Life As A Cupcake Peddler
August 11th, 2011 | Rachel
I’ve been at the new job at the Three Green Ducks for about a week and a half now. So, what it is like finally living out my five-year-old fantasy of working at a bakery? Honestly, it’s kind of awesome.
I’ve sampled about 15% of the products in the store — cookies, cupcakes, slices of pie, cake, coffee cake, and muffins (still need to try some scones and bars) — and everything is truly wonderful. The owner, who is downstairs baking with the team most days, puts a lot of thought into the recipes, and most of them are pretty close to perfect. The bakers are careful and consistent, and we don’t sell anything that doesn’t meet the bakery’s high standards. Even if it tastes right but looks kind of weird, we’ll cut it up and give it out as free samples (or eat it ourselves).
I’ve had a slice of the cherry pie every day this week, and if we are slicing it again today, I just might have to have another one. Its my favorite thing in the store right now.
Coming from my last job, it feels kind of strange to be involved in something I so strongly and personally believe in. I know, it’s sad to say, but I’m not used to it. At my last job, I was part of the general litigation group at a big law firm. We usually dealt with contract disputes between large companies. Our job was to help our huge corporate client protect their money whether they deserved it or not.
I’m not hating on the system. If a huge corporation wants to spend its own money to hire sophisticated lawyers to try and get more money from another huge corporation that can also afford sophisticated lawyers, then fine. Everyone knows what they are getting themselves into, and the lawyers all get paid at the end of the day. The legal side of it can actually be pretty interesting at times… determining which rules and laws are relevant and strategizing about how to present the laws and facts in a way that is most beneficial to the client. I rather enjoyed the intellectual side of it, and I never had any moral hesitations about the work I was doing. I was only in the biz for three years, but I never saw any shady deals or unscrupulous acts by the lawyers.
However, at the end of the day, it wasn’t something I could really believe in.
I do believe in in cupcakes.
In the past week and a half, many people have asked me, “What do you actually do at the bakery?” To clarify, I am not a baker, and I am not a decorator. We have two separate teams for those functions, and they are awesome. We also have a management team that keeps everything running. The fourth team, of which I am now a member, is the retail and hospitality team.
We say hello and smile at you when you come into the store. We ask you how we can help you, and we tell you about the wonderful things we are selling. We help you decide what kind of cake you should buy and how big it should be. We write complementary phrases on the cakes (well, I don’t, but I have been practicing my cake calligraphy) and tell you the best way to serve them. We also put muffins and scones in paper bags, make lattes and cappuccinos, and run the cash register. If you are a regular, we might ask you how the kids are doing or chat about the weather.
I guess you could say I’m a salesperson, but, honestly, the baked goods pretty much sell themselves. One of the managers told me the other day that Living Social has been calling the bakery relentlessly trying to get us to be one of their daily deals. For those of you unfamiliar with websites like Living Social, they offer special discounted deals every day for businesses in certain cities. Living Social takes half of the voucher price (which is usually already discounted 50%), and the business gets exposure.
The Three Green Ducks gets all of the exposure it needs from people taking our baked goods to their offices and family get togethers. People come in every day looking for something they tried outside the bakery. I spoke to two women last week from Arizona who were in the city visiting and ventured up to see us because someone told them we were the best bakery in the city.
Going back to my original point, I believe in what I am doing now because my whole purpose is to make people’s days a little bit better. Baked goods make people happy… I discovered that back in law school when I picked up cake decorating as a creative balance to my otherwise wholly academic existence. Whether someone is buying themselves a treat or picking up a cake for a loved one, they all come into the store with a look of excitement and anticipation and then leave with a smile on their faces. Most people are truly thankful when I hand over their bag of muffins and scones or box of cupcakes or pie. They don’t come to us because they have to, they come because they want to.
Here’s a little bit of what I have to deal with everyday:
Selection of scones baked daily
Part of our huge selection of cupcakes
Decorated cakes
Everyone’s favorite cookie
It’s refreshing, to say the least.
By the way, thank you to everyone who has stumbled upon my blog. If you haven’t done so already, scroll to the bottom of this page and subscribe to my blog. That way you can keep up with my somewhat sporadic posts. I promise I won’t spam you.
Got Too Much Mint?
August 10th, 2011 | Rachel
I am straying a little bit from the theme of this blog (whatever it is), but I am so pleased with a batch of homemade mint chocolate chip ice cream I just made that I wanted to share the idea and recipe with you.
My hanging window herb garden is doing great. The sun is a little too intense for my dill plant, but everything else is growing quickly… especially the mint. I noticed that the leaves that weren’t getting direct sunlight were turning yellow and falling off, and the plant was getting so big, it was blocking its own sunlight access. I can only drink so many mojitos, so I needed a project that would use a substantial amount of mint.
I was on the city bus coming home from work when the inspiration hit: mint chocolate chip ice cream! Fortunately, Steve already had an ice cream maker, so all I really needed was the cream and chocolate. I read through a lot of recipes, and this is the one I liked the most. Since mint ice cream is supposed to be refreshing, I stayed away from the recipes with egg (which would make it a custard) and cream cheese. Having tested the recipe, I can personally attest to its accuracy. I will note that the amounts of mint and sugar are flexible. I used about a cup and a half of mint, and my ice cream was plenty minty. I also cut the sugar a little bit — as I do to most recipes — and I didn’t miss it in the finished product.
Fresh mint from my hanging window herb garden
Nice and clean
Recipes varied on whether you have to remove the stems. I tasted a stem and did not find the flavor to be pleasant, so I picked the leaves off of the stems.
Infusing the cream with mint… after heating the cream and mint, I left it in the fridge for 24 hours, which was probably too long. I think a more appropriate length of time would be six to twelve hours.
Mixture is ready for churning. I love Steve’s ice cream maker… you don’t need salt or ice.
Essential ingredient
Homemade Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream!
This recipe was so simple and delicious that I am already thinking about what kind of ice cream I want to make next. We’ve been selling a lot of pie at the bakery, and I think I want to try cutting up a slice of pie and mixing it into a batch of vanilla or sweet cream ice cream.
How about you? Got any good ice cream recipes I should know about?
What’s This About A Bakery?
July 31st, 2011 | Rachel
First day at the new job
Last Friday afternoon, I had plans to meet up with my friend Arthur for a cup of coffee (since his job is cool and gives him half days on Fridays during the summer). At the last minute, we scrapped the coffee plan and instead met for cupcakes at a bakery in the Upper East Side called the Three Green Ducks.*
I arrived first and immediately noticed a sign on the front door advertising an open position for a full time employee. The thought of applying crossed my mind and I felt a flutter of excitement in my stomach, but the pragmatic side of my brain quickly brushed it aside and I blamed the gastrointestinal reaction on hunger. College students work at bakeries. People who are still paying for their law degrees do not.
When Arthur arrived, he mentioned the sign. Again, I waved off the idea, saying it was too crazy. We each purchased our mini-cupcakes and sat down. The subject of the help wanted sign came up again.
Arthur, like many of my friends, has listened to me ramble about my bed and breakfast dream on many occasions and has always been supportive despite his otherwise very practical nature. “There’s only one way to learn how to run a business,” he said over his red velvet cupcake. “You just have to jump in there even when it means starting at the bottom.” The wheels in my head were spinning. He had a point. He then walked back up to the counter and ordered two lemonades and an employment application.
The humbling part about filling out that application is it quickly revealed how under-qualified I was for the job. Previous employer: Big Anonymous Law Firm. Skills used: research, writing… and, uh, cite checking? I was starting to doubt my odds of even being considered.
“Looks like another unemployed lawyer trying to figure out what to do with her life.”
“Toss it. Let’s hire the high school student who actually knows how to work an espresso machine.”
I left the box for previous salary blank. The pay discrepancy was nothing short of comical.
Nervously, I handed the application to a friendly-looking person behind the counter. She looked it over and told me to wait. She disappeared into the kitchen. A few minutes later, one of the managers came out and asked if I had time to talk. We sat at one of the tables, and I tried to explain that I wasn’t insane and actually had legitimate reasons for wanting to work there. I told her about my future bed and breakfast and California and my love of baking and Martha Stewart.
Since the only employment experience I’ve had since college was in an attorney capacity, she asked a lot of questions about how my lawyering experiences and skills could translate into the bakery environment. As I discovered while I was talking, there are a lot of ways. I was getting a good vibe.
She asked if I could hang on a few more minutes and disappeared into the kitchen. Moments later another manager came out, and I gave my I’m-not-crazy-I-just-really-want-to-work-here speech again. He talked about the hectic pace, the ornery customers, the dismal pay, the working holidays and everything else that might make me change my mind. He said he wanted me to have a clear picture as to what I was getting myself into. In my head, however, I was picturing myself at my desk, the 5 a.m. nights, not being able to have dinner with Steve the night before he went back to the ship because there was a doc review crisis, the thankless partners, the neon lights, the coworkers that never said hello in the hallway, the stale office air…
Suddenly I felt a light bulb turn on in my head. What was I afraid of?
I was afraid that taking a job at a bakery would ruin my chance of getting a job at another large law firm — something I didn’t even want to do. In being scared, I was shutting out the myriad of good possibilities that could stem from having this job — a job I’ve actually fantasized about ever since I picked up cake decorating as a hobby in law school and discovered my knack for baking. Maybe it will help me run a bed and breakfast. Maybe I’ll open that pie shop I’ve always talked about. Maybe I’ll write a book about it. Maybe I’ll be a food writer. Maybe I’ll work for Martha Stewart. Maybe I’ll be the next Martha Stewart. And whatever it is, it doesn’t have to exclude being a lawyer too. Maybe I’ll be a lawyer for small, creative businesses. Maybe I’ll run a bed and breakfast and have my own solo trusts and estates practice. Maybe (or, perhaps, probably) I’ll do something completely unexpected.
The second manager asked me to hold on and disappeared into the kitchen. I turned around and apologetically told Arthur he could leave if he wanted. We had been there for an hour at that point. Arthur said he was going to stay.
Then the first manager came back out and said, “We’d like to hire you.”
A new chapter began.
*The bakery isn’t actually called the Three Green Ducks. Out of respect for them I’m not going to use the real name because I don’t want my personal viewpoints to be mistakenly attributed to them.
Save Yourself A Trip To The Market: Build Your Own Hanging Window Herb Garden
July 30th, 2011 | Rachel
This hasn’t been a how-to blog so far, but due to the dearth of information available on urban herb gardens (herban gardens?), I am going to share with you my (so far) successful design for a hanging window herb garden. Even if you do not lack private outdoor space like I do, this could still be a good use of a particularly sunny window or an easy way to get all of your cooking herbs within reach.
I purchased all of the materials for this project from Home Depot (for the New Yorkers in the house, I went to the 23rd St. location). I got the herb plants from the Chelsea Garden Center (11th Ave. @ 44th St.).
To make a hanging window herb garden, you will need:
– 6″ plastic flower pots
– 8″ adjustable pipe clamps
– Screw-in wall hooks
– Chain
– Small screws
You will also need:
– Measuring tape
– Drill
– Pliers
– Screwdriver
This project is best suited for a tall window with plenty of sun exposure… a window kind of like this one:
I decided to make my herb garden with three hanging columns of two flower pots each, but you could make yours with any number or configuration as long as your hooks can handle the weight of the plants. Before your trip to the hardware store, measure your window and the space you wish to use for your garden. You will need to know how tall your columns are going to be before you purchase the chain.
Once you have the proper supplies, the first step is to mark and drill pilot holes and install the screw-in hooks. I got my hooks about halfway in before my wimpy hands couldn’t turn them anymore. They seem pretty sturdy already, but I am going to get Steve to finish the job when he gets back.
The hooks I got per the recommendation of an employee at Home Depot
The hooks should go directly into the window pane — NOT the wall
The second step is simple: hang the custom-cut chains on the hooks. It probably won’t make a difference, but I looped two links on the hook instead of one to distribute the weight.
I had wanted to get a smaller chain, but the guy at Home Depot said he didn’t think it would be strong enough. This particular chain is intended to be used with plants.
Chains are ready to go
The third step is to tighten the pipe clamps to fit the flower pots. This perfectly suited part was suggested by one of the employees at Home Depot. I showed him my drawing and explained what I was trying to do, and he simply said “Follow me,” and led me to the plumbing section. He then introduced me to the pipe clamp and explained how I could adjust the size of the circle with a screw driver.
Adjusting the pipe clamps
Turning this screw changes the circumference of the clamp
The fourth step is to attach the pipe clamps to the hanging chains. You first will need to determine how far apart you want your flower pots to hang. Then use pliers to pry open the designated chain links just big enough to slide in the pipe clamp.
After this step, your neighbors will start wondering what sort of kinky torture device you are building in your kitchen.
I tried placing the flower pots into the pipe clamps at this point, but a design flaw became immediately apparent. The flower pots inevitably tilted, and the chains slid around to one side of the pipe clamps causing the flower pot to tilt even more to the point that the contents of the flower pot would assuredly end up on the floor. This was a frustrating discovery.
However, I then decided to put on my problem-solving lawyer pants, and added an anti-tilt device. I got out Steve’s magic bucket of odds and ends and found twelve small screws. I then drilled holes into adjacent sides of the rims of the flower pots and inserted the screws. The result were little Shrek-like ears that catch the links of chain above the pipe clamp and prevent the flower pot from tilting.
Steve’s Magic Bucket
Anti-tilt device
Anti-tilt device in action
The final step is to place the flower pots into the pipe clamps. You might have to adjust the size of the clamps the first time you put the flower pots into the rings.
Hanging Window Herb Garden
Now all you need to do is add your herbs! The beauty of this design is the flower pots are easily removed for planting and pruning.
Thyme, mint, chives, rosemary, lavender, dill and basil
Urban Gardening
And that is how you make a hanging window herb garden! If you have any suggestions or other ideas, please share. If you make your own hanging window herb garden, definitely share that too. Here are a few photos of the finished project:
Do You Know The Mushroom Man?
July 28th, 2011 | Rachel
I have a lot of free time on my hands these days, and now that New York City isn’t sizzling from the recent heatwave, I’ve stepped back into the kitchen. The other day I recreated a fantastic cold corn chowder with dill that I had at Butter last week… but its not very French, so it doesn’t belong on this blog.
During the trip to the Columbia University Greenmarket this past Sunday to pick up corn and dill for the soup, I found myself chatting with the Mushroom Man. There are a number of items that are considerably cheaper to purchase at farmers’ markets rather than the grocery store, and mushrooms are one of them. You also oftentimes get the added bonus of speaking to someone who is directly involved in the creation of your produce.
Feeling adventurous, I told the Mushroom Man that I usually purchase crimini mushrooms (also known as button mushrooms), but I was in the mood for something new. He asked what I was planning on making with the mushrooms, and I said either a sauce or a soup (actually I had no idea what I was going to make but those were the first things to pop into my head when he asked). Then the Mushroom Man, with a twinkle in his eye, handed me one of the long, narrow mushrooms pictured above and told me to give it a sniff. This was a piopinni mushroom, he said, and had a strong flavor perfect for soups and sauces. It smelled wonderful. He then lovingly selected a small pile of piopinni mushrooms for me, put them in a paper back, and told me to report back. The grand total was $3.50.
I thought about these mushrooms for several days, trying to choose a worthy dish to make. I entered the grocery store this evening with a plan to poach a fish in white wine and serve it with a mushroom sauce. Then I passed the rice aisle and had a flash of genius. Of course! Risotto!
Risotto is one of my favorite non-Southern comfort foods, and yet I had never made it before. I whipped out the All-Recipes app on my iPhone and was soon schlepping two bags of groceries, in addition to the two bags of organic potting mix and window-hanging-herb-garden supplies from Home Depot, up the hill to my apartment.
Julia Child actually has a recipe for mushroom risotto, but she bakes hers and I wanted to stick to the traditional stove top method for my first attempt. Sorry, Julia. You can find the recipe I used here.
Apparently you are supposed to use Arborio rice for maximum risotto plumpness, but I only had the options of long grain, super long grain, or sushi rice. I went with the sushi rice, and the result was fantastic.
Chopped Piopinni Mushrooms
Onions, Garlic, Celery, Mushrooms, Milk, Cream
Homemade vegetable stock simmering in the back
Last step: mix in Parmesan cheese
Mushroom Risotto
Making risotto is actually very simple. It takes a little patience to slowly mix in the liquid to achieve the right consistency, but the dish is otherwise very forgiving. I’m already excited about the butternut squash risotto I am going to make this fall.
