NY Bakers Deal for TFL Members
As many of you know, long-time community member Stan Ginsberg (Elagins) recently started an online business called The New York Bakers with the goal of selling hard to find baking ingredients and gear at reasonable prices.
Stan's move from community member to vendor raised issues we hadn't faced here. Many folks who ask questions here are looking for unbiased opinions about the best gear or ingredients to buy. It set off alarm bells for some when the feedback they got came from someone not only using the gear they recommend but selling it. Much credit to Stan that when these concerns were brought to him a few weeks ago he reined in his responses, tending to avoid those where his answer would be "I think X is best and by the way I sell that over here".
But obviously if your potential customers are serious amateur bakers, TFL is one of the best places to try to get your message out. So Stan approached me with a couple of possibilities about how he could reach out to our community. For the time-being we settled on Stan placing an ad on the homepage so he can get his message out while still clearly distinguishing it from the community discussions.
As you can see from the ad, Stan also agreed to offer a promotion for TFL members who try out his service, since good word of mouth from TFL members is the best possible advertising he could hope for. Any new customer who orders more than $20 of grains or gear from him will receive a free kilogram of either Italian Tipo 00 Pizza Flour or General Mills Durum Patent Flour. Just mention "TFL" and the type of flour you want in the instructions for the seller when checking out.
I placed one order with Stan a couple of months ago and received my items promptly. I've not baked enough with the ingredients I ordered from him to testify as to how much of a difference they make, but the banetton I ordered is very nice and was definitely a bargain.
I encourage community members to consider trying NY Bakers out. And please, if you do, be sure to share your feedback on the service and the ingredients with others here.
I'm glad to see the Ad and that Stan and TFL have a working agreement. I ordered a batch of flour that was delivered promptly. He has a number of items that I use frequently and the prices seem very competitive.
I hope this works out for all concerned. I like to support the local guy and Stan is one of us.
Eric
thanks Eric, your support and Floyd's mean a lot to me
I ordered a baking stone and bagel boards along with some flours from Stan and am very pleased with the quality and price of the products. The service was outstanding, I received personal e-mails on the progress of my order and advice on how to use the bagel boards. They really took my bagel baking to the next level, no more flat bottoms.
NY Bakers is very generous in offering a free packet of dry sour dough starter to those who request it. I chose the Wagon Trail variety out of whimsy or maybe even air headedness because my home town, Leavenworth, KS, is located on the old Oregon Trail.
I followed the instructions included with the packet and had a vigorous starter going in about 48 hours. I know that I'm not scientific in my approach to baking bread and not the intense type when it comes to maintaining my starter. Having admitted to that, I can say that the Wagon Trail starter has thrived here despite my lack of experience. My first five SD loaves have primarily been WW variations and they've all risen well for me. I plan on using the starter for my usual Friday night pizza this week.
My thanks go to NY Bakers for providing the shortcut to a fine sourdough starter.
With Stan's help I was able to get a great baking stone (15"x20"x5/8") shipped here to Hawaii for a good price and in one piece! I don't have the selection of kitchen tools for a fair price on the Big Island so I rely on the internet to fill in the gaps. Stan will be the first I go to if there is something I need and can't get here! Mahalo for all the help Stan and hope your new business is a big sucsess!
Royall
I'm glad I could help in getting you the things you need.
Stan
I think there are two kinds of merchants:
1 - Those who sell things because they can make money off of them (and then have to push them and stretch the truth and take advantage of people);
2 - Those who sell things because they're good (and are advocates for the customers).
Just glanced at Stan's web site. I think he's a type 2.
Rosalie
I purchased Stans Pizza Flour as soon as he opened his website. I received immediate shipping and great packaging of my items......that's a big deal considering how tossed around the outer packaging was by the time it arrived. If it had not been packed with as much care as it was I would have had flour all over the place when I opened the outer packaging, the care that was shown my little order gave me confidence that he was/is serious about his business venture with this. The flour itself took my pizzas to a whole new level and I am getting ready to order again, my crusts are better than ever before and the flour was very fresh on arrival. Continued good luck to you Stan! Mattie
Is it possible for me to order and have it delivered to friends or family?
Only a delivery slip would come with the order but I get the bill with the prices. I would also be handy to have the flours I like to bake with at my folks when I visit on holiday.
Mini
hi Mini
I ship via FedEx, so anywhere they go, I go (although it's a whole lot cheaper to keep it all within the Lower 48).
You can order via PayPal through my website and your friends and family will never know what any of it cost.
If you have any more questions about this, best to take it offline with me at support@nybakers.com.
gamsa hamnida!
Stan
with all this positive feedback. This is really the main reason I started this enterprise -- to offer an affordable and accessible source for the essentials that are hard to find at the corner supermarket or Walmart. thank you all for your support Stan
Hi Floyd,
I clicked on NY Bakers to check them out and instead of a new window opening, I was navigated away from the site. Some might prefer this, but I always like to keep logged on to the original site when I am checking out a link. I am pretty sure it isn't too hard to change that when you post a link.
C.R.