Sweet Beginnings

I wanna start by saying a BIG THANK YOU to everyone at Fisher-Nickel PG&E Food Service Technology Center for a wonderfully warm welcome, for working with us so closely over the last 2 months, and for giving us invaluable information on how we can save energy and resources at our up-and-coming new bakery. The Fisher-Nickel peeps have helped us get in the right direction to find kitchen equipment that saves energy and money in the long run. 

Just so you know who these very cool people are, they set the test standards for energy efficiency on any major kitchen and restaurant equipment. The brilliant engineers at Fisher-Nickel create tests and baselines to establish the efficiency of each type and brand of equipment used. Their doors are always open to restaurant entrepreneurs, large and small businesses alike. 

Please visit their website at  www.fishnick.com and spread the word!!

What we love about Fisher-Nickel....

Even if you're not a tree-hugger... everything that translates from being energy efficient equates to saving the "green" in your pocket. Fisher-Nickel gave us a wealth of information on efficiency, and what "Green" really means. It's really all about helping your business save money, and retaining your profit margins. This is huge for us at Sugarie. Being a business in its infancy, we want to make sure that we're on track with our kitchen design, and using the most qualified, efficient machines that maximizes our resources. 

The single rack LBC rotating rack oven

Holding our breaths for the finnicky little feet to form...

Little morsels of PERFECTION!!

We are continuing to work with everyone at the Fisher Nickel FSTC for energy efficient lighting, refrigeration, and water heating. It's been a continuing education process, and the wonderful engineers have been so generous with sharing their time with us, showing us the green way. 

We can't wait to get our hands started on building our "Green" kitchen =)

Happy Valentine's everyone!!! Especially to the beautiful brides we worked with in Sugarie's very first year in business.... Thank you for making it special for us, and we hope our French Macarons helped make your big days memorable too!!

It has been a while since I've posted... been baking like a banshee for the holidays, and I finally have the time to sit and smell the roses... and look back at all the projects we worked on to create unforgettable memories for amazing events. 

Before I start rolling, and rambling this first blog of the New Year's, I want to once again say a huge THANK YOU!!! to everyone who supported me, to the wonderful brides and French Macaron connoiseurs we've met, my family, my best friends from Singapore who even though are 3000 miles away from me, manage to shower me with hugs and encouragement. 

Most of all, I want to give a shout-out to my little Petrie who had just passed away this Christmas. When Sugarie first began a full year ago, and as I was experimenting with batches and batches French Macaron flavors, and toying around with baking cupcakes and pastries in my humble home oven, Petrie was never far from me. She would patiently watch over as the smell of cupcakes filled the room, and hoping to catch a crumb on the floor. Even when these experimental bake days would last hours into the night, she was always there, waiting for me to finish, as she faithfully pitter pattered with me when I was done for the night and got ready for bed. She would sometimes slumber into a loud snoring nap, but she was always there. I still see some of her little paw marks on my carpet to this day, a whole month later... I miss her dearly... Much of what I earned with Sugarie gave me the freedom to spend precious time with her in the last months, and to shower her with lots of love and affection. 

And I am grateful to all those who enjoyed Sugarie's French Macarons, and helped support our first year. Here's looking forward to the next. Cheers!!

It's been a crazy while since I've posted. Amazing opportunities have come to pass, giving life to Sugarie's heartbeat. Wonderful connections with brides we met at the Ritz Carlton wedding fair, baking for Cako Cupcakes for a month now, and we had this amazing opportunity to show-case Sugarie's French Macarons at none other than Williams-Sonoma's flagship in Union Square, the Mecca for the best of food and home cooking, a haven for those who love to be in the kitchen. Every time I walk in there, it never fails to make me OOOOhhh and Awwwwwww at their seasonal offerings, and kitchen "toys". So I've added a few things to my checklist. The KitchenAid Copper Mixer ( for beautiful French Meringues), and the Magimix blender... HOLY BLADES... this machine is gorgeous... and it needs to make it's way to my kitchen... very soon!

Being at this Artisans' Market was so much fun for us. Getting Mr. Eiffel into the store, cutting up morsels of samples to share with everyone, getting to meet loyal customers of the store, and watching them go, " Oh my GOD! This is sooo GOOOD!!!", 

 

Our set-up at the Williams-Sonoma Artisans' Market

 

Adorable chalk-board display made by the talented and creative staff at Williams-Sonoma. I was so impressed with their merchandising props. They had everything we needed to channel our French Vintage style. BRAVO!

The crowd starting to billow in... 

And we have our very first customer!!

Helping our guests make their selection =)

It was a successful day the Artisan's Market. I want to say a BIG THANK YOU, and lots of heartfelt hugs to everyone at Williams-Sonoma, especially to Aaron Clarke and Jenn Yee for bringing us on board, and to the wonderful merchandising team that gave us the tools to create a showstopping display, and to the many French Macaron connoisseurs we met. Merci Beaucoup!!

We had such a wonderful time, and we look forward to our next Artisans' Market, Saturday, October 20 12:00pm-4:00pm. We can't wait!!

at the San Francisco Ritz Carlton Wedding Fair.

As Russ and I were slaving away in the delivery dock, moving all of our French Macarons and displays onto our handcart in the brisk, cold and foggy San Francisco morning, we braced ourselves as we entered the corridors through the back and  into the ballroom. Holy CHANDELIERS!!! The ballroom is GRAND. I mean.. I know.. it's the Ritz Carlton, but this was my very first time, and embarassingly, I was rolling in with a dropped jaw... and vendors all around were looking at me like I was from some other planet. LOL!

Each space was separated with real, trimmed green hedges. We had our linen-covered round table, and two chairs dressed in soft supple cream satin covers, with gold sashes.... I'd never been so spoiled in a wedding fair. We were surrounded by some of the most renowned in the industry, Cako Cupcakes, Williams Sonoma, Bloomingdale's Bridal Registry, Claremont Hotel and Spa, Saks Fifth Avenue, Modern Love Photography, The Travelling Photo Booth... I know I was in heaven. Every vendor around us had beautiful displays, showing off their Sunday best, getting ready for the double doors to open, when the brides would glide in. 

This was the perfect event to debut our Salted Caramel flavor, and to showcase "Cake-A-Ron", the newest addition to our Macaron Bar selections. Gorgeous, glowing brides, proudly displaying their knock-out engagement rings, flowed into the ballroom. Each of them with a pretty glass of blueberry champagne ( which by the way is the perfect compliment to our French Macarons), arms full of goodies and gift bags, and couldn't help but be drawn to Cake-A-Ron and Mr. Eiffel, and to our delicious French Macaron samples.

Our completed display...

Cake-A-Ron

Sugarie French Macarons galore!!

We had such a wonderful time meeting everyone. Every time I see the expressions on their faces when they take that first bite into the Sugarie French Macaron, I feel inspired and motivated. This is why I do what I do. It makes all those hours in the kitchen baking my fingers away worth it. 

Here's to my dream of having my very first Sugarie shop.... CHEERS!!!