My friend Maria Giacona owns a bakery here called La Dolce Vita Bake Shop and she's super talented. She is a twenty something, successful business owner which is a big deal! Any time I see a new cake of hers I'm always in awe. She has made quite a few cakes for us, including Braxton's baby shower cake and his very first smash cake, and they always taste amazing. I wanted to share a couple of her cakes on here and do a little Q and A with her. She was also generous and shared a little recipe of hers for a Valentine's Day treat.
When did you know that you wanted to be a pastry chef?
A: I always liked to cook and bake, but my real passion was in art. I mostly did sculpting and clay work which isn't an easy means to make a living (especially in central NY haha). I tried to figure out a way where I could still express myself artistically in a more "practical" way…and had an aha moment to enroll in culinary school.
How did you start out with your own business?
A: I was working for a large catering company that enabled me to learn high production pastry/cakes but I really loved the detailed custom cakes. It was extremely difficult starting out without any financial backing or loans but somehow I pulled it off. It was a real gamble. I can still remember the fear I felt because I wasn't sure if I would have enough to cover my bills some months. As I established a solid reputation, things picked up very quickly. I think we live in a great community where word of mouth travels fast and everyone had pretty great things to say about my work!
What is a piece of advice for someone just starting out with opening their own business?
A: Keep your overheard low and don't give up. The beginning is what makes or breaks you…but if you work hard and deliver a good product/service it will pay off in the end.
Most memorable moment of your career so far would be…
A: I was asked to make a cake for Victoria Mackenzie-Childs for her 70th birthday. It was amazing to see her reaction when she was told the piece of "pottery" on her kitchen table was a cake. She couldn't believe it.
What is your favorite thing to bake?
A: I love it all…except bread…that's not for me haha.
The easiest way to screw up a dessert is…
A: Not reading the recipe all the way through before you start. I know it sounds dumb but it's true! I can't tell you how many times I've added the whole egg when I was supposed to whip the whites in a later step!
What are three things you should always have in your kitchen? (Besides the obvious)
A. Whisk, a few good baking sheets, and ice cream…just in case your dessert does not come out well. Ice cream makes a great bake up dessert :)
Dessert trends come and go pretty quickly, what's in for 2014?
A. 2014…French Macarons are growing in popularity. Oh, and of course, the infamous Cronut which is super trendy in NYC. Basically it's doughnut made with croissant dough and filled with custard.
What are your favorite kinds of designs for cakes?
A. I love girly cakes. Ruffles, pearls, flowers…oh yeah.
One thing you should never skip out on when baking…
A. Use butter. You can tell a huge difference when the recipe is made with butter as opposed to margarine or worse, shortening.
Make sure you check Maria out on Facebook for some amazing cakes that will blow you away!
Almond Paste Cookies
Ingredients:
1 #4oz of almond paste
12 ounces of powdered sugar
3 egg whites at room temperature
1 teaspoon of pure almond extract
Pinch of salt
Beat egg whites with whip attachment in Kitchen Aid mixer with salt and extract until medium peaks form. (It will hold it's shape)
Set aside in a separate bowl and add almond paste and sugar alternatively until the mixture looks crumbly.
Add one third of the whipped whites to smooth out lumps and then fold the rest in.
Let sit in the fridge overnight…This is my key step.
The next day pipe batter on a parchment lined cookie sheet and garnish with slivered almonds or halved maraschino cherries. (My Italian grandfather loved the cherries!)
Bake at 300 degrees until the edges are starting to look toasted or until the bottoms slightly brown.
Allow to cool, then enjoy!
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