Jeff In The Den!

Well the filming is over, (for me that is) and all I can say at this time is that I've finally stopped shaking! I'm not usually a nervous guy, I've done lots of TV, Radio and public speaking, but man this hit me like a ton of bricks.

Anyway, it was a whole lot of fun. I would do it again in a heartbeat. What a great unforgettable experience. Hats off to CBC's Dragons' Den Crew. Jason said it perfectly in the previous Blog.

Stay tuned for airing... I'll let you know the date as soon as I know.

BTW... Look for our new Heat & Serve Kiosk Outlet in Devonshire Mall sometime next month. Located in the main entrance hallway(between Tim Horton's & the Information Booth). So next time you're shopping (no matter what time of day), pickup your dinner on the way out. Nice fresh well balanced meal instead of the usual fast-food-fair. Just heat & serve.

Eat Well... Without The Work! TM

Experiencing The Dragon's Den!

Well, the taping is done, and I have to say it was a pretty neat experience. Probably the hardest thing at this point, is the wait!

Season 3 starts sometime in the fall, with 10 episodes airing through November. Unfortunately, they do not tell you until 1 week beforehand, when you're going to be on air or if they even put your pitch on TV.

Just to give you some background numbers: Over 5,000 individuals and organizations made their pitches during the audition phase across the country. From that, they only select about 180 pitches to be filmed...or about 3%. Just to make it to this juncture is a pretty remarkable feat. Then, from there, about 80-100 pitches to actually make it to air, as they go through the editing process. I'm sure there are lots of reasons as to why some make it and some don't - what makes good TV, number of pitches relevant to industry, whether a deal is made or not...and of course, the few poor individuals who get belittled by the Dragon's - which is great for TV, but not so great if you're on the receiving end!

I'm happy to say, that Just Jeff's was not one of those pitches that incur the wrath of the Dragons, but that's about all I think I can say :)

I know Jeff is waiting to hear if there's certain things he can or can't say, before he posts about his pitch. I also have to add that the staff at CBC studio's were just terrific throughout the entire process- they really do an outstanding job.

We'll keep you updated...enjoy the heat!

My Pitch To The Dragon's

Well, this is it... I leave Wednesday afternoon for the drive to Toronto. 7am @ CBC for my pitch!... I can't say much more about it... I'm sure all will work out no matter what.
Stay Tuned.

Dragons’ Den Pitch Preparation:

As many of you already know, I have been asked to go to Toronto to film for CBC’s Dragons’ Den at the end of this month. Visit this site www.cbc.ca/dragonsden for details on the show if you don’t know much about it.

I’d love to know what you think of my pitch. Your feed back would be greatly appreciated.

Hello Dragons, my name is Jeff White, I am from Windsor Ontario and my company is Just Jeff’s Gourmet Express. Today I am asking you for your expertise & a $400 thousand dollar investment. I am prepared to offer a 25% stake in the business.
I came up with this concept about 8 years ago when my son was born. My wife and I became a busy duel income family trying to find time for good healthy food choices. I then developed my meal replacement concept. After 1 year of testing, it was my wife’s idea to go back to work fulltime so I could quit my job and focus on opening the store. We used the equity in our home and opened my store 3 months later.

What is Just Jeff’s? It is an innovative meal concept designed to put time back into people’s lives by offering fresh well-balanced meals in only 8 minutes.
In today’s fast paced society, we all want well balanced “fast food” choices, and Just Jeff’s has proven to be the answer!

Just Jeff’s sells fully prepared individual fresh meals with no preservatives added.
Simply, bring a pot of water to a boil, drop in the entrees, set a timer for 8 minutes and dinner is ready. One pot of water, mom can have salmon – dad can have ribs – the kids can have pasta blush with chicken.

Since the company’s inception 5 years ago, Just Jeff’s has grown from first year revenues of $130,000, to current revenues of over $500,000 in the struggling economy of Windsor.
To date we have a corporate store in Windsor, our first franchise in Barrie and we also sell our products at a KOA campground, a timeshare property, a frozen food outlet and are about to open a kiosk in a major shopping mall. As you can see, this is a very flexible product with respect to revenue growth.
We would like to open a kitchen in or around GTA with 2 additional outlets, bring awareness of the concept and branding in a large city. Your “First-to-Market” investment and expertise will jumpstart the real “money” picture… Franchises and the royalties from them.
Assuming each retail outlet can do Windsor numbers at the very least, 5% royalties on 10 franchises is quarter of a million dollars / year. Keep in mind that is using Windsor numbers. Imagine large city revenues like Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Ottawa etc.

So… what do you think? Feel free to post your comment on our Blog.

We would like more of your support. If you are a Facebook member, search Jeff White. Join our Facebook Groups!

Don’t forget about our new email address database for updated info and savings. Visit our website and enter your email address. http://www.justjeffs.com/

Stay tuned!

Jeff

Can Just Jeff's Tame the CBC Dragons?

You may have heard of the show the Dragons' Den on CBC… where 1 million viewers a week tune in to watch entrepreneurs pitch their “next big idea” to five seasoned (and wealthy!) investors. The idea is to secure funding for their venture in order to make it big in the marketplace, in exchange for a portion of their company.

I’m now thrilled to tell you that Just Jeff’s has been selected to be on the show for the upcoming season!

After a fair amount of thought, I went to an audition in London to pitch our concept in front of pre-screeners, who would determine who makes it onto the show. My 2 minute pitch turned into half an hour of questions as I prepared a number of meals for them, just as you would at home…I simply dropped the items in boiling water and talked about where Just Jeff’s has been, and where we’d like to take it.

The response was simply incredible, and after waiting only a week and a half, I got the call that we had made it! Tentative filming takes place at the end of May. Unfortunately, we won’t know until about a week before which episode we’re on or when it will air, but I’ll be sure to let you all know as soon as I find out. Keep visiting our Blog to stay updated.

Most importantly, I want to thank all of you who have supported Just Jeff’s in Windsor and Barrie, and the concept of eating well, without the work. I truly could not have gotten to this stage, without your patronage and feedback.

BPA In Plastic? Yes we are 100% safe!

Please note that Just Jeff’s, and all of our product containers are completely BPA (Biophensol A) free.

We have guarantees from all of our suppliers that none of our bags or containers contain this chemical compound, which is primarily found in hard plastics.

All of our bags are heat resistant and government approved products, which are completely safe for food use (boiling & freezing).

We appreciate your patronage, and please feel free to ask or discuss any questions or concerns you may have.

Eat Well... Without The Work!

Jeff

BBQ Season Is Finally Here!

After a long winter, the time has finally come to fire up the grill and start cooking. Here are a few tips and tricks to practice this year:

1. Always use two plates for your food - one for the raw product, and one for the cooked product. Never mix the two.
2. Once your grill his hot, try rubbing the grill with a raw onion (cut in half) just before you put the meat on it. This prevents food from sticking. A raw potato cut in half works too.
3. Here is a simple rhyme to help you remember how high your fire should be for cooking different cuts/types of meat. “The smaller the meat, the higher the heat” This is true 95% of the time.
4. One of the most common grilling errors I see is over flipping the meat. Let the grill do its job when cooking. The best way to tell if meat is ready to be flipped is when you notice the edges cooking.
5. Next time you are at Canadian Tire or Home Depot, stop by the BBQ section and buy a bag of smoke chips… even if you don’t have a smoker, they work good when grilling steak or chicken. Simply drop a few chips on the coals just under your meat. Nice flavor!

Don’t forget the veggies!...dip any or all of the following into this marinate and grill slightly…you want good crunchy vegetables:
Asparagus, Thick Sliced Carrots, Sliced Zucchini, Red Onion Rings, Egg Plant, Bell Peppers, Portabello Mushrooms….

Marinade Recipe:

1 cup extra virgin olive oil, 1 tbsp minced garlic, 1 cup balsamic vinegar, 2 tbsp sesame oil, juice from one lemon or lime, 1 tsp salt and pepper, 1 tbsp chopped fresh basil, 1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano, 1 tsp sugar. ( you could also add a touch of Tabasco and/or Worchestershire if you like a little zing.)

Mix all ingredients well then dip the vegetables in. You can do this about 2 hours prior to grilling. Just be careful when grilling as the oil could flare up. Cook veggies on medium low heat. Serve them hot or at room temperate. I like to grill them just before I cook my meat.

This marinade can be saved and re-used a week later, provided it was used for raw vegetables only. Keep refrigerated.

Happy Grilling.