Happy New Year!!

How long is too long to still say “Happy New Year?”  Silly question I know, but my sister gets so irritated when I say it sometimes through Valentine’s Day if I haven’t seen you in the new year.  So to further irritate her, I say it every single time I see/talk/email her…every single day!!  lol  Good times of having a sister! 

People usually fall into two camps.  Either vow to not have resolutions or have them!  I have them.  I see it as a fresh start, a motivational time to shake me from procrastination, and a time to regain some focus.  I’ll share one business resolution and one personal resolution. 

Business: 

I plan to actively work on growing Sugarpie Café into a well-known bakery.  Not just a bakery, but a bakery that truly captures your tastes buds, makes your catered party a success, and stays true to our southern roots.

Personal:

No need to be original or secretive…I’d like to lose some weight like everyone else.  :-) 

Last Week's Van Menu

We had our first trip back on the road since changing out name this past Friday (11/18/11).  Why the delay you ask? We like to do things legally so we had lots of paperwork to complete in addition to changing the lettering on the van.

Some of the items on the menu included Very Vanilla Cupcakes, Chocolate Pleasure Cupcakes, Bananas Foster Cupcakes and an assortment of cookies.  There were other items, but we save the full menu for those that actually catch the van! 

This week we won't be out.  We'll be in the kitchen baking our orders for Thanksgiving.  In addition to baking for my family.  My sister is cooking the majority of items so I think I'll be able to get away with making my much requested yeast rolls.  If I don't post anything else, it's not because I'm not thinking of you all, it's because my Kitchen-Aid mixer is demanding all my time! 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Sugarpie Bakery & Cafe Launch

We have been away and we have missed you! We decided to rename our business, formally known as Brown Sugar Cafe, to the new and improved Sugarpie Bakery and Cafe. We didn't change a thing you love! We still have all our special family recipes, our bakers are the same, AND we kept our signature cupcake on the van so you know its us when you see us.
We did expand and update the menu just a bit, but we are hoping you'll like the new stuff as much as our classic items.
We're also gearing up for the holiday season, our favorite time of the year.
We decided to include the startup Brown Sugar Cafe blog posts into our new Sugarpie blog, it shows our roots and gives a bit of our history.

First Day in Business

Whew!  Thanks goodness the first day jitters are over!  I had no idea what to expect from so many different aspects.  I couldn't imagine how much to bake, what areas I should visit, how long to stay at each location, or what items to offer.  Since red velvet isn't my absolute favorite, but apparently everyone elses, I sold completely out of red velvet cupcakes pretty quickly, even though I made more of those than anything else!  I sold out of other items also, which in my book, makes our opening day a success!

Here's the menu I decided on:
Red Velvet Cupcakes
Classic Cupcakes
Cherry Kiss Cupcakes
Vanilla Cupcakes
Hummingbird Cupcakes
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Iced Cake Cookies
Coffee
Bottled Water

Here's a picture of me with my first customer. 

I'm so excited to begin another week!  I'm so thankful for the customers I had!

Brown Sugar Cafe: Dessert Truck Press Release (9/26/11)

New dessert truck Brown Sugar Café to hit the streets!

Chicago, IL – September 26, 2011 – Brown Sugar Café is scheduled to launch a dessert truck on September 30, 2011.  The daily rotating menu will include lip-smacking desserts such as cupcakes, cookies, brownies and a variety of other pastries and delights!  In addition to daily truck stops, the Brown Sugar Café dessert truck will also be available for private parties (birthdays, showers, etc.), corporate delivery orders, and in-home catering/delivery.

At Brown Sugar Café, everything is baked from scratch with high quality ingredients.  Many of the recipes are based on the owner’s southern roots.  Her classics will leave you reminiscing of grandma’s cooking, while her updated treats will simply leave you begging for more!

After over 20 years of baking, Eunice Jackson has decided to launch her bakery in the mobile form - via a dessert truck.  Brown Sugar Café's owner and primary baker is Eunice Jackson.  Eunice has been baking since her grandmother told her to pass the brown sugar so that's about age 6.  She grew up in Chicago while spending her summers in the south. 

 

Our Road Trip Adventure Part II

So all the fun pictures and games are over...We had a blowout in the middle of Kentucky! 



Yes those are my brother's shoes...

My brother changed the tire and after all of that we find out it was the wrong spare!  I called my sister to get the number to the Kentucky State Police for assistance.  The officer came and had to call in a special favor to his friend that owns a repair shop.  To make a long story short, this whole process added six hours to our road trip. 


Getting tired of waiting on the tow truck



All of this on 4 hours of sleep.  A 13 hour trip turned into a 19 hour trip!  However we made it home super tired, as you can see below, but in one piece. 



Finally home at 4am



Our Road Trip Adventure Part I

I live in the Chicagoland area.  Big city living right??  Why are there no businesses that work on creating custom food trucks within driving distance? So I ended up working with a company in North Carolina to get all of my work done.  Yes I could have had my baby shipped on a flatbed, but I wanted to go get her myself! 

ROADTRIP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Me and my brother went and got my baby. When I first saw my baby, it was love at first sight!  She was just like all the emailed pictures I'd receieved...only better because I could now hold her.  However to get her home would not come out some labor...get it..baby..labor..lol 

Here are some pictures of when we first saw my baby.


Just having some fun!




Can you tell he loves the van!  All smiles.



Stay tuned for part two of our adventure...