(OT) Former IBM consultant selling Waffles
Ed Gould
Ed
HE'S 'IRON' MAN
EXEC IS PROUD OF 'WAFFLING'
By DAN KADISON
November 12, 2007 -- Batter up.
A former IBM consultant has shelved his suit and six-figure salary to
sell Belgian waffles around the city from a yellow mobile food truck.
Thomas DeGeest, 37, of Chelsea, said a heart-to-heart talk with his
wife last year made him trade in his corporate life for an apron, a
set of waffle irons and some wheels.
"I believed I could do something more entrepreneurial," DeGeest said
while standing inside his "Wafels & Dinges" box truck, which was
parked on Broadway near Spring Street in SoHo.
The self-proclaimed "Waffle Master" enjoyed the "anytime snack" as a
kid in Belgium, couldn't find a good one in America as an adult, and
saw a niche.
"All over the country I had been suffering through Waffle House and
IHOP waffles," he said.
DeGeest began selling his flavorful fare in October - and said though
he's not matching his former salary, he is making a living off the
treats while bringing joy to the masses.
"A waffle makes people smile," he said. "I basically sell smiles."
Each customer has a choice between a traditional Brussels waffle, or
a Liege waffle, a chewier version that's flavored with vanilla or
cinnamon. The snacks range in price from $4 to $7 for the "Wafel of
Massive Deliciousness," a waffle with all the dinges, or toppings.
Customers last week lined up to purchase the freshly pressed treats,
and were pleased with each sweet bite.
Katarina Kjellvertz's daughter, Leoni, 4, was busy stabbing her fork
into a $5 Brussels waffle covered with whipped cream.
"They're great," she said to her mom, a Swedish actress. "It's better
than yours."
Tanika Jones, 29, a computer engineer from The Bronx, ordered a
vanilla Liege waffle with strawberries for $5.
"This is better [than IHOP] because it's a little sweeter, a little
softer, chewier," she said.
Her only reservation?
"If I was in The Bronx I wouldn't pay $5. But in SoHo, it kind of
goes with the territory."
DeGeest has sold his tasty products near Union Square and Lincoln
Center, but for now is enjoying his SoHo spot.
The location is "not set in stone," he said. "We may be here all the
time, but I like to keep the element of surprise, as well."
He said he'll post updates about his whereabouts on his Web site,
wafelsanddinges.com.
full story: http://www.nypost.com/seven/11122007/news/regionalnews/
hes_iron_man_437376.htm
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0200 to make a waffle!
<food for thought>
, IBM Mainframe Discussion List
In a message dated 11/12/2007 4:43:05 A.M. Central Standard Time,
edgou...@COMCAST.NET writes:
>The consequences from outsourcing(?).
Even the full story does not give any details on his reasons. It mentions
his desire for entrepreneurialism, so I suspect that he would have changed
careers with or without outsourcing. I worked with an excellent MVT/MVS sysprog
who went into locksmithing in 1977, long before outsourcing began and even
before personal computers began their prevalence.
Bill Fairchild
Franklin, TN
************************************** See what's new at http://www.aol.com
Ken Porowski
-----Original Message-----
Ed Gould
Ed Finnell
In a message dated 11/12/2007 9:09:02 A.M. Central Standard Time,
DASD...@AOL.COM writes:
careers with or without outsourcing. I worked with an excellent MVT/MVS
sysprog
who went into locksmithing in 1977, long before outsourcing began and even
before personal computers began their prevalence.
>>
For the geeky, gamers CNBC is running a Special on Video Games evolution
from the original oscilloscope to the XBOX...pretty neat on the technicians vs
the marketers
************************************** See what's new at http://www.aol.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------
rpan...@gmail.com
farming.............
Ed Gould
>
>
> In a message dated 11/12/2007 4:43:05 A.M. Central Standard Time,
> edgou...@COMCAST.NET writes:
>> The consequences from outsourcing(?).
>
> Even the full story does not give any details on his reasons. It
> mentions
> his desire for entrepreneurialism, so I suspect that he would have
> changed
> careers with or without outsourcing. I worked with an excellent
> MVT/MVS sysprog
> who went into locksmithing in 1977, long before outsourcing began
> and even
> before personal computers began their prevalence.
Bill,
True.. There is a person (I am having a senior moment here) was the
PADDLE project at SHARE and IIRC he is a professor now. So a second
life is not uncommon at all. I wish that the article would have given
a little more detail but as usual the press tends to just skim the
details.
Ed
Ed Gould
> I knew there would be a good use for the heat sinks from squatty
> boxes.
>
>
-----SNIp---------------
Ken
You win the IHOP contest... maybe you can get them to serve real
maple syrup:)
Ed
Van Dalsen, Herbie
not been able to do... "Sell smiles"... that is enough to give one job
satisfaction... Also, if he makes it, financially & otherwise, he has
opened the door to provide himself, and possibly his siblings a way of
getting out of the situation of just being a hired hand who has to
really write good yearly appraisals to get a pay rise, and won't know
when their services will not be in demand again in that
region/state/company.... Good on him...
Herbie
Elavon Financial Services Limited
Registered in Ireland: Number 418442
Registered Office: Block E, 1st Floor, Cherrywood Business Park, Loughlinstown, Co. Dublin, Ireland
Directors: Robert Abele (USA), John Collins, Terrance Dolan (USA), Pamela Joseph (USA), Declan Lynch, John McNally, Malcolm Towlson
Elavon Financial Services Limited, trading as Elavon, is regulated by the Financial Regulator
Kelman, Tom
waffles a lot more than the day-to-day grind if IT, and it appears he's
doing great at it.
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Ed Gould
----SNIP----------
> Ed, actually I think this is just someone who decided he'd enjoy
> selling
> waffles a lot more than the day-to-day grind if IT, and it appears
> he's
> doing great at it.
>
Tom:
Well I agree its hard to really know from the information we were
given. One of the people that wrote me off list brought up a
conversation that is worth talking about. We talked about Robert
Rannie (former Paddle Project manager of SHARE). He retired from the
life of systems programming and became a professor. Not only that, he
was probably was the single handed person who did the most to keep
systems programming alive. So even in an afterlife you can contribute
to the dying breed.
Ed
Ken Porowski
-----Original Message-----
Kelman, Tom wrote:
----SNIP----------
> Ed, actually I think this is just someone who decided he'd enjoy
> selling waffles a lot more than the day-to-day grind if IT, and it
> appears he's doing great at it.
>
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Van Dalsen, Herbie
preferred, and how many days it took you to try all of them...
-----Original Message-----
Kelman, Tom wrote:
----SNIP----------
Elavon Financial Services Limited
Registered in Ireland: Number 418442
Registered Office: Block E, 1st Floor, Cherrywood Business Park, Loughlinstown, Co. Dublin, Ireland
Directors: Robert Abele (USA), John Collins, Terrance Dolan (USA), Pamela Joseph (USA), Declan Lynch, John McNally, Malcolm Towlson
Elavon Financial Services Limited, trading as Elavon, is regulated by the Financial Regulator
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Michael Stack
Operating Systems Boot Camp' sessions he plans to give at SHARE in
Orlando. (In fact, he's giving the sequence this week at NIU as a
"brown bag lunch" series.)
Michael Stack
daver++
> > Ed, actually I think this is just someone who decided he'd enjoy
> > selling waffles a lot more than the day-to-day grind if IT, and it
> > appears he's doing great at it.
> Maybe someone on the list can go buy a waffle and ask him?
I'll be walking past within a block or two of where he is at tonight.
I'll stop past if I have time, out of curiosity about the wafels as much
as curiosity about his career decisions, providing he is out late
enough.
August Carideo
2/11-2/15 while I am in NYC taking a Z/OS class at IBM
if he is still in same location
Ken Porowski
<Ken.Porowski@CIT
.COM> To
Sent by: IBM IBM-...@BAMA.UA.EDU
Mainframe cc
Discussion List
<IBM-...@BAMA.UA Subject
.EDU> Re: (OT) Former IBM consultant
selling Waffles
11/13/2007 11:11
AM
Please respond to
IBM Mainframe
Discussion List
<IBM-...@BAMA.UA
.EDU>
Kelman, Tom
> > > Ed, actually I think this is just someone who decided he'd enjoy
> > > selling waffles a lot more than the day-to-day grind if IT, and it
> > > appears he's doing great at it.
> > Maybe someone on the list can go buy a waffle and ask him?
>
>
> I'll be walking past within a block or two of where he is at tonight.
> I'll stop past if I have time, out of curiosity about the wafels as
much
> as curiosity about his career decisions, providing he is out late
> enough.
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
bit to go from Kansas City for a waffle. :>)
Tom Kelman
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daver++
> > > > Ed, actually I think this is just someone who decided he'd enjoy
> > > > selling waffles a lot more than the day-to-day grind if IT, and it
> > > > appears he's doing great at it.
> > > From: Ken Porowski <Ken.Po...@CIT.COM>
> > > Maybe someone on the list can go buy a waffle and ask him?
> > Daver wrote:
> > I'll be walking past within a block or two of where he is at tonight.
> > I'll stop past if I have time, out of curiosity about the wafels as
> much
> > as curiosity about his career decisions, providing he is out late
> > enough.
> Hmm, if their good see if he has plans to go national. New York is a
> bit to go from Kansas City for a waffle. :>)
Well, I didn't ask that one. I think that it is safe to say that he is
not ready for that yet though. He appeared to be training an employee
last night, though, so I would say that it is a step in that direction.
I would preface this with the fact that the man is clearly Belgium,
including a decent accent. Which isn't to say that he doesn't speak fine
English, but just to illustrate that I believe there is a sense of
nationalism here with the food. Which, by the way, is quite good. Yummy
even.
Ahem, I digress.
He told me in no uncertain terms that outsourcing and/or fears of the
same had absolutely zero influence on his career decision. I would say
that the above statement from Tom "I think this is just someone who
decided he'd enjoy selling waffles a lot more than the day-to-day grind
if IT," is spot on. He found working for IBM to be boring and
monotonous. It wasn't even specifically IBM, he cited corporate culture
as just being something that he didn't want to be part of for the rest
of his life, although he did also certainly lament the daily grind of
IT. He chose to sell waffles because he was looking to do something fun
with his life, he said.
So there you have it, a slice of life explained. That and $4 will get
you an excellent wafel on Broadway near Spring St. Look for the little
yellow truck.
legolas wood
I have not touched one yet.
The news about a mainframe programmer changing his job to selling wafel
amazed me.
at the first I thought you are joking about it and now I find that it
is true and some one experienced changed his job.
btw, does he earn more from wafel than what he was earning from his IT job?
I should say that some times I think with myself going to a green and
free of technology county and live my life by
providing vegetable, and having some sheep...
Thanks
daver++
I did not ask him that, but according to the originally linked news
story, he does not. His business is still young, however. I believe he
has been active for only about a month.
Gregg
29 years ago, an industrial psychologist knocked me out an IT job with,
"you're not cut out for programming".
28 years later, I've proven him right, over and over, but I'm still having
fun.
--
Gregg Reed
"No Plan, survives execution"
August Carideo
daver++
<da...@REINKEN.US
> To
Sent by: IBM IBM-...@BAMA.UA.EDU
Mainframe cc
Discussion List
<IBM-...@BAMA.UA Subject
.EDU> Re: (OT) Former IBM consultant
selling Waffles
11/14/2007 08:43
AM
Please respond to
IBM Mainframe
Discussion List
<IBM-...@BAMA.UA
.EDU>
Kelman, Tom
> > btw, does he earn more from wafel than what he was earning from his
IT
> job?
>
> I did not ask him that, but according to the originally linked news
> story, he does not. His business is still young, however. I believe he
> has been active for only about a month.
>
If he's making a 6 figure salary by selling waffles from a push cart,
I'm ready for a cart.
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Ken Porowski
supply goodies for SCIDS or the vendor area. Unless he wants to stay as
far away from IT as he can.
-----Original Message-----
daver++
rpan...@gmail.com
heartbeat and start selling lasagna from a corner cart!!!!
Gotta admit this guy's got moxie...
<food for thought>
Rachel