We 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.
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.
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”.
Q – you are a crank. I’m revoking your membership in the NoHe development & owners networking team aka NoHe Dont.
NoHe Dont — now that’s an acronym I approve.
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.
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.
So i take it this is not going to be the cigar bar about which I have been hearing so much chatter?
I was told that a cigar bar will be opening in the old bbq place.
Wait… let me jump into my time machine for that one.
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.
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.
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?
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.
It’s all new people, let’s give them a chance. Things look positive for once.
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!
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.
You are pathetic! Walk in and meet the owner, jeez it’s a mice neighborhood place. Have you even stopped in yet?
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!
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”!
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…
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.
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.
What don’t you get?
I was really impressed. Have been by twice myself. What didn’t you like Joe?
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?
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.)
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?
Bran – judging by your grammar, I am amazed you went to highschool at all. Or were you working in the cafeteria?
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….
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.
Went to BusyChef for the first time today and was very unimpressed. The food is not good and certainy not even close to the kind of quality they proport to have on their flyer and website. Just another crappy joint in the heights. Seriously, if not for noodle pudding I’d think there was a restaurant curse on the nabe.
First time poster. I disagree with emcee. I was impressed with the quality and am really happy that this establishment has opened. I guess everything is subjective though. I had the veggie lomein and a piece of apple pie. What did you have?
Great jab, Arthur – really got me there. Enjoy the veggie lo-mein.
Arthur, you’re lying and you know it.
On my first visit to Busy Chef this weekend I asked for some Lobster salad. The chef was really nice and offered to make it up right away because he had some lobster in the back – it wouldn’t only take a few minutes he claimed. I was honestly impressed and my hopes were high after craving lobster all day. After about 10 minutes of waiting he came over and said that the lobster was just about done boiling, it was about that time that I noticed we were only charged $5 for this freshly-made lobster salad, curious, I thought. After about 20 minutes the chef came out with about a pound of lobster salad, at which point I mentioned that I was only charged $5 and that seemed very cheap for that much lobster salad. He said $5 was fine and then I got really suspicious. When I got home I realized that this was “lobster” salad, as in fake lobster meat and a sh**load of mayo. No wonder it was so cheap. So my final takeaway: yeah thanks for making it for me but c’mon, fake lobster…really? And to go through the trouble of telling me that it was “almost done boiling” – that’s just lame. Oh and we also bought a couple crab cakes for $1.50 each – real crab? what do you think?
If the restaurant has the same amount of personality and charm as the interviewee here…well, the food better be damn good.
belowaveragejoe,
you and your little manhood sound very lonely. i’m sorry, but my dance card is full, and i’m not interested in meeting any imbeciles.
you claim you have no connection with any of the the businesses on henry and cranberry. take a look at all of your past comments regarding oven and busy chef. they’re freakin’ love letters!
oh, where do i begin? i have been in there three times to have coffee, and i am definately questioning the authenticity of this new establishment.some observations of mine…..
1.the “fresh bagels” are lenders. why are some of them par- sliced and some not?have any of you smelled fresh bagels cooking in the morning?do you know what a process it is to make them?
2.the “fresh cakes” are the same one’s from last weekend and i can assure you they don’t make them there.and why lie about it?
3. i have yet to smell anything cooking in there.have you ever made curry?you can smell it for days.shouldn’t a bakery have even a slight smell of baked goodness?
4.i saw the “chef” come in with a gristedes bag only to come out of the kitchen a few minutes later with some “fresh” fried chicken and mashed potatoes.hhmm.
5.the coffee is good,but i was told it is made especially for them by a roaster on the water front.i have yet to find that roaster.please inform me if you know who this mysterious roaster is~!
6.i don’t like to be lied to.i work hard to afford myself the luxury of living in this neighborhood and i don’t appreciate someone taking advantage and misleading me or my neighbors.
I was skeptical too. But instead of bad mouthing the place, I asked the owner/chef the same questions you have. He took me for a tour of the kitchen. They really do bake there. The owner lives and in the heights and is very nice. I’d suggest you do your homework as I did. And it’s pretty easy to see where the coffee comes from, just pick up one of the bags on the coffee counter and read the back….
It’s a good take out place. The coffee is good. Everyone I have talked to is pretty psyched. It’s definately better than cranberrys. As for the authenticty of the food, it sure smells like they are cooking when you walk by those big vents on cranberry street. Just my two cents.
I don’t think Gristedes has fried chicken.
First time posting here. I am a grad student who just moved into the neighborhood and I tried Busy Chef because of the flyers they were passing out. The food is decent, I don’t get all the hate for a place that just opened up. If you don’t like it, then open your own place and stop complaining or just don’t patron it. Some of you just seem to have a bad taste from the previous restaurants that were there, but the food is actually good if you give it half a chance. Instead of whining, try the food and if you don’t like tell your friends and it will just be another empty corner. If you do like it, then let your friends know and they will thrive.
What happened last night at Gristedes??? On my way home, I saw that it was burned to a crisp and I saw firetrucks and spectators. When did it happen? Any information would be appreciated. Was anyone hurt?
Jay
BUSY CHEF REFUSES TO PAY ITS EMPLOYEES
BUSY CHEF REFUSES TO PAY ITS EMPLOYEES
Busy Chef owner, Dan Kaufman, pays his employees with checks that are not honored by the bank due to insufficient funds. To make matters worse, Mr. Kaufman will replace a bounced check with another bounced check. Such a practice is not only against the law but is completely unethical and he is taking advantage of low-skilled workers including immigrants who are working in the kitchen who do not know their rights as employees. I have been overcharged for a meal there by several hundred dollars and I have discovered that it has happened to several people I know. The owner gives very poor excuses of how this happened. I know that there is something corrupt that is taking place at this store. IF YOU’VE HAD A SIMILAR EXPERIENE…PLEASE SHARE THEM WITH US. Also, any idea as to how to get the appropriate authority involved. Thank you
Several hundred dollars? Man, I hate to say it, but anybody willing to lay out that kind of cash in this place should be in a rubber room with the bouncing checks.
i think what he means is that he pays the normal price for his food, using a credit/debit card, and then finds out that his card has been charged hundreds of dollars (i.e. someone – one guess who – is stealing money).
better business bureau, maybe? local cops? someone needs to check this guy (DK) out…
Dan did the same thing in Boston! He never paid his employees and he used to run customers credit cards a few times to get money for himself and claim that it was just a mistake. I know this for a fact as he ran mine a few times. Dan was run out of Boston for his scams!