Hi. My name is Dan. And I’m the owner of Bibi’s Bakery and Cafe and The Kosher Cookie Company. I shared a few posts on Facebook describing what it’s like to own and operate a small business during this period of shelter-in-place and the coronavirus situation. The folks at the Journal were kind enough to offer me blog space to continue sharing updates and just share my thoughts on what’s going on. So that’s what this blog is going to be about. It’s going to be me sharing my perspective as a business owner, as a community member, as a father, husband and a person living in Los Angeles.
A few words of background for those who don’t know me. I’m originally from Philadelphia but moved to Los Angeles in 1999 to pursue a career in entertainment. I spent about 10 years working originally as a stand-up comic and then as a TV producer and then running production for an entertainment and brand marketing company. In 2011, I decided to leave that world and jump into the world of kosher foodservice. I was not trained as a professional baker nor as a chef nor had I ever frankly worked in a restaurant other than a year in college behind the counter at Einstein’s bagels in Ann Arbor MI. But I was a rosh edah (division head) at Camp Ramah, and if you’ve done that, you can do anything. Plus, you know what they say, if you need to learn to swim it’s best to jump into the deep end of a kosher bakery the week of Hanukkah. And so now nine years later I have nearly a decade of small business wisdom and restaurant experience. I wouldn’t be surprised if I knew many of you reading this personally and more than that, knew what it is you like to order at Bibi’s. One of the nicest things about having a small business in this community is that you really do get to know your customers.
https://www.facebook.com/BibisBakeryCafe/videos/229875821431463/UzpfSTYxNzg4NzI0MjozMDYwNjExMjk0OTk0MTQ6MTA6MDoxNTg4MzE2Mzk5Oi00NjE0MTI1OTM4ODIwMTI3NjU/
As I write this it is the night that Passover has ended – traditionally a frantic evening at kosher bakeries as we rush to get hametz available for sale. This year is no different in that respect, we entered the building the moment we were allowed re-lit all the ovens and got to work. Tomorrow is a Friday which adds a bit of extra pressure since people will want not only bagels and pita but also of course challah. And as if we weren’t finished with questions after last week’s seder, there is of course the question of what it is going to be like tomorrow and beyond. We don’t need to ask anymore why this is different than any other year – that is clear. But the question does remain: how will we as a city adjust to this new reality? We started to do it before the holiday, but for me at least, Passover is always the goal line (it’s the one week that I have off in a year) so everything was just trying to make it to Passover. Now that’s over and we’re back to real life. While that is always a bit of a shock to the system, this year it is a shock to the system while jumping into a cold pool of ice water.
But this is a blog, not an essay I don’t have to tie everything up nicely with answers… I’m will end tonight with this: please check back and see what it’s like as I share the stories from this side of the counter. And feel free to contact me if you have questions or comments. Wishing everyone a wonderful post Passover filled with lots of pizza, bagels and health.
