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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  • emcee

    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.

  • kim

    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?

  • Bran Muffins

    Great jab, Arthur – really got me there. Enjoy the veggie lo-mein.

  • above average joe

    Arthur, you’re lying and you know it.

  • emcee

    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?

  • bh res

    If the restaurant has the same amount of personality and charm as the interviewee here…well, the food better be damn good.

  • joe

    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!

  • smfbmom

    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.

  • amy cohen

    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….

  • hEATHER ON hENRY

    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.

  • sickandtired

    I don’t think Gristedes has fried chicken.

  • Maya

    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.

  • Jay

    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

  • Steve

    BUSY CHEF REFUSES TO PAY ITS EMPLOYEES

  • Steve

    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

  • nabeguy

    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.

  • UWSNYCFEM

    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…

  • Boston

    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!

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