you what i think, average joe – i think YOU are the brains behind these ditzy restaurants. What is it with all your positive comments endorsing these untested businesses??? And no I havent “stopped in,” for the same reason i didnt “stop into” the last 2 miserable restaurants that opened on this doomed corner – because I can smell the stink from outside.

    And what on earth is with this new coffeeshop? I had nicer chairs and tables in my high school cafeteria!

  • cam

    Hey look man, no one cares about your b.s., everyone in the neighborhood seems to really be pyched about this. You obviously have it out for the previous owners. Give it a rest “bran muffins”!

  • Bran Muffins

    Guess what – “cam”, I don’t really care weather you want to hear my b.s. or not – I enjoy voicing my opinions ust the same way you do.

    Also, I have never met the owners but I do think that average joe is the “mastermind” behind all of it. So far he hasn’t denied it…

  • average Joe

    I do not own any of these businesses or have anything to do with them, I live above them. If you would like to talk feel free to email me at: irishjoema@lycos.com. I just don’t seem how you can be so against a bakery or coffee house when you have never been to either one of them.

  • joe

    thank you bran muffins.

    i stopped in to busy chef twice since it opened, and it’s worse than
    anyone could have imagined. in fact, it’s quite insulting in this sort of neighborhood.
    is it just a practical joke? i don’t get it.

  • average Joe

    What don’t you get?

  • glove

    I was really impressed. Have been by twice myself. What didn’t you like Joe?

  • Margie

    Hi, I just want to say that I was suprised how good Busy Chef was. It works well for our lifestyle. Maybe Joe it doesn’t suit yours?

  • BP

    I dropped in this afternoon to have a look around. I ended up getting a loaf of Tuscan-style bread and a par-baked baguette. Was told they par-bake them to preserve freshness. 5 mins at 350 to finish it off at home, or they’ll do it for you.
    Both were good (Tuscan bread didn’t need any more baking). Price was good ($2.25 for the loaf and $1 for the baguette). Still, it’s kinda hard to really screw up bread.
    I’ll go to them at least for the breads and will likely try other items. My wife commented that some of the foods pre-packaged and refrigerated in the plastic containers ready for take-out didn’t look so great, but agreed with me that it’s hard to make food look good in that format. I’ve eaten plenty of things that look worse, and are probably worse for you, so it wasn’t an issue for me.

    They seemed to have a good selection of hors d’oeuvres. We do a lot of our own cooking, so I could see using them to accent meals.

    The chef that was there was helpful, but the counter staff wasn’t too informed on everything. I suppose over time they will become more knowledgeable. Didn’t ask the chef if he was an owner. I will next time.

    Give them a chance. Even if you just get an asiago bagel and you hate it. How much could that set you back or damage could that do to your tender palate? (An asiago bagel doesn’t sound all that appealing to me in the first place.)

  • joe

    what i don’t get is why waste money on renovations / rent if your going to sell items that look like they came out of the frozen foods department at gristede’s. amatuer at best, and clearly not the work of “seasoned restaurant professionals”

    average joe is somehow connected.
    was that you making the coffee today?

  • Arthur_G

    Bran – judging by your grammar, I am amazed you went to highschool at all. Or were you working in the cafeteria?

  • Alexaveragejoe

    Dearest Joe,

    I do not work at, or for the busychef. Why do you find the need to insult me. Would you like to meet in person? I have no problem letting you know who I am, or what I do. Let me know….

  • Alexaveragejoe

    fyi my name is really alex and I like right on Henry Street, so if you are you going to be insulting at least be a man about it.

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