New Beginnings – A HUGE Announcement!

There has been a lot going on around here lately…a lot.  And it all started, believe it or not, at the bake sale for the DC State Fair back in November.  I was dropping off my contribution and struck up a conversation with Robin Shuster, the market manager at 14th & U Farmers Market.  I mentioned how I was considering taking my baking to a professional level and she encouraged me to consider becoming a vendor at the market.  As luck would have it, Jenna from Modern Domestic happened to be volunteering at this same fateful bake sale.  Jenna and I had been talking back and forth about how hard it was to find an affordable commercial kitchen to rent.  When I told her about Robin’s suggestion, her response was simply: “Let’s do it!”  The rest, as they so often say, is history.

After months of researching, testing recipes, planning and navigating our way through the lengthy business license process, we have given birth to our baby. Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you:

Getting Whisked! this far has been a true labor of love for Jenna and me.  It has involved endless hours of planning sessions, enough lists to wallpaper the White House and hours of head scratching as we’ve tried to understand the mountains of paperwork we had to fill out.  There have been times when I thought we would never get to the place where we are now.  And yet, here I am, announcing our new business.

So what exactly is Whisked! you may ask?  We are an online bakery that is embracing the American traditions of baking. I’ll be bringing my Southern roots to the table (there will be red velvet cake…true red velvet cake) while Jenna will be giving our treats a distinctively Pacific Northwestern flair (delicious, from scratch granola bars, anyone?).  Of course we’ll be offering cakes and cupcakes, but our menu is much more than that! Savory tarts using fresh, local produce; flaky hand pies that remind us all of our youth (I was a latch key kid…I had many, many, many Pop Tarts); oh so sweet fruit pies made from local fruit at the peak of its season; and of course fudge-tastic brownies!  Is your mouth watering yet?

And if that wasn’t enough excitement, Whisked! will also be selling at the 14th & U Farmers Market on Saturdays (for my local readers, the market is one block away from the U Street Metro station’s 13th Street exit)!  The first market of the season is May 7th and we’re working double time to have a stellar debut.  Customers will be able to place an order online for one of our awesome (if I do say so myself) menu items for pickup at the market on Saturday.  We will also offer delivery within the DC metro accessible area for orders $50 or more.  The website launches officially on May 2nd but here are a few pictures of what we’ll be offering (including that fabulous looking tart at the top):

I cannot tell you how proud I am of the work Jenna and I have done just getting this off the ground.  I have learned so much working alongside her these past few months and I know I will learn more in the years to come.  We’ve had the support of our amazing family, friends and the food blogger community in DC on the first leg of this journey.  Now the real work begins. And I’m sure I will have plenty to share both here (where I will be liberally swearing, per usual) and on the official Whisked! blog (also launching on May 2nd – with less swearing).  And you can also follow us on Twitter!

And if you’re in DC, come on out on May 7th and say hello to us! It will be our first market and we’d love to see all of your smiling faces!  We’ll have cookies, bar cookies, savory tarts, loaf breads and cupcakes – and samples!