I recently acquired a very nice bisque colored gas stove. However one of the burner areas has baked on food that I can't get off. Any ideas what to use to get it off. I tried a scratch pad but that just scratched the surface and the crud is still there.

Bad choice to use a scratch pad. Look up the manufacturer's suggestions, I think you will have to buy a special cleaner. For now I would just soak off the 'crud' as you say and don't use anything abrasive. Baking soda may work for the time being.

Put a wet cloth on the 'crud' until it softens, then wipe with another cloth.

I have dried the wet cloth to soften the "crud". It is baked on to a really hard but thin crust. Baking soda didn't do a thing either. Any other suggestions? Where would I get a manufacturer suggested cleaner? What? I got no paper work with the stove. It was used.

It has to have a name on it somewhere. When you find that, go on Google and see what you can find in the way of ID. There has to be a model no. serial no. somewhere to identify it. :)