Fall is an inspirational time for me.  The beauty of the colors of changing leaves is Midwest magic to me, something I sometimes forget at other times of the year.  A few weekends ago we were at the Scarecrow Festival in St. Charles and as I stepped away from our booth to retrieve something from the car I caught these shots. . .

I love the crispness of the air, wearing a jacket and scarf, the colors of the leaves as they dance in the sunshine and the magnificent blue of the sky.  I love seeing the steam of my coffee swirl into the air as its warmth melts the chill.  Everywhere I look I see pumpkins and gourds, cornstalks and apples.  For so long, all of these things are what I expect my fall to look and feel like.  I relish in the memories evoked of my childhood.  Fall meant returning to school, sweatshirts, football games and hot cocoa.  And food—hearty meals like roast chicken, chili, macaroni and cheese, and pot roast with root vegetables.  Pumpkin pie, Apple pie, and Maple Cake with Walnuts—all made with products we picked up at a roadside stand on a Sunday drive to see the leaves.  Bonfires and S’mores with marshmallows toasted on sticks in the stillness of the cold evening air.  Gathered together over a meal, we shared life, both the good and bad of it.  The good stands out now, the laughter of our shared meals and the conversation that always flowed.

But this year, for the first year ever in my life, I have spent many fall days behind a market table.  I serve pie, box cupcakes and chat with customers.  New memories are being created.  Getting to a market while it’s still fairly dark, watching the sun  rise while I sip coffee and socialize with my vendor comrades—people that run businesses as I do, farm the land, or craft products with their hands and hearts.  People I am fortunate to call my friends.  As the sun warms the earth I begin to see my customers—they come for the desserts that my sisters and I work so hard on—and stay to talk.  We talk about things like cupcakes and pies and the good quality ingredients that go into them, we talk about our storefront that we are building and then we talk about the real life dilemmas that plague us all—kids and school and housework and jobs and dogs and bills. . .

I realize that we are building community as we are building this business. Pies and cupcakes brought us to this place where we have met a community of new friends gathering to share conversation and commiserate.  Food brought us here, helped us to form relationships.  Yes, this year is different from any other year of my life–in many ways.  But it feels like home. 

Yes, we did it.

We really did it.

We went and signed a lease for a real brick and mortar location.  Then we went and propped a temporary sign in the window.  See. . .

The Sugar Path storefront

Can’t believe it’s been so long since we’ve written a post. We.were.busy! We had the Holidays.  Then we rested a bit after the holiday. We even got to sit down.  Sitting down is so nice.  I just don’t think we (as in the general population) appreciate the sit down as much as we should.  But when it’s gone, well, you really miss it! (which is just why we the TSP Girls really do appreciate it)  But the sitting down didn’t last long.  While in a heap on the floor after the holiday, giving thanks we made it through our first Christmas, we were jerked up forcefully with the realization that the next major holiday (Valentine’s Day) was right around the corner and, eek! we were not prepared!!!!!  Sitting down was no longer an option.  We went deep under cover to develop an entire new line of cupcakes. Check out our Romance Line and let us know what you think! We’ve also been busy with our markets. We sell our cupcakes at local farmer’s markets on the weekends.  We’ve gained invaluable insight into farm to table by being part of the markets.  We’ve also met some of the nicest people.  Here’s some tips for vending at a market, if you’re into that kind of thing (which we are):

1.  If you are planning on bringing any item that contains both chocolate and caramel, be afraid, be very afraid.  It is best to set the item down and back away slowly so the masses can fend for themselves. 

2.  When you see a crowd of people with a sugar gleam in their eye and look down at your cupcake containers to find that you only have one cupcake left, just know that you will not be ok.  Try to make it to the nearest exit as quickly and quietly as possible in order to escape bodily harm.

3.  In the old days there was cash.  Now there’s Square.  However, technology is not always your friend (at least not TSPMichelle’s friend).  You need a device to access the Square, a knowledge of how to use the technology, an internet connection, and the ability to know which way the magnetic strip must be facing when you swipe the card.  Without all of these things coming together, the transaction may not be successful.  At that point you may find yourself wishing for cool green cash.  Or barter.  Or trade.  Darn technology and magnetic strips. 

4.  Market traffic ebbs and flows.  The slow times may result in TSPNina singing Rock Around the Clock or Tonight I Celebrate My Love For You.  If you are a fellow vendor, please accept my apologies on my sister’s behalf.  I’ve tried, oh how I’ve tried.  Perhaps if I got a chance to sit down more I’d have enough energy to remember the ipod to bring her current instead of the 80′s music that TSPNina veers towards (granted that Rock Around the Clock stems from the 1950′s but we were raised on Happy Days).   

5.  We always post about our Markets on our Facebook page.  Social media and technology are things we are constantly learning since starting up our business.  We’ve also learned that social media can be addicting and therefore please allow this to serve as a warning before you embark down that path.  After becoming addicted to it you will find there are those moments in life that you just can’t leave your computer no matter what else is going on around you.  Emergency alert sirens may be going off, people around you may be running for shelter, your dinner may be burning in the oven.  While your town is evacuating or the fire truck pulling up to your house, you may feel that your sole purpose for living at that moment is to hit the Refresh button on your computer every 30 seconds.  It’s a disease—Social Media Addiction.  Don’t worry, check your phone book for a local support group near you.  Or better yet, since you’re sitting at your computer anyway, just google it.

6.  There are those patrons of the markets that are there for one thing only.  They will rush by your stand without looking at you in order to get to the one vendor they are there to see, then rush back by you again.  Every.Single.Time.  Thus, you need to be creative to stop them in their tracks, slow them down, acknowledge your presence so you can open their eyes to new taste sensations.  You could go with the old cupcake falls in the middle of their path trick.  Except for the liability issues, that’s a good one.  Or, you could guffaw loudly at the moment they pass, causing them to temporarily be thrown off track, just long enough for you to smile and say hi, at which point they are guilted into stopping.  Guilt is good bad.  You could wear something eye catching.  But it is a farmer’s market and you don’t want to embarrass your fellow vendors.  Just have free food  a great product, and you’ll be ok.  

7.  Don’t forget to sample your product.  A good product sells itself.  With lots and lots of samples.  A smile doesn’t hurt either. 

8.  Speaking of smiles, there’s a certain cashier at a store by me HomeGoods  that will remain nameless and all I wish every time I shop there is that she would smile at me.  Sometimes I swear she can hear me screaming in my head to smile.  If you are a vendor, you gotta.  In fact, if you’re a customer, cashier, chef, fireman, nurse, student (ok you get it) SMILE!  Life is too short not to smile. 

9.  Sometimes customers do weird things.  They put samples in their purses.  They tell you pickle jokes.  Really odd pickle jokes.  They ask you to watch their baby.  What’s a girl to do but smile and nod???  It’s all about the customer service. 

10.  Food is Love.  Have a good product, be nice, have fun!

That’s all for now.  See you at the markets!

TSP*Michelle

Market Cupcakes

It’s hard to believe Christmas is less than a week away. Just where does the time go? It’s just as hard to believe we’ve been up and running for over a month now. In previous installments from Tales from the Front Lines (a/k/a Tales from the Kitchen) we’ve tried to give you some helpful hints as we learn from our mistakes. However, I have realized that repetition may be the key ingredient in learning from your mistakes, as in most everything else in life.  For instance, this time we finally remembered the ipod—however, we remembered it as we were walking out the door and quickly said “forget it, we don’t have time!”  Therefore, we all had to listen to TSPNina sing 80′s commercials again.  Man did those 80′s jingles leave a lasting impression on her (the power of advertising)!  I never knew my sister possesses such a good long term memory.  Also, this time I was the one doused in red food color.  Maybe once we make it through Valentine’s Day we will be able to cut back on the red velvet.  Until then we all need to invest in some nice wool mittens to wear with our beautiful red hands.  So without further ado, here’s the weekly tip guide:

1.  When using chocolate in a squeeze bottle ensure that the chocolate is nice and liquidy.  If you need to squeeze too hard, it’s not liquidy enough.  Squeezing too hard results in an implosion resembling a volcano eruption all over your beautiful cupcake.  See picture below for guidance:

2.  Not all plastic containers are leak-proof.  Make sure to take extra precautions while transporting liquids in plastic containers if you are using your husband’s freshly cleaned automobile.  Alternatively, if you must use plastic containers to transport a liquid substance while using your husband’s vehicle, try to transport only wonderfully fragrant, non-staining liquids.  Then if the container accidentally tips over, despite all of your careful packing, and proceeds to slowly leak out and seep onto the freshly cleaned floor, there’s a chance he may not notice for several days.  If you have inadvertently transported a substance that is highly fragrant and staining, and despite all of your precautions has leaked out of its container and onto the floor of your husband’s freshly cleaned vehicle, simply deny all knowledge and he will presume it’s the children’s fault.  Thereafter, give your kids a cupcake to alleviate any guilt you may have over the incident.

3.  If you use champagne in your baking, be careful as to how you attempt to recork it.  Champagne, unlike wine, is bubbly.  Because of that simple fact, if you recork using a wine stopper and attempt to illegally transport the champagne thereby inadvertently shaking the bottle, you may be quietly going about your baking routine when you are suddenly frightened by a loud pop that sounds like gunfire.  After your heart stops pounding and you later find the bottle stopper on the ground and put the pieces together as to what occurred, give small thanks that your makeshift cork did not break the fluorescent lamps of your commercial kitchen space, which lamps appear to require a very large ladder (not in your possession nor anywhere visibly located) to replace.

4.    Try to avoid late night anger as it affects the baking process.  If it’s 2 am and you become disgruntled with your sister and tell her you are never going to speak to her again, be forewarned that bad things may happen to you.  You may spill red food color all over the counter and floor (and yourself, dousing more than one body part).  You may drop frosting down the inside of your shirt.  You may put your pastry bag tip upside down and only discover it after you’ve filled the bag with frosting.  It’s called Karma.  Try to avoid upsetting the Karma in the kitchen by staying peaceful and loving and present at all moments.

5.  Speaking of not speaking, it’s wise to keep the lines of communication open with your baking partner at all times.  If you and your partner are not speaking it will affect the quality of your product.  For instance, if one partner is making frosting and the other is piping the frosting onto the cupcakes, open communication ensures that the correct frosting gets piped onto the cupcake it should be paired with.  If, however, the two partners are not speaking (because one wrongly insulted the other) and the one piping the frosting refuses to ask the other what frosting she is being handed (at 2 am after countless hours of making cupcakes your tastebuds are impaired and all white frostings look and taste the same.) then it is quite possible she will  unintentionally pipe the wrong frosting onto an entire batch of cupcakes.  At that point the piping partner may declare herself to be an Artisan and that she just created a brand new cupcake— until the perfectionist partner (if you have one) declares it’s all the other’s fault and the cupcakes need to be redone.  This may result in communication becoming even further impaired.  Warning:  try to avoid upsetting the Karma in the kitchen by staying peaceful, loving and present at all moments.

6. Sometimes, assembling simple small kitchen tools late at night is a challenge.  For instance, you may want to take some extra time to make sure you put the food processor together correctly before using it to grate carrots.  If you are missing a piece it is quite possible you will find a lot of carrot on yourself when you are done with the task.  Aprons come in handy.  Also, remember that food spurting out of a processor tends to fly far so be sure to check the walls when you are cleaning up.

7.   As noted in Tip #5, after many hours of sampling frosting, all frostings tend to taste the same because taste buds become severely impaired.  Sleep deprivation tends to add to one’s inability to distinguish frosting flavors apart.  Accordingly, you may find yourself at Market in a sudden panic believing you put the Lime Frosting on the Beer Cupcake and the Beer Frosting on the Mexican Cupcake.  If you are fortunate to have an Artisan in the group, a new cupcake flavor may have just been born.  If, however, you have a Perfectionist in your group, you may have to wade through those moments of panic carefully tasting cupcake and frosting to ensure you got it perfect.  Drinking a liquid such as coffee, milk or tea may help to cleanse your tastebuds between tastings.  Either way, try to stay peaceful, loving and present at all moments.

8.  Possessing an attitude of grace and confidence is a very useful tool in the kitchen even if you know not what you do.  In fact, you may find a newbie in the kitchen asking you for advice on how to turn on the oven only last week you looked at quizzically yourself.  Jump at the chance to demonstrate your facade of confidence and offer to share your knowledge with them!

9.  Another kitchen lesson:  Be friendly and kind to others!  If a new baker attempts to introduce themselves to you, do not stare at them blankly and say nothing.  Not only will it impact your Kitchen Karma (as noted in Tip #4) but it will affect your product as well.  Friendly bakers put out friendly products full of love.  The more friends you can gather along the way, the better.

10.  Preconceived notions:  try not to have them.  For example, many people have approached us hesitant to taste a certain flavor because “it couldn’t possibly be better than (fill in the blank—mine, theirs, ours, etc)” and then are amazed at the taste.  There are so many foods in this world and so many flavors and ways to prepare them and wonderful bakers and chefs.  You may miss out on experiences if your preconceived notions on food and people hold you back.  Food is love—-try it all!

Well, that’s all we got this week.  The TSP sisters are going to be pretty busy over the holidays and may not be able to provide kitchen tips until the New Year.  We wish all of you a wonderful Holiday and look forward to a New Year full of the best things in life!

Happy Holidays from The Sugar Path!

TSP*Michelle

Another busy weekend has come and gone for the TSP sisters.  We sifted, creamed and baked ingredients into beautiful desserts that stocked up our markets and adorned birthday party tables.  The hours and days passed in clouds of flour ..or make that  clouds of smoke as we, once again, had some experiences to learn from in our kitchen.  I really do wish, sometimes, that we had a video camera in our kitchen so that we could share with all of you just how much fun and how crazy our bake-a-thons are and, other times, I’m extremely thankful that no one else has witnessed some of our follies.  Though the end products are beautiful, a battle is forever being waged behind the scenes.  Here is yet another tale from the front lines with some helpful tips to assist you in avoiding our mishaps.

1.  It is wise to avoid placing flammable items on stove tops —and sprinkler systems installed to save lives in a fire really do nothing to save cupcakes.

  “Do you smell something?” (Said by TSPNina as she was fervently sniffing and running in circles)

“OMG, the potholder is on fire!” (TSPNina answering her own question while running to the sink with the smoking item.  FYI- TSPMichelle did not even look up from the cake she was decorating during this traumatic event for TSPNina)

Later on the way home, TSPNina to TSPMichelle-“Do you think the other bakers in the kitchen realized how close we were to setting the sprinklers off?   TSPMichelle-“What are you talking about.”

2.  Leash Laws…there for a reason.

 “Now, one more time, how did the dog take out our cupcake display?” (TSPMarty pondering how it came to be that the TSP cupcake display was shattered into a bazillion pieces of glass covered buttercream by one over enthusiastic canine)

3.  Gravity does not exist inside an oven.

While this is a good thing when our cakes are rising—-it is a whole other ballpark when our cupcakes get sucked right out of the pans into the fan at the back of the oven.  Ever see that movie Poltergeist where the spirits are sucking all the objects in the bedroom into the closet…there’s your visual.

 4.  Speak clearly and concisely.

 This was found out the hard way by TSPNina when she asked her mother to assist her by sifting the dry ingredients for a recipe and failed to mention that the sugar was not to be included in that process as it gets added in the recipe elsewhere…Do you know what happens to a cake if  you add TOO much sugar?.

 5.  Adding too much sugar to a cake recipe causes it to first explode, then implode.  See above for clarification.

 6.  Math—it can be difficult for some.

TSPMichelle-“Instead of putting in ½ cup of cream, put in ¾ cup of cream.”

TSPNina-“So, you want me to do 1 ½ times the amount?”

TSPMichelle-“No—I want you to put in ¾ cup of cream.”

TSPMarty to TSPNina-“It’s ok—-just nod and agree.” 

 7.  Be flexible.

TSPMichelle’s husband—“You want me to build a box for a cake???”  This request was made of him at one in the morning after laboring for nearly 20 hours straight.  If you had laid eyes on the cake, you would understand that this was a perfectly reasonable request. 

Side note—-TSPMichelle’s husband did come through for The Sugar Path and the cake was able to be packaged and transported successfully.

8.  Pay Attention.

This is something that  TSPNina and TSPMarty should have done more of and found out the hard way when they went to bake for the first time without TSPMichelle and realized that she was the only one who knew how to turn on the oven.  I do realize that this sounds like a simplistic task—however, in our defense,  there are many buttons and dials and gauges and one can quickly become befuddled. 

 9.  For the love of God, remember the IPOD!

We have yet to remember the IPOD and this weekend was filled with us yodeling random phrases from songs that we do not know most of the lyrics to. We even branched out to include songs in other languages.  It was a scary thing.  Especially when what you are singing is the same verse over and over as that is all you know.  

Feliz Navidad, Feliz Navidad, Feliz Navidad, Prospero año y felicidad. Feliz Navidad, Feliz Navidad, Feliz Navidad, Prospero año y felicidad. Feliz Navidad, Feliz Navidad, Feliz Navidad, Prospero año y felicidad. Feliz Navidad, Feliz Navidad, Feliz Navidad, Prospero año y felicidad. Feliz Navidad, Feliz Navidad, Feliz Navidad, Prospero año y felicidad. Feliz Navidad, Feliz Navidad, Feliz Navidad, Prospero año y felicidad. Feliz Navidad, Feliz Navidad, Feliz Navidad, Prospero año y felicidad. Feliz Navidad, Feliz Navidad, Feliz Navidad, Prospero año y felicidad. Feliz Navidad, Feliz Navidad, Feliz Navidad, Prospero año y felicidad.

 Point made.

10.  Remain calm and carry on.

 This is a favorite saying of the TSP sisters.  This philosophy can get you through the moments when a dog mauls your vending table, when you almost burn your commercial kitchen to the ground and when you would rather scream than taste one more dab of frosting.  It allows you to focus on the good and the reasons for continuing to push past the tiredness and stress and just be in the moment of baking and creating food.  Because, after all, food is LOVE!

TSP*Nina

Holiday Cupcakes

We have a few weeks under our belt now and here’s some favorite phrases heard around the kitchen over the weekend: 

1.  Can someone melt my butter? (TSPMichelle as she ran around the kitchen one night). 

2.  It’s time to get our bakin’ on (TSPMichelle to TSPMarty before starting a 500 hundred cupcake order). 

3.  We have lift off! (TSPNina overheard as she stared into the oven praying for the cupcakes to rise).

4.  Please, no more (SugarSister Rissa as we made her taste test about 17 cupcakes for moistness).

5.  Are you sure it’s supposed to look like that???  (TSPNina staring at a cupcake box that SugarSister Rissa folded, probably at 2 am again).

6.  You know you have it inside out again, right?  (TSPMichelle as she joined TSPNina and SugarSister Rissa as they stared at the boxes).

7.  Huh.  (TSPMarty as she joined the others staring at the boxes).

8.  Looking my best, feeling my best, doing my best. . .I’m at my best. . .I’m at my best with Maybelline! (TSPNina overheard singing the Maybelline song because we once again forgot to bring the ipod to the kitchen and yes, it was Circa 1980′s as noted in a previous Tales from the Front blog post).

9.  I never knew a cell phone could float (TSPMarty overheard after she lost her phone and then found it in the kitchen sink where she had been washing dishes).

10.  I never knew it came that way! (TSPMichelle and TSPNina staring in utter amazement at a very large block of chocolate obtained for them by their food distributor, which they then had to figure out what to do with).

 The one thing we haven’t heard in the past week is the word “No”.  Either amongst ourselves or with our customers.  Well, I take that back— I may have heard it when the cell phone was retrieved from the sink.  Otherwise, there were a lot of Yesses, especially when we handed out hundreds of cupcakes within a couple of hours to happy people.  It’s such a great feeling to know the hard work has good results.