We're at it again!

Baker's Intuition | Sunmark Startup Grant | All Over Albany

Completion... almost.

It's kind of hard to believe, but I am almost done with school. About 3 more weeks, and I will not only be graduating Sage, but I will be entering a season of life which is very likely going to be filled with excitement, uncertainty, stress, PRAYER, meeting even more amazing people, and fulfilling a dream.  I'm going all in.

I will definitely be broke at first, but not only do I have assurance that the amazing community I'm so blessed to be a part of won't let me stay that way... I know that once the money starts coming, it will only increase. Why? Because the product is amazing, and I know that people will love buying and eating it as much as I love making it. On top of that, I love the customers I have, and I love the ones I have yet to meet. I  can't wait to have a place where I can serve you a piece of cheesecake (or a slice of a Baked Brew) and have a conversation.

Bring it on.

So many events, so little time...

Brown’s Brewing Co. :: Troy, NY

OMG!! I would so love to go to this...

PINK Events offer marketing, networking and success secrets

Make sure to order lots of goodies in the coming months kids... I'm saving up for this!!

Ahhh...

As much as I love baking, I've realized that there's something else I love just as much - being a part of an amazing community. Whether you own a business or not, the fact is that when you're surrounded by people who believe in you and want to help you succeed, it just makes you that much more motivated. Why? Because it's no longer something that "I'm doing"... it becomes something that "we're all a part of". Business is never supposed to be something you do alone. Even if your business is a one-person operation, you are not in a vacuum! Remember that fact - and savor it, like a delicious piece of cheesecake. <3

Speaking of that: http://thesurrealist.co.uk/shakespeare.php?word=cheesecake

Enjoy!

Start of a new semester...

... and let me tell you - this isn't just ANY semester. This is my FINAL semester!! *squeal of delight*
Once this semester is over, I will be done with school for... well, I hesitate to say "forever", but I will definitely be done for a good long while. While I am an avid self-educator (my curiosity is pretty much insatiable), I don't much care for the institution of Big Education. But that's neither here nor there - some super exciting opportunities await me post-graduation, and that means a lot for me AND for you!
I will hold off on giving too many details until plans are solidified, but suffice it to say that once Sage gives me my soul back, you should soon be able to find "Troy's local Cheesecake" available via many more avenues than just ordering directly from me! My business will have some spiffy new digs and will be part of a great partnership with some great people! We believe in the potential of the beautiful city of Troy to grow and flourish (which it has already begun to do) with the help of creative, committed entrepreneurs.
I just got super excited, so I'm going to go bake a cake. But seriously, everybody - stay tuned!! I will begin posting pics again soon... ah, heck. I had some fun projects over the holidays, so why not show off a little?

Cinnamon Bundt Coffee Cake (with a cinnamon-vanilla glaze)

 Some yummy Tangy Lemon Bars for a Christmas get-together

 A smooth Mint Chocolate Chip cheesecake for la famiglia

... and some super-yummy Punk'n Marbles cheesecake bars for a New Year's Eve party! Mmmmm...

Alrighty kids, that's all for now... enjoy life and work hard!

<3

The little (buttery) things

Alright, so if any of you know anything about me by now, you know that I love butter. Looooove butter. Especially brown butter. That stuff is legit. In a sauce with sage and caramelized shallots, served over butternut squash (coincidence? I think not) ravioli... in homemade butter pecan ice cream... and, most relevantly to this post, in the ultimate aphrodisiac of a dessert:

Brown butter pound cake. Oh, be still my heart! I swear, if a guy ever served me a slice of this stuff on a date (ideally, accompanied by a pint of Brown's brown ale), I would take it as a proposal and marry him on the spot.


Okay... that is a bit of an exaggeration. But for reals. This cake is good.

I wanted to share this recipe with my food science class for our final lab... and wow. The way the smell of it filled the air as the butter was cooking, the ridiculously seductive smokiness but not quite to the point of burning... it was like the air was somehow saturated with breathable toffee-butter-cookies. That, my friends, is the Maillard reaction at its best.

Anyways, I've known for a while that it's weird that I'm a nutrition major (or half one), because I loooove food. It's not that I don't care about nutrients, but really, I eat food cause it is food. And food is good. It makes me happy. And, it just so happens that the food I like is usually jam-packed with good nutrients and stuff like that - yay.

However, I'll tell you exactly what this cake is jam-packed with... delicious butter. (I made it with organic sugar and a blend of flours including a good portion of whole grain, but that's beside the point!) And I practically had to hold my classmates hostage to get them to take some home with them! :'( Nutritionism is ruining us.

I'm on a tangent kick tonight, so speaking of jam...

Blackberry, to be exact, warmed up with a little red wine to make a simple sauce. It's dark and rich enough to stand up to the kick in the face that the brown butter imparts (I know, you don't usually think of butter as kicking... but that just means you need to try this cake), but the acidity and the tannic qualities of the berries and wine together cut through the sweet, smooth, complex butteryness - AND YET - it does not impart any bitterness because the tannins are balanced perfectly by the butter. It's synergy... beautiful, sweet, bold yet subtle synergy.

Yes, I'm gushing... forgive me.

Anyhoo, the moral of this story is that I took most of the pound cake home and ate it at least once a day for almost a week.

All by me onesie.

Awwww, yeah. ^_^

Hey, a girl's gotta enjoy what she does, right? Anyways, if your mouth is now watering, pick up the phone and call/text me to place an order. Or email. I do that too.
If your mouth isn't watering... you have problems and you need help. But know that I still love you.

<3

Going mobile, as it were...

Testing! This is me, posting an entry from my Droid (first time I'm trying this... just downloaded the app).

How's everybody doing?? :-)

Some of my recent activities

Top to bottom: Berry Spiced (a blackberry cheesecake with hints of ginger and cinnamon); Snappy Strawberry-Lemon (lemon cheesecake topped with ginger-marinated strawberries); and the classic Blackberry Bouquet (lavender-infused blackberry cheesecake with a blackberry-red wine sauce)

As for what's next, I have a few awesome gigs lined up for the fall (yeah, of course people don't like to order cheesecake during the summer, but as soon as school starts back up, BAM!); including a wedding shower, a WEDDING (0_0), and some family reunions and other get-togethers. Exciting!

Yes, it may be somewhat unusual...

Okay, so I had this idea for a cucumber-green tea cheesecake. And I thought it sounded pretty nifty. But everyone I asked was all like, "BLEH THAT SOUNDS SO GROSS", so I was thinking I may have been a little too enthusiastic about my idea without thinking about its appeal to the market en masse...

So here are some variations of the aforementioned cheesecake. Vote for your favorite by way of comments, I guess?

~ Cucumber Green Tea (sweetened, most likely, with agave)
~ Cucumber Mint
~ Lemony Green Tea (maybe with honey?)
~ Cucumber... Melon? (would that taste too much like body wash for people? lol)

Anyhooz, these are just some options I've been thinking over. Let me know your feelings!

SUCCESS!!

Hi everybody! I know, long time no see... I'm sure I missed you more than you missed me. ;-)

I've taken a bit of time off lately to regroup and do a little bit of relaxing (I know, shocking)... but now I'm back, and I just say, I have officially taken beer-infused baking to a whole new level. This lovely brown butter Bundt cake I made last night (picture to follow when I get home) has a deep, buttery, almost smoky flavor thanks to a generous dose of a BEEEEAUTIFUL Whiskey Porter (from Brown's Brewery right here in Troy), as well as some dark organic brown sugar. Mmmmm... sinfully delicious - and whole grain! Wow! It's like, the best of every possible world... except it DOES still have calories. Sorry, we haven't discovered absolute perfection on earth yet. But this is darn close!

Anyways, everyone have a fabulous day! <3

Developments

Hi everybody!

As some of you may know, my life has pretty much been consumed by the All Over Albany Startup Grant competition for the past couple weeks. Now that it's over, I'm starting to work on the business again... and I really mean, work ON the business.

I'm always reading books on business; best practices when it comes to planning, managing, running, doing the books, etc. I'm on one particularly practical, useful book right now, and it's helping me to develop a clear vision of where Co-Original Creations is headed - AND figure out the steps I need to take to get it there.

In the meantime, I am still in need of funding... so I'm putting this out there: if any of you who read this hear about any more small business grants/competitions/anything else of the sort that you think I'd benefit from, please - let me know. I'll be doing my homework too, so it may be something I've already heard about and started to work on... but tell me anyway! There could always be something I missed.

I've also started to plan alternative routes to get my goods known. Next week I will be making appointments (by any means possible - begging, pleading, crying...) with the chefs at Brown's Taproom, as well as the Ilium Cafe and possibly one or 2 other local places (and requests or suggestions are appreciated as well!!!) to see if I might be able to sell them on the idea of trying out my desserts on their menus. Yes, there will be samples. No, I will not tell you exactly when I'm going. ;-)

This was a great learning experience for me, and I believe both myself and the business have benefited. I started out 2011 with high hopes, and I will continue to work hard through the rest of the year so they may be realized.

That said - check this out!! Another combo garage-bake sale! No, we're not baking in the garage...

http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=214000551957115

Have a great weekend, kids!

<3

VOTE FOR MEEEEE!!! :-D

http://alloveralbany.com/startups/cooriginal-creations

Cooriginal Creations

Who:

Beverly Carrubba

Project:
Kitchen space rental for a start-up cheesecake business

Nevermind the typos, kids... my original submissions were flawless. ;-) Vote and vote some more!!

<3

Benefit Garage/Bake Sale last Saturday!

Jessy enjoying a Chocolate Stout cupcake!

Muffins, cupcakes and lemonade...

Gracie playing her violin for us

 All in all, a lovely day. I got a tan too!

Random thoughts

A Night in Havana... possibly some of the yummiest cheesecake bars ever.

Also, technology seems to be flipping me off today.

Does anyone know of an herbal extract that makes one less prone to procrastination? Cause yeah... I'm doing that. A lot. In fact, I'm doing it right now. >_<

Leader-member exchange theory is kind of interesting... but it's nothing I needed to buy a textbook for. Speaking of which, where IS my textbook?

Does this link work? It's an article on how much the US economy is based on people buying stuff they really don't need. Yay, microeconomics!

The goods.

Okay kids, here's the official list so far... there will be some new items coming soon, so stay tuned!

Super-Specialty Cheesecakes

A Night in Havana - $28

The Antioxidant Supreme - $30

Blackberry Bouquet - $28

Mi Amoretto - $28

Vanilla, Spice and Everything Nice - $28

Red Rooibos, Red Rooibos - $30

Love from Lebanon - $30

Kiss from an Irish Gentleman - $30

Li’l Miss Pistachio - $32

Dr. Rea’s Favorite Candy Bar - $32

The Chaiwalla - $30

(You can also sponsor the development of your own dream cheesecake flavor! 

Ask me for details.)

But Hey, They're Special Too!

Plain - $27

Lemon and Rosemary - $27

Lavender & Vanilla Bean - $27

Mint Chocolate Chip - $27

Almond & Raspberry - $27

Maple Walnut - $30

Fudge Swirl - $28

Cookies and Crème - $28

Marbled Pumpkin - $28

Butter Pecan - $32

Mini (4”) cheesecakes also available-- $8.00 each or 4 for $30!

Cakes, Bundts... and Baseballs?*

Cinnamon Coffee Cake (Bundt) - $12

With Nuts - $15

Maple Walnut Coffee Cake (Bundt) - $15

Chocolate Stout Cake (Bundt) - $17

Brown Ale & Butterscotch Cake (Bundt) - $17

*prices recently adjusted for inflation

Layer Cakes are available as well and come with your choice of topping:

Buttercreme: Vanilla, Salted Caramel or Chocolate;

Cream Cheese Frosting: Vanilla, Cinnamon, or Chocolate;

Fruit: Raspberry, Blueberry or Blackberry;

Homemade butterscotch, chocolate ganache, or anything else* you can dream up available upon request. (Prices vary by cake shape and number of layers… and various other stuff.)

*No elephants, pandas or the like, please... they're endangered.

 

Cookies (by the dozen!)

Spiced Red Wine Cookies - $7

Tiny Chocolate Chip - $4

With Nuts - $5

Lemon-Rosemary Slices (fantastic with tea!) - $6

Mini Molasses - $4

Homemade Oreos (ask about flavors!) - $6

Pistachio Shortbreads - $6

Maple Walnut/Pecan - $6

Red, White and Mac-Nutty - $6

Cashew Butter - $8

Atonement Cookies - $7

Italian Cookie Sampler/Holiday Platters available!

Prices and cookies vary; contact me for more info.

Brownies, Blondies…& a Redhead?

Fudgetastic Brownies (w/ organic Fair Trade cocoa)(doz) - $12

Spicy Kahlua Brownies (doz) - $20

Sexy Blondes (two toppings) - $20

Watt’s Whiskey Blondies - $20

Dessert Breads

Sweet Potato Zucchini Bread - $10

With nuts - $12

Perfect Pumpkin Bread - $10

Blueberry Buckle (pan) - $12

With nuts - $15

Mom's Gingerbread (pan) - $13

Spiced Apple/Pear Sauce Cake - $10

Brown Butter Pound Cake - $12.50

Pies for Everybody!

Fresh Fruit Pie (seasonal, ask me) - $25

Somethin' Special Pecan Pie - $20

Sweet Potato or Pumpkin - $20

Banana, Coconut, Vanilla, or Chocolate Cream Pie - $22

Twisty Cone Cream Pie (vanilla + chocolate, or create your own!) - $25

Te-Key-la Lime Pie - $25

Cranberry-Walnut Pie - $25

 Feel free to email me any questions, comments, and special requests you may have.

Food for thought.

http://littlepinkbook.com/little-pink-book/life/9-to-5-myth

If any of you reading this are women who have aspirations to either move up in your current job/industry or maybe begin something of your own, littlepinkbook.com is an AMAZING resource. Bookmark it. Sign up for the newsletter. Write little journal entries about the articles you find that inspire you and make you feel like you CAN actually do that thing you really want to do but are just kind of storing away because you don't really believe in yourself that much. It's interesting what changes you can make by just playing the economist for a second and saying, "Okay, so let's assume that I'm doing this/that I am the kind of person who could actually pull this off."

Changing the way you think is just a first step in changing the way you live. Try it.

A Well-Deserved Shout Out to Famous Lunch!!

So I walked into the library at Sage just now, and look what caught my eye:

Yay!!! This place (Famous Lunch, on Congress St. between 4th and 5th streets) is one of my top 3 in Troy, and the only place I will eat out for breakfast. Scotty rocks the grill all morning long and always makes my scrambled eggs and homefries absolutely perfect. The article talks about how the business has changed very little since its opening (in 1932!) minus the change in decor in 1949. And NO ONE can beat the prices (which haven't changed much either) for the quality. Extremely good food, simple, a community staple.

The Metroland article can be found here.

Go Scotty!

I finally gave in...

... and succumbed to the lure of the cupcake. Here are the results.

The pink is colored with acai berry. Pretty fun project, I must say... and the customer who ordered them declared after trying one that it was "the BEST chocolate cupcake I've ever tasted!"

Epic.

Just wanted to say

I slightly altered the recipe for my Butter Pecan cheesecake on a whim...


... oh baby. I've still got it. ^_^

That said, I will be launching some new flavors this summer; stay tuned for Fried Plantains, Tiramisu, and something yummy involving margaritas. Some exciting new developments are happening too; more info soon to come.