Let it Snow-ball

The holidays are a avalanche of excitement, expectation, and commitments. I am finally digging myself out from under the frenetic demands and pace of the days and realize how long it has been since I have been able to sit and write. In the world of POPS, we have been busy elves, with maybe not enough helpers, filling orders, checking them twice, and seeing who has been naughty and nice (well, if the check clears - who I am to say). Snow-balls are the seasonal favorite - yummy coconut cake, dipped in white chocolate, sprinkled with specks of coconut; they are are blast to make and with a little hot chocolate and holiday music - "It's a Good Life"....

It's also been weeks of understanding priorities - not to be too depressing, but a friend passed away after a long battle with cancer and another friend has a son who has been in the hospital for weeks. The daily frustrations and demands of the holidays are a small price to pay. The fact that you have to wait in line or traffic is at a crawl is experiencing life in the present. Maybe we all should move through these moments with a different perspective.

There are no shortcuts to making POPS and I get frustrated at the amount of time these can take. In the end, take great pride in the product and need to fully appreciate the ability and resources at hand.

Thanks and giving

In NY on the most spectacular morning. Eye candy for the soul.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Sweet Success

There is nothing more satisfying that a sincere thank you for the work you have done. Whether this is from the guy bagging groceries, or your gardner mowing the lawn, they work as hard as you do to make "the client" happy. - We are all in the client business in one way or another. Maybe you get paid for it, maybe you serve your family all day long for no financial reward, but for me the "thank you", becomes the currency that motivates me.

This picture was sent from an event - with a gracious note thanking us for the pops. It was truly gratifying to get this compliment totally unsolicited. I know we worked hard, but when the product goes out the door, you move on to the order and don't expect any accolades.

This is the first "professional" venture that does not come with a corporation or insulated layers of staff. When is works or fails, we look in the mirror. This venture is raw, exciting and a bit like walking a tightrope (not that I have done that ) hoping we don't fall. For now, our safety net is your appreciation and we will make it to the other side.

To Find The Truth, Look Somewhere Else

http://sinekpartners.typepad.com/refocus/2010/11/truth.html

POP QUIZ

Everyone seems to wanting to ask all the "big" questions - are you happy, fulfilled, satisfied, productive, compassionate, etc. You can ask someone the same question, and get a different answer each hour, each day and then some. Maybe we try to hard sometime.

I was reminded, by my daughter, that yes, we are happy a family, but maybe not all the time, like when we are angry or sad. Now, this is not the teaching of a great tantric master, but maybe there is some valuable lesson in the observational prowess of the 11 year old.

Pops satisfy me - not because we are working towards solving world hunger or teaching children to read, but because no matter the frustration, trial and error, sleepless nights - we work to put forth the best product for our clients. And when it's all done, there is a sense of satisfaction and pride that for that moment is all I need

Notes to self

-Do not drop food processor - it will break.

-Do not try to improve on recipes when the original recipe works great

-Sleep past 4am

-Do not let the "competition" rattle me. I believe in the product and that is our best edge.

- Be patient. Remember the care, dedication and teachings of the Tibetan Monks composing the Mandala at the Hammer Museum last week

- Do not multi task while cooking. Food coloring will stain

- Cake balls are "the new black" - Really??? That seems a bit extreme

- Hot cheese on skin will burn (this was not a new cake pop flavor!)

- Accept criticism. Even a 11 year old knows what tastes good.

- Read more (not recipes)

Precious Resources

We grow up seeking advice from friends and family. We tend to get very intimidated to ask "professionals", "experts", teachers and mentors basic questions for fear of being perceived as a novice, inept, or even "stupid". We use the internet as a cheat sheet of history, DIY expertise, medical/spiritual/intellectual guidance as well as dating and communicating.

I have amassed an encyclopedia of learning from health care, to child care, to recipes to politics. However, there is nothing more valuable I find, than VERBALLY, asking a question, to a willing "teacher"/professional .

As I mentioned earlier - I was not a baker, nor a chocolateteer (yes, kinda like mousekateer). I was an appetizer and entree girl - I never made it to the dessert round. POPARAZZI POP is the dessert victory lap for me. Baking is about patience, precision and trusting instincts - I find this serves me now and the baking part is all working. The chocolate is a defined science. There is no subjectivity in tempering and have had great success and not so great success. Unfortunately, this is an all or nothing proposition. It either tempers correctly and looks even, glossy and lovely or, it is "blemished" and by our standards, a bust..

No matter how many different ways I google "why" something happened, the info always come back the same. Temperature: kitchen, chocolate, cooling..

Back to resources. Living in LA, we are lucky to have some great cooking resources - Surfas in Culver City, being the most convenient and user friendly to the aspiring cook . I have bought product here for years, but have found immeasurable value in my visits lately.

I have learned to ask questions, regardless of how mundane they are - or basic in the food hierarchy. Each visit, has been an education and particularly the last visit which was a chocolate and coatings immersion. I was able to speak with one of the managers who took the time to address all my questions, in layman's terms and was also able to recommend more resources, not products or sales, to further my needs.

Surfas is having a chocolate demonstration this weekend of Valrhona chocolate - by one of the top pastry chefs in the country. This is FREE. I would have never known about it until I started asking questions, and putting my vulnerabilities on the cutting board. The more I ask, the more I get back..People generally want to share their knowledge.

I have stopped worrying about the judgement in asking the questions. pretty simple recipe..

SWEET EQUITY

The feedback from the larchmont fair has been great. Interesting footnote: the top sellers were Creamsicle and Red Velvet of the 5 flavors that were available.

I have found that I start thinking about pops @ 4 am... is that a craving or my new occupational hazard. With any new experience, I have to relive it - analyze what worked or didnt work; strategize on next steps; look at the balance sheet emotionally and financially. The beauty of these are they are all hand made, and the possibilities of flavor combinations are infinite, and I can't help myself to keep pushing the limits of what might be.

Fast Forward

We are open for business. We launched yesterday at the Larchmont Family Fair. Have to admit, this was a beast to get ready for, and a learning process at each step, but worth the sleepless nights to see this all materialize. Whether we sell one or a million, we finished what we started and the pops looked and tasted great.

We had 5 flavors avail: Red Velvet, Creamsicle, Rocky Road, Chocolate Peanut Chip, Black and White - my personal favorite were the Creamsicle - however, the red velvet is always the crowd favorite.

Joey and I had been refining the flavors & ingredients for weeks; each flavor has a little something extra which we trust will make these memorable

and unique.

there were certainly moments, (maybe longer than moments) that I was ready to apply for a job as a barrista- however, I had invested too much personally to let some of the mundane or challenging moments POP my Poparazzi bubble.

POP CULTURE

there are many incarnations of cakes pops, cake balls, cake towers, cupcakes, shake and bake and then some. The question for me becomes how to differentiate POPARAZZIPOP from the pack, as well as, not become intimidated by the competition.

No matter how great the marketing spin, how many friends will be guilted into buying them, or some other veil of flattery that sugar coats my ego, the product needs to speak for itself.

We can easily make these glistening, eye candy pops laden with sparkling sugars, swirls, candy colored coatings, look great and compromise some very subtle flavor flaws, but I know that it's "whats in the inside that counts" (OK, that was a little hokey, but I teach my daughter this lesson about most things these days - people or products, especially in the land of oz of Los Angeles).

It only takes "one bad pop" (again a tacky analogy - sorry - this is my AM decaffeinated brain), to get your twitter twitch posting negative criticism.

I have been stuck on certain flavor combinations, that no matter how many times I try to infuse them, just don't seem to work and yet i wont let go. I know that I will have that Eureka moment if I am patient and keep working these recipes, but for now, the focus is on the pops that will put POPARAZZI in a league of their own.

Name Dropping

I live in Los Angeles - "the city of angels" and more realistically, the city that idolizes fame and glamour like no other. I have always worked in the film industry - encouraging, supporting, funding - a celebrity culture which oozes images of beauty, confidence, compassion and hard work. We have teams of people that are paid to get you addicted to needing to know what they are wearing, eating, thinking; who they are dating, divorcing and where they are going and when. This is like processed foods, loaded with saturated fats, salt, preservatives -- YUM!

There is a hierarchy in the media that churns this machine - the "A" press ( the morning shows, Oprah, news "journalists, etc ) and then the lowest common denominator in this food chain - Paparazzi. Over the years, I have screamed at them, cursed them, encouraged them, enabled them and loathed them, but the hunger and addiction to this information, now available in real time, has made paparazzi, a indispensable resource.

Historically, Paparazzi was about glamour, secrets, allure and beauty. celebrity, flashing lights, glimmering jewels, admiration, decadence and aspiration. The idea for POPARAZZI POP, speaks to that - rich flavors, layered with decadent fillings and coatings. Stepping into the fantasy for a bite or two; treating yourself to your 15 minutes of fame.

HARVEY

This was going to be about the rose waters, syrups and persimmons, but we got detoured with HARVEY...a rescue dog that was living with a dog hoarder. They recovered 120 dogs (insane!) and were placed in various shelters/rescues.

We had been "shopping" for a dog - the perfect pup for my daughter and obedient, house trained, loving " companion" for me. (My husband has stayed non partisan in this with the hopes of trying to make everyone happy.)

So we had been visiting a few pet adoptions and I had no intent on making any immediate decisions. Well - as I said earlier - you have to recognize opportunity when it stares at you in the face. We met him head on.

Not necessarily the pick of the liter at first site, as there were some amazing, beautiful, rambunctious pups - but "no name" at the time, is a soulful, unique and adorable Corgi mix that steals your heart. 2 1/2 years old, facial features of a corgi & Shepard, body of of a bulldog/ corgi, this guy is a heart breaker.

There is NO history on this dog and as I mentioned no name. We decide, even before we even contemplated caring for this dog, that Harvey seemed to be a good fit.

Turns out the Harvey needed someplace to rest his head for the weekend as the rescue group had no room at the inn; we agree to foster the dog for the weekend.

This does not seem to be a dog who was abused. Seems very comfortable around other dogs and people, but does not fully engage. I assume, he was cared for in this crazy house on some level, but did not interact outside this enviornment with new people or situations.

Harvey gets cleaned up, and comes home with us. A bit shell shocked of course, but amazingly caring, loving and gentle. Harvey gets center stage for the weekend. The pops are waiting to be dipped, but can wait a day or two.

He needs to get to the vet as he has some stomach issues and has not been checked out yet, so we are moving through this in real time, without making any longer term decisions. However, he is starting to become a little more feisty and playful and I hope that as this dog finds himself, and we find ourselves in relation to the dog, Harvey will join the POP family.

the mother of invention

Skipping ahead to present day. (However, I will still bore you eventually with the family album of who and how we got here) and all the pops that were inhaled, junked, crushed and mutated along the way.

The past two days have been a re-entry in the kitchen after 2 glorious weeks at the beach living someone else's life. While we were away catching waves and spectacular sunsets, Joey was in the "test kitchen" perfecting some of the more textured, complex and seductive flavor profiles. The vanillas, Oreo, chocoholic chocolate, red velvet, etc. are all covered, but doesn’t that get to be a bore after a while? POPARAZZI is bling for your mouth - Don’t you deserve that too?

One of the more traditional flavors that I have been working on is Chai. For all you Chai lovers, this is a sensory flavor that’s intoxicating from the first sniff, and is one of my favorites. I have the luxury (at least to me) to live in a diverse neighborhood in Los Angeles – upscale eateries next to automotive shops; Pilate studios next to barbershops, which still serve as social clubs; Little Ethiopia is a short walk and no passport required. Also, within walking distance are an Indian spice shop and a small Indian grocer (complete with Bollywood rental section).

I stop in at the grocer for inspiration before undertaking the chai pops. I can’t understand some of the packaging on many of stocked items, as the writing is in Indian, but my nose can interpret everything that I need or want. Cinnamon, cardamom, clove, nutmeg, and some mystery ingredients - a flavor mecca that we hope comes through when you get your first bite.

Stay tuned for my trip to the Persian market….

the ingredients

I start to put this idea out there to my personal advisory committee - husband, and couple of good friends. They are amused, bewildered and appreciate the "artistry" and eye candy, but don't encourage me to give up the day job I don't have.

I had also decided that it is my calling to change the world (or at least a sliver of my own) and focus on the pro-social causes that will make us all "better, happier, smarter, healthier and of course fulfilled." This will be my legacy as opposed to having worked on the LORD OF THE RINGS TRILOGY, or AUSTIN POWERS which to some would be the crowning moment...not me, I want an Oscar for something I created, not stirred the pot. Now POPS didn't exactly fall into that category of good will, but I rationalize the value and the return on the investment.

Personally, I respond to people more than ideas. I admire talent - whatever form that takes. It is an art - to listen to a great speaker, to watch a great athlete, cook, dancer, performer, craftsman, etc. People make ideas happen and all too often, the "idea" and focus gets clouded in actually having to do the work to achieve the best results.

I am somewhat of a marketing junkie. I read all the "experts" Seth Godin, Simon Sinek, Chris Brogan and more.. to me, they have a perspective that encourages risk and stepping out of your comfort zone, while always keeping yourself in check. I come from a place of building and connecting...cooking is like that to me. I also recognize opportunity when it slaps you in the face.

I start tinkering with some more pops in the kitchen - this time with more intent and motivation. I also put this idea out there to Joey, my now partner in crime in Pops - who is an avid and accomplished cook, artist, dad, real estate agent and level headed adult.

We start conspiring on the possibilities. This is not about re-inventing the cupcake craze, but creating a unique, fun, delectable, eye catching treat with an array of flavor combinations that go POP.

Snap, crackle, POP

a brief history. My daughter and I made some "cake pops" for a bake sale for a friend raising money for a child with cancer. http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/devinhatfield/journal/10

No, this story is not for dramatic effect or sympathy, but I fully do appreciate where and how this started and will always know these came from the heart with NO intent other than sharing some unique, yummy treats.

I have always been a unfulfilled, curious cook; I went thru the cooking school phase, the restaurant phase, the test kitchen phase etc. I regard myself as a adept, intuitive cook, but professionally took a detour into the corporate pressure cooker of of film marketing.

I have bought and still buy cooking mags and virtually cook many of these recipes without ever turning on the stove; I bought the last issue of Gourmet like it was the NY Times special issue on the space landing and am saving it (for what??). I have kept all the old issues of my mags like they were LPs and still revel in the butter infused, heart clogging recipes of 1978. However, I must admit that I generally always skipped over the all desert recipes in favor of the the grilled, marinated, sauteed, baked and tossed sections.

so now back to Pops... When we made the first batch, we took some creative license, both in recipes, toppings and logistics. Ultimately, I could have bought numerous boxes of Sprinkles cupcakes by the time we were done, but we were having a blast and the pops looked and tasted great (at least to the chef and her 11 year old.). We retro-fitted baggies for the wrappers, tied ribbons on them, and we were ready for our blue ribbon prize at the county fair.

On delivery day (about a month ago) we were walking up Larchmont Blvd in LA and almost every 3 steps, someone stopped us, wanting to buy them. As I walked past the farmers market, I am thinking - how cool would this be to actually sell these.

The reports from the bake sale, confirmed the pops were a hit. Now, this is not rocket science and there is no James beard award down the pike, but my marketing brain and latent cooking hormones, were starting to simmer to a slow boil.

Something else you should know. I am a A type personality. I am a planner, scheduler, have some control issues; need recipes exacted as I direct, etc; but also believe in Karma and following my gut (we can address all this another time)

I left the corporate world almost 2 years ago when my company was absorbed by the big bad wolf and have been doing what I call renegade consulting. This has been a free fall with valuable lessons, successes and most important priorities.

So, I start thinking about (or fantasizing about) the idea of the pops and think, maybe I am crazy, but there is something here beyond the chocolate coating.