There are many great gifts for cheesecake lovers, and not all of them have to do with the confection. Ah, the cheesecake. It is my personal favorite desert, and it is a wonderful dairy delight that has been a beloved confection since ancient Grecian times. The American cheesecake is a typically low baked dessert created by baking eggs, cornstarch, and cream cheese with folded in vanilla over a graham cracker crust, similar to the process which creates custard. Cheesecake fans everywhere appreciate gifts themed in their favorite dessert as a thoughtful expression in their favorite subject. Here are ten great gifts for cheesecake lovers:
Book – If the cover doesn’t tempt you, the recipes inside 124 Best Cheesecake Recipes by George Geary will. This delightful collection of twists on a delectable favorite is 192 mouthwatering pages of culinary masterpieces involving the beloved cheesecake. The recipes are great for anyone from the average cook to the cooking hobbyist with easy-to-follow guidelines and interesting recipes. Baking tips are convenient and helpful for all curious cooks to try to reproduce the tempting desserts inside.
Cheesecake Soap from Soap Café looks good enough to eat. For $6.95, your favorite cheesecake lover can enjoy this glycerin decorative cherry scented soap that looks just like a slice of cherry topped cheesecake. The best thing about this masterpiece is that it’s calorie free, and a wonderful way to come out smelling sweet. If you don’t want to wash with this cute gift, consider setting it out on a countertop to use as an air freshener.
Cheesecake – Show you have great taste with the gift of cheesecake from Sinful Cheesecake Company, Say it With Cheesecake, or Carnegie Deli. These amazing confections make stunning gifts for any cheesecake lover, a generously rich and considerate expression that any cheesecake lover will appreciate.
Cheesecake Candles from Bakerycandle.com look so completely edible, you’ll fool yourself! They are so well made, in fact, that looking at the website for them makes me hungry. Candle cravings is so good at their craft, they also make enticing movie props that look like authentic food items. Though these confections are definitely treats for the eyes, these wax goodies should never be given to cheesecake lovers with small children, because they look that edible. Refresher oils are available to keep your candle smelling bakery fresh. For another great cheesecake candle company, look no further than Wax Wizard, a company that sells some of Eli’s original cheesecake scented candles, but hurry, supplies are limited due to a manufacturing shift! These candles smell just like cheesecake when burned.
Cheesecake Pans – Mini Cheesecake pans are charming little spring-form delights that offer just enough dessert for one. They are made with sturdy nonstick coated aluminum, and the spring style release design makes it easy to get your cake out after baking. These cake pans are just 4” in diameter and are available at Surlatable.com. Cooking.com carries a full line of round cheesecake pans with removable bottom, including a 12 cell Mini Cheesecake Pan, a twist on the muffin pan. The bottom discs on each cell pop up for easy removal and cleaning, and it’s dishwasher safe. Finished desserts are simply adorable.
Cheesecake Plate – Courtney’s Candles carries a beautiful lizard-themed cheesecake plate. This piece of whimsical folk art says, “When I’m weary but still can’t sleep . . . I count cheesecakes instead of sheep!” The plate is one of a series of four. The other plates are not about cheesecake. Item is created by Diane Artware.
Tour of Eli’s Cheesecake Company – If your cheesecake lover is in the greater Chicago area, for just $14.95, you can treat your favorite cheesecake lover to the ultimate Eli’s Bakery experience; tasting five varieties of cheesecake after lunch and a tour of Eli’s famous bakery. This Chicago gem has been in business since 1977 when a steak restaurant entrepreneur started offering a cheesecake dessert for sale to patrons of his restaurant. Eli’s Cheesecake was the dessert served at Bill Clinton’s Inauguration, and the 2000 lb confection served thousands of guests. Bakery toys at the factory in Chicago. There is a dress code, and cameras are not allowed.
The Cheesecake Factory Gift Cards from http://shop.thecheesecakefactory.com/ or Cheesecake by the month by the same company are delicious gifts that suit any cheesecake lover’s taste. Your favorite cheesecake lover can choose from one of many delicious desserts and experience some of the best cheesecake you can order. Maybe they will even call you over for coffee and a slice when their item arrives. Certificates can by purchased in denominations of $10, $25, $50, and any amount over that up to $500, and include a personalized greeting. They are also honored at cheesecake factory restaurants and bakeries nationwide.
I Heart Cheesecake – Your favorite Cheesecake fan can display their affection for the sweet confection with an I Heart Cheesecake t-shirt from the i-heart-shop.com . These I Love Cheesecake clothes are a wonderful way to proudly share cheesecake loving passion. Don’t want to wear it out in the open? Consider a thong, boxers, or camisole, or for more versatility, buy a button.
Strawberry Cheesecake Jelly Belly beans – A bag of delicious Strawberry Cheesecake Jelly Belly beans from Jelly Belly is a gift of long-lasting, delicious candy. For $16.50, you can buy a 2.2 lb bag of exclusive Strawberry Cheesecake jelly belly beans. At about four calories per bean and one gram of carbohydrate (0 fat grams) per unite, Jelly belly is a delicious way to watch calories. Jelly Belly Jellybeans are Kosher and they contain no gelatin, so vegetarians can enjoy the little beans without any form of guilt.
Whether your favorite cheesecake lover prefers New York or Chicago style, or some style in between, the gift of delicious cheesecake and cheesecake themed items is one that any cheesecake lover would appreciate. Happy Holidays.
2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008 Culinary Cabaret to benefit the Holland Community Health Center
2002 & 2003 Cherry Festival in Traverse City, Michigan
2003 & 2004 Holland Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner
2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 Holland Hospice Benefit
2003 Center for Women in Transition Benefit
Grand Rapids Press Article: Sunday, March 16, 2003~
By Myron Kukla
"Making wedding dessert puts couple on road to cheesecake Business"
A relative gave Stacey and Garrett Barber the name of their company by declaring one of the delicacies "positively sinful."
Stacey and Garrett Barber never dreamed that baking their own wedding cheesecake two years ago would lead to a full-time business.
Today, the Barbers are celebrating the first anniversary of their cheesecake business, The Sinful Cheesecake Co.
Stacey Barber said their entry into the cheesecake business was "kind of karma and destiny."
"We decided to make a cheesecake for our wedding and experimented with a bunch of different recipes until we created one we liked," the Hudsonville resident said. "Everyone loved our cake and wanted to know where we bought it. When we said we made, the guests told us it was so good we could make it a business selling them."
That didn't happen right away. Stacey went back to her job running an in-home daycare center and Garrett went back to teaching part time and working in a pharmacy.
Then last year, needing to make a change, the Barbers decided to take the advice of their wedding guests and start their own cheesecake baking business.
"We didn't have any background in baking or cooking. We just knew we liked to make cheesecake and were good at it," said Stacey Barber, who grew up in the Hudsonville area and has worked in a number of sales and manufacturing jobs.
The two took out home loans and used their credit cards to renovate a large laundry room in their Hudsonville home into a bakery. They sealed the room off from the rest of the house and put in a commercial kitchen, with ovens, counters, shelving racks and mixers. The kitchen is state licensed.
"It was a pretty daring move, when I think about it," said Garrett Barber, who helps with cooking, delivery and sales for the business. "I always had it in the back of my mind to start a business, but I never could seem to find the right niche. Then we discovered cheesecake."
The company name came from a taste test by a relative who, upon sampling one of the cheesecakes, declared it, "positively sinful."
Garrett Barber, who has a teaching certificate, still does substitute teaching and educational work during slow times at the bakery. He also grades Michigan Education Assessment Program tests.
"Making cheesecakes is a lot more fun," said Barber, who grew up in the Byron Center area.
Melissa Russo, owner of Signature's Coffee & Espresso Bar in Hudsonville, said the Sinful Cheesecakes have made a big hit in her store.
"The customers love them. It's our best selling dessert," said Russo, who is a fan of the company. "I haven't had one yet I didn't like."
The Barbers make about 30 kinds of cheesecake, including turtle, orange rum, peanut butter cup and white chocolate with chocolate raspberry. The Barbers create all their own recipes through trial and error.
"We taste test them on ourselves, our family, friends and neighbors," Barber said. "I think I've gained about 30 pounds getting recipes right."
Sinful Cheesecakes cost between $25 and $35 for a 16-slice, 10-inch product. The company also makes wedding cheesecakes.
Since setting up shop a few small business clients, like Signature's, word of the business has spread, and clients now include the Haworth Inn and Conference Center in Holland, Frederick Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids, the Meadows at Grand Valley State University in Allendale and a host of local coffee bars.
"I'm pretty gutsy," Stacey Barber said. "I don't have a problem calling up people we want (as clients) and saying, "Hey, we make great cheesecake. Can I send you a sample?"
The Barbers would like to move into a storefront location, where they could sell cheesecakes wholesale and retail, and offer an assortment of Michigan made products and gifts.
The Barbers accept orders for Sinful Cheesecake products on the Internet at www.sinfulcheesecake.com or at their order line, (616) 617-7763. The company also will ship orders across country.
Business Direct Weekly (now MIBiz) July 10-15, 2003
The Business Quiz
By Nancie Hudson
Stacey Barber is co-owner of the Sinful Cheesecake Co. in Hudsonville.
What do you eat for breakfast?
Who has time for breakfst? I grab a cup of coffee as I race out the door.
What do you like best about your job, other than the people with whom you work?
The variety. We do everything ourselves-the bookkeeping, the decorating, everything. I have to have variety to keep me interested and I have to have a creative outlet.
You got your start by creating your wedding cheesecake. What flavor was it?
White Chocolate.
How much time a day do you spend in the kitchen?
It varies widely. We can spend two hours in the kitchen or we can spend 12 hours in the kitchen. And during the Cherry Festival, we were working 18-hour days. We would set the alarm clock for 20-minute intervals and sleep and then wake up and check the cheesecakes.
What kind of car do you drive?
A "98 Ford Windstar.
What are some of the flavors you're working on right now?
Right now we're working on cheesecake upside-down pie-that's a cheesecake with a whole fruit pie or pecan pie baked in the middle-and tiramisu cheesecake and icream sandwich cheesecake.
What are some flavors you've tried out that didn't work?
We tried dark chocolate-brandy-cherry, and that one didn't go over well. It was a little bitter. And then there was one that we really liked that didn't sell at all, corncob-apple slice. It was amde with a corncob jelly, and it was really good, but the name must have turned people off because nobody bought it, so we took it off the menu.
Have you read any good books lately?
We've been reading the Guerilla Marketing series by Jay Conrad Levinson, and they are phenomenal. He's become our guru.
Where can people buy your cheesecake?
Through us. We don't have any retail outlets right now, but we're working on that. Or if they go to the Haworth Center (at Hope College) for a conference and order cheesecake, that's ours. And the Meadows at Grand Valley State University and Sunnybrook Country Club. The list goes on and on.
Do you watch local TV new or cable TV news? Neither? Both?
Local, when I can stand what they're showing.
What's the most important thing you've learned in your professional career?
Don't be afraid to take chances.
What's your favorite cheesecake?
Orange Rum, hands down.
When you were in high school, did you buy your lunch in the cafeteria or bring one from home? What was your favorite lunch?
Actually, I did neither. I had a Diet Coke and a box of Junior Mints every day.
If you couldn't be creating new cheesecake varieties, what would you like to be doing for a living?
I've done so many things. I used to be a florist, so I would probably do floral work.
Should the speed limit on Michigan's interstates be raised or lowered?
If I'm going to get my orders there on time, I'm going to have to raise it to 80.
Is cheesecake from New York really any different?
Yes. New York-style cheesecake has sour cream in it, and we don't put sour cream in our cheesecake. And ours is better.
If someone were starting out today in the same business you're in, what advice would you give?
One of the things we've learned was don't spend money unnecessarily. And don't be afraid to advertise. And the other thing-with home-based businesses-don't be ashamed of having it in your home. We were always afraid people would look down on us for having it in our house, and we were so wrong. For our business, people see it as an exclusive thing. It's a cool thing to get it from us.
Hope Catering for Holland Chamber Recognized in National Contest
Posted June 9, 2004
HOLLAND - The teaming of Hope College Catering and the Holland Area Chamber of Commerce has led to recognition from the National Association of College and University Food Services (NACUFS).
Hope College Catering has won the silver award for "small" schools in the "Catering - Special Event/Theme Dinner" category of the association's 2004 Loyal E. Horton Dining Awards contest. Hope has won for its work with the Holland Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner, held on Tuesday, Sept. 23, at Evergreen Commons.
The award recipients will be recognized during the NACUFS 46th National Conference, to be held on Tuesday-Saturday, July 6-10, in Las Vegas, Nev.
More than 400 attended the Chamber of Commerce event, which featured a "Travel the Globe" theme. Instead of the formal, sit-down dinner format the chamber had followed in years past, the event offered multiple "grazing stations," each with a regional emphasis: Mexican, Italian, Pacific Rim, U.S.A. and Asian.
Menu items developed by Chef Tom Hoover ranged from fiesta lime chicken breast, to baked garlic bread, Caribbean fruit punch, sirloin beef tips and made-to-order sushi. In addition, desserts designed to match each region were provided by the Sinful Cheesecake Company of Hudsonville.
Program highlights coordinated by the chamber included performances by three local groups -- Christian Celtic Dancers, the Los Bandits musicians and the Pacific Island Dancers -- and a year-in-review video presentation emceed by Lee Van Ameyde of WZZM-TV 13.
While the catering service won the award, the recognition honors the night as a whole, according to Tim Blackburn, who is catering manager at the college. "To qualify, the event has to be one in which the food, the theme and the other activities all mesh together," he said. "It was terrific working with the chamber in this respect; they really helped to pull the event together and take it to a higher level."
Chamber of Commerce President Jane Clark complimented Hope College Catering for its role in producing an event that she considered a winner even before learning about the NACUFS award.
"The food was delicious, the decorations were fantastic and the whole Annual Dinner went off without a hitch thanks to the work of the Hope College Catering team," she said. "We took a risk using the 'grazing' format, but thanks to their expertise the event flowed very smoothly. Our members had a great time, and afterward raved about the changes."
Open to all institutional members of NACUFS, the contest features six categories: "Residence Hall Dining - Standard Menu," "Residence Hall Dining - Special Event/Theme Dinner," "Catering - Standard Menu," "Catering - Special Event/Theme Dinner," "Retail Sales - Single Stand-Alone Concept/Outlet" and "Retail - Multiple Concepts/Outlets." Competing schools are considered in three divisions based on size - small, medium or large - with Gold, Silver and Bronze honorees named in each division. A grand prize winner will also be named from the Gold award winners in the small, medium and large classifications.
The contest was designed to promote creativity and sound nutrition in the areas of food presentation, menu variety and merchandising. The event is named for Loyal E. Horton, a former NACUFS president and founding member of the association.
NACUFS is the trade association for food service professionals at nearly 650 institutions of higher education in the United States, Canada and abroad. Founded in 1958, NACUFS is devoted to promoting the highest quality of food service, and supports its institutional and industry members with a full range of educational programs, publications, management services and networking opportunities.
Sip award winning beer while supporting the Community Health Center!
Click the link abve to go to the web page
HOLLAND BREWERY AND COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER JOIN FORCES!
The New Holland Brewing Company in Holland is well known for it's hand crafted brew. The Community Health Center in Holland is well known for providing health care to the under and uninsured. Now the two are teaming up to help raise money for the center.
Called the "Culinary Cabaret" the New Holland Brewing Company is one of many Holland area restaurants and establishments providing food and drink for your enjoyment. The "Culinary Cabaret" also features silent and live auctions with items ranging from fine jewelry to dining packages. Proceeds from the event go to the Community Health Center in Holland.
One of the featured foods is from the Sinful Cheesecake Company. If you'd like to get your hands on some of their tasty creations, check them out online at www.sinfulcheesecake.com.
Culinary Cabaret
March 20, 2003
Pinnacle Center, Hudsonville
Tickets available at all Macatawa Bay Banks
www.macatawabank.com for a list of bank branches near you
Or call 616-494-4100 x123 to order your tickets by phone.
