My Life in Cake has moved!

Check out our new and oh-so-beautiful blog layout, now integrated with the Short Street Cakes website here! My wonderful friend Michael Frey (the LA-based designer who you might remember from my posts about his wedding earlier this year) created it. Thank you, Michael, and I look forward to seeing y'all over at the new and improved My Life in Cake!

I love you, My Drunk Kitchen.

I love you, My Drunk Kitchen, and I thank you, Oso Wallman, for the introduction.

Bakery Boy Blogs about Short Street Cakes!

Check out this awesome article on the Bakery Boy Blog about Short Street Cakes! The article is so generous in its descriptions of the cakes, the Cake Shop, and my story; and great photography, like this picture, abounds:



I had a great time visiting with Bakery Boy, and the highlight, for me, of our visit was when he pointed out that the ceiling of the Cake Shop is painted "Haint Blue," a traditional color for ceilings in the South (especially porch ceilings.) There are alot of differing theories about Haint Blue, but the general consensus is that it is a color that wards off evil spirits- some say by tricking them into flying out of the building, thinking they are under the open sky. I was really excited to hear that lore, and happy for the accidental magic of choosing a lucky color for the ceiling without even knowing why.

Thank you, Bakery Boy!

Hindsight Bride, I love you.

Recently, I was approached by the Hindsight Bride, a local blogger who is FER SERIOUS about her blog. She wanted to do videos of Short Street Cakes, and post them on her blog about Western North Carolina DIY wedding style. As a Leo, I love to be on camera, so naturally, I agreed. I knew that Hindsight Bride (we'll call her HB) had a nice blog; what I didn't know is how stylish, professional, consistent, technically savvy, and dedicated she is as a blogger. Her blog, Hindsight Bride, is smart, hip, and pretty, like HB herself. She came to the shop, interviewed me, and created these three videos:

Interview with Jodi Rhoden of Short Street Cakes from Hindsight Bride on Vimeo.

Southern Cakes Explained from Hindsight Bride on Vimeo.

Short Street Cakes- What to Expect from Hindsight Bride on Vimeo.

Thank you, Hindsight Bride! I can't wait to see what you will dream up next...

A Bevy of Blogs, a Plethora of People, and a Plenitude of Pleasurable Places-to-Go.

A Compendium of People, Places, Things and Events that are inspiring me right now:

1) Asheville Grown

This now-ubiquitous image is the work of the Asheville Grown Business alliance, an organization directed by Franzi Cheren (co-owner of Hip Replacements on Lexington) whose mission is to increase awareness of the positive impact on communities when we choose to spend our dollars at locally-owned businesses. From their FaceBook page:

Asheville Grown Business Alliance is a grassroots organization whose mission is to support independently owned businesses in the community, to continue growing a vibrant local economy while preserving the unique character of Asheville and to educate consumers on the critical importance of thinking locally first when considering the impact of national and global chains.

You can learn more, and buy the t-shirts, here.

2) The Sloppy Joe Circus

Many of the performers in the Sloppy Joe Circus are artists who have been honing their funny craft in a very serious way for many years now; from trapeze to accordion, clowning and miming and vaudeville and juggling and more. It's nothing short of DIY magic, and it reminds me that one of the best things about being in my 30s is getting to watch as my friends, each in different ways, get REALLY, authentically, magically good at what they do.

Also from FaceBook:

Asheville’s own Runaway Circus will be presenting their 4th annual winter circus at the W.C. Reid Center for Creative Arts. This year, Runaway Circus is drawing on memories most everyone will understand….Middle School. Dubbed The Sloppy Joe Circus, the event will use acrobatics, juggling, clowning/slapstick, hula hooping, trapeze, a live band, and many other talents to explore the various cliques, eccentric teachers, and awkward social exchanges that define those wondrous years.

Dates and Times:
Fri. March 19th at 8pm
Sat. March 20th at 8pm
Sun. March 21st at 2pm
Fri. March 26th at 8pm
Sat. March 27th at 8pm
Sun. March 28th - 1pm parade starting at French Broad Food Co-op and 2pm show

Tickets are available at the door for a $10 suggested donation, but in line with the troupe’s belief of providing affordable, quality entertainment to the community, nobody will be turned away for lack of funds. Additionally, half of all proceeds from the March 21st show will go to support other local, non-profit organizations.

The Runaway Circus & the Loose Cabooses is a not-for-profit group based in Asheville, NC. Their mission is to entertain and inspire the community with their breathtaking performances. With extraordinary feats of acrobatics, juggling, slapstick, and musical talent, they are sure to leave any spectator with their jaw dropped and their stomach aching from laughter.

This is the last weekend, so check it out if you can. Also, tonight's (Saturday's) and tomorrow's shows feature "The Fascinating World of Mammalian Lactation," a pre-show by Julie and Nathanael!

3) Congratulations to Chef Shannon Ginn!



This Spring, Shannon (who has been a part of the Cake Shop since she interned here last summer) graduates with a degree in Baking and Pastry Arts. Thursday's Capstone was a showcase of the skills that the students acquired over the course of their studies. Shannon's Dr. Seuss themed display featured the many talents she has cultivated: breads, tortes, occasion cakes, truffles, petit fours, and many more. Congratulations, Shannon! We love you and we're so proud of you!

4) The Paraplegic Chef and Tattoos and Cupcakes

A few weeks ago, I was asked to speak about my experience in starting my business at the YWCA Tribute to Women of Influence Reception, due to the fact that the free drop-in childcare for women in transition was a critical stepping stone for me to be able to finish my Mountain Bizworks class, and consequently my business plan. I will be forever grateful to the YWCA for helping me on my path to being economically independent, and am always happy and proud to be their poster child. The event was an amazing and humbling opportunity for me to stand before a group of incredibly accomplished women, and many of the recipients of the award are women I already know and respect in the community, and many were new to me. One of the recipients, Megan McCauley,


and her partner, Shannon,
were particularly inspiring. Megan is a chef who broke her back in an accident at age 22, and is now in a wheelchair. She has continued to hone her culinary craft and her love of sports, and is now helping newly paraplegic people to learn how to cook adaptively, has an awesome food blog, The Paraplegic Chef, and is seeking donations and sponsors for her 3-day, 180-mile hand cycling ride from Charlotte, NC to Myrtle Beach, SC. The fundraiser benefits the Adaptive Sports and Adventure Program of Carolina's Rehabilitation- offering low-cost programs for youth and adults with physical challenges. Megan's partner Shannon's blog, Tattoos and Cupcakes, is a visual feast of photography, craftiness, cakeyness, wittiness, and love. These girls are young, fierce and BADASS. I was glad to have met them and can't wait to see what they'll do next! Rock on, Shannon and Megan!


5) Build a Birdhouse for the Bountiful Cities Project!

May 1st is the deadline for entries of birdhouses, birdbaths, bat-houses, and yard art for BCP's 8th annual Birdhouse Auction. The event this year takes place on May 15th at Christopher's Garden in East-West Asheville (the beautiful garden on the corner behind the Rocket Club) and will be emceed by Jen Lauzon of LaZoom Tours! This is a super-fun fundraiser that helps us pay for the community garden spaces that the organization owns and holds in trust for the community, and supports the work of Urban Agriculture in Asheville, our Strong Roots Youth Programs, and the creation of new and exciting Food Security initiatives.
Birdhouses can be dropped off at the Cake Shop or at Honeypot on Lexington Avenue, Downtown.

6) Pilgrim!

Sweet friend Jaye Bartell releases his new EP, Dog's Dinner, tonight in Buffalo, NY, is having a show at Static Age records on April 1st, along with Tartufi and Judas Horse, and will be having the Asheville Dog's Dinner EP Release on April 15th at LAB. Jaye makes beautiful music, sometimes alone, often with others. His music breaks my heart, in a good way. And he's another friend who I've been lucky enough to see develop artistically through the years- totally inspiring.

7) Edible Books!


8) Cupcakes for Cures!

Cupcakes for Cures is Asheville’s Cupcake Faceoff created a group of cupcake loving, cancer fighting Ashevilleans.
Professional bakers, amateur bakers and youth bakers compete for bragging rights and fantastic prizes all while raising funds to find cures for cancer. Bakers can enter multiple culinary creations in true Asheville categories like Best Beer Cupcake, Best Gluten-Free Cupcake, Best Holiday and Special Occasion Cupcake, Best Birthday Cupcake and Best Local Foods Cupcake.

Oh, Yes.
BRING IT.

OK, thus concludes the whirlwind. We've got lots to look forward to and lots to be grateful for! Thank you, Asheville! Thank you, Friends! Thank you, especially, SPRING! Stay tuned for next week's big news: The New Short Street Cakes Menu! drops on April 7th. Hell Yes.
Love,
Jodi

Blogapalooza 2009!

With such a whirlwind of activity going on this month, its hard to keep track. But, as usual, there ain't nothin' to it but to do it- so thusly begins my flurry of blog posts relating to local community happenings, events, celebrations, and other excitements that make the world go round.
#1: Blogapalooza (or otherwise known as Spookyblogapaloozananny)!
From the Mountain Xpress ballot page:
"The 2009 Spookyblogapaloozananny is Asheville's annual gathering to celebrate area bloggers, tweeters and social media junkies.
Now in its fourth year, the event formerly centered on bloggers has been expanded to include Twitter, Facebook and other social media outlets.
The Oct 30 event is a benefit for the AHOPE. Last year, it raised $1,000 for the homeless shelter. With a $10 suggested donation, all proceeds with go to AHOPE.
It will feature music by Elephant and Albatross Party and entertainment by jugglers 40 Fingers and a Missing Tooth.
Winners in this year's balloting will be honored at Spookyblogapaloozananny, where everyone is invited to come and celebrate. The party will be held from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. at the Pump Gallery in the Phil Mechanic Building in the River Arts District.
Need suggestions for blogs to vote for? Check out Blog Asheville's blog roll."

Click here to vote; and don't forget to check your email for the validation link.

Here are my pics for Blogapalooza:
Best Food Blog: (Duh) My Life in Cake
Best Craft Blog: Crankypants
Best Writing: Hangover Journals
Best Overall: My Life in Cake
Blogger I'd Most Like to Have a Beer With: Zen
Best Art/Photos: Art Seen Asheville
Best Local Happenings: BlogAsheville
Best Political: Where's the Outrage?
Best Mommy Blogger: Edgy Mama
Most Inspirational: Small Measure
Best New Blog: Pollinate Asheville

Oh yeah, and then there's all that actual voting. Tuesday, November 3 is the Asheville City General Election. Three seats for City Council are up for grabs among six (or seven- depending on how you look at it) candidates, and Bellamy is running for re-election for Mayor. Politics are politics and "everybody knows that the dice are loaded," but still, local politics are the most direct way to make an impact on the political system. Vote, but don't just vote. Here's a link to a guide to the candidates.

Small Measure

If y'all haven't checked out Ashley English's sweet and lovely blog, Small Measure, now's a good time to check it out. Besides having lots to say about beekeeping, baking, chicken husbandry, and the like, she's giving away beautiful hand-crafted canned item once a month. (Hands off. The Peach-Lavender Butter is MINE.) Its also a crafty little way to drum up interest in her series of books coming out next year from Lark Books. And how we do love crafty, food-a-licious people in our lovely little mountain town!
xo

Short Street Cakes Featured on The Wanderous!

Short Street Cakes was featured on this lovely little blog: The Wanderous. Thank you, Ashley. The feeling is mutual.

My Life In Cake on WYFF News 4!

I was on TV at 7 this morning in Greenville!
It was quite an adventure.

'My Life In Cake' is One Year Old!

My first post (located under "introduction" on the sidebar) was filed Saturday, January 5, 2008. One year and 72 posts later, I'm still lovin' on this little cake blog. Thanks, y'all, its alot of fun!
xo
jodi

Extravablogiversapaloozathon 2008!

My friends, the 3rd annual Extrava was a blast! It was a beautiful late summer night in Downtown Ashvegas. The good beer, good cheer, music, food, and bloggy-elbow-rubbing was flowing. I was happy to be able to be there with my husband Duncan, friend Ursula, and (almost) all my blogger heros of BlogAsheville.

Thank you to all the lovely supporters of Short Street Cakes who voted for my life in cake... my life in cake won all 4 awards that it was nominated for! I was exhausted from the day and a little drunk by the time the awards got passed out. I felt sheepish for having won because I felt sheepish for having campaigned for it. So I took the mike and sheepishly and drunkenly kind of apologized for winning. But the beautiful people of the blogosphere have encouraged me to be proud of this achievement, and I am! I will post my buttons with PRIDE! I will find 4 kitchy gifts for next year's winners! And I will continue to try to create a blog that's worthy of the recognition y'all have given me. I'm proud to be a part of such a fine community of writers, art-ers, crafters, social critics and dreamers. Yall are one fine bunch!

Blogasheville Blog Awards: Voting is Open!

Please click here to vote for the BlogAsheville 2008 Blog awards. My Life In Cake has been nominated for two awards; if you, gentle reader, believe that our beloved little blog is deserving of the title "best food blog" or "most likely to make money by blogging" then please, click the link and vote.
love,
jodi

The Wolf is at the Door

xposted from blogasheville. thanks to uptownruler for the image. Damn. Everybody over at blogasheville is really getting into this thing. Its exciting! It makes me want to remind everybody that my life in cake has been nominated for "best food" and "most likely to make money by blogging" in the blogasheville blog awards. I would be happy to take home either of those titles (although "best food" would look nicer on my blog). So feel free to vote for me.

Introducing: Art Seen Asheville

Hello Friends,
Just wanted to give yall a heads up about a new blog in town:
Art Seen Asheville. Local Artist Ursula Gullow, Producer and Director of the URTV show Art Seen Asheville, now brings us the blog by the same name. Art Seen Asheville is a blog "focused on Asheville but showcasing interesting arty happenings from all over the place." Its full of critiques, highlights, videos, interviews, and generally lovely things to look at and think about. Those of us seeking aesthetic inspiration, engaged and engaging art, and thoughtful commentary, would enjoy checking it out.

(she's working to get on the blogroll, but in the meantime, you can check it out here.)

Image Credit: Street-Smart I - Oil on Canvas - 24" x 8" - 2008 By Ursula Gullow

BlogAsheville Awards Event

go to BlogAsheville to learn how to nominate your favorite blogs for an award- and save the date: September 27th, 6pm, at an as-yet-undisclosed location: The third annual BlogAsheville Extravablogiversapaloozathon. Woo Hoo!

BlogAsheville Meetup Last Night

OK, this is the last time that I'm going to mention the dorkiness I felt at being really excited to go to my first BlogAsheville Meetup- for two reasons. One, I don't want to offend my newfound friends in the blogosphere, and two, it was actually really cool, and I met alot of cool folks. But friends, let it just be said, as a former Neo-Luddite, I never thought I would have so much fun talking about rss feeds, search engine optimization, twitter, and general technology. (not to mention finding myself saying things like "blogosphere" and "netizen," shudder.)
But I digress.
Here's what happened:
I arrived at the Wedge Brewery roundabout 5:30. After a painfully awkward first 5-10 minutes of approaching random groups of people standing around outside at the Wedge, and saying things like, "um, hey! Are y'all the bloggers?" and "hey, could I just put these cupcakes down here for a second?" and trying to figure out how to order a drink: "well, i dont really drink beer, do you sell any wine or liquor?" I finally found my people. And, upon finding that there was nothing but beer to be had, I drank the first beer (well, 3 beers) that I've had in like, 6 months. (And to my delight, I have found that there were no gastrointestinal repercussions from drinking the Belgian-style witber)
I was excited to be at the Wedge, because my friends Tim and Trish, whom I wait on at Marcos most every Sunday night, are the owners. (there's even a "Marco's house beer" brewed by the Wedge- I'm told its a Czech-style pilsner [are all pilsners Czech-style? I don't know but I did learn that pilsners are a type of Lager]). Its a cool little space and the beer was tasty.
Anyway, after the initial ice-breakers, passing out of cupcakes, and some introductions, I commenced getting to know some of our local bloggers. One of my first friends was George, of George the Bastard. (I did not find him to be a bastard. Perhaps in due time.) George told me that in Cananda, where he used to live, drinking beer while eating cake is a national pastime. I was really happy to hear that, because so often in West Asheville, at the Walk-Ins, people will refuse a cupcake by pointing to their beer and shrugging, as though the two don't go together. Now I can say, "No, its ok! The Canadians do it!"
My dear friend Scot Q, of Dogwood Alliance Fame, was there talking up DA's new video game Pac-(aging) Man (there's going to be a Game-Launch party on Monday, July 28 at the Brew & View), and generally being his furry, friendly self. Oh, and he bought me a beer. Thanks, Scot!
I hung out with Don Mak, who runs Blogging Muses, (a songwriting blog) and who seems to know an awful lot about these here computin' machines. I met Aric, of Arratik and Scrutiny Hooligans, and Gordon, also of Scrutiny Holligans, and apparently, like, 43 other blogs. I met the lovely people behind My Weaverville, Asheville Now, Hangover Journals, 3 Cats and a Baby and Stoplight Haiku. Saw Clare Hanrahan, of Asheville on the Ground, and a bunch of other really nice people whose names/blogs I can't recall at the moment. It was generally a really sweet little gathering, watching the sun set over the train tracks, feeling the evening breeze, pleasantly far away from the maddening crowds of Bele Chere (although I did feel the need to follow up my 3 beers with fair food- french fries and polish sausage... mmm). I think that was also the first Friday night in a long time that I wasn't feverishly baking through the night for Saturday weddings, so that probably had something to do with it.
Anyway, what I have to say about it all is this:
I'm grateful to get to know the Asheville blogging community. After living in Asheville for 7 years, I've connected with lots of different folks for a variety of different reasons. But my life is different now than it was when I moved here. Although I do get to do my share of drinking and carousing these days, its nothing like the drinking and carousing I used to do. And you meet alot of fun people drinking and carousing. Since my son was born, I'm home alot more. I get up at 6am, and hang out with a two year old most days. This lifestyle does not lend itself to drinking and carousing. Hence, less late night, more internet. This blog world is new to me, and its inspiring. It's exciting to see people focus their energies on things that interest them, using tools and technology in creative and aesthetically/politically useful and beautiful ways. I started using the internet when my son was born, mostly to keep in touch with friends. I started blogging to promote my business and share my love of cake. Now I feel like I'm a part of a community that's new for me, that makes my world just a little bit wider, and it challenges me to expand to accommodate it. It challenges me to integrate other parts of myself, other communities, commitments, interests, my sense of beauty- and bring that into the communities I'm finding/building. Also, it challenges me to use this venue to its full potential- so I'm inspired to do more recipes, more writing, and more cake porn. Like everything else, its all about balance. You can't write about your life if your whole life is spent in front of a computer screen. But if you life involves a whole bunch of cool stuff, and you write about it in your own unique voice, it enriches your experience, and that of those around you.
And the dork factor?
I'm pretty sure dorky is the new cool.

see don's pics of the meetup.

Short Street Cakes on Cupcakes Take the Cake!

Thanks to the awesome blog Cupcakes Take the Cake! They blogged about Short Street Cakes today.

A Snowy Day in February

Today is one of those days- one of those days where your son is teething (read: throwing temper tantrums), the drop-in childcare at the YW is closed, its snowy, and icy, and COLD. So you end up at home, cancelling your chiropractic appointment, while your child runs amok and you "work" on the computer, which is to say, you procrastinate completing the greenlife order by trolling the internet for listings of "asheville cake" "vegan cake" etc, and and submitting your name to multiple random business listing websites. Its a good day, just sluggish, and COLD. A good day for blogging.
Its been a few weeks since my last post. There are many reasons for this:
first and foremost, though, is that I think I have been having trouble finding my... "blogging voice."(is there such a thing?) I think of something I want to write about, and then I wonder if its appropriate. What is this blog? is it about cake? is it about my life? is it only about the pretty parts where my life overlaps with cake? is it a marketing tool? a forum for self-expression? And I start to write something. Then I second guess it. But I don't want this blog to be just a message board about impersonal things in town or things relating to food that I think are "neat." And I don't want it to just be a big blaring billboard for Short Street Cakes. So there. I'm writing. About me. my life in cake.
I've also been extremely busy this month. Its a good thing that I've been a waitress since I was 16, because I've gotten pretty good at balancing plates (and smiling while doing it.) And I've never had so many plates to balance in my life. (Um, by the way, if you don't have children, and no one has told you this: ITS REALLY HARD. seriously. Its not that I wouldn't do it again, and its not that I expected it to be easy, and its not that i don't love being a mom and love that little creature that i live with, but damn. Its really hard.) Working two jobs (did i mention that I wait tables at Marcos? God bless that place, those people, and the pizza they rode in on.) growing a business, being in a relationship, and being a mom, well, that's pretty much a full day there, every day.
I'm not complaining. (well, I guess I am complaining, but I really enjoy my life too.) And days like today, being a little bit lazy, and a little bit procrastinate-y, are necessary for getting stuff done in life too. Its winter, its cozy inside, and I'll work on the greenlife order when the boy wonder takes a nap. And tomorrow I'll research organic certification. And work on my food cost spreadsheets. And continue looking for a commercial space for my bakery. But today, I think I'll chill.
Oh, and PS, check out the mountain xpress this week- Hanna Rachel Raskin included Short Street Cakes in an article about "green food choices" for weddings. Yay!

This week in cake, and Candlemas

its been a busy week in cake. I threw my back out sometime last week, and couldn't breathe without feeling like someone was stabbing me in the back for days. This despite a delightful last minute escape to Hot Springs with some lovelee ladies and yoga with kaoverii. But then i got an adjustment from Cloud 9 chiropractic, and damn, it was like a miracle! all this is to say, you don't know what you got til its gone- i was so grateful to have my back back.
I had alot of orders over the weekend, and some wedding tastings. One of the highlights was making 5 dozen cupcakes with sun designs for the ribbon cutting for NC's largest solar power system- Deltec homes built it, and it means that they are generating as much energy as they are using at their Asheville factory. Pretty f-in cool.
OK, so this is the part of the blog where i reveal myself to be the witchy woman that i am: the new moon in january. its a powerful thing. the new moon is the time to plant seeds of intention that you want to grow in the coming cycle (think: farmers almanac, but with ideas and feelings instead of actual plants). So I put some stuff out there, especially the dream of finding a space in town for my bakery. The cool thing about the new year new moon is that you are effecting many cycles: the short-term lunar cycle (ie, your seeds bear fruit at the full moon), but also the 6-month cycle (when the moon is new again in the same sign, in this case, capricorn) and in addition, you are planting seeds for the whole new year. so, again, let me say how happy i am that it it 2008.

One of the things I love about cake is its symbolic use in seasonal celebration. Somewhere along the way I remember reading that the first cakes were actually triangle-shaped offerings to the goddess of somewhere-long-ago meant to symbolize the yoni. Now that's my kinda cake. Also, the word "lady" originally meant "baker." So one of my hopes with this blog is to give ideas and suggestions on how to use cake to celebrate the cycles of life. And first off is: Imbolc! also know as Candlemas, Groundhog day, and the feast of St. Brigid, "February 2 is one of the great cross-quarter days which make up the wheel of the year. It falls midway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox and in many traditions is considered the beginning of spring." "Certian foods are traditional for Candlemas, including crepes, pancakes and cakes, all grain-based foods. Pancakes and crepes are considered symbols of the sun because of thier round shape and golden color." (Waverly Fitzgerald, www.schooloftheseasons.com) This reminded me of the solar-panel party cupcakes I made...see next post for a picture.
Next holiday recipe i will post, as per miss "hottdish" elyse's request, will be king cake for mardi gras, along with some lore. even though, being a yeasted dough, is not what we now consider to be "cake." But I'm JUST THAT CRAZY. Speaking of lore, I consider recipes to be folklore, meant to be passed around hither and thither. i just don't have time to transcribe one right now. but soon. I think that's all for now. xo jodi

2008 is going to rock.

My name is Jodi. I have a son and a husband and a little pink house on Short Street in Asheville, NC. I've been a butcher, a baker, and a candle-stick maker (no, really. I have.) I've been an activist for alot of my life. I've been a pizza driver, a social worker, a camp counselor, and once I had a job dealing blackjack at casino parties in Atlanta. I've been a waitress. ALOT. Apparently now I'm a "blogger." But most of all I've been a baker.
I, in fact, have a bakery in my house. It is called Short Street Cakes. I started it when Jasper (my son) was 3 months old, because people kept asking me to make cakes for them. After the 3rd unsolicited wedding cake job, I thought to myself, "what if I actually TRIED to work for myself as a cake baker? what would happen then?" Thus, Short Street Cakes was born. I still work out of my kitchen, on Short Street, with various children and other vermin underfoot. (Just kidding about the vermin. I love children and my kitchen is impeccably clean.) I make wedding cakes, ALOT of birthday cakes, cupcakes, and I sell frozen cakes to greenlife grocery. I work in the early mornings, before Duncan (my husband) goes to work, I bake at night after bedtime. I bake with the little guy sometimes, but it takes the whole process into a different realm- and goes really slow, so I try to avoid it. Anyway, there will be more on all of that later.
So: my life in cake. This is how my life in cake started: I used to bake bread when I lived in Athens, GA. They were these terrible bricks of gluten, that my friends graciously pretended to enjoy. Then I got a job as a professional baker when I lived in Boston, from 1999 to 2001, baking bread in the Haley House Soup Kitchen/job training program. It was basically a social work job that required me to learn how to be a baker in order to teach people job skills through baking. That's where it started. Monica Contois taught me everything I know. Then I moved to Asheville, and worked at the West End, where Cathy Cleary and April Moon taught me everything I know. It was also in Asheville that I first met Elyse Manning, who taught me everything I know. Elyse is a force of nature in the kitchen, a terrible witchy mess of a mind-blowing baker. She's a legend. Whenever I'm stuck, having trouble with an icing that won't set right or a wedding that's starting too soon, I hear Elyse's voice, telling me to ease up, and let the cake be itself.
I have a website (www.shortstreetcakes.com), and a brochure, and fancy business cards that Michael Frey made for me. I have big dreams too, of lots of good cake for the people of asheville. it involves buying lots of eggs and flour and fruits from local farmers. It involves meeting, befriending, baking for, and working with lots of people that I would otherwise not know, and whom, furthermore, I LIKE. It involves the hope of making a living at my craft. It involves integrating many different parts of myself, my past, my ancestors, my friends, my future, my family, my values, and my love of cake. It involves transformation (of the firey kind). Cake is art: its the the little extra that you don't "need" but that makes life sweet. Cake is the celebration, the sacrificial lamb at the feast. Cake is my medium and my muse and it reminds everybody of their mama. So, this is my blog: my life in cake.
Look out for pictures, experiments, recipes, cookbook reviews, anectdotes, and general cake-related hilarity. I plan to spend LOTS of time procrastinating quickbooks here. Also, I look forward to meeting other cake-minded peeps.
happy new year, to my newfound friend, the "blogosphere."
xo
jodi