I know, the Gimme Dem Cupcakes blog has been quiet, but you understand. ”Momma’s Always on Stage.” Someone asked me what I was proud of in 2011, and I’m definitely proud of my baking. Thank you all for your support.
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 4,000 times in 2011. If it were a NYC subway train, it would take about 3 trips to carry that many people.
-another wonderful year with the Literacy Council, promotion to bartender at Artie’s and most of all, my new part-time baker position at Sticky Fingers!
You know we’re always full-tilt boogey over here at GDC and sometimes it seams like I put a lot of work and effort into the littlest of projects, but that’s what makes every thing from our bakery so special. That said, it takes a dedicated team of loved ones to keep me sane.
The DC Grey Market was a definite success! After ordering tons-o-new swag from Moo, baking beau coup cupcakes and salteñas, labelling and planning logistics, coordinating around my defunct car and schlepping–it all came together! Set-up was a breeze and the day went really smoothly. I feel really good about Gimme Dem Cupcakes’ showing at the DC Grey Market, especially as our very first opportunity to sell at a public event! Even though there were so many bakers, I feel really good about the niche our vegan yums held out! It was also great to meet so many other vendors and see what they’re doing to realize their food concepts! We broke even and we got our name out there. More than that, it was really really amazing to see so many of my friends pull together and support me. I really feel kind of overwhelmed when I think about it. I can’t wait for the next one! I couldn’t have done it without a stellar team of volunteers* and Maya, the DC Grey Market organizer!
If any visitors from the market have questions about GDC’s market’s offering or the other items on our menu, please feel free to contact me by emailing beckmaka@gmail.com
Check out the pictures!
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*Volunteers: at GDC HQ-Niva, Asmait, Joy, Anna, Boom, and Lars; at the register: Boom, Joy, Chuck, Dad and Lars; working the crowd: Boom, Dad, Lars, Jasmine; and even more friends that came to support: Patrick, Niva, Alan, Padmini, Braniff, Cynthia, Jill, Cynthia, Scott, Asmait, Adrienne, Sara, Kerrin, Alicia! Thank you all for being!!!
Quick update!!! As I blogged last week, the DC Grey Market is on for May 21st 12-4PM hosted by Local 16! They have registered 25 vendors and are putting them all up on the Grey DC website product page and they are expecting 1000-2000 people to come through the market all day! That said, if any customers want to turn in containers, I love recycling, and I do offer a dollar toward any subsequent GDC order for recycled tins/containers!
As I look at the monster preparation time required, I’m asking if my favorite helpers would like to volunteer and help me prep in the GDC kitchen! If it looks like the weather will hold out, I’m shooting to make as many as 800 minis (Dreamsicle, Chuck Raspberry, AmeriCAN Dream, Bananaramadingdong, and Chocomint) and at least 100 empanadas (both corn and saltenas). Dad will be standing by with me the day of to sell and answer questions! I can’t wait to meet the other vendors and see you all there! It’s going to be amazing!!!
Hi Gimme Dem Cupcakes supporters!!!
Customers and friends may have already receieved this via email, but for the wider Gimme Dem viewing audience:
I hope you’re all reveling in the good weather and even better company as everything warms up this season! Warm weather means it’s time for markets to reopen! That said, Gimme Dem Cupcakes is about a month away from participating as a vendor for the first time at Grey Market DC on May 21st!
What is the Grey Market?
“The DC Grey Farmers Market is a private membership club that serves as an incubator for small food vendors who can’t yet afford to be licensed.” How can you support Gimme Dem and other vendors?
Show up and buy stuff May 21st at our host venue, Local 16 (1602 U Street)! For now, the venue and day are set, but time is TBA. Sign-up on the Grey DC website to get the skinny on confirmed vendors, estimated numbers of participants etc. and other reminders!
Why should you support?
(I know spring is a super busy time of year for everyone but, this is a very big deal for me and the other vendors!!!) Gimme Dem has been trucking along with short seminar classes, fundraising events like RAFA and the World-Wide Vegan Bake Sale as well as made to order sales, BUT I think events like the Grey Market will help me explore its viability as a full-time business. This is a great opportunity to move toward the next step. I encourage you to please forward this email to locals in the DMV area that might be interested Gimme Dem goods or the market!
Want more vegan !?!?
I’m trying to gather people intersted in promoting vegan culture. Several of my clients are interested in starting a business like a storefront, restaurant or a cooperative. I have contacts at several businesses (Harrisonburg’s The Little Grill Collective or The Friendly City Food Coop, or other city’s gem’s like Nashville’s The Turnip Truck). I think would be good models for us. I’d like to bring in diverse talents and interests to the conversation, so please, If you’re interested in learning more email me and we’ll arrange a meet-up asap!
Thank you all for your love and support! I hope to see you at a Gimme Dem event soon!
Gimme Dem Cupcakes is still toddling along in its early stages, but its been such an empowering outlet for me to share my energy. Thank you to all my supporters. Just for fun, I’d thought I’d share this super sweet email I got just into the new year:
The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health:
The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads This blog is on fire!.
Crunchy numbers
A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 4,900 times in 2010. That’s about 12 full 747s.
In 2010, there were 34 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 66 posts. There were 92 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 39mb. That’s about 2 pictures per week.
The busiest day of the year was October 22nd with 89 views. The most popular post that day was Don’t Be Too Blueberry.
Where did they come from?
The top referring sites in 2010 were vegdc.com, facebook.com, twitter.com, flickr.com, and WordPress Dashboard.
Some visitors came searching, mostly for gimme dem cupcakes, i miss you cupcake, food trucks, food truck, and i love you cupcake.
Attractions in 2010
These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.
Today was excellent. I slept in til and made some time to bake and meet my man for lunch before an afternoon in the office. I wound down with anice family dinner and a bout of baking.
What did I make? Well, you remember, I had one criteria the first time I tried to be vegan: sweets. Now, it’s take two, the Suzie-homemaker mod: everything I produce for my own consumption will be vegan. I made that dream real with last week’s success creating vegan salteñas. My coworkers requested a made to order salteñas day, so now I have 18 beautifully browned pockets of savory goodness and a great how to for dough braiding “fresh out da box!”
I was sad I couldn’t find any demo videos for braiding to link last week, so I made one for you tonight. Enjoy!
Some people make the world better just by being. They might look as effortless as a fallen leaf, just light and full of grace. I aspire to have such moments. This week/month is not an example… In fact, this week has been kicking my butt. Maybe it needs it, maybe it doesn’t; I’m just feeling the burn…
So, unsolved mysteries of life aside, I’ve noticed I’m blessed by the presence of such beautifully infectious beings. So dedicated to Lars, Joyous and the hospitable staff at Artie’s esp lovely Sarah; I’ve concocted the “Southern Hospitality” cupcake. Sweet tea with a candied lemon twist, it’ll invite a bite of relaxation while you let the sultry heat of summer ease out of a tired body. Pic coming soon.
Hey friends- Sorry for the incredible lag in posting, it’s not for a lack of ideas, promise. My laptop finally died and I have been sleeping more (… on the couch with Cocoa Bean while watching Netflix on my Wii). I actually was attempting to use the WordPress App on my new Droid last night but conked out to Arrested Development instead. I hope during this radio silence, my Tweets and incessant picture posting (thx Droid!!!) have kept your taste buds salivating. I’m hoping the gardening will contribute to some new savory summer cupcake projects too, so be on the look-out!
So let’s talk heart break. I’ve been putting off a break-up with one of my recurring customers… Remember Safeway Al? He’s a sweetheart, but his orders have been a lesson in professionalism. He’s pretty much wanted weekly orders the past month or so and he only pays about half the time. It was too good to be true. He is a friendly night stocker who made regular orders, an easy stop at one of the best supplied baking ailes in town, accessible for drop-off after a late shift at Artie’s… But erratic payment and moderate flirtation fizzled my patience, and when I tried to be more strict about order confirmation, we played phone tag. So now, I’ve decided to cut him off and it feels weird. New/reaffirmed rules:
It’s ok to sell to people you know, but always set a policy of prepayment.
Set firm pick-up/drop-off times and confirm them the day before.
Only do night deliveries to public places or homes of those you know.
I shouldn’t shop at overpriced grocery stores just because they have better hours. It’s not cost effective.
But all is not sadface, we have some other great news. For those who haven’t followed the other Gimme Dem/kt new media feeds:
I made a really extra cute baby shower order:
tax day was met with success and celebrated with Joyous and George Bluth inspired cupcakes.
Saturday, Gimme Dem is donating 150 cupcakes the Radio CPR Record Sale! (If you have an event you’d like Gimme Dem Cupcakes to donate to, please email me!)
I’ve nailed down dates for the most substantial of my vacation plans, so I will not be taking orders July 1-7 (GA bound with the BF), and I likely won’t be taking orders the last weekend of June (Annual AmeriCorps Almuni reunion!)
Come see me Saturday and you can look like this too!
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.
Now, tucked in bed "over the river and through the woods." Great evening w/ my Grands: wine, pizza, choc chip cookies and playing Canasta. 22 hours ago
Enjoyed today's conference for VA Literacy Leadership. So greatful for our advocates (Jeannie Baliles, David Baldacci, Delegate Kim, etc.) 22 hours ago
