Whats the saying…Finding something, or someone, when you least expect it… Or, one mans garbage is anothers treasure? I don’t know, what I do know is that the Tea Fire left me with the greatest treasure of all…
I have interviewed more people in this town for jobs then I could possibly count. I had given up long ago on finding “the perfect employee” and had begun to search for someone who just knew the definition of “commercial kitchen” and “industrial mixer” and the importance of using a timer, thinking that was at least enough to get them started. Then Monk came in and changed everything.
The night of the Tea Fire was the Cafe’s grand opening party. We wondered why there were so few people in attendance until we got a call that the entire mountain was on fire, the mountain that my house sat in the middle of. When I got the call from my panicked mother trying to locate me and my kids, I actually thought she was exaggerating about how big the fire was, until I saw it blazing across the hills.
It sounds so cliche and almost ridiculous but I really do feel changed as a result of the Tea Fire. Being in the middle of it all had such an effect on me, I still think about it and its effects almost daily. It allowed me to let go of so many things in my life I had held on to that no longer mattered. And it taught me to stop being afraid to hold onto what does matter…
As I watched the nightly news from my parents couch the night of the fire, I saw my house flash on the screen, next door my neighbors house completely engulfed in flames, a firetruck was parked in my driveway, my back yard was on fire, everything I owned was inside those walls except the Crushcakes uniform I was currently wearing, and my brain was reeling. What am I going to do? The news repeatedly reported that the fire was quickly moving down the mountain, threatening downtown Santa Barbara as well. What if in one night I lost my house and my dream business? Then promptly at 12:01am, the news shut off. I changed the channel hurriedly thinking that there must be more news on another channel. None. It was done for the night.
I crawled into my make-shift bed on the floor after tucking in my four kids, among 2 other families from my neighborhood that were also staying at my parents house, wondering if my home was currently burning down. If all I had left in this world was my tie dyed Crushcakes tee shirt and red velvet stained tennis shoes, then so be it, I was alive, my kids were safe and my family was all here together.
I had every intention of returning to work the next day. Until I woke up to 4 families all camped out in one living room after a night spent on couches, floors and futons, all wondering the same thing I was, is there anything left? I knew I could not go to work, I could not leave my kids for even a moment until things stabilized. For three more days we stayed with my parents, never venturing out except to break into my partially damaged house for clothing and to get groceries. Finally, on Monday, I returned to work and to the real world.
One of the first orders of business was finding another baker. It was getting closer to the holidays, and despite the crappy economy and half of Montecito burning down, Christmas was going to come and we needed to be ready. My very first interview was with one of the shyest boys I have ever met. I hardly got any words out of him, and that is saying a lot, as I can usually get people spilling their inner most secrets to me. I did get that he lost his job as a result of the fire. He used to bake for the monks, he told me.
What monks?
The monks that lived near the fire, their monastery burnt down. They left Santa Barbara. Now I need a job.
I think I may have heard something about that… “What did you bake for them?” I asked.
“Bread.”
“From scratch?”
“Yes.” Dark hair falling into his face, nearly black eyes looking curiously at me, there was a sweetness and energy I liked. “Ok, lets give you a try. When can you start?”
Monk started out just as quietly as in his interview. He came to work each day, did his job well, then left. No complaints, no questions, no comments. If you asked him anything, it was usually the bare minimum you got back. “yes” or “no” or “I am done, is it alright if I go now?” After the holidays I told him I was giving him a raise. I told him what a great job he was doing and how he really saved us through the holidays.
“You don’t have to give me a raise.” He said, “You saved me, I really needed a job.” He got the raise.
Then one day in early February, as I watched my chef walk out the door on her last day, she turned just long enough to tell me, “By the way, Monk knows how to make soup.” What??? “Yeah, he can make your soup, he knows how.” And with that, she was gone. We had actually been trying to figure out who was going to fill her very big shoes in the homemade soup making position, so why had this been kept a secret for so long? Monk knows how to make soup? I thought he only baked?
The next day I inquired. “So I hear you know how to make soup?” I asked him. “Yeah”. He said. “Can you make soup here for me every day?” “Sure, what do you like?” And we talked. A whole conversation with him about my favorite soups, what I love and what I don’t. What he could do and what was realistic given our kitchen constraints. I told him the world was his, tell me what you want to make, what ingredients you want, and as long as I could afford it, we would do it.
Since then he has made portabella mushroom soup, shrimp bisque, carrot ginger, pumpkin, chicken and vegetable, chicken corn chowder, tomato bisque, spicy black bean, potato leek, baked potato with smoked bacon, split pea with ham, lentil bean, and the list goes on. But his 2 specialties are the ones that no name give them justice. We often joke we are just going to call them “creamy amazing deliciousness” and let the customers figure them out. One of them is a creamy basil and mushroom soup we call Italian Mushroom and the other, well the first time I asked him what it was, he called it cream of celery. I actually grimaced. Then I tried it. Creamy Amazing Deliciousness!
Once I realized he could make soup, I began asking him to make other things as well. Can you make homemade granola? Why yes, and the next day a bowl of crunchy goodness was placed in front of me. Can you make skillet potatoes? How about Vanilla Cinnamon Pancakes? How about homemade refried black beans? Yes! Yes! And yes! And every time it just gets better and better. Just today I asked him, “Can you make frosting bombs?” “Whats that?”, he asked. Just this little idea I had which is a twist on a frosting shot. Like a scoop of frosting covered in chocolate sprinkles or other toppings. Kinda like a truffle but with frosting.
Yes, I think I can do that, Monk says. Just a couple hours later, a tray of 12 assorted frosting bombs are placed before me, white chocolate covered strawberry frosting, cookies and cream surrounded by oreo crumbs, dark chocolate rolled in chocolate sprinkles, peanut butter frosting dipped in chocolate and peanuts. Each more amazing then the next!
And now he talks. He smiles. He laughs. He bets with his fellow employees about whose special will sell more. He flirts with the front girls. And everyone at Crushcakes and the Cafe adores him. I am not sure if he knows how much we all love him. I am not sure if he has any idea how talented and amazing he is. I just know how incredibly fortunate we are to have found him and how lucky my customers are each day as he presents new creations for us all to try.
Good things can come from disasters. I have lost boxes and boxes of personal belongings, I will never be able to smell wood burning without my stomach turning, and the wind sends chills up my spine, but I like who I am so much better because of it. But most of all, I love what the monks left behind…
peace.love.food.
SL
An entire store devoted to lovely and delicious cupcakes invokes such different reactions in people. Some people walk in and say in complete disbelief, as if they have never heard of such madness, “What, only cupcakes in here?” We just send them on up the ramp to the cafe for a huge variety of scratch made items. Others walk in and know exactly what they want, order and go on their happy way with their bakery box bouncing in their hands.
Others still, walk the length of our display case scanning each tray of cupcakes, then walk back again and say, very pointedly, “Are these the only flavors you have???” Seriously people?!? Here at Crushcakes we offer about 13 different flavors of cupcakes each and every day. They range from red velvet with our signature sour cream frosting to strawberry cake with strawberry frosting to coconut cake with coconut cream frosting to mocha to dark chocolate to fresh lemon drop to vanilla bean to cookies and cream. We even usually have a different Vegan variety every day. We have a box hidden behind the counter that has in it a card for every special we have ever done over the past year. The variety is really quite remarkable and there are easily over 100 cards in it. We have done such cupcakes as the elvis, fresh lime margarita, raspberry kir royale, bananas foster, ding dong, mint chip, white chocolate, trick or treat, ginger bread, peppermint, egg nog, cosmopolitan, orange creamsicle, irish car bomb, blueberry cheesecake, carrot cake, mojito, cherry sundae, pina colada, peaches and cream, abba zabba, snickers, mud pie, strawberry lemonade, and the flap jack with a piece of bacon on top. And this is just a fraction of what we have done. So unless someone is asking me, “Is this all you have?” and its not 5:30 at night and we are down to our last 3 flavors, I am not really sure how to respond. What I would really love to say is, “What more could you possible want??” Or just fling a cupcake in their face, no just kidding, we would never think of doing that….
But my favorite customer is the cupcake coma customer. The customer that just stands there…standing and staring…staring and standing. Not sure what to get and completely overwhelmed by the flavor options. Not sure what all the little signs mean. Looking from the cupcakes to the big menu on the wall and then back to the cupcakes. Trying to make sense of it all. You try to ask them if they are ready to order and they can’t even answer. They are hypnotized by cupcakes. You keep coming back to them asking them if they are ready yet and they just shake their head. Someone has given them the duty to come here and buy 1 dozen cupcakes for the big party. It is a huge responsibility and they can’t mess it up. Finally, they signal to you that they are finally ready to order and they tell you they want a dozen chocolate. 15 minutes for that?
“Don’t you want to mix it up a little, try a little of everything?” “No”, they respond, “I dont want people fighting over cupcakes.” I can tell you first hand, because I take cupcakes to every event I go to, doesn’t matter if its a party or a doctors appointment, cupcakes can make the even the meanest person in your life smile. And people want variety. They know how to share. Hell, I have seen 1 cupcake cut into 10 pieces. They figure it out.
So I always try again and offer some of our more popular flavors, “Are you sure you dont want to try our signature crushcake, the red velvet, or some vanilla bean? How about some fresh strawberry or lemon drop?” “Oh ok, how about half a box of chocolate and half a box of vanilla.” Well, there you go. I did what I could.
I used to get really stressed out about these customers, wanting them to try everything, adventuring out of their little box. Then I realized, its ok, everyone loves a chocolate cupcake. Hey its the first one I grab when I’m getting a craving!
peace.love.food.
SL
So I grew up behind the counter of a restaurant. My father has owned and/or managed restaurants my whole life. We would regularly find 20 pound turkey breasts or huge blocks of butter or cases of tomatoes or gallons of salad dressing in the middle of my refridgerator at home. “Other kids in the neighborhood get normal food from grocery stores” I would protest to my parents. “Well, they are not as lucky as you are they?” My mother would say.
Of all the restaurants my dad owned my favorite was the Jail House. It was this cool little restaurant on Ventura Boulevard that my dad opened and operated when I was 9 years old. It had this long counter that ran the length of the restaurant with puffy brownish gold chairs that swiveled around and around when you sat in them. I loved standing behind the counter pretending I owned the place. All the cool little ramikens and containers filled with sauces and jellies and dressings. I would make my own little concoctions then pretend to serve the customers mixures of honey, ranch dressing and barbeque sauce with their french fries (actually sounds pretty good huh?). He had something on the menu that was so good I still think about it today and he named it after himself. It was the Fat Albert, a huge grilled all beef hot dog, split down the middle, on a fresh bun, covered with homemade chili, cheese and onions. Oh, still sounds so good and yet so bad!
Its my dad that gave me the love for food and the understanding of the hard work and the long hours it takes to run a restaurant. There were times I did not see my dad at all for days and days. It got to the point that my friends did not even believe I had a dad. One time I had a sleep over and knowing that 6am was the only time my dad was actually still in the house, I brought my friend into his room, jumped on the bed and shouted, “See, I do have a dad!!!”
I thought my dad would be so thrilled and proud when I was 22 and told him that I wanted to open my own restaurant. ”Why would you want to do that??” He said. “Don’t you remember the long hours, the stress of dealing with different vendors, paying bills on time, constantly breaking equipment, employee issues, and on top of all that, there is no money in the restaurant business! Go work in an office, that will be better for you.” No way!
So, maybe in protest to my dad while trying to prove him wrong, I opened Bitterman’s Deli. It was a thrill from day one. I got to meet Jerry Seinfeld, was on CNN nationwide when Seinfeld was going to sue me, won an Elaine look alike contest, and was busy! We actually made a go of it! Yes, my dad was right, paying the bills was challenging, an employee broke in once and took all of our cash, I worked 6 to 7 days a week, and we had to fix the refridgerators every other month, but I loved it!
After having 2 sets of twins, I did end up selling Bittermans and took an office job. I worked in a cubicle while finishing my masters degree at night, all the time dying a little bit inside, secretly missing the restaurant business. A little jealous of those who were still doing it. Watching my dad make a success of Giovannis and now able to enjoy it by traveling to places he had always dreamed of. Now, several years later, with Crushcakes and the Cafe, I am living my secret dream amd running a business I hope to be a part of the rest of my life. And perfectly happy with the crazy employees that come through here each and every day, it makes my life that much more interesting! And gives me that many more stories to tell…
peace.love.food.
SL
Interviewing candidates for a job here is always entertaining. The people who come in looking for a job from a craigslist want ad are the most interesting, diverse group of people. From 65 years old to 15 years, women, men, professionals, stay at home moms, retired-out-of-work lawyers, just-laid-off salespeople, hippies, homeless, models, drug dealers, cult members, gang members, top chefs, and culinary students, you name it, they have been here looking for a job.
Here is how a typical interview for a baker goes:
SL – Why do you want to work here at Crushcakes?
Candidate – Because I love cupcakes!!!
SL – Have you ever cooked in a commercial kitchen before?
Candidate – A what?
SL – A kitchen in a restaurant or hotel?
Candidate – No but I cook at home all the time, isn’t that the same?
Do I really have to answer that??? Interview over.
I love this one, I actually hired a girl who said yes, that she had worked in a commercial kitchen before and seemed to have several years experience on her resume. On her first day, she asked 2 questions that made me realize 1) either this previous restaurant she worked at was in someones house or 2) the people there were not all that smart and 3) I really need to check references better! While she was making the batter for the cupcakes she asked us the difference between a teaspoon and a tablespoon? Later, as she was going to put the cupcakes in the oven, she stood silently staring at the oven for several minutes before calling out, “how do you open this thing??” That was her first and last day.
A typical interview with a cashier:
SL – Why do you want to work here at Crushcakes or the Cafe?
Candidate – Because I love cupcakes and I love the relaxed atmosphere here!
SL – How do you handle a stressful situation?
Candidate – Well, I try not to freak out myself because that usually doesn’t help. (You think???)
SL – What does customer service mean to you?
Candidate – Serving the customer.
SL – Anything else?
Candidate – What else is there?
If you dont know we don’t want you…
One time I hired a girl as a barista for the cafe, who again, had what looked like years of experience on her resume. After the first day and several coffee drinks returned from guests telling me they tasted wrong, bad, off, etc, I finally asked her, have you actually tasted these drinks you make? She said no, never. I was astounded. Why, I asked? It is very important to taste what you sell. I am a vegan, she replied, I have never in my life had a coffee drink with milk in it. What?? Thats like a vegetarian butcher, it just doesnt work. Again, first and last day for her.
I have resorted to warning people up front, before they even accept the job. Here is my typical pre-hire lecture:
SL – I just want to let you know that this job can get stressful from time to time. Customers will not have a problem yelling at you and making you feel like you are the nasty bugger they just flicked away if you screw up their cupcake order. They will, and they have, made my employees cry just because the frosting is piped on rather then hand spread or we used the wrong color sprinkles or the shade of Tiffany blue frosting was not just right or you boxed them too tightly or you spelled their princess daughter’s name wrong or you seal the box before they can see the cupcakes or you got some of the flavors wrong or you made regular sizecupcakes instead of minis. They will yell at you until you are willing to give them every cupcake we have left in the store for free to make up for your error. It will be as if you just murdered their first born child if you get their cupcakes wrong. Can you work under those conditions?
This is always followed by a look of, “Are you serious or just pulling my leg right now?” No, I’m dead serious.
So next time you see that crushcakes want ad, you have been duly warned…but you do get to eat free cupcakes!!! Maybe that makes it all worth while!?!
peace.love.food.
SL
Anyone who has ever worked at a restaurant can tell you about their restaurant dreams, the dreams that wake you up in the middle of the night thinking, did I bring that customer the cream for his coffee? What about the extra napkins for the table out on the patio? There is something about working at a restaurant that causes more stress and pressure within such a short period of time, more so then anything else I have ever done. And I have done a lot.
I have worked in Human Resources for a big corporation where I had to lay off and fire people so often they would run when they saw me coming, financial aid for a college answering student questions and most times denying them loans and scholarships, teachers aid in a kindergarten class, Planned Parenthood corporate office during the Bush Administration where the stress of changing laws and loss of funding was creating pandemonium, a restaurant corporate office where I traveled to different stores to give sexual harassment seminars to our restaurant staff, and within more restaurants then I could count. And still, the restaurant jobs takes the cake (or cupcake!!) for the most stressful 1 hour period at any one time. There is something about watching every table in the restaurant fill up with customers and knowing that you are single-handedly responsible for getting them all drinks, food, silverware, napkins, refills on their drinks, ensure that coffee is made, the bathroom is clean, there is plenty of toilet paper and paper towels, water pitchers are full, lemons sliced, plenty of creamer for coffee, sugar caddies full, salt and pepper available, more clean silverware, oh yeah and don’t forget running out the food to the customers, making sure you get it to the right table, the bread is correct on each sandwich, the right side dish on every plate, and it is still hot and looks good by the time it gets there. In the middle of the real lunchtime chaos, you start to think, “I am never going to be able to get through this, there is just too much to do all right now. And our customers are going to start rioting if they don’t get their food soon.” I have read about chefs who have commit suicide over running out of an item in the middle of a lunch or dinner rush. I actually have moments of comprehension…
So the dream always starts with the customers entering into the restaurant, only the restaurant in your dream looks about the size of a football field. And the tables keep filling and filling and all you can do is run from table to table taking the customers orders but you know in the back of your head that you will never be able to get to them all but you keep trying. And, of course, you are all alone. The last time I had this dream, which was just a couple nights ago, I kept thinking about the cell phone in my pocket and wanting to call Jasmine or Alex to come help me but I was so busy I couldn’t even get my phone out of my pocket. Just send a text message to Jasmine, I kept thinking in my dream, tell her to come quick, help me take some of these orders. I run from table to table, which are all about a mile apart, carrying as many drinks that can fit in my hands, stacking plates of food, getting hot and sweaty and panicked that I will never get to all of the customers. Then suddenly I wake up, in my own bed, so relieved it was all a dream…but then I realize I actually did forget that guys extra side of dressing he needed yesterday. Darn, hopefully he comes back again and I will make it up to him…
peace.love.food.
SL
My sister Alex is the perpetual traveler. She is 14 years younger then me and has been more places in the world then I have even imagined. Places I didn’t even know existed. She decided to take a break from her adventures and is staying at home in Santa Barbara for a few months. She is currently working here at Crushcakes and the Cafe, you may have met her. You may have thought she was my twin, as many here have suggested. Or you may have thought she was my daughter, as others have asked, and I have promptly shunned them. Just kidding, but I did go color my hair quickly after hoping that would help. Its amazing the amount of grays that have sprung since Feb. 2008!
With 14 years between us, I discovered I really did not know my sister that well until now. Working with someone really tells you a lot about them. Like how often she sits on ebay, for example, looking at boots while she is supposed to be working. Or constantly looking through her calendar at all of the dates of upcoming events, parties appointments, etc. and trying to keep them all organized. How is a 20-something to do it all??? But I have discovered how much we are alike too. She works hard and cares about this business and our customers. She is hilarious and can make us all laugh all day long, even while we are completely slammed, in the weeds and the poop has hit the fan. While every table is full, we are waiting on what feels like 100s of sandwiches and salads from the kitchen, we just discovered that we are out of fresh squeezed lemonade and have to run back and make more because 3 people are waiting for it, the receipt printer is not working right and customers are giving us the evil eye because they need to eat before they get back to their boring desk job but at least they have this amazing sandwich to get them through the day. Alex can crack a joke during it all and somehow we can make it through no problem.
Alex is also great with the animals…yes, I mean animals, not the kids that are constantly climbing our walls. We have a regular customer she has named Leonard, only Leonard is a pigoen. The first time I saw Leonard struting through our dining room, I shooed him away, yelling at him to never return. The next day he showed up again, same time, just strolling up our handicap ramp as if he owned the place. Again, I ran after him, storming down the ramp like a crazy lunatic.
The next day he returned again, only this time he stayed just outside our front door, pecking away at cupcake crumbs, daring me to run after him again. Alex then shouted behind me, “Yay! There’s Leonard!” And each day, Leonard continues to come visit us, pecking away outstide our doors looking for more crumbs the kids have left behind on the patio. Yep, I guess even the pigoens love our cupcakes, but then again, who doesn’t?!
peace.love.food.
SL
When I first opened Crushcakes I had this grand notion of “the girls of crushcakes”, cheerful girls behind the counter wearing cute crushcakes tee shirts, handing out cupcakes to happy, smiling customers. Then reality hit. We were so busy for the first three months, I could hardly breathe. I lost 20 pounds and developed an eye tick. The mass mayhem continued and the cute girsl in tight tee shirts quickly became hot sweaty girls with frosting and flour all over them, practically throwing cupcakes in bakery boxes as fast as they could for overly eager and excited customers.
However, my idea of Crushcakes girls did not die that easily… We still talk of Crushcakes Calenders, girls laying on our prep tables with frosting in just the right places or falling into a bin of powdered sugar or bending over mixers scooping batter, you know, you get the picture. But that never really happened, and probably rightfully so, as not so appropriate for a family cupcakery! 
It is worth noting however, the very intersting group of crushcakes girls (and a few boys) who have worked here throughout our first year in business, and have made their mark in one way or another.
As I have mentioned in the past, we desperatly needed warm bodies in the beginning. Just scoop batter into the paper cups, you can do it!! Appearently it was harder to do then I thought. Some mornings I would come in and batter would be everywhere, floors, walls, sinks, faces…Luckily we have been able to get much more selective over time and now have quite an amazing staff. That being said, the girls who just “love cupcakes soooooooo much” really make much more interesting stories!
“Susan” was our head baker for the first 6 months in business. She could make a really delicious cupcake and always had unique and new ideas for our specials. She was not, however, very good at managing a group of crazy girls, especially at 6am. One morning I came in to find out Susan and another baker had gotten into a screaming fight where the other baker told Susan to F-off and she hated her so F”ing much she never wanted to see her F’ing face ever again(insert real F word) and then stormed out. Another time I came in to see Susan and our baker/porn star Melanie, out in front of Crushcakes, on the street, playing “cupcake baseball”. This is a fun game developed by Susan and Melanie whereby day old cupcakes would be flung across the street after being hit by brooms, lucky to miss passing cars or pedestrians. On yet another occasion, Susan and Melanie decided it would be fun to play smash-cupcakes-in-each-other-faces in the middle of the kitchen with an entire staff watching in awe and silence, not sure if we should encourage it or try to stop it. After each of them had about a dozen cupcakes plastered in each others hair, clothes and faces I decided to step in, and like I do with my 7 year old twins, pulled them apart, sending them each to a corner to cool down.
Melanie was a very interesting girl as well. The day I hired her, I actually watched her skip away down the street. We later found out she was a model for porn comic strips. Tattoos adorned her arms and many other hidden places, piercings lined her nose and lips, short, tight fitting clothes under her chef whites…the skipping may have been the inner child tucked far far away. One of the first boys I hired was Melanie’s recommendation. Even after denying on multiple occasions that they were anything but friends, we found out they were sleeping together only after she had already crushed him for another guy. Leaving him to follow her around each and every morning, completely unable to concentrate on anything but Melanies face and body, I finally let him out of his misery and told him we no longer needed his services.
And here the Official List of the Most-Interesting-Crushcakes-Short-Timers so far…
Talky Talky Hairlip Adrienne (Susan nearly killed her on multiple occations just for saying “i love frosting sooo much” about 100 times each shift while smacking her lips. Is that where all the frosting went???)
Flaming Carlos (Lasted one day because we caught him sneaking his boyfriend into the kitchen on his first day, showing him how he looked covered in powdered sugar)
Gang Member Girl (on her second day she mistook salt for sugar and tried to dump an entire batch of red velvet without me knowing, only to have forgotten that she did not properly tie the garbage bag and a trail of red velvet followed her all the way out into the dump)
2 Cute Girls from Big Sur (the 2 cutest girls you have ever seen, in fact so cute that when they first came in to apply for the jobs of cashiers, I didnt think I could handle their cupcake excitement. They were the sweetest, kindest, girls, greatest customer service and would do anything you asked with a smile. Turned out they were stealing me blind, swiping fistfuls of money out of my register each day to support their coke habit.)
Happy Harry (offered to bake me marijuana cupcakes on his first day, then quit soon after after realizing 1) that I was his boss, 2) it woud be illegal to sell marijuana cupcakes and 3) I would probably report him and/or fire him if he didnt quit)
Gang members 1 & 2 (#1 was actively trying to get out, #2 was actively still in it. #1 got a large tattoo of his girlfriends name across his entire chest shortly after taking his job here and had no problem taking his shirt off to show it to us whenever he could. His girlfriend broke up with him about 1 week after he got the tattoo. #2 got jumped a couple weeks into his employement here and showed up one last time only to retrieve his paycheck looking like he had been dragged here tied to the back of a car)
But the best of the best was “The Sallys”. We have had 3 of them and all so different…
Sally #1 could make a mean cupcake but she had a mental breakdown a couple weeks into the job telling me it was far too much pressure frosting cupcakes.
Sally #2 we later found out was homeless and was eating only the scraps of cupcakes we had left over each day. She just disappeared one day…
Sally #3 is a story all her own I will save for later. Lets just say she loved almond extract entirely too much…
The greatest thing about the restaurant business is that with each passing day, there are always more stories, always more adventures. You never know who is going to walk in these doors and make life interesting, even just for that day.
peace.love.food
SL
Believe me, I don’t want to encourage you to go out and read our bad press, but its there, and its always the same thing. Dry cupcakes. So now I have my own blog, and darn it, I finally get a chance to defend myself! So lovers of cupcakes and food, here I go, you are just going to have to bare with me.
If I had one goal when I opened Crushcakes, it was to bake the best cupcakes possible. Now of course, we all have our different opinions of what makes a great cupcake. Some like bright colors, hot pink, purples and blues for example. Others like gigantic, cupcake-on-steroids-cupcakes. Some think a cupcake is only a cupcake if the frosting is piped from a bag, others think that is “too grocery storeish” and demand hand-spread frosting. For me, its all about whats inside that counts.
Since day one, I preached and preached that I would only use the best ingredients at Crushcakes. No oils! No shortening!! Nothing artificial!!! And to this day, I have been able to stand by those statements. The problem comes when someone is used to eating that “grocery store cupcake”, which is filled with such items as high fructose corn syrup, modified corn starch, artificial colors, artificial flavors, guar gum, carrageenan, cellulose gum, potassium sorbate, etc, etc. That is taste they have come to expect in their cupcake. Our cupcakes are not like that.
Crushcakes are filled with items you have actually heard of and don’t have to use google to discover what they are. Items such as real unsalted butter, whole fresh eggs, cold milk right from a jug, Belgian chocolate pieces, vanilla bean paste, strawberries and fresh squeezed lemon juice. We actually own a chinois here so that we can get only the best from our raspberries. Does anyone in the Vons bakery know what a chinois is? So with all the energy and love I put into these cupcakes every day, it kills me to read a review such as, “cupcakes are dry…”
Every time I hear this, I run straight over to the cupcake in question and dive right in. Then I make all of my employees try one too (yeah, its tough working here, a place where your boss makes you eat cupcakes!). Most of the time we all agree that its wonderful, amazing, the best cupcake ever created!!! But there are times, I will admit, they may be a little dry. But you have to cut me some slack people, these are not cookie cutter cupcakes. These little babies are made from scratch by humans each and every day. And anyone who had ever made a scratch made cake or cupcake, I mean sifted your own flour like we do each morning, melt your own chocolates, go to the farthest regions for the best vanilla, you know, its hard. Its a science. We have thrown away entire batters if just one thing is off. A little too much salt…there is no fixing it. Ovens and the heat they put out can vary, weather has an effect, and people have an effect. Timer went off and then got ignored one minute too long. It happens.
So lover of cupcakes, I feel your pain, but remember, I will stick to my mantra and you will always get the best cupcakes here. But if you happen to be the one stuck with the dry cupcake that day, come back again, we will take care of you. That’s what we do…
love.peace.food.
SL
We should have installed cameras in our kitchen from the beginning…you would have witnessed the best reality tv ever!
So here is the first episode of the crush kitchen reality blog…
Scene is set… restaurant kitchen, shiny new refridgerators, wall of convection ovens, stainless steel prep tables, sinks begging for suds, 3 cherry red kitchen aid mixers and shelves sagging with bags of flour and sugars and boxes of Belgian chocolates, sprinkles and a rainbow of toppings. Everything brand new, everything spotless, and equipment that hadn’t even been touched yet. Hours later all hell has broken loose. A layer of flour coats walls, tables, floor and has begun to float into the dining room, now creating a look as if snow has fallen all over our cupcake display case. The 2 bakers I have on staff are sweating profusely, faces red and anxious, hair that started out the morning in tight buns now escaping and flying wildly about their heads. Their once white aprons are now splattered with red velvet batter so that they look more like butchers then bakers.
It is February 2, 2008, our first day open at Crushcakes, and we can’t keep up with the customers demand. Its a really good problem to have, but looks like I will need more then 2 bakers, and definitely more then 3 Kitchen Aid counter top mixers! Especially with Valentines Day just around the corner. I began a recruiting campaign immediately, searching for bakers with restaurant experience. After a day or 2 of looking, the candidates who “just love cupcakes so much and enjoy baking them at home every chance I get!” were looking better and better. If they had ever frosted a cupcake, a cake, or even a cookie, they were hired. After 5 days of cupcake craziness, warm bodies with 2 legs and 2 working arms were hired. We even hired one baker we dubbed “fingerless”, I am sure you can guess why.
The Saturday before Valentines Day, we had a line out the door, I was in the kitchen checking on things, my girlfriend was sitting at a table out front, Jasmine, our manager, was boxing cupcakes for customers, when suddenly everything went into slow motion. I looked up in time to see a very tall, red headed woman walking in through the front door, followed closely by my one of two bakers that actually knew something more about baking then just, “I love cupcakes!!!” Red head walks right back behind the front counter, passing protesting employees, straight towards me in the kitchen. This woman stood about 2 feet taller then me, looking over me with a look of disgust and anger. What could I have possible have done already, we have been open less then a week!?!
“My daughter has been working too hard here!” She shouted at me, pointing her finger in my face. “It is not working out anymore!” Meanwhile, behind mom, daughter was hiding, refusing to show her face to me.
“Well, I am sure we can find a schedule that will work out better for her.” I reply calmly.
“No, you don’t understand, its not working out anymore!” Mom said, and with that, daughter turned away and began to collect her things from her locker. Its now beginning to dawn on me, mom is quitting for her daughter. What, isn’t she too old for this?? Even at my first job at the doughnut shop when I was 15, I was able to quit on my own when the time came.
I just stood there, watching in confusion as daughter returned with her things, now with a smile on her face. The kitchen, the front staff, and all of the customers seemed to stand still and watch as my now-ex-employee walked out the front door, quickly following in her mothers footsteps, never to be seen here again at Crushcakes.
This was the first of many unique-to-crushcakes events. Keeps life fun and interesting, thats for sure!
Episode 2 – coming soon…
peace.love.food.
SL
We get the most interesting customers coming in here to crushcakes and the cafe. I could tell you stories…and I probably will in time. But I would have to say that the cafe really, truly draws a slice of life everyday.
I have the great pleasure of opening the cafe most mornings. I love this time of day, as I get to wake up with the best coffee ever (yes, thats a plug for Intelligentsia, as we are the ONLY ones who serve it here in SB), I get to smell the amazing scents of freshly made muffins, cinnamon rolls, scones, cupcakes, quiche, etc etc and even better, I get to eat them all whenever I want. And I get to meet such cool people, many whom have become great regular customers.
One morning last week, I had one of these mornings, but the group of people who came in during just a 1 hour time span were all so different but also kind of the same, just trying to make it through life day to day. I had to step back and take a moment to really appreciate and acknowledge the truly amazing place I live and work everyday. These are the kind of people I love to surround myself with.
So, the first customer was a very interesting older gentleman who had that look which said he was either very rich and a little eccentric or homeless. You know what I mean. His clothes were just thrown on and a little ill fitting and maybe not quite buttoned correctly, scruffy face, graying hair, but upon closer inspection, clothes impeccably clean and very nice quality. And expensive shoes. He ordered his food then sat down directly across from me and seemed to want to chat. I am always up for chatting, especially with new customers I have never met. I love to hear peoples stories and he wanted to share. He shared with me some of his life experiences, many of them food related, which I always love. Food he has had from all over the world. His favorite restaurants and restaurants he hated and why. I could sit and talk food all day long! I am crazy that way, I’m one of those people who goes to bed thinking about all the meals I am going to eat the next day and maybe the next week too.
The next person who came in was a younger looking guy, maybe late 20’s, who has been coming in for quite some time and loves our Mayan Mocha (another little plug, this is REALLY good if you love cinnamon, vanilla, almond and rich chocolate with a shot of espresso. Delicioso!). He and his wife are absolutly beautiful, like stunning to look at and the kindest, sweetest people you have ever met. And they have a beautiful baby daughter. Her name is Gwendolyn and she has SMA, a degenerative and terminal disease that has no treatment or cure and really needs more attention. You would never know, as they stroll beautiful Gwendolyn in each day with smiles on their faces and such a positive outlook on life, that they are dealing with something so traumatic each and every day of their lives. They know what really matters in life.
The next person who enters is a man, maybe mid 40s, who comes in everyday for his regular cup of coffee. He tells me he has found the best with our coffee and can go no where else ( I know what he means!). But today he is standing in line in full army gear. Not army gear that has been recently bought at some army surplus store, but a uniform that has been clearly worn for years, scuff marks, dirt, maybe a little blood? I am shocked and surprised when I ask, “Are you in the military???” And he calmly replies, “Yes, I am here for my last cup of coffee, I am heading off to Iraq.” What??? I want to hold him back and shout, “No, you cant go!” He explains that this is his last tour in Iraq and hopes to do good, build schools and safe places for kids and families. I tell him he has to take some hot food with him, on me. Maybe a fried egg sandwich? Breakfast burrito? No, he says, just coffee. I shove a hot cinnamon roll in his hands, tell him he must come visit the minute he gets back.
This is what I live for, this is why I do what I do. Sometimes I work 6 or 7 days a week, mostly 10 to 12 hours a day. I am passionate about food and cooking the best we can here. But mostly, I just love the energy the people bring. People are happy to be here. To have someone else to cook for them and take care of them. It feels good and I love doing it…meeting people you would never otherwise meet in life and sharing a part of each others stories. It makes it all worth while…
peace.love.food.
SL