The BarkFest Bakery with Chef Doggy Dog

Hello my fellow Altadenians, I am your newest neighbor that you have yet to meet. So I would like to introduce myself, my name is Al Dominguez and I just moved here in November from the concrete canyons of Los Angeles. I have come to quickly love all things Altadena. My wife and I live in a home off of Lake and Altadena Drive that we have owned for over 10 years as a rental property, our one and only tenant raised his three boys and they all went on to college so his empty nest was to big for him. Coincidentally, our home of 23 years was sold to a developer and we were evicted faster than they could open the door for us. So we moved here with the intention of simply fixing the house up and selling it as fast as we could and get back to L.A. But a funny thing happend on the way back to L.A., We fell in love with all things Altadena. To make a long story short we want to stay and make Altadena our permanent home, the last home we'll ever need or want. But like alot of us, times are hard, my wife is an Immigration and Bankruptcy Attorney and she's struggling to reestablish her business in a new city. I've been a Commercial Property Manager for almost 20 years but I lost my job in the real estate bubble. But in times of turmoil, comes opportunity. So I'd like to share with all of you, one of my many entrepreneurial ideas, most of which die of lonelyness but this one I'm gonna give it a shot. The BarkFest Bakery, providing wholesome, nutritious, organic, made to order dog food for you're four-legged child and everyone seems to have at least one dog in Altadena. It's as if having a dog was a requirement to living here, a requirement that I am proud to say I meet in spades. I have three girls in my little pack of dogs. Sara Jessica Parker, my beautiful "muttwieler", Sabrina Von Gruber Hause aka Little Bruiser, she's my littlest champion purebred Rottweiler and Dizzy Dezi, my Dancing Ballerina, she got her name because she likes to prance on two legs and pirouette when she gets excited and everything excites her, it seems. It does my heart joy to see them running and playing all day in our huge backyard and coming and going on who knows what adventures. After years of apartment living they are in the doggy heaven backyard. But I am a man of many talents, one of which is that I am a four-star rated Chef, a talent and skill set I perfected in the U.S. Navy, unbeknownst to the general public the Navy provides sailors out at sea the "perk" if you will of the best food and cooking that they can request while serving out at sea for long periods of time. But I also grew up in my fathers restaurant until I joined the Navy at 15, I got out when I was 34, so cooking is in my blood but its a labor of love. Now most Chef's are known for a specific cuisine and I am no different, expect my specialty is intended for a different palate. Allow me to explain, when I got out of the Navy, I, like many "lifers" had trouble acclimating to civilian life, I was gruff, blunt and unapproachable and easily provocable. Until I saw a couple selling a litter of pups on a street corner in L.A. and it was love at first sight with a littlest girl of the bunch that nobody wanted until we saw each other and we both knew that I was meant to be her poppa and she was meant to be my girl. Jackie Blanca the Princess of the Park, was he name and she lived to the ripe old age of 17. I learned quickly that if you can have one dog you might as well get two. So three weeks later a Korean couple were looking for a family for thier little pup that there landlord would not allow them to get and Little Jojo Puppy, International World Famous Best Puppy in the Whole Wide World became Jackie's constant companion and inseparable sister. We called the Miracle Mile our home and we lived directly across the street from the La Brea Tar Pits, which we referred to as "our park". Those two girls made me smile and laugh and then they made me approachable and then they softed, then melted this old salty dog's heart and demeanor. They were my children, my little girls. So I afforded them anything and everything that they needed, regular check ups, dog tags and licenses, comfy beds and toys galore. More importantly I cooked for them from day one. A labor of love that developed into a skill that I shared with all of my fellow dog parents at the La Brea Tar Pits Dog Park, thus was born "Chef Doggy Dog". My skills eventually evolved into cooking dog food to help dogs with ailments. The last dog to join my pack was a 9 month old purebred Rottweiler. I saw her being chased by a bunch of bald headed knuckleheads who were trying to catch her and I pulled over and the dog took one look at me and jump right into my car and would stop licking my face until I got here home. Now I had three girls. Her name was Jeannie-Beenie the Ten-Ton Bunny (because of her little wiggly tail). She lived to the grand old age of 14, even after a bout with cancer. Which is when I learned about "cancer diets", a diet that is was recommended to any cancer patient receiving treatment. Jeannie was treated for her cancer at City of Hope Animal Cancer Center in Culver City, who helped me create the doggy cancer diet for Jeannie with supplements and vitamens, she won her battle with cancer and lived another two years, before succumbing to old age ailments. So, in short, yes I am looking for a job in my profession of Commercial Property Management, but we all know how the economy is doing and the bleak job forecast for millions of unemployed Americans. But I like to look at the glass half full and all I'll I could see was a lot of dogs everywhere in Altadena. So I'm putting it out there to all you Altadenians, do you think a doggy bakery would be a success here in Altadena?. I currently make chicken breast and thighs with mixed vegetables and olive oil and garlic for my three girls. But I've made just about made every combination of dog food that you can imagine, but I also got very good at dog nutrition. I can add supplements and vitamins specific to any dog from young growing pups to old over weight old souls. I can make cancer diets to help with the healing. I can make high protein diets for the recently rescued dog you've might have adopted who needs to put weight back on or a low calorie diet for those dogs who need to take some weight off. I've studied and read just about everything I could get my hands on over the years. My vet for 20 years, Dr. Olds who used to own the Brentwood Animal Hospital (he sold it to VCA) told me that he's never seen three dogs bond so deeply than my three girls and I. He also told me that my cooking was a major factor in their longevity. He is now head of the veterinarian school at USC. He taught me everything I know, because he would just give me the books. I read a lot, I like to read and learn. So, this blog will be about the Barkfest Bakery and its success or utter failure. I got my eye on a little vacant gallery at 2477 Lake Ave as a potential commercial kitchen, if I'm a hit. But for now I can cook in my spacious kithcen at home till I out grow it, which I hope is very quick. Feedback, opinions, advice, suggestions or my first order from a loving dog parent like me or you, would all be greatly appreciated I can reached at 323 481-0209 or via email at aldominguez123@outlook.com           

Woof.