GLAZE CONFECTIONS����������������������������������������������������������� THE BALANCE CULTURE ������������������������������������������������������26 STREET CAFE �������������������������������������������������������������������������������28

WORDS Tara Crutchfield PHOTOGRAPH Amy Sexson

GLAZE Confections

A flour-covered five-year-old making it ‘snow’ in the kitchen turned Food Network champion is making your favorite farmers market macarons – in case you didn’t know. Chef Briea Lowe is a trained pastry chef with an impressive career, a thriving Central Florida confection business, and a passion for making culinary education accessible to aspiring chefs. The GLAZE Confections owner has loved playing with food her entire life.

“My first memory of baking was with my grandmother. She was making what we call bizcochitos,” Chef Brie said. “In Spanish families, you use cinnamon, anise, and a sugar cookie dough.” Though delicious, Briea wasn’t dazzled by the cookie’s appearance like the treats she saw on the Food Network. “That’s when my mom would step in,” she said. “My mom loved all the piping techniques growing up and always made us those old school teddy bear cakes with the star tip with endless stars of different colors.”

Like a sponge cake in the oven, a passion for the culinary arts rose within Briea with every captivating Food Network program, baking session with her grandmother, and piped star from her mom. “I decided at a young age that I’d figure out how to get on TV no matter what it took,” she said.

From ages 12-17, Briea trained in the first-ever performing arts school in Osceola County. “It was very exciting to be that influenced by art,” she said. The pastry chef joked that she only left the performing arts to avoid becoming a ‘starving artist.’ Her friends heartened Briea that the baking she loved so much and practiced constantly was an art form and that she should pursue it.

Determined to find a way to make a living ‘playing with her food,’ Breia applied to Le Cordon Bleu’s rising chef competition. She took 3rd place and received a $15K scholarship. On the way to sign the contract to go to Le Cordon Bleu, her mother cut the car’s wheel and pointed at a school on the roadside – Notter School of Pastry Arts. Briea’s mother encouraged her to be open-minded and check out the school. She’d already won a scholarship. Why divert the plan? “Passion,” her mom told her.

The world champion pastry chef, whose name graced the building, Ewald Notter, was on-site that day, building a showpiece. The woman giving Briea and her mother a tour of the school nudged her to make his acquaintance. Briea peeked around the corner at Notter and described him as intimidating and impressive. Accessibility to a chef of his caliber was an ‘epiphany moment’ for young Briea.

Notter spotted the 17-year-old culinary devotee and waved her over. As she stood next to him at the demo table, the chef skipped pleasantries and started teaching her how to make chocolate petals. “I’d never touched chocolate, let alone know you could sculpt with it,” she said. A quick study, Briea would eventually become Notter’s Apprentice/ Assistant and help him run the pastry school. After a few short months during her training, he had promoted her to ‘instructor,’ and she was teaching solo by age 20. Having represented the USA at 18 years old and obtained a mentor/coach, she and Notter began entering her into competition after competition.

After working with Notter and training alongside his son, the chef helped Briea get placement in Palm Beach, where she became the assistant pastry chef of the Everglades Club. She continued working in resorts from Shingle Creek and Bonnet Creek to helping open the Ritz Carlton in Orlando. Chef Brie consulted for several confectionery businesses.

The young pastry chef moved on to work in Virginia. She taught and sold goods at Sur La Table in Alexandria, Virginia. After two years and much success, Briea had learned all there was for her to know in that position. She decided it was time to move on and build something of her own. “I need to be challenged, and I need to share that information with other people,” she said. Chef Brie accepted a job offer from the Michelin Star restaurant group Fabio Trabocchi and went on to work alongside Trabocchi’s executive corporate pastry chef, Christian Capo. She worked in the heart of Georgetown as the pastry chef of Fiola Mare.

She returned to consulting until the pandemic hit three months later. Briea and her husband Brad moved back to Florida and started GLAZE Confections four months later. The couple attended their first-ever market as GLAZE Confections in Harmony, Florida, over the Halloween weekend of 2020. “It was exciting because this was the first time we took a leap,” she said. The pastry chef was overwhelmed by the support they received from a town that played such a significant role in their story. Harmony was the place she and her husband went on a blind date their mothers set them up on and where they fell in love over the summer of 2013.

The Lowes branched out of Harmony with more markets and events, a hitor-miss process. After encouragement from other market vendors, GLAZE Confections attended their first Winter Haven Farmers Market in June of 2021. “It seemed to be anywhere we could make people feel like they could create a special moment – that would attract people,” Chef Brie said. “It’s so nice to see that this community appreciates culinary cuisine and creating those real hometown moments.”

Orlando and Winter Haven became go-to markets where Chef Brie would sell out of Victorian sponge cakes, dense chocolate cakes (which she calls Grandma’s Chocolate Cake), sandwich cookies, and jumbo macarons. Briea’s own happiness is reflected in the faces of customers enjoying her food – her art. “Watching a person eat is where a chef’s joy is,” she said. “At least for me, it is.”

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Photo by Brad Lowe

The little girl who set her sights on a television debut realized her dream many times over. Chef Brie first worked with the Food Network as a contestant on “Sugar Dome” at age 20. Partnered with a costume designer, she built a colossal structure almost entirely out of sugar. “It ended up toppling over onto my head,” she remembered.

She joined the network again in 2014 for Season 4 of “Halloween Wars.” During the filming of the last episode, Briea came down with a bad case of strep throat. She pushed on, and her team, Corpse Crushers, won the competition.

Like anyone who finds themselves in the judgmental glare of the public eye, Briea received her share of criticism and nasty comments online. “I didn’t use the publicity like I should have at that young age,” she said. “I was too scared based on the criticism that I received.”

The Season 4 “Halloween Wars” champ continued, “If I could say anything to a younger generation – never listen to the naysayers who say, ‘You’re so young, you have so much time.’ I hate when older people tell me that. My advice to the younger generation – you run as fast as you want. Do it. If you’re willing to grind and put in the hours, and you’re sweating 20 hours a day at something you want to get good at – I commend you. I encourage you.”

Chef Brie was also a part of “Halloween Wars” Season 7 in episodes 1-4. These episodes taught her perseverance. She thought her team would be sent home every episode, but they proved their capabilities repeatedly. “Only pressure can make diamonds!” she said. “We didn’t win, but our edible art spoke its story and sparkled.”

The pastry chef returned to Food Network on the team “Baking Spirits Bright” for “Holiday Wars” Season 4, which aired in November. Briea’s favorite part of the experience comes after filming wraps, the episode airs, and reactions to her creations roll in. “I do it because I want to see people’s appreciation for my art.”

PASTRY FUNDAMENTALS

Accessible education and mental health in the culinary arts impassion Chef Briea Lowe. When Notter School of Pastry Arts closed its doors, her mentor gifted her all 38 years’ worth of teaching content. “That was the biggest gift he could have ever given me,” she said. “It still brings me to tears that he trusts me that much.” Prepared to offer her skills and talent to the education of up“I believe in old-school values as far as business goes and learning a skill. I don’t think we should have institutions that charge people for school,” she said. “I genuinely believe that if you want to learn something, that’s on you as a human. Go out and learn it. But to charge people and then to be like, ‘I’ll pay you minimum wage for the next ten years,’ that’s miserable. I don’t think that’s how we should reward the young culinary society.”

Long before her television debut, Briea’s mentor gave her valuable advice. He told her, ‘You have so much talent. You will always be belittled for it and pushed down for it to try and dim your light. Just know this and always push through it.’

“Had I known to have more confidence in my skills and myself to not listen to all those naysayers, I think I could have ended up farther than I am at this point,” she reflected. “But I think I needed to go through that to be a better teacher.”

The bubbly pastry chef imparts her know-how to viewers on her YouTube channel Pastry Fundamentals, produced by her husband’s company, Lowe Media Works. Briea and Brad have also discussed producing a culinary-centric mental health podcast. With so many ideas and recent health complications, the couple decided to focus on GLAZE and Pastry Fundamentals for the time being. The Lowes moved from Lake Nona to a new home in Orlando that will double as a fully operational kitchen set. Of the 2000 square foot house, 800 square feet is the kitchen, and 200 square feet is a studio space. Several networks interested in a future televised concept have approached the chef. Follow Chef Brie’s sweet journey on social media.

Diamonds are more akin to tea cakes than you might think. Pastry chef and business owner Briea Lowe strives for GLAZE Confections to be a brand built on high quality, reasonable prices, and memorable experiences. A televisionquality sculpted cake wrapped in fondant and sugar pearls is impressive, like a ruby-studded necklace. All costs considered, sometimes costume jewelry is better than the real thing. It’s just as sparkly, compliments the outfit, and won’t break the bank. “In a sense, GLAZE is the costume jewelry of what the pastry industry is,” she said. It truly is the small pleasures in life.

GLAZE Confections IG @glazeconfections www.glazeconfections.com YouTube @PastryFundamentals

WORDS Tara Crutchfield PHOTOGRAPH Amy Sexson

The Balance Culture

“There’s no comparison here. There’s no doubt, no fear, no insecurity, and no competition. This is your workout – you just get to do it with all the other ladies around you,” said Stephanie Garrison, owner and instructor at The Balance Culture Winter Haven. The boutique fitness studio has been a safe and supportive workout space for women in Lakeland for the last eight years. This month, owners Ruthie Tait and Stephanie Garrison bring their heart-pumping, soul-nourishing brand of empowerment to Winter Haven.

Ruthie Tait, instructor and owner of The Balance Culture, moved to Lakeland in 2009 to attend Southeastern University. A former gymnast, Tait played collegiate volleyball for four years while majoring in Social Work.

During college, Tait and her friend Kirstin Czernek connected over their passion for fitness and nutrition, and with graduation approaching, both were considering their career options. Czernek opted to attend nutrition school while Tait started her yoga certification. The initial goal wasn’t to start a business but rather to teach.

“All these different ‘God things’ kept happening and opening doors to start The Balance Culture,” Tait said.

Czernek’s husband was looking for an office space and found one with an open room next door and thought it would make a good fitness studio. Ruthie and Kirstin began hosting pop-up classes, offering complimentary Pilates and barre, to gauge community interest in a group fitness studio. “It was such an amazing response,” Tait remembered.

For a year, the two women worked to build what they wanted their brand to be. The Balance Culture, a women-exclusive group fitness studio, opened in Dixieland on September 28, 2015. They were at that location for six years before moving to a new studio space last year. A year and a half ago, Tait bought out her friend and former business partner, who retired to focus on her family.

“It’s hard to believe that it’s been eight years,” Tait said. “We’re just doing what we love every day – connecting with the community, helping women feel empowered, and having fun working out while we do it.”

Tait is a 200-hour Registered Yoga Teacher. She is certified through the Athletics Fitness Association of America (AFAA) as a Group Fitness instructor and Mat Pilates instructor, a certified Spin instructor through Mad Dogg Athletics, and a barre instructor certified through Barre Intensity.

Stephanie Garrison has been an instructor for The Balance Culture since day one. She and Tait knew each other through Southeastern, where Garrison was first a student and then the Executive Director for Student Development. The Buffalo, New York native, moved to Florida in high school and studied Business Management at Southeastern, eventually earning her MBA. “I loved being there,” she said. “I’m a product of Southeastern.”

Garrison has been involved in dance her whole life. She toured, competed, and performed throughout New York and Florida. “I remember going into my first dance studio at three years old and thinking, ‘How can I do this every day of my life? This is the coolest thing ever.’ It’s honestly been a dream for that long to one: own a business, and two: have a space for women to feel equipped and empowered. I feel, 34 years later, the Lord saying, ‘I’ll give you generations of women to have in a studio.’”

The instructor turned Balance Culture Winter Haven co-owner continued, “To now have this opportunity to expand into the brand that I’ve loved and built, grown with, and been a part of is a dream come true.”

Garrison is certified through the Athletics Fitness Association of America (AFAA) as a Group Fitness instructor, Barre Intensity, and Mad Dogg Athletics for Spin. Her fitness training forte includes teaching barre, Spin, Pilates, stretch, hip-hop, and strength training.

The Balance Culture already has devoted members that drive from Winter Haven to Lakeland for their uniquely women-centric atmosphere. Tait and Garrison knew the Chain of Lakes city would be the perfect place for a sister studio. “Every day, it has been support after support from the Chamber to Main Street, Haven, the Sun. Everyone has jumped on board with what we’re doing here and supported us,” Garrison said. “They’re excited for us, and it’s been such a sweet surprise.” She relocated to Winter Haven in July and now lives just two blocks from the 5th Street fitness studio.

The 2200-square-foot Winter Haven space boasts an open studio for their signature group fitness classes, including a barre and mirrors along the wall. Cork beneath the gym flooring remains from the location’s former life as a dance studio. The fitness studio has a client lounge with cubbies and restrooms and an area for nutritional coaching.

Balance Culture’s bread and butter are group fitness classes, including Barre, Pilates, Endurance Training, Yoga, HIIT, Bootycamp, Strength Training, and beginner classes. The studio also offers personal training, small group classes, private sessions, and community events.

In addition to their variety of group classes, Tait noted, “We have a nutrition coach that meets one on one with clients that are interested in having that support in their nutrition journey of ‘What should I eat? How can I partner my nutrition with what I’m doing in the studio to feel my best?’”

The boutique fitness studio aims to create an atmosphere distinct from other gyms and workout spaces. “Our whole thing from the beginning was we

want to make everyone feel welcome from the moment they open the door,” Tait said. “From our instructors to our interns, everyone is very much into the mission of empowering women, and that’s woven into everything we do.”

Along with building physical strength, the Balance Culture owners hope to encourage their clients mentally. “I think our clients really feel that and feel like their effort and the way they show up in the studio has affected the way they’re able to show up in other ways like in their profession and in their relationships,” Tait said. “That’s our heart, a holistic approach to health.”

The Balance Culture Winter Haven had a soft launch from December 29 – December 31, during which they offered two classes a day, free to members and $5 per class for non-members. Their grand opening is set for January 2, 2023, when a full schedule of classes is set to begin. Balance Culture members have unlimited access to all classes and are welcome to attend as many as they’d like. Visit their website to register for a Balance Culture membership or reserve classes. Members can also download “The Balance Culture” app to create a profile and reserve classes.

“I think it’s meeting new women in a new city, giving them a space of confidence and empowerment,” Garrison said. “That’s a huge part of our story – you’re not just walking into a gym. You’re not just walking into a fitness studio. You’re walking into your vulnerability and your story. If that means you get to stand next to your friend, do some squats, and laugh because your legs are shaking so much – amazing. If it means you get to come in here after a really hard day of being challenged or feeling defeated, and you walk out of here with something new and bright and strong – that’s worth it too. And if it means you get to sit at our table and talk through what’s going on in your life and where you need help – that’s a part of it too.”

As it is for many, this is a transformative time for The Balance Culture – new year, new digs, new community. Owners Ruthie Tait and Stephanie Garrison are up to the challenge. “Our heart is to create sustainable change and create something that people can work into their lives not just in January but for the rest of the year,” Tait said. The pair plan to make their Winter Haven space in the image of their flagship Lakeland studio: a place to gain strength, build confidence, make sustainable changes, and celebrate yourself and the women around you. And if you have the occasional slice of pizza or take a self-care day – that’s okay too. Life is all about balance.

The Balance Culture 1037 Florida Ave S #125, Lakeland -AND31 5th St NW, Winter Haven FB: The Balance Culture IG @thebalanceculture thebalanceculture.com

WORDS Tara Crutchfield PHOTOGRAPH Amy Sexson

Street Cafe

Over six thousand miles, an ocean, and the Sahara Desert separate Lakeland, Florida, from Egypt. Thanks to twenty-year Swan City resident Marianne Garas, Lakelanders don’t have to travel so far for a taste of the Middle East. “The inspiration came really from our home,” said Garas, owner of Lakeland’s only Egyptian restaurant. “We have a large family, and we love to gather around food.” This celebration of family and food evolved into a desire to share that with her community.

With the encouragement of her three daughters, Michaela, Daniella, and Gabriella, Marianne approached the owners of Charlie’s Mini Donuts and Coffee about sharing their space for her Egyptian café. The owners were happy to share their bakery space, and Marianne began preparations to open. “We thought perhaps small beginnings could lead to something bigger,” Garas said.

Street Cafe first shared a taste of the Middle East with Lakeland in mid-September. Fresh whole foods and flavors including coriander, garlic, and onion, are a hallmark in Middle Eastern fare, with a distinctly Egyptian ‘little kick’ of extra flavor. “Here, we tried to keep a palate that’s universal in the Middle East so that people would be familiar,” Garas said. Hence their name, ‘Street Cafe,’ an homage to delectable street food. The Egyptian kitchen has become a family affair – a happy surprise for Marianne. Her two oldest, Daniella and Gabriella, now in college, opted to help their mom realize her dream, even rearranging their class schedules to work at the cafe. “That was a bonus,” Marianne said. “I wasn’t expecting this.”

Both daughters love seeing their mother thrive in her new role. “She’s happy with every meal she makes. It’s not work for her because she enjoyed it so much, and she’s wanted to do it for so long,” Daniella said. “You can see the love and care in her eyes. When she serves, it’s from her heart.”

For Gabriella, sharing their culture with Lakeland has been a joy. She said, “Growing up, we were the only Egyptians we’d ever met in Lakeland, so we get to share that with a city that doesn’t get to see or taste that a lot – and food’s a great way to do that.”

Marianne smiled and said, “They are every bit a part of it as I am. I’m just so pleased that they’re here.”

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For those uninitiated to Middle Eastern cuisine, Marianne recommends starting with the Shawarma. “It caters to every palate,” she said. “Together, all the flavors come alive.” The dish, put simply, is well-spiced minced meat encased in warm dough. At Street Cafe, guests can order it with a choice of beef and lamb or chicken. The tang of yogurt sauce and red onions with the savory meat balance the dish, which is paired with tomato and pomegranate bulgar pilaf and Salata Baladi, a cucumber, onion, and tomato side salad dressed with lemon juice and salt. “It is our staple salad in Egypt,” said the Street Cafe owner.

A unique dish to Street Cafe you’d be hard-pressed to find locally is Shakshuka. “You could find that in Egypt. Every country has its version,” Marianne said. This dish shines among an already scintillating menu. Served in a cast iron skillet with fresh pita bread, a delightfully acidic tomato and onion sauce is the plinth elevating well-spiced meat (choice of beef and lamb or chicken – we had both) and cracked eggs. The meal is topped with a creamy yogurt sauce, cilantro, chives, and toasted sesame. Its flavors were sharp, rich, and soft. Street Cafe’s Shakshuka was a small luxury I felt grateful to indulge in on an otherwise lusterless Tuesday.

While the food may taste and present opulently, there’s no great cost to your diet to enjoy it. “That’s one good thing about Middle Eastern food – it’s all whole foods. There’s no processed anything.” In fact, Marianne does not stock a single bottle of oil in her Street Cafe kitchen.

I’ll spare you a novel on the delights that were Mish with Cucumber, Bedah, and their holiday special of Hawawshi, minced lamb pressed in a pita with a pleasant heat, which Marianne described aptly as “crispy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside.” Honestly, I recommend everything on the menu.

What I will carry on about is my love affair with dates that started over their Bellah. Savory toasted pita hugs fresh dates that have been slowly simmered and caramelized overnight and tossed with almonds. Marianne described it as having a buttery sweet taste. The warm Egyptian dessert sandwich almost echoed the filling in a slice of pecan pie, and I was shocked to hear the toothsome treat contained no added sugar. I’ve eaten no less than 50 dates – dreaming of Bellah – since that day.

To wash down your meal, the Lakeland café offers Shay, a traditional loose-leaf black tea steeped with fresh mint, and Limonatta, a fresh lemon and mint drink served by the glass.

The café will add falafel to the menu, a nod to their vegan and vegetarian patrons. Meat on any menu item can be substituted with falafel. Takeout and catering are available as well.

HOSTESS WITH THE MOSTESS

If not for the praiseworthy food, visit Street Cafe for the earnestness and hospitality – an intentional aspect of the dining experience. “My whole desire for this – and it’s kind of the atmosphere in our home – come and eat, be comfortable. Come as you are and eat as much as you want,” Marianne Garas said. “Hospitality is very important in our culture and if you traveled to Egypt, you would find that the least, give everything.”

The entire meal – from conversations with Marianne and her daughters to the last bite of Shakshuka can be summed up as comfortable. If you told me their food was seasoned with sincerity as if it were a tangible spice, a secret ingredient in a little jar tucked away in the cabinet – I’d believe you.

Street Cafe Hours: Tuesday and Thursday, 11 a.m. – 1:30 (ish) p.m. 1023 E County Rd 540A, Lakeland (863) 329-8575 FB @street.cafe.lakeland IG @street.cafe.lakeland www.streetcafelakeland.com