For seven years I worked at the same job. I did my job (pretty well I think considering the evaluations I got) and made what I thought were a lot of lasting relationships. Then I left, not to go work for another company but to pursue my dreams, and I thought my "friends" would be supportive.
Now I understand how easy it is to have your life move on and forget the people you once had daily contact with. But I guess I thought I meant something more. Maybe we all want to feel that we are somehow important in this world and while I knew that life for everyone would go on without me, you still wish people would miss you, even if it's just a teeny tiny bit.
I have always been loyal to my friends. My blog and my life are a pretty open book. I don't write things anonymously and I have never revealed any of the secrets that I was privy to. That's who I am. There are others who write things under pseudonyms and tell tales out of school and I'll admit that while it's pretty entertaining it's not something I could ever do.
So it hurts me that my emails go unanswered and that my 'friend requests' are denied, mostly because I just don't understand. I always internalize and wonder what it is that I did. Of course it is a very small minority of people that I am talking about here but it wounds me none the less. To the best of my knowledge I have done nothing to these people so it leaves me in that odd limbo of hurt feelings and wild supposition.
But I am now another year older (yes, Loyal Readers, another birthday has passed, and the custard was delicious) and supposedly a bit wiser (although I'm not sure exactly when all that wisdom is scheduled to show up) and so, after this emo post, I shall let it go. I cannot control the actions of others (although my evil twin is currently conducting experiments to do exactly that) and I can only control my own (but just barely.)
And now my time for wallowing is done (I had a friend who only allowed 15 minutes of wallow time, which I follow and it saves me a ton of money on anti-depressants) and I must go decorate 150 lobster cookies for a wedding in Newport, RI. I am trying to make the world a sweeter place, one cookie at a time. I will post pictures soon of all the work I have done recently!
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Friday, September 18, 2009
But Was The Custard Good?
Okay, let's settle this once and for all. Recently, writer/actress Mindy Kaling (better known as Kelly Kapoor on "The Office") was on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. On a previous occasion when Mindy told Craig that she was coming to Las Vegas, he recommended that she go to Luv-It Custard, a venerable institution devoted to deliciousness. (Craig loves Luv-It and we love Craig.)
Mindy was angry that Craig had recommended it, not because it wasn't good, but because it was in the "most dangerous and sketchiest neighborhood I have ever been in, in my life". This has caused a wave of Mindy hatred in Vegas. Now, I will admit that I'm not a fan of hers to begin with and I thought her personality in the interview left a lot to be desired. And I find it hard to believe that she's never been anywhere worse. But people, Luv-It IS in a sketchy neighborhood!
For those who have never been, Luv-It sits about a half a block east of the famed "Strip" on Oakey, which puts it in what is referred to by reporters and police officers as the "Naked City". This is an older (I.e. run down) area known for drugs, prostitution, crime, etc. Yup, dangerous and sketchy by just about any one's standards. Most dangerous? Not hardly, I can take her to a few places where you wouldn't want to slow your car down, even for a flat tire.
Mindy kept saying things like "I expected Vegas to be like in the movies, like Ocean's 13". Well, it can be. if you never leave the Strip and stay south of Sahara, then it's exactly like the pictures in the movies. But outside of the tourist bubble, it's a real town with real people and yes, real crime. (Uh, hello, CSI is based here too, remember?)
But back to Luv-It. I never recommend it without warning people about the neighborhood. It shares it's parking lot with a 'gentleman's club' (a stripper club) and a convenience store with a sign that says "we don't sell single cigs" to let the wandering homeless know that they need to wash enough windshields to buy the whole pack of 'cigs'. Luv-It has a walk-up order window and no place to sit so you have to eat the frozen custard in your car, or while milling about this parking lot. (It is also right by my old eye doctor's office, which is why I loved the eye doctor as a kid. A doctor that never gave shots and was next to the best ice cream in the world? Rock on.)
For those in the know, Luv-It also exists in what I think of as a sort of 'green zone'. Crime does not occur at Luv-It. It is beloved by all and so it is respected enough that you can go there in peace and safety. Which is only one of the reasons for long lines nearly every day of the year.
The other reason? Luv-It is freakin' AWESOME! Delicious homemade frozen custard. I cannot say enough about it, it really is the best I've ever had (and I have eaten me some ice cream, no doubt). We are going this Sunday to celebrate, well, never mind what, but I am already torn because one of the flavors is fresh Banana Nut, but I also want my traditional Desert Sundae (custard, hot fudge, homemade marshmallow cream and pecans, to die for!) Would I be a pig if I got my sundae and brought home the banana nut?
So people, don't ready the tar and feathers for actress Mindy Kaling just yet. She's just another vapid Hollywood celebrity who wants everything to be pretty instead of real. If she doesn't want to go to Luv-it, it just leaves more custard for the rest of us! (Oh, and by the way, she did admit the custard was worth risking her life for, so there.)
Here is the interview.
Mindy was angry that Craig had recommended it, not because it wasn't good, but because it was in the "most dangerous and sketchiest neighborhood I have ever been in, in my life". This has caused a wave of Mindy hatred in Vegas. Now, I will admit that I'm not a fan of hers to begin with and I thought her personality in the interview left a lot to be desired. And I find it hard to believe that she's never been anywhere worse. But people, Luv-It IS in a sketchy neighborhood!
For those who have never been, Luv-It sits about a half a block east of the famed "Strip" on Oakey, which puts it in what is referred to by reporters and police officers as the "Naked City". This is an older (I.e. run down) area known for drugs, prostitution, crime, etc. Yup, dangerous and sketchy by just about any one's standards. Most dangerous? Not hardly, I can take her to a few places where you wouldn't want to slow your car down, even for a flat tire.
Mindy kept saying things like "I expected Vegas to be like in the movies, like Ocean's 13". Well, it can be. if you never leave the Strip and stay south of Sahara, then it's exactly like the pictures in the movies. But outside of the tourist bubble, it's a real town with real people and yes, real crime. (Uh, hello, CSI is based here too, remember?)
But back to Luv-It. I never recommend it without warning people about the neighborhood. It shares it's parking lot with a 'gentleman's club' (a stripper club) and a convenience store with a sign that says "we don't sell single cigs" to let the wandering homeless know that they need to wash enough windshields to buy the whole pack of 'cigs'. Luv-It has a walk-up order window and no place to sit so you have to eat the frozen custard in your car, or while milling about this parking lot. (It is also right by my old eye doctor's office, which is why I loved the eye doctor as a kid. A doctor that never gave shots and was next to the best ice cream in the world? Rock on.)
For those in the know, Luv-It also exists in what I think of as a sort of 'green zone'. Crime does not occur at Luv-It. It is beloved by all and so it is respected enough that you can go there in peace and safety. Which is only one of the reasons for long lines nearly every day of the year.
The other reason? Luv-It is freakin' AWESOME! Delicious homemade frozen custard. I cannot say enough about it, it really is the best I've ever had (and I have eaten me some ice cream, no doubt). We are going this Sunday to celebrate, well, never mind what, but I am already torn because one of the flavors is fresh Banana Nut, but I also want my traditional Desert Sundae (custard, hot fudge, homemade marshmallow cream and pecans, to die for!) Would I be a pig if I got my sundae and brought home the banana nut?
So people, don't ready the tar and feathers for actress Mindy Kaling just yet. She's just another vapid Hollywood celebrity who wants everything to be pretty instead of real. If she doesn't want to go to Luv-it, it just leaves more custard for the rest of us! (Oh, and by the way, she did admit the custard was worth risking her life for, so there.)
Here is the interview.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
We Had the Time of Our Lives
I know millions of women are mourning the passing of Patrick Swayze and I just wanted to throw in my tribute as well.
I first became aware of Patrick when I was a pre-teen and he made "The Outsiders" based on the S.E. Hinton novel, then the short lived television series "Renegades" and then the teens against the entire Communist army film "Red Dawn" (soon to be remade but it, like "Fame" can never be surpassed.)
I fell in love with Patrick when he played Orry Main in the mini-series "North and South". You see children, way back in the Eighties the mini-series was a beloved staple of network television and as a TV obsessed teenager, I watched them all. But "North and South", based on the John Jakes novel, was one of my all time favorites. It had it all - sex, revenge, lying, overacting and overwrought dialogue, all set in the Civil War. It was brilliant and starred lots of Eighties celebrities, like Genie Francis, Jonathan Frakes (who married Genie Francis), Kirstie Alley, James read, Elizabeth Taylor, Hal Holbrook and Forrest Whittaker, just to name a few. But it was Patrick as Orry, a man driven by demons of war and the loss of the woman he loved that had me the first time I saw him in breeches.
But my innocent crush turned into full blown lust when I saw "Dirty Dancing". I still maintain that it is one of the most brilliantly cast romance films ever. I do not mean this as a slight on jennifer Grey but I think they were really smart to cast her as Baby because she was, well, plain. So many of us could relate to Baby's awkwardness because we felt less pretty than our sisters or best friends or the hot blond dancing partner. Every girl in that audience could see herself as Baby and when Patrick took a shine to our ugly duckling and helped her become the woman she was growing into, we all cheered. Plus, the sex scene, well it was the hottest thing this little girl had ever seen (at least up to that point.) A one point in the film, Baby hides Patrick's character Johnny from her father. Johnny gets mad because he thinks she is ashamed of him, afraid to admit that 'he's her man." I leaned over in the dark theater and told my friend, "If I was sleeping with Patrick Swayze, I'd put a sign on my front lawn!"
Sadly, I never got to put that sign on my lawn. Patrick was a happily married man who was married for over thirty years. That's like 210 years in Hollywood. And some of his post-"Dirty Dancing" films weren't the caliber that I know he was capable of. (Although if "Road House" is on I still try to catch the "Patrick is buck naked scene".) But he will always be my knight in shining armor, who would rescue me if anyone ever tired to stick me in a corner.
Rest in Peace, Patrick.
Monday, September 14, 2009
I Believe....
...that the people who care about you will help you, support you and cheer you on.
....that the people who only pretend to care about you will eventually show you their true colors.
...that life is, in turns, a constant surprise, a disappointment, an adventure and an experience.
...that you should never read the ending first.
...that dessert is the most important meal of the day.
...that I work way too hard to please other people, but I'm okay with that most of the time.
...that great writing can change your life, but mediocre writing can be pretty darn entertaining.
...you can't live life without trying.
..that little pleasures should never be belittled.
...that roller coaster rides and lives are rarely long enough.
...rewards will come from unexpected places.
...that I believe.
....that the people who only pretend to care about you will eventually show you their true colors.
...that life is, in turns, a constant surprise, a disappointment, an adventure and an experience.
...that you should never read the ending first.
...that dessert is the most important meal of the day.
...that I work way too hard to please other people, but I'm okay with that most of the time.
...that great writing can change your life, but mediocre writing can be pretty darn entertaining.
...you can't live life without trying.
..that little pleasures should never be belittled.
...that roller coaster rides and lives are rarely long enough.
...rewards will come from unexpected places.
...that I believe.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
LBS Burger
The family goes out to eat nearly every Sunday. Visiting the same restaurants can get old after a while, although every now and then you can discover something new at an old favorite restaurant. (If you haven't tried it, go for the fried chicken at Memphis Championship Barbecue. I don't really like fried chicken but theirs is phenomenal. And it's served family style with all you can eat mashed potatoes, green beans, chicken dumplings, corn and rolls. Oh My Gosh good!)
So we try to discover new places, with varying degrees of success. After reading a friend's blog, we decided to try LBS Burger at the Red Rock Station casino. She proclaimed it the best burger in the city, even better than Burger Bar (Hubert Keller's restaurant) in the Mandalay Bay. Now when it comes to burgers, I'm a bit of a purist, so my favorite burger in Las Vegas is at a dive bar near my house. While they are a little pricier than when I first started going, you can still get a 1/3 pound burger with fries for less than eight bucks. And it's a great burger, hand pattied with all my favorite fixings (again, I'm a traditionalist, I like lettuce, tomato, pickles, onions and all the condiments) and it's on a toasted bun, which for me is what takes a burger to the next level. I would eat the burgers at this place more often if they didn't also have the best chili cheese fries in Vegas. Trust me when I say this causes no end of internal conflict.
So when someone tells me that they loved a burger place, I'm a tad skeptical. I'm not one for lots of exotic toppings or patties made from exotic animals. Beef, bun, cheese and my traditional fixings and I'm happy. But the pictures on her blog looked yum-tastic and we needed to get out of our rut so we decided to try it. The decor at LBS is southern Gothic meets rock n' roll. Black lace on the windows, furniture that would look right at home in the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland and way too loud music playing. (It was great music but just too loud). The economy has thinned out restaurant crowds so we got right in.
What to choose? The menu is descriptively delicious which makes you want everything. Burgers aren't cheap, averaging around eleven dollars. They did have sliders on the menu which come in three, six or twelve packs. After asking the waitress the size of the sliders (we have been to restaurants where the slider was the size of a regular burger) we decided to share a twelve order and get a few sides to share. We chose chili-cheese fries, onion rings and fried cheese curds (thank goodness casinos are required to have defibrillators on hand!) You can customize your sliders so we got six with American cheese and six with white cheddar. They come with fried onions, pickles and "LBS sauce" which is the same ubiquitous mayo-ketchup mix you get everywhere else.
The sliders were on shiny egg buns and a nice size of about three inches in diameter. Their meat is "dry aged 21 days" and while I don't know that dry aging has as much of an impact in a burger as it does in a steak, the burgers were nice and beefy.
The onion rings were some of the best I've ever had, large, well battered, shatteringly crisp and oh-so-delicious. The onions inside were nicely soft but didn't just fall out. (This was both good and bad, as I wanted a couple to fall out so I could give my brother the shell and eat the onion myself. he like onion rings but his digestive system doesn't like onions so I try to 'shell' a few so he can have some of the taste without the distress. We are kind of like Jack Sprat and his sister - yes, I know the story is Jack Sprat and his wife, but he had to have someone help him before he got married, didn't he?) The fries underneath the chili were good, but the chili itself was too sweet with too much cinnamon (great for you Cincinnati chili lovers, but I'm a Texas red kind of girl so this needed more heat, less sweet) although the roasted jalapenos and sour cream were a nice touch.
Cheese curds are a delicacy that some love and some hate. I personally like the 'squeaky cheese' and try to stop in the Cache Valley store every time we drive to Salt Lake to buy some. They are best very fresh so the store connected to the dairy is the right place to buy them. But even if the cheese curds at LBS weren't 'squeaky' fresh, they were delicious none the less. Deep fried cheese isn't high on my list because it usually involves mozzarella, a very stretchy cheese but fairly bland in flavor. The white cheese curds at LBS were nicely stretchy but with more flavor than mozzarella. The only downside was that the "tomato relish" on the side was really just a marinara. I just ate them plain.
Desserts seemed pretty standard except for the daily pie. When I inquires to that day's flavor and was told it was peach raspberry, we signed up for two (they are small, just about 3-1/2 inches so the waitress explained we would need two for the five of us. Why they get skimpy at dessert is beyond me, when all their other portion sizes were huge.) It comes out warm, with vanilla ice cream. It had a lovely flaky bottom crust and a crunchy sweet oatmeal streusel topping. The tangy raspberries were a perfect foil to the sweet peaches. Lovely and delicious and even though we were stuffed from lunch there was no pie left over (which proves my theory that you ALWAYS have room for dessert.)
So, best burger in Vegas? Not really. But a good burger with some good sides, yes. Besides the loud music, the only other downfall was the price. Even with us sharing everything and having only water to drink, the bill came to over eighty dollars for five people. Not exactly budget friendly. But we will probably return, at least for the onion rings and pie!
So we try to discover new places, with varying degrees of success. After reading a friend's blog, we decided to try LBS Burger at the Red Rock Station casino. She proclaimed it the best burger in the city, even better than Burger Bar (Hubert Keller's restaurant) in the Mandalay Bay. Now when it comes to burgers, I'm a bit of a purist, so my favorite burger in Las Vegas is at a dive bar near my house. While they are a little pricier than when I first started going, you can still get a 1/3 pound burger with fries for less than eight bucks. And it's a great burger, hand pattied with all my favorite fixings (again, I'm a traditionalist, I like lettuce, tomato, pickles, onions and all the condiments) and it's on a toasted bun, which for me is what takes a burger to the next level. I would eat the burgers at this place more often if they didn't also have the best chili cheese fries in Vegas. Trust me when I say this causes no end of internal conflict.
So when someone tells me that they loved a burger place, I'm a tad skeptical. I'm not one for lots of exotic toppings or patties made from exotic animals. Beef, bun, cheese and my traditional fixings and I'm happy. But the pictures on her blog looked yum-tastic and we needed to get out of our rut so we decided to try it. The decor at LBS is southern Gothic meets rock n' roll. Black lace on the windows, furniture that would look right at home in the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland and way too loud music playing. (It was great music but just too loud). The economy has thinned out restaurant crowds so we got right in.
What to choose? The menu is descriptively delicious which makes you want everything. Burgers aren't cheap, averaging around eleven dollars. They did have sliders on the menu which come in three, six or twelve packs. After asking the waitress the size of the sliders (we have been to restaurants where the slider was the size of a regular burger) we decided to share a twelve order and get a few sides to share. We chose chili-cheese fries, onion rings and fried cheese curds (thank goodness casinos are required to have defibrillators on hand!) You can customize your sliders so we got six with American cheese and six with white cheddar. They come with fried onions, pickles and "LBS sauce" which is the same ubiquitous mayo-ketchup mix you get everywhere else.
The sliders were on shiny egg buns and a nice size of about three inches in diameter. Their meat is "dry aged 21 days" and while I don't know that dry aging has as much of an impact in a burger as it does in a steak, the burgers were nice and beefy.
The onion rings were some of the best I've ever had, large, well battered, shatteringly crisp and oh-so-delicious. The onions inside were nicely soft but didn't just fall out. (This was both good and bad, as I wanted a couple to fall out so I could give my brother the shell and eat the onion myself. he like onion rings but his digestive system doesn't like onions so I try to 'shell' a few so he can have some of the taste without the distress. We are kind of like Jack Sprat and his sister - yes, I know the story is Jack Sprat and his wife, but he had to have someone help him before he got married, didn't he?) The fries underneath the chili were good, but the chili itself was too sweet with too much cinnamon (great for you Cincinnati chili lovers, but I'm a Texas red kind of girl so this needed more heat, less sweet) although the roasted jalapenos and sour cream were a nice touch.
Cheese curds are a delicacy that some love and some hate. I personally like the 'squeaky cheese' and try to stop in the Cache Valley store every time we drive to Salt Lake to buy some. They are best very fresh so the store connected to the dairy is the right place to buy them. But even if the cheese curds at LBS weren't 'squeaky' fresh, they were delicious none the less. Deep fried cheese isn't high on my list because it usually involves mozzarella, a very stretchy cheese but fairly bland in flavor. The white cheese curds at LBS were nicely stretchy but with more flavor than mozzarella. The only downside was that the "tomato relish" on the side was really just a marinara. I just ate them plain.
Desserts seemed pretty standard except for the daily pie. When I inquires to that day's flavor and was told it was peach raspberry, we signed up for two (they are small, just about 3-1/2 inches so the waitress explained we would need two for the five of us. Why they get skimpy at dessert is beyond me, when all their other portion sizes were huge.) It comes out warm, with vanilla ice cream. It had a lovely flaky bottom crust and a crunchy sweet oatmeal streusel topping. The tangy raspberries were a perfect foil to the sweet peaches. Lovely and delicious and even though we were stuffed from lunch there was no pie left over (which proves my theory that you ALWAYS have room for dessert.)
So, best burger in Vegas? Not really. But a good burger with some good sides, yes. Besides the loud music, the only other downfall was the price. Even with us sharing everything and having only water to drink, the bill came to over eighty dollars for five people. Not exactly budget friendly. But we will probably return, at least for the onion rings and pie!
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
Things I'm Working On
I will go into more detail later but I had the most lovely (and incredibly overpriced) macaroon from Jean Phillipe Patisserie at the Bellagio. It was called a "Rose Macaroon" and was described as a "raspberry macaroon with rose cream and fresh raspberries". We are talking French macaroon here, not the American coconut kind. Since I have lately been obsessed with flavoring things with rose and violet and lavender, I had to try it. It was beautiful, crowned with a sugared rose petal. It was also $6.50. But again, I had to try it and I figure it is a business expense in the name of research, so I can write it off, right?
Well, there was no discernible rose flavor (even in the petal, though I munched on it happily anyway) but the raspberries were marvelous plump, fresh little morsels. I shared my tiny treasure with Mom and the Graminator so I only got a couple of bites but it was enough to convince me that I need to learn to make French macaroons. I never liked the coconut kind except for one I made but have since lost the recipe for, but the French version is more like a meringue with a ground almond base and since I adore meringue, it's right up my alley.
I am also going to make Black and White cookies of the New York bakery variety, which aren't really a cookie at all but more of a flat cupcake. I adore them and haven't had a true Black and White in years. Once I get them perfected, I think I'm going to call my friend Antonia to try them. She's a real New Yorker plus her husband used to work in a bakery in New York so I'm sure she can tell me if I get it right. And I haven't practiced my New York accent in a while so I'd love to spend some time with her!
Today I'm making gougeres, which are savory cream puffs with cheese. I'm going to Americanize them with a bit of jalapeno cheese instead of the traditional gruyere. And since I'll have the pate choux already, I think a few eclairs will be in order. In fact, I'm off to make the pastry cream filling. Jealous? Well, don't be, my ass will pay the price later on! Besides, you can always order them from Glitter City Sweets! (Superfluous plug for the day, check.)
Railing Against the Wind
I hate hypocrisy.
Seriously, if you are going to screw me, be honest about it. I won't go into the details to protect the incredibly guilty other party, but suffice it to say someone cut me out of a business arrangement siting an excuse so unforgivably flimsy and completely hypocritical that I am deeply offended. And never say 'it's not personal' when it is exactly personal. Be honest and up front and say "it's for completely personal and bogus reasons". I won't like it any better but at least you won't be a hypocritical liar. Just don't treat me like I'm an idiot. Cuz I'm not. And I don't forget, ever.
Okay, rant over. I will get over this and despite the efforts of those who work against me, I will prevail. Your pettiness will only resolve my will to succeed. I would thank you, but I don't want to be a hypocrite.
Seriously, if you are going to screw me, be honest about it. I won't go into the details to protect the incredibly guilty other party, but suffice it to say someone cut me out of a business arrangement siting an excuse so unforgivably flimsy and completely hypocritical that I am deeply offended. And never say 'it's not personal' when it is exactly personal. Be honest and up front and say "it's for completely personal and bogus reasons". I won't like it any better but at least you won't be a hypocritical liar. Just don't treat me like I'm an idiot. Cuz I'm not. And I don't forget, ever.
Okay, rant over. I will get over this and despite the efforts of those who work against me, I will prevail. Your pettiness will only resolve my will to succeed. I would thank you, but I don't want to be a hypocrite.
Friday, September 04, 2009
Whew!
I know it's been so long, Loyal Readers, and I have to apologize. Glitter City Sweets has eaten a huge chunk of my time. I barely had time to breathe.
First we had a bridal show with a large chain bridal store where I set out cake for tasting for the brides, grooms and assorted bridesmaids, moms, etc. Plus I made 180 little embossed wedding cookies to go in each bride's 'goodie' bag. I manned the store on the west side of town while my wonderful sister-in-law and adorable brother manned the store in Henderson.
For the event, which was titled "Girls Night Out" I invented little cupcake shooters, a small two-bite cake in a little souffle cup. For this event I made them in cocktail type flavors - Pomegranate Cosmopolitan, Mojito, Chocolate Martini and Shirley Temple (in case someone didn't want to imbibe.) They were a HUGE hit although the number on question asked was "Can you get drunk on these?" (The answer is no, you'd have to eat so many that you'd go into a sugar coma first!)
Since weddings are planned months, sometimes years, in advance, it will be a while before I know how successful the event was, at least in terms of selling cakes and favors. In terms of selling cupcakes, it was a huge success. My brother took the leftovers from his location to his job the next day to share with his co-workers (he even set up a cute little display.) From that I got an order for 48 cupcake shooters, a possible cake order and an invitation to put my advertisements into the bags of his company's upcoming health fair. (I know my product isn't exactly 'healthy' but everyone deserves a treat and most of my marshmallows are fat free.) That's two thousand potential customers, who are teachers, so they have lots of opportunity to need treats.
After the bridal fair was over I had to get to work on a huge corporate order for logo cookies. We did 12 dozen cookies with two different logos for a company based out of Arizona. The cookies went to Louisiana, California, Georgia, Michigan, and Washington. They were absolutely adorable! I also had an order for a couple hundred strawberry marshmallow for an engagement party this weekend in New Jersey that had to go out. (Congrats to the happy couple!) Then an order for another hundred cupcake shooters. Just when I though I could breathe, three more orders came in!
So I guess you can say that business is going well. I was even looking for a retail location, which I found, but even though they offered me the price I was looking for (thanks Mr. Becker! And if you are ever looking for commercial real estate in Las Vegas, call BEKS Group, they are so incredibly nice) I sat down and crunched the numbers and I just think I am under capitalized at the moment. I fretted and stressed and finally, on advice from my good friend - and great attorney, Tina Yan - I decided to wait. As Tina put it, better to be too busy for the space you are in than not busy enough in a new space. It means my plans for expansion will have to wait, but I just didn't want to invest all of my savings and have it not be quite enough to make it work. I have no doubt that GCS will be that big but it takes time and time takes money. So world bakery domination is on hold at the moment. I am still searching for a larger space to rent as I am much busier that I anticipated when I first found a place that would let me bake there. But I have faith that something will come through!
Meanwhile, it's now September and in the Wilhite household that means birthday month. Yup, my brother's birthday is on Tuesday and my mom's is on Friday which means that mine is just a couple of weeks away. We are going out this Sunday to a great restaurant (Todd English's Olives at the Bellagio Hotel). It is "Restaurant Week" in Las Vegas which means that lots of high end restaurants are offering special three course meals for $20.09, $30.09 and $50.09, with some of the proceeds going to a local food bank charity, Three Square. Will and Val are going to Capital Grill tonight and we are doing Olive's on Sunday (I'd love to go to La Fiamma on Saturday...anyone? Anyone?) Since dessert is taken care of on Sunday I'm going to make the birthday cake for my mom and brother for next Sunday. It's going to be a three tier 'topsy-turvy' cake in Bananas Foster. I'll post pictures. I'll also let you know how Olives was (Still open for Saturday. Anyone? Anyone?) and I have my review of LBS Burger still to post. Stay tuned, Loyal Readers, I promise I'll be posting regularly again! XXOO
First we had a bridal show with a large chain bridal store where I set out cake for tasting for the brides, grooms and assorted bridesmaids, moms, etc. Plus I made 180 little embossed wedding cookies to go in each bride's 'goodie' bag. I manned the store on the west side of town while my wonderful sister-in-law and adorable brother manned the store in Henderson.
For the event, which was titled "Girls Night Out" I invented little cupcake shooters, a small two-bite cake in a little souffle cup. For this event I made them in cocktail type flavors - Pomegranate Cosmopolitan, Mojito, Chocolate Martini and Shirley Temple (in case someone didn't want to imbibe.) They were a HUGE hit although the number on question asked was "Can you get drunk on these?" (The answer is no, you'd have to eat so many that you'd go into a sugar coma first!)
Since weddings are planned months, sometimes years, in advance, it will be a while before I know how successful the event was, at least in terms of selling cakes and favors. In terms of selling cupcakes, it was a huge success. My brother took the leftovers from his location to his job the next day to share with his co-workers (he even set up a cute little display.) From that I got an order for 48 cupcake shooters, a possible cake order and an invitation to put my advertisements into the bags of his company's upcoming health fair. (I know my product isn't exactly 'healthy' but everyone deserves a treat and most of my marshmallows are fat free.) That's two thousand potential customers, who are teachers, so they have lots of opportunity to need treats.
After the bridal fair was over I had to get to work on a huge corporate order for logo cookies. We did 12 dozen cookies with two different logos for a company based out of Arizona. The cookies went to Louisiana, California, Georgia, Michigan, and Washington. They were absolutely adorable! I also had an order for a couple hundred strawberry marshmallow for an engagement party this weekend in New Jersey that had to go out. (Congrats to the happy couple!) Then an order for another hundred cupcake shooters. Just when I though I could breathe, three more orders came in!
So I guess you can say that business is going well. I was even looking for a retail location, which I found, but even though they offered me the price I was looking for (thanks Mr. Becker! And if you are ever looking for commercial real estate in Las Vegas, call BEKS Group, they are so incredibly nice) I sat down and crunched the numbers and I just think I am under capitalized at the moment. I fretted and stressed and finally, on advice from my good friend - and great attorney, Tina Yan - I decided to wait. As Tina put it, better to be too busy for the space you are in than not busy enough in a new space. It means my plans for expansion will have to wait, but I just didn't want to invest all of my savings and have it not be quite enough to make it work. I have no doubt that GCS will be that big but it takes time and time takes money. So world bakery domination is on hold at the moment. I am still searching for a larger space to rent as I am much busier that I anticipated when I first found a place that would let me bake there. But I have faith that something will come through!
Meanwhile, it's now September and in the Wilhite household that means birthday month. Yup, my brother's birthday is on Tuesday and my mom's is on Friday which means that mine is just a couple of weeks away. We are going out this Sunday to a great restaurant (Todd English's Olives at the Bellagio Hotel). It is "Restaurant Week" in Las Vegas which means that lots of high end restaurants are offering special three course meals for $20.09, $30.09 and $50.09, with some of the proceeds going to a local food bank charity, Three Square. Will and Val are going to Capital Grill tonight and we are doing Olive's on Sunday (I'd love to go to La Fiamma on Saturday...anyone? Anyone?) Since dessert is taken care of on Sunday I'm going to make the birthday cake for my mom and brother for next Sunday. It's going to be a three tier 'topsy-turvy' cake in Bananas Foster. I'll post pictures. I'll also let you know how Olives was (Still open for Saturday. Anyone? Anyone?) and I have my review of LBS Burger still to post. Stay tuned, Loyal Readers, I promise I'll be posting regularly again! XXOO
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
LinkWithin
