Spring 2013
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QUICK and
EASY cupcake
decoration ideas
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Meet the editors for Homebody for the
Austin’s artsy
AFFAIRS: inside local craft businesses
st
TIME
Gonna pop some
TABS
Turn soda can remnants into
jewelry
de-LISH!
the inside scoop on teen baker
Laura Cole
chocolate pie in
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EASY STEPS 1
letter
from the editors
Written by: Claire Cannatti, Celia McDonald, and Bailey McDonald
D
ear Buttons.
Spring is here, school is almost out, and with the expanse of summer before us, aren’t at least a few days going to be spent at home? We’re here to help. With crafty ideas to fill the long summer days, you’ll never be bored or out of ideas. From cupcakes to pop tabs, we’ve got your back on those days that seem to stretch out forever in boredom. Check out Austin’s local businesses; you can order a special cake or go down to Clay Ways and learn how to make a vase out of the earth.
2 All art by: Celia McDonald
Spring is also a time of new growth, of green and pink shoots poking through the dusty brown ground. Thus, we have chosen shades of rose and emerald to pervade Homebody’s first issue. The pink represents a bright, happy shade which could be a flower petal or the frosting atop a fancily decorated sweet. The green brings to mind fresh, new things, which is what Homebody is all about: a fun new take on staying home! We hope the crafts and recipes inspire you to be the best homebody you can be!
Table of Contents
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Letter from the Editors
The magazine, the theme, the colors... it’s all in here!
Ingredients
Meet the editors of Homebody!
How to FROST Like a Pro
From ingredients to culinary concoctions, learn how to make cupcakes and decorate them with multi-seasonal toppers!
10 Lots of Pots
Lessons and clay pots and dishes—oh my! A local business divulges its history.
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Eat. Sleep. Craft.
Easy, fun and cute! Turn plain old poptabs into jewelry pieces that will make your friends jealous.
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Blessed with Beads
Read about a local jewelry shop that incorporates spirituality in their designs.
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16 10 20 American Pie in 22 Baking School
6 Ever wondered how chocolate goes from liquid to pastry? Learn how to make delicious chocolate pie in five easy steps! The story of how a high school student started her own cake decorating business!
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Ingredients Claire Cannatti As of spring 2013, Claire was a freshman, though she most likely isn’t now. Who knows? She could be a senior or in college or have dropped out of school and run away to New York to pursue a yetundiscovered passion for cake decorating. Anything could happen! This girl is known among friends and acquaintances as “that girl who’s obsessed with her summer camp,” a description with which she agrees and finds flattering; A-T-H-E-N-I-A-N-S, let’s go! She likes flowers, new books and the beach, and sometimes she wishes she was a helicopter. Photo by Eliza Cain
Celia McDonald Celia leads a double life much like that of Hannah Montana’s, except for her alternative identity is C-Diddy-Danga. Her best friend is Thranduil the Elvenking and he throws WICKED parties with his party elk. If Celia had to use a type of punctuation as a weapon, she would choose an asterisk (like a ninja star!). When Celia agreed to Netflix’s terms of service, she also signed away 50 percent of her life. Celia prays to the Cat God and leaves milk out every night to quench its eternal thirst and blood lust. Celia is a freshman at LASA, and sometimes she wishes she was a British spoon. Photo by Bailey McDonald
Bailey McDonald Bailey, a freshman at LASA as of 2013, is an avid fan of anything Whedon. Her favorite shows are a tie between Firefly and Arrested Development. While her life isn’t half as glamorous as her sister Celia’s (she’s only partied with Thranduil and his party elk once), she enjoys going out from time-to-time. If she could go anywhere in the world, Bailey would go to New Zealand, the home of her favorite trilogy, “The Lord of the Rings.” A lover of nature, Bailey sometimes wishes that she was a tree.
Photo by Claire Cannatti
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Right: Photo by Megan Pratt
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FROST like a pro how to
by Claire Cannatti
All photos by Claire Cannatti
Tired or running late while baking cupcakes for a friend’s birthday? Want to make someone’s day special with a beautiful cupcake? Tempted to just frost and be done? Never fear! Here are four quick and easy ideas for decorating which will leave your friends awed.
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completed Milkshake cupcake
THE MILKSHAKE Supplies Open star decorating tip* White cupcake liners Colorful, round sprinkles Stick candy (preferably swirl patterned) Red sphere candy (jelly beans will do) Buttercream frosting or similar Instructions Pipe swirl on cupcake tops. Add the sprinkles on top. Position red candy like a cherry and insert the stick candy.
Piping Hold tip approximately ½ inch above cupcake top at a 90° angle to cupcake surface. Squeeze out icing to form a star. Without releasing pressure, raise tip slightly as you drop a line of icing around the star in a tight, complete rotation. After completing the first rotation, move tip toward center and up and around to make a second spiral around the inside edge of the first spiral. Release pressure to end spiral at center of cupcake.
*can be found at wilton.com or in grocery stores
Top to bottom: milkshake cupcake frosted, milkshake cupcake frosted and with candy straw, milkshake cupcake frosted with candy straw and “cherry.”
WHERE DO I GO FOR MORE INFO? For ideas and supplies, we recommend: • • • •
realsimple.com countryliving.com allrecipes .com wilton.com
Good luck on your cupcake adventure!
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THE FONDANT Supplies Fondant Cookie cutters or a knife Buttercream frosting
Instructions Use a cookie cutter or knife to cut out shapes. Lay the shapes over the frosted cupcakes.
Fondant Icing
Instructions Mix butter, condensed milk, sugar, and vanilla in a bowl until fondant has the consistency of modeling clay. If fondant is too moist, knead in more powdered sugar. Mix in food coloring when fondant is at correct consistency. Roll out on surface dusted with powdered sugar to desired thickness. Fondant can also be bought at grocery stores.
Supplies 1/2 cup butter 2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk 6 cups powdered sugar, or more as needed 1 dash vanilla extract Food coloring
Top: flower fondant cupcake Rightmost: heart fondant cupcake Center: fondant cupcake before fondant is added Bottom: Sifter cupcake
THE SIFTER* Supplies Doily or similar Powdered sugar Sifter Instructions Place a doily over the cupcake, put powdered sugar in the sifter, and sift over the doily. Being careful not to disturb the pattern you’ve created, lift the doily off the cupcake. *This works best for chocolate cupcakes
Sources
http://www.wilton.com/ideas/browse.cfm?cat=Cupcakes http:// www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/16/easy-cupcake-decoratingideas_n_1778780.html http://www.countryliving.com/cooking/ recipes/cupcake-decorating-ideas-0309 http://bakedbree.com/simplevanilla-cupcakes http://savorysweetlife.com/2010/03/buttercreamfrosting/ http://allrecipes.com/recipe/cake-fondant/detail.aspx https://www.hersheys.com/recipes/recipe-details.aspx?id=184 http:// allrecipes.com/recipe/chocolate-cupcakes/ http://www.articlesfactory. com/articles/food/fun-and-interesting-facts-about-cupcakes.html
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FUN FACT: Cupcakes are sometimes referred to as fairy cakes in Britain and patty cakes in Australia!
Completed snowman cupcake
THE SNOWMAN Supplies Round, black candies—jelly beans will work Buttercream frosting Orange fondant Instructions Frost the cupcake with buttercream. Add the black candies in a smiley face, leaving space for the nose. Cut or hand-shape the nose into a triangle or cone. Add it to the cupcake.
Buttercream
Chocolate Cupcake
Vanilla Cupcake
Supplies
Supplies ½ c dutch process cocoa 2 oz chopped bittersweet chocolate 8 tbs butter (one stick) ¾ c unbleached flour ¾ tsp baking powder ½ tsp baking soda 2 eggs ¾ c sugar 1 tsp vanilla ½ tsp salt ½ c sour cream
Supplies
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened 3 to 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted 1/4 tsp table salt 1 tb vanilla extract Up to 4 tbs milk or heavy cream Instructions Beat butter for a few minutes with a mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed. Add three cups of powdered sugar and turn your mixer on the lowest speed (so the sugar doesn’t blow everywhere) until the sugar has been incorporated with the butter. Increase mixer speed to medium and add vanilla extract, salt, and two tablespoons of milk/cream and beat for 3 minutes. If your frosting needs a more stiff consistency, add remaining sugar. If your frosting needs to be thinned out, add remaining milk one tablespoons at a time.
Instructions Melt cocoa, chocolate, and butter together, whisk. Combine flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Whisk together eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Combine egg mixture with the chocolate mix; sift in half of the flour mixture and combine. Add sour cream. Add remaining flour. Pour into prepared muffin tins and bake in 350° for 18 to 20 minutes.
9 tbs butter, room temperature 1/2 cup plus 1 tb sugar 2 eggs, room temperature 3/4 cup flour 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 tsp baking powder 2 tsp vanilla 2 to 3 tbs milk Instructions Put all of the ingredients in a food processor except for the milk. Pour the milk through the tunnel and process until smooth. Put the batter in the prepared muffin tins. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until brown in a 350 degree oven. Cool completely and then ice.
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Lots of P ots
Story by Bailey McDonald
W
alking through the front doors of Clayways, you become overwhelmed with the smell of clay. Every which way you turn, you have a mini panic attack, afraid that you have just knocked a precious pot onto the floor to its demise. The staff comes over, expertly maneuvering through the shelves, asking if there is any way they could help you. Before you have even had a chance to look through all of the collections, you feel like you have known these people for half of your life.
the choice to take drawing for my art requirement. The problem was that Drawing 101 was full and I had to choose another studio art class. I decided to try ceramics, although, I wasn’t so sure about how messy working in clay could be, and the rest is history. By the end of my first ceramics class I breathlessly and passionately stated to my instructor that I was working in clay for the rest of my life.“
“By the end of my first ceramics class I breathlessly and passionately stated to my instructor that I was working in clay for the rest of my life!”
Kit Adams, a pottery instructor, started Clayways, a local pottery shop, in 1996. Clayways, which has made its home on Burnet road, was started simply because Adams loved pottery and wanted to make it a larger part of her life. Had it not been for chance, Adams may have never gotten into pottery. Adams originally started potting in college simply to fulfill her art requirement. “I was a secondary education major at the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse,” Adams said. “When I made
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At first, pottery was just a hobby for Adams, she had never thought of following it as a career path. Eventually, she realized that she wanted pottery to be her full-time job, but succeeding in pottery would provide her with many challenges.
“My Dad had been self-employed and he loved what he did,” Adams said. “However, I remember him telling me when I was around 14-years-old, that he was an entremanure not entrepreneur, because being selfemployed involved a lot of poop! Dad was right. Selling pots is not an easy way to make a living, but I thought I was doing what I loved. I struggled for years making and selling my pottery and absolutely hated working alone.”
Left: Theis pot was thrown and carved by Sarah Reesor. She then soda fired it, followed by an intense glaze. Topmost: This dish was made and sold at Clayways. It was fired and then glazed twice. Bottom left and right: Mimi Bardagjy created both of these pieces, she uses the pinch-pot method to give her creations a unique look. “My love of the metallic colors shapes many of my pieces,� Bardagjy said.
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At that point in time, Adams had only been making pots, she hadn’t thought of teaching pottery. One afternoon, Adams realised that to make a profit and still keep pottery in her life, she could start teaching classes.
graduate school, the happiest time in my life-lots of people living and breathing pottery. It was the right time, I found the right place and all of the right people came together to make it happen.”
“The fifteenth year of making pots, six out of eight art fairs I juried into rained out,” Adams said. “With no rain date and no refund. I sold my antique furniture to make the house payments that year. I had done some teaching for Austin Parks and Rec. for about five years, but there weren’t enough classes to make a living at it. I was a secretary for eight weeks and a registered massage therapist for several years. Making pottery became secondary. I still needed extra income, so I brought students into my home studio and pottery became fun again.”
After opening Clayways, Adams knew that she had finally found the perfect place to persue her passion. Adams loves being able to teach others and see in them the inspiration that she had as a student. “After 31 years as a potter and 21 as a wheel teacher, the thing that brings me the most joy is being a part of the ClayWays community,” Adams said. “Birth and death, weddings and divorces, good pots and bad, we share it all at ClayWays. When I opened ClayWays, creating a community was not in the business plan, it just happened. It’s this exceptional bonus. I liken it to winning the lottery. I teach pottery on the wheel for those moments of connection and exchange as well. When one of my students finally makes that first pot that they are proud of, it just doesn’t get better than that.”
“When one of my students finally makes that first pot they’re proud of, it just doesn’t get any better than that.”
Adams had dreamed of starting a business for years, but could never get it off the ground until 1996. When she opened Clayways, it was everything that she had hoped it would be. “I dreamed of opening up a large teaching facility of my own,” she said. “And annually updated my business plan for it. In 1996 I had the opportunity to open ClayWays Pottery Studio & Gallery. I was essentially recreating
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Top left: This is a small sample of the collection at Clayways. While these are functional pieces, the shop also has a variety of decorative pieces. Top right: This is a pot made and sold at Clayways by Kit Adams, the base was thrown, and all other pieces shaped by hand. Bottom left: This mug, while functional is also highly decorative. They were soda fired and then glazed. Bottom right: This vase was crafted by Don Bebout and is displayed at Clayways. .
Photos courtesy of the Clayways establishment
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PENDANT
22-26 poptabs 2’ elastic scissors
Step 1: Cut about two feet of the elastic and loop it halfway through the center of the first tab
6 poptabs 40� leather cord
Step 3: Turn the pendant over and tie a knot in the cord, then tie necklace at desired length Step 1: Hold two pop tabs with inner circles on the left side, and place right tab on top of left, feed cord through both
Step 2: Continuing in a clockwise motion, place new tab on top of previous tab and feed cord through back of tabs until six tabs are used
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Step 2: Hold another tab below the first tab, (smooth side to the outside) so you can see through the holes
Step 3: Thread the cord up from the bottom through both tabs, top cord to top hole and bottom cord to bottom hole
FLOWER RING BRACELET 8 poptabs strong glue button/gem Step 3: Glue the button or gem in the center, on top of the tabs
Step 4: Hold another tab on top, thread the cords through the opposite holes forming an X (bottom to top and top to bottom)
Step 1: Glue four pop tabs to the circle, 90 degrees to each other
Step 4: Glue the flower to the base of the ring and let it dry
Step 2: Glue four more pop tabs between and on top of the last four
Other Uses for Poptabs Serv. Size 3 ideas
Frame Hanger Attach to the back of a frame and hang
Step 6: Repeat steps five and six until desired length is reached, then tie the remainging cord
Closet Spacing Put on hangers to apply spacing between each Recycle Collect and turn into a local recycling plant Hopefully this tutorial was fun and informative. Send any pictures of you wearing your new jewelry to homebody@ezinek.com. Have fun crafting and remember creativity is out there!
Homebody classic
Sources used iclude; ShaJen of instructables.com, Amber Ladley of knack.org and Crafts for All Seasons
Step 5: Get another tab, and hold it at the back, thread those cords through (top to top, bottom to bottom)
Photos and art by Celia McDonald
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Supplies used for making jewelry. Wire cutters, needlenose pliers, leather, chain, earring hooks and clasps
STONE SPIRIT Story by Celia McDonald
w
elcome to Stone Blessings, where each piece of jewelry is handcrafted and custommade. The pieces are also made out of recycled jewelry and metals, along with natural materials such as leather and wood. Most pieces have gemstones with specific meanings or the piece has a Spirit meaning itself.
Many of the customers of Stone Blessings request custom orders. They can help design the piece to be made or they can send in old jewelry to be remade. “Recycling metal is a relatively easy process to begin with, and the clients like to keep the sentimentality of the original piece,” Nix said. Nix also does repairs on pieces for clients.
“I love doing custom work, especially when it has such specific intentions,” Cristy Nix the owner of Stone Blessings said. “When talking to a client about the piece to be made, it still amazes me how it just comes to me in a really clear vision.” Many people get bored of their old jewelry or pieces that they wear too often. So Nix has come up with a great solution. She recycles clients’ jewelry into new designs, the new piece has the same sentimental value and an added meaning. Nix incorporates gemstones and puts Spirit into each piece of jewelry. She incorporates the blessings of luck, love and protection, to name a few.
“We can repair or recycle anything...even if it is not ours, send it to us with a return address, and your contact information and we will help you bring life into your favorite broken jewelry pieces,” she said. Aside from custom orders, Nix designs many pieces herself which are also for sale. “[My designs are]the infusion of natural stone and precious metals into a designer jewelry line inspired by the Spirit that connects us all,” Nix said. Some pieces are made with blessings of protection, creativity, inspiration, and
(ABOVE) Sterling Silver Birthing Bracelet with assorted charms customized for clients. One of the many custom pieces made by Nix
wisdom, some with chakra, and some with various circle designs “Each piece is inspired by several aspects: the stones, the metals [and] the intentions for the wearer,” Nix said. Stone Blessings also sells handmade bridal, metal works and men’s jewelry. “After college I got married and started a corporate job,” Nix said.
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“I taught myself how to make jewelry... and finally went to school to get my associates degree in jewelry fabrication. All of the jobs I’ve had...[have] fed my love and eye for color.”
At Stone blessings clients can learn a lot about spirits, blessings, and chakras. The website contains all of the meanings of birthstones, cleansing and clearing gemstones and chakra stones.
Now not only does Nix have her own business, she helps to teach other artists how to run businesses too. Nix started Stone Blessings independently and says the company has reached almost all of its goals.
“Each handmade jewelry piece comes individually named and includes the gemstone meanings with the blessings of the piece,” Nix said.
The clients that frequent the store find interest in the pieces for sale and in custom designs.
Nix teaches classes on the meaning of stones, spirituality, and intuitive guidance. She works with the, “Purpose to help, guide and assist others, celebrating what defines them.”
“As a hobby I started going to jewelry shows and kept buying beads without knowing what I was [going] to do with them.”
“Most of my clients who are mid-to-high income want something unique without breaking the bank,” Nix said.
Customers say they are very satisfied and their testimonials speak highly of Stone Blessings. “Cristy is a spiritual teacher who has shown me direction and taught me how to see my own direction and purpose. I am more connected to my spiritual self than ever before. Cristy has helped me to lead a life more directed by my spiritual self with her guided readings and her jewelry that has purpose and meaning,” a client Nancy Sullivan said.
(BELOW) All Chakras Necklace, all of the Chakras are present in this circle of stones connected by sterling silver
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For Nix, her company sparked from a simple interest in jewelry and it grew beyond that. Nix said, “Bring me your tired, outdated designs, and together we will salvage what you want from the old jewelry and re-purpose the rest to make a unique piece of jewelry that is all your own. Plus, you can say it was custom and handmade for you! What’s better than that?”
TOP: a Foever Moon bracelet (BELOW TOP) Personal Shield, a circle of turquoise with a toggle clasp and sterling silver (BELOW BOTTOM) Fire and Earth Linked Necklace/Belt, turquoise and red coral with sterling silver
(BELOW) Flowing Abundance Bracelet, freshwater pearls with a handmade toggle which is made to be secure but beautiful
All photos courtesy of Cristy Nix
yarn [yahrn] n. an item to which the phrase “not enough� does not apply
Hill Country Weavers 1701 South Congress, Austin, TX 78704 (512) 707-7396
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American Pie By: Bailey McDonald
Are you tired of having store bought cake for every occasion? Are instant brownies and stale cookies getting old? Here is a recipe for the perfect fudge pie. Impress your family and friends. But most importantly... eat quality food.
Melt the chocolate and butter together in a saucepan over low heat.
Ingredients 2 squares (2-ounces) semisweet chocolate 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter 1 cup sugar 2 eggs, beaten 1 (9-inch) unbaked pie crust
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Remove the pan from the heat, and add the eggs slowly, mixing constantly, add sugar, mix well.
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3 fun facts about Pie Approximately $700 million in pies are sold in grocery stores every year.
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1/4 of the American population think that they make the best pie
3 In the 19th Century, fruit pies were a common breakfast food .
Serve warm or cold, with ice cream or whipped cream.
Bake for 25 minutes or until just set. Recipe courtesy of Paula Deen and the Food Network Photo by Bailey MCDonald
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BAKING in SCHOOL Everyone has at some point thought of starting a business around the thing they love, but McCallum Fine Arts Academy’s Laura Cole has actually done it! From her startup to her job at the UT bakery, follow Cole’s journey to and through the culinary world. Story and photos by Claire Cannatti
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The beginnings of a lemon blueberry curd, made to fill cupcakes
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aura Cole flips her dyed red hair over her shoulder as she pulls a whipped cream-filled decorating tube across the surface of a cupcake. The pale yellow cupcake, topped with blueberries and a handwhipped substitute for buttercream, is filled with a lemon blueberry curd which Cole also crafted herself. Once the treats are done, she’ll go back to her room to finish her geometry homework. “I was making cake for just about every friend’s birthday and every other occasion I could turn into an excuse to bake,” Cole said about her business’s beginnings. “I had no money, so I thought maybe I should actually get paid to do this; then I could do more, I could learn more.” According to the Austin Business Journal, Austin is the “small-business champion” of the US and has been for four years standing (2010 to 2013), making businesses like Cole’s common. However, each business has its own story, and even with so many to choose from, few are run by high school students. “Being a teenager definitely affects business because not only do you have to sell a good product, but you also have to convince people that you’re not totally incompetent,” Cole said. “So there’s a lot of added professionalism... I have to be more professional, or act more professional that an adult would in the
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same situation because I have to convince people that I’m able to actually sell you cake of the same quality as bakeries.” Even though the challenges can be greater as a younger person in the business field, Cole keeps at it. From baking cakes for friends’ birthdays, she now makes wedding cakes and occasionally caters. “I took an order once to cater at a memorial service for a customer that I
“I was making cake for just about every friend’s birthday and every other occasion I could turn into an excuse to bake” had had several times,” Cole recalled. “She [wanted] like four or five dozen spinach wraps and cheese straws and stuff like that, and I was like, ‘I could tell you that I’ve never made those before and I don’t usually make those or sell those or make those at all, or I could just learn how to make them and sell them,’ so I catered a memorial service the week after I learned how to make all those things.” Her willingness to learn has helped her, and she has had help from outside
sources; it hasn’t been an uphill muddle on her own the whole way. “One of my customers... [invited] me to have lunch with them and told me about the restaurant industry and gave me some tips on how to get jobs and things like that,” Cole said. She now works at the UT bakery and consequently, her business has slowed down. “I work at the UT bakery right now, and that kind of gets all of my baking needs out,” Cole said. “I’m not as much sitting at home like ‘I wish I could make a cake for someone, I wish someone would pay me to make a cake.” The amount of bulk made at the UT bakery certainly should get out any baking needs. “I have conversations with friends sometimes, and they’re like, ‘what did you do yesterday?’ ‘Oh I made two thousand biscuits!’” Cole said. “I just forget what’s normal.” And at UT, everything’s about efficiency. “The executive chef there at UT came in one day and I was scooping... banana bread into a tin with an ice cream scooper cause we used ice cream scoopers a lot and he said, ‘oh what are you doing? Just
put gloves on and use your hands!’ And I was like, ‘you’re the executive chef at UT, what are you doing, you look like a slob!’ But apparently it’s what you’re supposed to do—it’s faster,” Cole said. “It’s not always pretty to be efficient, but you gotta do what you gotta do.”
Once blueberry juice is added to the curd, the liquid turns a maroon color
Even through efficiency, though, there is still room for individuality. Cole’s business differs from other baking and decorating businesses in many ways, from the obvious teenager ownership to an intense dislike for the widely-used decorating tool fondant. “I hate fondant,” Cole said. “It’s gross and made of fake things that you shouldn’t eat. I use it very minimally. Like in the wedding cake I just did, the bride wanted fondant all around the cake because she said it would look smoother, and I said, ‘I will make the buttercream look as smooth as fondant, I just don’t want to put that in it.’” Certainly artifice is not a part of Cole’s business. When her mixer is broken, instead of going out and buying frosting, she handcrafts a blueberry whipped cream designed to resemble traditional buttercream frosting. The cookbooks resting on her shelves include “GlutenFree Cooking for Dummies” and vegan titles resting alongside issues of Bon Appétit.
The curd fills the cupcakes at last, inserted with a spoon into an X-shaped hole
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“‘What did you do yesterday?’ ‘Oh, I made two thousand biscuits!’”
Sources for stats: http://www.bizjournals.com/bizjournals/on-numbers/scott-thomas/2013/02/austin-ranks-no-1-for-small-business.html?s=image_gallery http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/blog/ abje_news/2013/02/for-small-business-superpowers-plug.html?page=all http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/business/x43955890/Teens-struggle-to-find-summer-work
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“[People in Austin] are a lot more open-minded about things,” Cole said. “And there’s a lot more... glutenfree, more different cake out there.” Always up for a challenge, Cole’s cakes and frostings can be numerous in type or as uncomplicated as a simple buttercream. “[Cole] is a talented decorator... the frosting is really good and doesn’t taste overdone,” said Eliza Cain, one of Cole’s customers. Cole makes all sorts of frostings and glazes besides the chocolate buttercream that Cain has tasted. There are curds and fillings to provide textural variety, many of which are incorporated in chiffon cakes, Cole’s favorite type of cake to bake. “[Chiffon cakes are] nice and cakey but not overwhelming,” Cole said. “I like chiffon cakes because the outsides... have an interesting texture, and then you fill them with soft and fluffy things. You get more variety of texture than [in] a normal cake.”
Laura Cole fills her cupocakes with freshly made filling while discussing her plans for the future
Variety is the spice of life, after all—occasionally literally. One example is when Cole goes out on a limb and cooks more savory things than the usual sweets. When asked about her plans for the future, she mentions possibly starting a dinner club where she makes the meal and hires waiters to serve club members, as well as a desire to go to Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, a prestigious cooking school. “But that’s like… the greatest thing I could ever do in life,” she said. “So that’s kind of a far-off hope.”
However far away Paris may be, there is still plenty to learn right where she is. “[Cole] clearly has passion for baking, and it’s impressive to see how she is working, both at her job and with baking classes, to learn more about baking and to perfect her craft,” Michael C (he declined to have his last name printed), an occasional customer of Cole’s. He compares Cole to more experienced cooks. “I suspect that [Cole] could also learn a lot of valuable information from any of a number of experienced real world “mom” cooks and chefs who have years and years of acquired experience with baking and cooking,” he said. For now, she’s still working on cooking lessons from customer mentors and making cakes for birthdays and weddings. As a few crushed blueberries tumble onto the center of the pale purple and yellow cupcakes, the stomachs of everyone in the room start to rumble.
THE STATS • Austin has about 23 small businesses per 1000 residents • The private-sector growth rate is over 4.5% • Austin’s first, second, and third runners up for best small business town are Oklahoma City, Denver, and Raleigh • In May 2011, the unemployment rate for teens 18 to 19 was 21.5%
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Fresh, sweet, and
local! Austin Famers Markets
www.sfcfarmersmarket.com
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