The Monkey Diaries: Close to the Finish Line

About author / Rebecca Michaels

Queen of the desserts and pastry chef extraordinaire; graduate French Culinary Institute; Golden Scoop Award winner; Flying Monkey Bakery founder

Editor's Note: This article is another installment in the chronicles of Chef Rebecca Michaels' activities in opening her new patisserie, Flying Monkey, in Philadelphia.  Click here to view previous chapters.

Hurrah!  I finally received word from the City Health Department that, after a couple months and a lot of dollars, my building plans have been approved.  This was the final battle that I was having with Philadelphia.  For any new or renovated food service establishment, the local health department must review and approve all designs for construction to make sure that they comply with local food protection laws.  I'm talking details here--from the type of lighting used (bulbs must be covered by a protective sheath to prevent shattered glass from getting into food) to the type of grout used in tiling (must be food safe, whether used as a work surface or not).  I knew my plans were fine; it was really just a matter of the wheels of bureaucracy grinding away toward a slow approval.  Sometimes I felt like the City and I were playing a game of chicken.  Sometimes I felt that the City was winning.

So I'm pretty much a month behind my initial schedule, but in the grand scheme of things (and because we're talking about Philly here), that's really not so far off a realistic target.  I've heard far worse Health Department sagas: restaurateurs who decide to be "proactive" and start construction prior to approval wind up tearing down what they've put up; food shops that end up folding because they're being made to wait interminably while their loans tick skyward without an income.  It's a tough business, this restaurant thing.  I'm just glad that I don't sell alcohol, because Philly Licenses and Inspections is one place nobody wants to mess with.  One rarely comes out of L&I financially and mentally unscathed.

In any event, I suppose I shouldn't complain.  Today the phone company is coming to install the line and give Flying Monkey a phone number that isn't my New York cell.  And Gibbs Connors, sign maker extraordinaire, is coming to install the Flying Monkey sign: a handpainted signboard in the signature blue and white.  I haven't seen the sign yet, but Gibbs has done many signs for my neighbors in the Reading Terminal Market and they look great.  I can't wait to see it.  The installation will be the first 'sign' of Flying Monkey life here at the Market.  It's for real and I still can't get my head around that fact.  Wow.

The camaraderie here at the Market is fantastic.  Every time I come and set up my 'office' here in the foodcourt, there is someone new welcoming me to the Market.   People are very helpful and are more than willing to offer a helping hand, recommend service providers, or just give an exhausted girl a cuppa joe.  Aside from the fact that the Market just has a nice vibe, I think that the lack of direct competition among vendors also helps make everyone a little less guarded and more friendly.

Today I met Joe, the owner of DiNic's Roast Pork and Beef.  We talked commercial ovens, lighting, and the like.  The bakery that was in the space before me sold latte drinks, and Joe came over and offered the suggestion that I consider the same because the closest latte joint is over on the other side of the Market.  I appreciate his insight and take what these long-time vendors say to heart.  They know.  They've been here for years and have watched the Market grow with the rebirth of Philly.

So things are chugging along at a slow but steady pace.  Steady's good.  And slow doesn't mean stopped.  Works for me.