Recently in Notes from the Bakery Category

Damian Cardone of Tavern on the Green recently admitted on Facebook about lying to gluten-free customers. He ranted, "Gluten free is bulls$#t!! Flour and bread have been a staple of life for thousands, THOUSANDS of years. People who claim to be gluten intolerent [sic] dont [sic] realize that its [sic] all in there [sic] disturbed little heads. People ask me for gluten free pasta in my restaurant all the time, I tell em sure, Then I serve serve em our pasta, Which I make from scratch with high gluten flour. And you know what? nothing, NOTHING! ever happens! People leave talking about how good they feel gluten free and guess what, They just had a full dose! Idiots!"

Foodista discovered the Facebook post and exposed him on wednesday which naturally launched a slew of comments. I personally think the guy is an idiot himself and just lazy. Is it really that hard to just tell people you don't have a gluten free menu when they ask? Anyhow, who knew gluten would become so controversial! I love it.

PS, I learned about this story from my brother in law Alex by way of Facebook. Thanks Al!

BabyCakes Covers the Classics: From Donuts to Snickerdoodles. It's the New Cookbook!!! from BabyCakes NYC on Vimeo.

Hello again, Friends and Loved Ones. I have a new cookbook! It's called "BabyCakes Covers the Classics: Gluten-Free Vegan Recipes from Donuts to Snickerdoodles." I featured but a small sampling of the new desserts in the above video, because, what?, was I really expected to feature ALL 50 of the recipes included in this book that is now available for pre-order wherever you buy your favorite reading materials online and will be in actual stores on April 12, 2011, for not even that much money? That would take forever. You'd turn it off before you ever got to the Thin Mints, or the Whoopie Pies, or the Pancakes, or the Hamentashen, or the German Chocolate Cake, or the Sugar Cookies... it would be like 45 minutes long! I'm hoping Donuts, Waffles, Mounds, and Madeleines are plenty for you to see all the exciting places this book of recipes is going and will take you.

This thing was directed by David Mettler, produced by David Mettler and Chris Cechin, and edited by Justin Gallaher. It was also shot by David Mettler. Lastly, David Mettler, David Mettler. Thanks to Clarkson Potter for publishing another book for me! BOOKS!

I met a guy at a party recently, I'll call him Brad, who told me that BabyCakes almost broke up his 5 year relationship. Naturally, I had to hear all the details so I pushed him to spill it. Here's the express version: Brad explains that his girlfriend Jen was addicted to the lemon cupcake and had to have one every night. A few months ago, just when they had sat down for a romantic anniversary dinner at 9:30 pm, Jen leapt up and screamed "Oh no! BabyCakes closes at 10, I have to get down there before they close!" and she hurriedly threw on her coat and promised to be right back. Brad sat with steam shooting out of his nose and ears for a 45 minutes. Jen returns with just one lemon cupcake for herself. Brad points out that her leaving him at the table for 45 minutes was rude and coming back with just 1 cupcake for herself made the whole incident cruel. Big fight ensues and lasts for 3 days. Jen gets back in his good graces by sending Brad a dozen cupcakes. Wow! This was an emotional rollercoaster ride for me and I was so enthralled! BabyCakes was the cause of the fight and the make-up! What a story.

SO. Now I'm hooked and I want to hear your tales of love and strife that have somehow involved BabyCakes. Did you get engaged here? Fall in love? End it for good? We want to know, simply because WE ARE NOSY. If you want to share your story with us, please email info@babycakesnyc.com and we'll to publish it on our blog if you say it's ok. Now let it rip! We'll be refreshing our inbox every 36 seconds to read your submissions. Ta-ta!

Good news for the middle and youngest child! US News reports today that birth order has a direct affect on allergies. "It has been established that individuals with increased birth order have a smaller risk of allergy. However, the significance of the effect may differ by allergic diseases," Dr. Takashi Kusunoki explained in a news release from the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.

This sounds promising but how come I, the 10th child, got stuck with it while my older brothers and sisters munch pizza and bagels happily around me? Oh well, at least I have a bakery full of donuts at my fingertips...

As many of you know, I have a gluten sensitivity but I'm not celiac. This has always been difficult to explain to people because the only thing that separates me and the celiac is that I just get stomach cramps, a weird headache and some dizziness if I eat something like a bagel but someone with who is celiac will ultimately end up in the hospital when they are exposed to even the slightest amount. I consider myself lucky. But when someone hears that I have a "sensitivity" to gluten but am not celiac I sometimes get the "oh she's on that new diet because she thinks it's healthy" sort of eyeroll. But now, thanks to a new study done by the University of Maryland's Center for Celiac Research, there is scientific evidence that proves that just because you don't test positive for celiac you may actually have a gluten sensitivity! I don't know about you but I am printing that study and laminating it to show to everyone who challenges me.

Yesterday the Wall Street Journal dissected the difference between celiac disease, wheat allergies and gluten sensitivity in this article here. To sum it up, reactions to wheat and gluten really do exist independent of celiac disease even though many people (hi Mom!) wonder if it's just the new diet of the moment. Why is gluten such a problem these days? Nobody really knows. The theory that makes most sense to me is that it's the product of mass production. Wheat producers are now increasing the gluten content--it's no longer treated the same way it was back when there was a mill in each town. Mayo Clinic recently tested human blood samples from the mid 1950's and compared to today, the presence of gluten intolerance is up 4 fold. Wow. Does that mean that if I lived in 1951 I may have had a chance with a bowl of spaghetti? I always knew I was born in the wrong era...

And I support it! Co-founder of the Awl, Choire Sicha, interviewed me about the business of doing business via IM while I was on a flight to LA yesterday afternoon from NY. I was so happy to chat with him while on board not just because the Awl is my favorite blog but that flight can be really boring. And! Choire is really very interesting and smart himself! Click here for the article here if you're interested! You'll either be inspired or the opposite but it has links to some cool videos so you can't really lose!

Once in a while we get an email from a happy BabyCakes Cookbook user with a photo of their beautiful success attached. This week, artist Lauren Portada sent along this photo of her Sweet Paradise cake that she made for a friend's wedding in Hawaii. Imagine eating Sweet Paradise in actual paradise?! Click the image to get a really nice look. Well done, Lauren! So proud of you...

When my parents moved from NY to San Diego in the early 60's my father had a hard time keeping a job mainly because he just could not wake up before 10am even with 4 screaming children outside his bedroom door. Who can blame him. But ever the entrepreneurs, Dad and Mom decided to open Chula Vista's first auto insurance agency in 1966, California Special Services (now known modernly as CSS).

Business boomed for them due to the fact that my dad was a borderline lunatic and came up with off the wall techniques to get into the newspaper (see left, click it to read). My mother was clearly the muscle behind the business--juggling 12 children and a busy business--I never knew how she did it.

Today I look at BabyCakes and I can't help but see them in each cornerstone of the business. Thanks to Dad, I am a psychotic risk taker and never say no to a good idea. I have my Mom to thank for passing down her perfect style and tireless work ethic. I never could have done this without you, Mom and Dad and all the brothers and sisters you gave me. Hearts forever...

In exactly 54 days BabyCakes Covers the Classics, my second cookbook, is on the shelves which means in 54 days you will be making donuts for breakfast, cheese straws at lunch, and forking in ice cream sandwiches after dinner! The book is available for pre-order now so order now if you can get it as fast as humanly possible. This book is surely going into reprint so grab the fist edition while you can!!

Picture this. It's 9:52pm and you're just getting all tucked in and cozy on your La-Z- Boy for the latest episode of Celebrity Rehab, Project Runway, or Top Chef...maybe it's Monday Night Football or what not. Your pajamas are on, hair's in a ponytail (or maybe a messy bun?) and clicker is ready to go. All of a sudden it hits you like the flu: the totally unexpected, uncrushable craving for a BabyCakes cookie sandwich, cupcake top, or cinnamon sugar donut. You're heart falls when you realize two things: 1) There is no way you are putting your snow boots on and catching the train to the Lower East Side 2) BabyCakes closes at 10 and you wouldn't make it anyway. There's nothing you can do and you are sad.

Until now.

Thanks to Clementine Courier you can get those cookie sandwiches at midnight if you so hanker it or even the odd donut order at 1am if it's in stock. No job is too big or little, and they'll always show up with a good attitude because they love what they do. New York Magazine even commended Clementine on their skills when the boys delivered an awkward and high maintenance order faster and cheaper than the other couriers put to the test.

Here's how it works. Call the bakery (212.677.5047) between the hours of 5pm-1am, find out what's in stock and we'll take it from there. The boys at Clementine deliver all over Manhattan and will cross the Brooklyn, Manhattan and Williamsburg bridges for an extra fee which is well worth it. Only one depressing thing: Clementine Couriers don't wear the cool pirate hats like the guy in the picture up there. Not yet, that is...

Not only is a Happy New Year in order but a Happy Birthday to our Downtown LA location as well! One year ago today we opened our doors on 6th and Main and I couldn't be more proud. It has been a very big year for us at the bakery so I want to take this opportunity to recognize the crew in LA that has grabbed the torch from our NY flagship and executed the BabyCakes experience so expertly, it is not an easy task! Also, a special thank you to all our devoted customers that have white-knuckled it through LA traffic to get your stash for the week, you are appreciated! So thank you, LA, for a glorious year! We are so thankful for all the support!

This morning I got a really exciting email from Ashley Koff, the nationally renowned registered dietician, to let me know that BabyCakes NYC made her list of approved products on her AKA list (Ashly Koff Approved). Ashley's philosophy on food, health and nutrition is realistic, attainable and effective. She, too, stresses that making healthful choices on a daily basis is the only way to maintain overall energy and health. Here's how she explains her list:

Whether it's a product, menu, recipe, or gadget, the AKA stamp confirms that it has been evaluated and approved by me, as a better quality and healthy choice. More specifically, it means that the product does not contain any nutrition "no, no's," (artificial stuff, too much of something, not enough of another...), its marketing message is truthful and it fits into a nutrition plan for optimal health. What it does not mean is that anyone paid me to evaluate or influence my decision, and it also does not mean that a product stays either approved or not approved forever - I am always re-evaluating products to follow updated marketing messages, ingredients, learning about sourcing methods, and focusing on truths in nutrition, not trends and fads.

So with the new year already breathing down our necks, I know how tempting it can be to fall into the New Year's resolution trap. It's that shame seed that most magazines plant in our brains that tell us to put down the brownies and start doing spin class and stuff like that. Please ignore it. Exercise because it lifts your spirit. Eat a carrot because it gives you energy. Without getting too far into this, I think we can agree that doing our best to eat real, natural food and stay away from genetically modified, preservative stuffed stuff is a good strategy for lifelong health, right? It's a "diet" that is true and effortless to stick with. Plus, we get to eat brownies on this plan which is essential.

For her whole list, click here. Happy eating!