September has been quite the month! And just like that summer is gone. Fall has arrived and October is on our heels. This past weekend I was busier than ever in the bakery busting suds, baking bread and delivering like a true boss. On Friday we made our very first delivery to Harts Local Grocers Rochester newest inner city market. This marks our very first retail partnership as a bakery. It has been a long time coming but the best things take the longest to come to fruition. Harts is dedicated to featuring the best of the best local goods from all around our area so we are in good company. So here’s a few pictures of our Hart’s launch. The ebst is truly yet to come 🙂
And just like that Summer 2014 has unofficially but officially come to an end! 🙂 A happy, sad, and surreal reality. Honestly I cannot believe I made it. From opening a bakery, trying to figure out said bakery, figuring out how to run the bakery, and trying to balance life, etc… everything about this summer has been wild and crazy. How I’ve made it this far is beyond me and only due to that of a higher power. I don’t think I have enough words to articulate the full scope and range of emotions that this summer has evoked so I won’t. I’m grateful to have this blog to allow me to capture all the best and worst moments so this time period isn’t a complete blur. So without further adieu I will pay homage to Summer 2014 through photo and leave you with one of my favorite biblical quotes. It helps me stay centered, focused, humbled, and aware. Everything that I do is not of my own initiative but by the Grace of God and so many others who have provided assistance in a variety of ways. To each and everyone of these people you mean more than you know. I planted, Apollos waters but God truly keeps making all things grow (1 Cor 3:6)
We’ll start with the gleanings from this year’s garden. Heavy rains and no time gave me a dismal return this summer but fortunately God’s green thumb is better than mine. Nature worked it out.
Only a food obsessed foodie nerd like myself finds happiness in apple picking and gardening. Fresh apple tree in the city. #PRICELESS
This summer couldn’t have happened without our summer intern D. Seriously we could not have made it without him. Special thanks to Rochester Works for providing us with summer support and helping us make it during our very first summer in business.
D and a new very special friend Toni. (Side note: Blossom and has introduced me to an assortment and A+mazing people)
Costumes, laughs and hilarity are always part of our party. Work hard. Play harder.
See what I mean
Soliciting business by any means necessary.
One of my favorite photos of this era. My Mom, Mama Cindy, Grammy and Blossom all the very special women in my life that I literally couldn’t survive without any of them
We had a blast at our Celiac Strong Demo demo chatting and fielding questions from an A+mazing bunch of engaged and hungry campers! The trip down to Ithaca was beautiful and are so happy we could be a part of this event. We look forward to this annual event.Check out a few pictures of our Ithaca adventure below:
Strawberry granola demo set up and ready to go
Just a few samples of the granola and other amazing treats
Copies of the recipe, business cards, and our full menu to spare.
And the cakes continue to roll on out in our big, comfy and quaint bakery this past weekend as we baked and Blossom decorated plenty of customs cakes for our ever expanding customer base. Imagination runs wild as Blossom thinks up such gorgeous designs. Everything from WWE wrestling rings to water lily’s, daises, and roses this designer has no bounds. And now with our new spray paint gun the possibilities are truly endless. Check out our weekend in cakes below:
First up was this gorgeous simple yet classic wedding cake for Council Woman Elaine Spaull’s daughters wedding. What a beauty.
Wedding #2 took us all the way to Naples, NY. Oh the places we travel.
Who knew fondant flowers could be as gorgeous as the real thing? Only these taste better.
Pretty.
And last but certainly not least, a PRICELESS reaction for a very special 10 year old fan on his born day! #A+MAZING
This past week was indeed an emotional roller coaster. Ironically, I hate roller coasters yet I’ve managed to ride the roller coaster that has been this whole bakery endeavor and survive somewhat unscathed. How have I survived you ask? Cake of course. One. Cake. Bowl. At. A. Time (more about cake bowls later). Seriously, my life has become one big cake bowl. One moment we’re happy. The next we are mad. Then sad. Then happy. Wash rinse repeat. Still I wouldn’t trade it for the world and having an awesome, A+mazing, and hilarious partner in crime makes every ounce of blood, sweat, and tear worth it. Check out our week in pictures:
Finally! Our “real” commercial bakery convection arrived. But of course our life is a hit reality tv show waiting to be picked up so its delivery was even more of an ordeal than its delay of 5 weeks. We are so happy…we can’t even know what to say.
One more try.
Happy Birthday Everyone! Who knew July 2 was such a popular day for birthdays. Kicking out cakes like it is our job. (it is, right?:)
More Cake.
And one of our most popular: Flourless Chocolate Cake. Rich. Decadent. #Beautiful
Fresh raspberries for a fruit filling for what else: Cake.
America Runs on Dunkin. We run on determination. tenacity. and hard work. Settling into the groove of owning my own business is happening slowly but surely. As with most things in life the learning curve has been steep but we are already seeing signs of finding a work life balance. Still we are working more than nine to five. But to be living out a dream makes it all worth it in the end. Here’s a glimpse of my my week in photo.
Finding time to garden has been hard but I am determined. Even a few minutes is calming and helps me focus and relax. The fruits of hard labor make it all worth it.
And the cake orders just keep on pouring in.
Simply beautiful.
A full display table is a happy display table.
Cinnamon raisin on Saturday…Makes me happy.
Getting my running mojo back this week also makes me Happy!
Well we successfully made it through our opening day and week as retail store and bakery owners! I know I keep using adjectives like surreal, overwhelming, emotional, exhausting etc but I honestly cannot think of any other words to describe our experience. To be living out a dream is still mind boggling and well surreal 🙂 We are in a quick recovery mode from all the work, the overnights, and festivities of our equally never ending and whirlwind week. I’m still slightly dazed and tongue tied so I let me show you rather than try to write how A+mazing our week went.
Who else but the gluten free chefs can fulfill a last minute wedding proposal set of cupcakes for a nervous young groom. Design and frosting courtesy of B. Fox of course.
Speaking of weddings Blossom was able to flex some major decorating muscle with this birch cake. In our very first week.
Congratulations SMB and SEL!
Monster multigrain loaves. Need I say more?
Yes it is gluten free. And A+mazing.
Little bodies. Major appetites. Blossom’s cousins came and devoured
And this is just a small glimpse into our FIRST WEEK EVER. We really needed a camera crew to capture all of our laughs, cries, tears, whining, and every other emotion in between. But we plan to be in business for a very long time. So in words of Porky the Pig “That’s all folks.”
P.S. Thank you to all of the family and friends that supported us this week and over the last several months. We literally could not be here without the love and support from every single one of you!
