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.
Go with it. What would the world be without yummy chocolatey things to indulge ourselves with?
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