Gillis Cake

WOW - it's been a little while! Much has happened along the way. I'm still going slowly and trying to create this business without going into debt. The website is still "under construction" as I create new items and get pictures of them the site will evolve. The hardest part is deciding which of the many recipes I've worked on over the years to use! SOOO many choices and so many changes made to each.


One of the things that I like best about this business is helping people. Through the group I run with (Runner's in Touch) we work with several charities. One is the Gillis House here in KC. Part of what we do is to give students a cake for their birthday. For many of them it's the first time they have ever been given a cake or had their birthday recognised at all. The cake I take is the "Oreo Cake" - the original idea was long ago developed by a chef I had worked with. I have lost his original but have kept the idea. It's a 2-layer chocolate fudge cake with a creamy-oreo center with ganache spilling over the edges.

"Gillis" or Oreo Cake

This cake can be made in a variety of sizes and shapes (round, sqaure, rectangle, heart, etc) The one pictured is a 10"x10" sq cake - it's a great size for an office or family gathering! Everything (except the oreo's) is natural and/or organic. Let me know when you are ready for your own!


Believe!
Bobbi

Having Fun!

Sooo What's the best part about starting a bakery? Why dessert of course! I love baking but I especially  LOVE baking desserts. And who doesn't love eating dessert?

Cheesecake is probably my favorite... no Cheesecake IS my favorite so it's the one I have the most fun with. Lemon Pudding cheesecake (pictured) was a whim.  Sometimes as I am baking - I start with an idea and as I am making it the idea changes - grows - develops into an entire new idea. This cheesecake was just that. I had been talking about Key Lime Pie to someone and had no Key Limes but I did have a bunch of lemons!

Lemon Pudding Cheesecake
Lemon curd with fresh whipped cream topping

Last weekend was a Red Velvet Cheesecake... unfortunately I didn't get a picture of it. At Christmas my mom had a Red Velvet "cheesecake" that my aunt picked up somewhere. The idea of this excited me. But when we opened the box the cheesecake was really a Red Velvet cake with a layer of vanilla cheesecake on top. After making a couple orders for red velvet cupcakes and cakes, I kept the idea of the cheesecake in my head. On Father's Day, I took the plunge and used the principles of a red velvet cake and applied it to the cheesecake... buttermilk, cocoa, vinegar and red dye. I topped the whole thing off with white chocolate buttercream! And although I wasn't thrilled about using a gel dye it was beautiful! Oh how I wish I would have gotten a picture!

Unfortunately I get ideas for cheesecakes faster than I can bake them and since we don't have a storefront yet I need to find a way to "share" them so I don't eat the whole thing! It also makes it hard for me to narrow down the list of selections to put on a menu.... so many cheesecakes...

I'll work on getting pictures of goodies as I make them.
Happy Baking!
Bobbi

Gettin' Things Done

School is finally out. I always spend the first week on all the miscellaneous but necessary health appointments - physical, dental, eye, etc. Once that is over I begin summer. So now it's time to get the ret of this business rolling!

I drove around the other day looking at property. Mostly it's wishful thinking right now (unless you want to be an investor!) What it did for though, was get me to really think about what kind of service I want to provide and how much space I will need to do that. I'd like enough room that you can stay and have coffe while enjoying your muffins and scones in an atmosphere that's friendly enought to hang out with your friends or you can treat a client to coffee and dessert after dinner somewhere. With that in mind, I also want those of you who are in a hurry to be able to get in and out quickly with your yummies!

But for now, I am working on nailing down the menu and setting prices. I won't apologize for prices. I make everything natural and organic when it's possible - some things just aren't. You want Chiefs colors - the yellow can be natural but the red... not a chance!

I hope the menu will be broad enough for you and your friends to all find favorites but not be overwhelming. I'll start posting that information next week.

The webpage hit a snafu when my husband's computer got sick (it's a virus) and he's been very busy at his day job so my stuff is on the back burner. Oh and my new granddaughter is going to be here sooner than expected so Grandpa has been a little pre-occupied with that! I might just have to get some help from an outside source - know anyone?

Believe,
Bobbi

Moving Along

Decisions, decisions... So many things to think about! A friend offered to send me a copy of his business plan as a place to get started. Just the few questions he asked me made me realize how much I had never thought about. This is going to be a TON of work but I believe it will be worth it!

Currently the bakery is being run out of my home. I would LOVE to have a storefront someday. Bakeries are a "sight and smell" kind of business and you just can't get that from a webpage. However, that takes a pile of cash - estimates are between $150K and $200K to start due to all the equipment. I want to do this as debt free as possible so for now... it's out of my house. The good news for you... I deliver!

Back to decisions... Location: Where to have a bakery once I am at a position to have a storefront. Do I rent something that's brand new? Try to find a location that already has the walkin coolers, etc.? And if I do that, why did that place not make it? Are there other places too close that would be direct competition?

The website is coming along. Mostly the problems are with my decisions. I think I know what I want then when I see what it looks like decide that isn't the best way to communicate what is available. Some day I hope that you will be able to order directly from the site but that's down the road a bit!

The things I'm trying to do now all deal directly with the products themselves. Trying to find a wholesale supplier for the ingredients is proving challenging. I want as many items as possible to be natural and/or organic (preferably both) but I'd also like to work with as many local businesses that I can. Where's the irony in using organic ingredients and have them shipped half way across the country! Unfortunately this makes prices a little higher but I believe it is completely worth it!

Along with organic ingredients, I'd like to use as many natural products as possible for packaging. Again, finding someone local is tough. Also, nothing holds cupcakes and muffins as well as the molded clear plastic clamshell type to-go containers. So there might need to be a little bit of compromising. I want your treats to arrive at your destination looking as good as they did when you bought them.

Other decisions include, which items to make vegan, gluten-free, dairy free, etc. In a store, should coffee/tea, etc be available? How many "savory" items? Where to get pans for baking? What about bulk storage? What to do with items left at the end of the day? So many decisions....but the best part is that they are mine to make! I believe that when the time comes God will help guide me to what will be best for the bakery and the community that it will be part of.

Believe,
Bobbi

In the beginning

Sooo... I finally did it! I've been asked about it so many times. I would toy with the idea and then pass it over. It would come back to me regularly. I'd let it slip in and then out without really thinking about it. What is "it" you ask? I've decided to open a bakery! This blog will be about the trials of starting a new business. You'll learn about my successes and failures... hopefully you will learn FROM them too. And along the way, maybe you'll stop by for a yummy treat!

The name is Celestial Bakery. The tag line... it's Heaven's scent. I started with names that were all about natural and organic products. That was on a Friday. While sitting in Mass on Monday (yes Monday it was Lent) I started thinking about the direction I wanted the bakery to go. I thought about partnerships that would be complimentary. One of which is a store in Lee's Summit, MO called Heavenly Oils and Vinegars. This sent my mind off on another line of thought and then it hit me! "Hey Bobbi...you already have tons of celestial items... moon and star earrings, brooches, wine glasses, coffee/tea mugs... even the rug at the kitchen sink! The name needs to be 'Celestial Bakery' nothing else will do!"

I have been baking goodies for people for years. About 9 years ago I started making the birthday cakes for teacher treat day at the school where I teach. Since that time people have asked me to make cakes for weddings, birthdays, showers, etc. Sooo on March 25, 2011, I decided to take the dive and do it as a business for real! I love baking (almost as much as running). It is a passion - I love creating super yummy "treats" for all occasions. I also love to make bread. Something about kneading the dough and watching come to life as well as the way the house smells while it's baking just can't be beat!

I hope you will enjoy this journey - I look forward to all the experiences that are to come!

Bobbi