I’ve been a bad blogger but a much better baker. I’ve had orders alost every week, but it’s been full tilt boogy with my work schedule. I pack something in every day and it’s turning out to be a very full summer.
So the other evening, I was slouched in a seat on the metro when I was overtaken by a whiff of nostalgia. A smell of food service, the kind of smell that comes from no-slip shoes that have tread the kitchen many times, day in and day out. The feet that walk across the floor when it’s pristine in the morning, half-covered with crumbs during the rush, and sudsy mid-mop at the end of the day. They are decidedly stinky shoes with a layer of grime that is embed in the sole. I still love that smell, though. My parents worked at restaurants when I was little, one a kitchen manager, one a server, both rigorously emptied of energy each day.
I remember visiting them at work, meeting their coworkers, playing flashlight tag during power outages, helping myself to their cheese cakes, crab legs, and whatever else the smörgåsbord of the moment provided. The restaurant regulars and workers were our community of friends and neighbors. When my parents weren’t working, I’d want them to relax, playing server to them at home. I’d scoot a little cart to carry their food or beverages. Maybe it’s that romanticism mingling with manifest destiny that I now find myself a server to support my dreams of full time baking.
I work almost as many hours at Artie’s as I do at the office and I realize that you can’t spend that kind of time in a place for three years and not fall in love with the people. It’s hard not to make them cupcakes… Wednesday afternoon, my last guests were the sweetest middle aged couple I’ve ever met. About 3:30, a smallish man around 60 and his wife sat down at a window near the door and we fell in love. Over the few moments it takes to serve water, a bowl of soup, the crab cakes and a crème brûlée, we fell in love. I was overjoyed and refreshed as they graciously thanked me for every little thing. That’s the sort of people who come, nice people, people who care about how they treat others nd care about how others treat them. The same goes for my coworkers. Since I got back from vacation, the company has been in a huge staff transition since a good number of our servers are going back to school or moving on to other jobs, some firings, and the stress of spreading our talent to the new restaurant opening in September. So this month has been full of hellos and good-byes and it’s made me reflective. I realize, I’m really very proud of the work I do and what it helps me do for myself and my family, and I’m really glad I’ve gotten to work with so many wonderful people.
I always thought what mom and dad and all their coworkers do was beautiful. Every kitchen is a magical place wherethe human touch can create not only fuel for the body, but something that pleases the senses and cravings–something that pleases the mind, too. I’ve always found cooking and cleaning to be a mentally calming activity especially when its full of tension. So, learned behavior, genetics or choice, my love of giving places me close to a kitchen.
Hopefully things will come together and it’ll be a kt kitchen all the time. I’m on the lookout for kitchen shares or rentals and/or getting experience working for a bakery I believe. Next month, I have a counseling session at George Mason and I’m going to DC VegFest on the 11th. In the meantime, check out the new and improved online order form and pick out something special or just write me and say hi!
I have to say, this like many recent posts, is going the long way ’round before we ever get to the cake… Today was Katie Beckman day, aka my 26th birthday. Where am I? Who did I enjoy my birthday with? While I usually spend most Independnce days and birthdays with my immediate family or closest friends; today I was in Georgia with my boyfriend and his family. I got to meet his mom, dad, brother, sister in law, and her two little sisters (flickr album). This is my first time in GA, first time meeting his family, first time meeting a family that lives so far from me.
I’ve spent a little over a year getting to know Lars, and as much as I love him, I knew he was part of a family of good people. Our first night and day of vacation was in Athens, and while I was immeditely drawn to the open and inclusive culture of one of the country’s best college/music towns, I found myself at the edge of my seat with excitement as we drove to his family’s home in suburban Atlanta. As I entered the door, they immediately hugged me hard and made me feel so welcome and so loved. I can’ fully describe how good and how complete each moment has been, but I feel incredibly blessed. I hope for more, but I’m so satisfied for what is now.
We’ve had a wonderful few days, and today, they celebrated my birthday with me. Lars’s mom has been very accommodating to my dietary decisions, and today was no exception. She prepared a gorgeous cake, the oh so decadent Death by Vegan Chocolate cake from The Grit cookbook. Accented with blackberries and served with one of the delicious teas, I was surprised to open a great collection of records to accompany the new record player from Lars.
The evening was punctuated with family stories, music, and delicious food. I can’t believe we leave Wednesday, but I feel like this has been the most relaxing vacation I can remember. Every year feels like I’m more and more me, and I’m lucky to have the company of such wonderful, wonderful people. I hope I remember how much I love them, however long they’re in my life.
I hope as you read this post, maybe you can have some idea of how special it is to love, and then fall in love a little deeper. Please remember, I love you all and know I send you lots of happy thoughts! As soon as Lars posts bday pictures, you’ll have a better idea of the cake and Jude’s wonderful culinary skills.
So, this morning, getting Cocoa and myself ready to go berry picking, I was alarmed to find I couldn’t reach my mom. Texting wasn’t going through and as I tried to call mom, I was directed to Verizon’s payment services. My mom, excellent at mothering, creating, loving; not so good at adult-ing. She can weave you a dream catcher or lecture you on permaculture, but gee, what happened to finalizing the divorce or child support?
I’m not meaning to make her sound irresponsible, because she’s not. I know she’s thinking about all these things and a zillion others, losing sleep and greying hair over how to keep her wheat grass growing and the cats fed. That’s kind of the thing.
I was so frustrated after I paid that bill; not because it’s hard, but because I’m just not sure how to fix things. I’m not sure how to get mom in a better place. I can get more money, but I can’t fix my mom or keep taking on her responsibilities. It’d be easy to be angry, or to hate her. But really, hate is the absence of something. It’d be the absence of my love for her, and that’s not it. What’s missing right now is whatever mom needs to get through everything.
At any restaurant or fast paced work place, you may hear them say, “don’t get in the weeds.” That’s just what it is. She’s got a jungle in her mind and unclear navigation. We all have our own jungles of responsibilities and miscellaneous thoughts, but we need to know ourselves and know our process or we won’t have a path through the jungle. We have to trust ourselves and our coping skills or we can never really grow or take on new challenges.
So, my apologies, no blackberry pies this summer. Luckily, I do have a freezer full of blueberries. In thye meantime, please share your happy thoughts and trust with those you love. I send you my own happy thoughts for peaceful minds, so you can enjoy your jungle and not just wish for escape.
Thursday, June 17th, 2010 was a very special day. Any good anthropologist or sociologist will tell you, human societies and the individuals in them, need their rites of passage. We need the physical, mental and somewhat spiritual key change to progress from one stage of life to another. We could write them off as meaningless hiccups in a string of ordinary events, but I myself, love the opportunity to celebrate the ones I love. Yesterday was one of the best. My whole family was with me and we all woke early to go about preparations for my “little sissy’s” graduation from high school. A very special batch of mini Tiramisu in arm, we drove downtown for a gorgeous afternoon of celebration.
An excerpt from the email I wrote to our closest friends and family:
“Yesterday, Mom, Dad, and I had the great joy of seeing our Jenny graduate with her classmates at DAR Constitution Hall. The weather was hot but bright and breezy, Jenny looked stunning, and everyone cooperated so we could be on time and ready for each stage of the day. Everything about the day just made Jenny shine. Sitting in the hall, we anxiously searched the sea of red caps for her head of brown with blonde undertones. The speakers were humble and poised, especially the valedictorian (who gave Jenny a specific nod in her speech). When Jenny finally walked across the stage, I was mid-holler when the tears came. It was so much coming to fruition and such an honor to be part of her moment. After everything that’s been happening, the past few years especially, it was just so wonderful to celebrate Jenny and think about the child she was and the beautiful woman she’s becoming.
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I hope you’ll join my family in congratulating Jenny and the other students for their work to grow and mature throughout their schooling. It was a very special day for our family and personally one of the most precious memories of my life. I’d also like to personally thank each of you for all the family, friendship, support, and love you’ve shared with us. People like each of you make our family feel so loved and so fortunate.“
Congratulations to the class of 2010- you deserve every opportunity the world has to offer you, and the world deserves to see you pursue every one of your goals and talents.
Hello loved ones! I missed you. Please pardon my absence. I’d been feeling a little as if Gimme Dem Cupcake’s possibilities had collapsed when I realized it’s ineligibility for farmers market and other temporary venues. I still want to take Gimme to the big time, I just have to re-navigate the path. Meanwhile, I decided to recommit to a modified vegan diet. Everything I make in my kitchen for my consumption is vegan. I also try to include as many ingredients as possible from my garden. That means I’m challenging myself to take my favorite dairy laden meals like pesto, bahn mi, pizza, and saltenas into vegan delights. So far, so excellent.
And while I’ve never been all about the summer slim down trend, this year I have recommitted to taking care of my body. I do naturally tend to be more active and a lighter eater during the season, but I also signed up for a Bikram Yoga class close to my house. I retired my car, Can Can and I really wanted to find something new to boost my self esteem, especially since I can’t meet my Artie’s homies for Tuesday morning runs. So, it’s been two weeks and I feel like I have a new body. I didn’t know about the calorie count til after I started, but overall, I feel fantastic. I’ve been really good about pushing my body for work, but now I’m pushing it for health, both mental and physical. I feel capable and strong as I do the posture and afterwards I’m beautifully sore. I’ve only been to three classes but I wake up with a flat stomach and everything is starting to tone up. While maybe Bikram isn’t everyone’s favorite way to line the body up with the mind, I love the self-propelled intensity. It fits in with my way of being and sort of balances me out. I feel charged for a great day afterward, every time. Let me know if you’d like to come to a class with me!
Today, I went to work feeling exhausted which has kind of been happening too frequently. The fatigue has been slowing down my productivity at the office and it isn’t really helping me smile at the restaurant. Everything is ok. Everything is routine, I just know I’m not operating at my best. What could be wrong when I’m pursuing the righteous path of the cupcake calling?
Well, Easter quickly approaches and I’m feeling disappointed in my efforts this Lent. My Lenten promise was very modest this year (15 minutes of time dedicated to reflection or prayer), but in actuality I really flat-out failed. Most days I bolted from bed to get ready for whatever each day was packed with. Especially compared to more successful efforts in the past, I kind of know I missed the boat. Lent’s a time of reflection and worship, and I feel as if I’ve enjoyed so many other opportunities without taking responsibility for my spiritual health. I’ve missed church almost every Sunday since winter started. I don’t feel obliged to participate in the Catholic faith just because of my membership; I chose it because I believe in it. I like having a place and a community and the routine and comfort of ritual. But lately I haven’t chosen it as often as I’d like. I feel good about my relationship with God, I know He knows I care and that He cares for me. It’s more that His house and the rituals offer me the mental switches to recalibrate; and I haven’t. So I feel a bit out of tune. Some might say I’ve very liberally cherry-picked what are morally right and wrong traditions to follow, especially in the eyes of the Catholic church; and it’s true. I think there are many ways to seek truth. Maybe I lack the inner divinity to be at peace any old where. But I like being Catholic and the ways I celebrate my faith. I like the sense of belonging and peace I have even when I go to the 8:30 mass and fight the heaviness in my eyes or struggle to understand the accent of my Haitian priest when it’s his turn to lead mass. I like the social justice activism, the bilingual newsletter, and shaking hands with relative strangers, and how it all fills me with a sense of renewed love for the world around me.
So what am I going to do about it? How will I refocus my efforts? Well, tonight, after a nice late supper on the balcony talking with my dad, I made banana bread for my bestie and my Nana. My sister, Lars and I will take an overnight trip to my Nana’ for a whirlwind pizza/canasta night and then an early mass at their church. So in advance, I apologize for the lack of Easter dinner for my family, but I’m so glad I will be able to carve out some time to be with them on such a special day. After that, I think I might have some new mass options. A friend at Artie’s goes to a GMU mass at 10pm which’ll be way better than the 7:30AM at St. Leo I’ve yet to make it to. And in May, hopefully, I’ll have rearranged my sched so I can have time for church and Bible study, and a whole day off. Ambitious yes, but a well centered cupcaker probably makes more satisfying cupcakes. I love you all and wish you a wonderful Easter.
Heyo, I just wanted to write a message full of my infinite gratitude to all the supporters who helped my RAFA donation order go off without a hitch. Helpers I expected didn’t show and unexpected helpers did; it was all really smooth through production, clean-up, delivery, presentation, and CONSUMPTION!!! Boom even helped put together a pretty sweet foam core sign last minute! I tried to document along the way. I coasted through two evenings of late night baking with great company and sailed through the event day on a total high, delirious with joy and fatigue. In the end RAFA had about 500 participants and the staff eagerly took home the leftover cupcakes. I didn’t staff the food are of the event but the volunteers said the cupcakes were the most popular. I didn’t put out many business cards and I did get some email addresses on my newsletter sign-up. Special thanks to Jenny, Gloria, Patrick, Nasser, Lars, Joy, Dad, Mom, Auntie Gabe, and everyone who helped me make it happen by coming to my aide in a big way!
So during the aftermath, it feels sooooo good to have a success of that scale under my belt. It taught me how to organize, execute, delegate, and I think it really helped me see my technique. Now I’m trying redirect all that energy and organize my to-do list. First I list, later I’ll get to the prioritizing, most of them will be concurrent anyway:
write recipes/experiment
try to cater a wedding this season (promote me, suggest to brides to be-I’ll give a friendly discount)
find a venue for recurring Gimme Dem Cupcakes beit house shows, farmers markets, gallery openings, or something else small and community based (send me your ideas: wait-listed at Falls Church and Mt. P farmer’s markets)
prepare my first ever cupcake workshop for the after-school program at James Lee Community Center!
There’s always so much to do, but I am so pumped! Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you all!
This RAFA cupcake project has been fueling my body with the motivation to survive my intense work weeks. I remember when the financial meltdown and all that mess started to break news, I told Patti, our Executive Director at LCNV, “You know what this means? We have to give more.” She’s concerned, as is every other non-profit, that the support for their cause will be diminished by people’s refocusing on their own financial security as well as that of their families.
Guess what, LCNV’s support from foundations were down but individual giving isup. It reinforces my belief, when things are tough for everyone, we should help each other more. Withdrawing and becoming insular only heightens the gaps between the have and have-nots and it also reveals the glaring reality of our interconnected society. We need each other for basic goods and services. I know, cupcakes aren’t a necessarily a basic need, but literacy is. If Gimme Dem Cupcakes can raise awareness about adult literacy, that’s something I can be truly proud of.
That’s what this project is about. It’s been really exciting to pool talented people and resources, and I really think with everyone’s help we will be able to pull it all off! I have the logistics for a pretty light week at Artie’s (thank you those that picked up!) and I’m doing everything I can to make sure I’m well-rested for the baking AND staffing RAFA. I have all the supplies I need and I will start packing the dry goods Wednesday evening. Becky wrote a great little press release that went out last week and we’ve already been picked up by NBC’s local beat. Seeing everyone come together to support me and everything I love doing, it reminds me that having great friends is like winning the lottery. Lady Luck must be one of my girls, because I feel like a winner.
Joy Burwell and my community of supporters, this post is dedicated to you. Thank you for dreaming big with me.
For years, I’ve loved the idea of getting a tattoo. Ideas are great, but sometimes not realistic. I think we have a lot of right and need to control our body image and so I decided to really flush out some concepts to see if it really was important to me.
“In Cupcakes We Trust” is a phrase that echoes in my mind along with “Burritos and Justice for All.” These are some of the sort of whimsical kt-isms that have made the idea of getting a tattoo make sense. Yet, before there was food, hippos were my first obsession. They are just such a funny dichotomy between the doughy, friendly things humans like to idealize, and the actually massive, territorial, dangerous animals that they are.
vs.
I’ve always said, that if i ever got a tattoo, it’d have to fit certain criteria:
1. Whatever idea I get has to stick after at least a year of ruminating in my head.
2. The phrase or image should be in a place I can see it so it’s for me and not just other people to look at.
3. Most importantly, the phrase or image should represent me.
4. And lastly, it’d be nice to have original artwork.
So, I finally selected a concept and an artist I think will do great work, and I’ve decided my first tattoo will be a roaring hippo tattoo to go on my side probably 6-8″ tall/wide. Something like this image
I’ve stewed on the idea a whole year and I still really love it. Matt, the artist does great things and I’m really excited about working with him. A co-worker has already lined up an appointment with a tattoo artist for April, so sometime soon you can poke me in the side and I’ll wince! It’ll be “in the flesh!” I’m planning to see how I like the hippo and then get the other two phrases for my biceps and eventually I’d love something like this, placement and time tba.
If you hadn’t heard, the east coast got rocked by Thundersnow 2k9 and I have to say, at first I was pissed. I was frustrated that when I’ve got so little time cut out for the people I love, we were snowed in and not able to spend it together.
But you know what, f*#% that bah humbug bull-honkey. I’ve got the world’s cutest sidekicks to taste test while I bake away my frustration. Results: spumoni, chocolate chips, and sugar cookies, 2x sweet potato coconut pies, a couple batches of cupcakes and a really great Christmas.
So, though the Motown and Soulfood party has been post-poned, thank goodness this is VA, so even 2 feet of snow melts quickly. I’ve gotten to enjoy a lot of time with friends and family I don’t see often enough. While I get back to work, please know, that if I missed you, please call or write me. I hope you’ve had the joy of spending time with people you love, and I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
