I’ve missed your newsletter, Jolene! Love the new look, the cupcake focus and scrumptious photos! Great idea to expand the meaning of Time Travel Kitchen. There are many historic eateries in this neck of the woods that might be worth writing about, though fewer than once upon a time. One we love is Du-Par’s, which opened at LA’s famous Farmer’s Market on Fairfax in 1938. Their bakery is a huge draw, with pies and cakes always on mouthwatering display. Their “hotcakes” are famous too. I haven’t been there for a while, so I’m due a visit, but it would definitely make a fun feature.🥧
Well, I would not be a true Wisconsinite if I didn't mention supper clubs -- which are, truly, mostly the only eateries/food establishments left that are 40+ years old. So I'm going to shout out The Hilltop, located 15 minutes down the road from me in Cross Plains, for the best Friday night fish fry one could ask for. Also, Ishnala, which is a little further north, in Lake Delton -- absolutely classic, with a gorgeous view of Mirror Lake any time of year.
I would be totally remiss, though, if I didn't mention Peter Sciortino Bakery on Brady Street in Milwaukee (just a pleasant train ride away from you!) It opened in 1947 and is full of bakery that just doesn't exist anywhere else anymore. I lived a couple blocks away from there for a few years in my early twenties -- broke, depressed -- and I'd go there with my roommate on the regular to pick up kolache (Czech, not Italian, I know) and anise biscotti. Sigh. Now I am missing it terribly.
Meet me in Milwaukee, Sarah! I’m definitely going to make the trip, I’ll let you know when. And I LOVE the idea of writing about the supper clubs. Thank you so much! 🤗
So many must-haves... in LA, where I live now, it’s a martini at Musso & Frank’s or a bowl of matzo soup with pickles and rye at Canter’s. In Berlin, where I spent a lot of time in grad school, it’s the entire food floor at the department store KaDeWe (though my favorite thing to do is buy fancy cheese and bread and sit at the Moët counter with a glass of rosé champagne), and always always a basket of German rolls with Eier im Glas (soft-boiled eggs in a glass with chives) for brunch at Café Einstein in Schöneberg.
I was just talking to someone this week who’d lived in LA and also mentioned Canter’s! And I goggled the floor of KaDeWe that’s the food hall, WowWowWow! I love all of this, Andrea and it’s so much fun to learn of these wonderful places, Thank you!
Welcome back! Loved this dive into the history of cupcakes. Makes me think of Sally Bell's Kitchen, in Richmond, VA, which for many decades has sold lunch in boxes; they always include a sandwich, half a deviled egg, and a frosted cupcake. What was most interesting about the cupcake was that it was not too big--just the right size for lunch--and also that it was positioned upside-down and frosted on the flat bottom (now top) and a bit around the sides. If you ever get to Richmond, it's a treat.
I am going to go to all of these! I have family and friends in the Hudson Valley, Chatham and Germantown, Verdiles looks so good! Also, mini hot-dogs are right up my alley; in my family growing up we always had (the smaller) cocktail franks, piggies in a blanket for New Year’s Eve or New Years Day and it’s a tradition my 4 brothers and I still talk about and if we can still do it! 🌭 Thank you for this, Elizabeth! :)
Welcome back! Love the logo. I do recommend The Madonna Inn (think Disney's Snow White movie on acid) in San Luis Obispo, CA, and its cloud-like pink champagne cake plus signature cocktail. And in my Scottish hometown, Dundee, the best bakery in Britain: Fisher and Donaldson. Excellent pastries all, but don't miss the Chocolate Violets, which are obscene: An almond meringue cookie piled with buttercream and dipped in chocolate, topped with a candied violet petal, as if to justify its existence. My dad called them "Chocolate Violence." Oh, but don't buy fresh cream meringues from Fisher and Donaldson's. You always buy those from Goodfellow and Stevens, as everyone in Dundee knows. They're ethereal.
Thank you, Annette! Snow White on acid sounds like a ‘must see’! 😵💫😂 Love all of these gorgeous suggestions and if you ever want to moonlight as a food writer, your descriptions are so great 🙌. Fisher and Donaldson, googling now. This is so much fun!
Thanks, Jolene! It dawned on me that, actually, Goodfellows wins the Chocolate Violence contest, too, and I think they invented them. But APART from those and the cream meringues, F&D are best. They can whip you up some filled rolls (Scottish sandwiches) and sell you their own excellent chocolates, and you have the best picnic. I once took Americans into Fisher and Donaldson's for tea, and one, a psychology professor (!) was so thrilled with the range of attractive tasty treats, she emerged with an entire grocery bag full of fresh pastries and cakes. That was when it dawned on her: "What am I going to DO with all these?" she wailed. Oh, and rhubarb tarts (actually round mini-pies) and strawberry tarts not to be missed either. Look, I'll just offer a tour, ok?
Welcome Back! You were missed! Who knew that cupcakes had such an interesting history? The ones you made are beautiful and look very moist and tasty. I confess that I had not made cupcakes in years, and I’m sorry to say that when I moved, I let my cupcake pans go! Now I see that was a mistake, which I’ll remedy.
I like your new logo and the idea of armchair travel. I need a little time to think on that!
Wonderful Jolene! Of course, I love a good cupcake and all things baked. When in Nashville go to the Country Music Hall of Fame and check out their amazing collection of cookbooks written by or about country music stars. And swing by Dozen, my favorite bakery. The owner is a Nashville native who trained in France and came back home and we are all the better because of that! ❤️ Love the logo!
Oooh, Dozens sounds so good! And the cookbook collection sounds incredible. I loved Nashville the one time I visited, so I am definitely due for another trip. Thank you, Anne! 🤗
It really is! I know people think only tourists go there, and they go in droves, but it has excellent resources and exhibits. And it’s why locals don’t mind playing tourist guide every so often when their friends come to town.
I was one of the droves... But I go to a lot of museums, and I was just so impressed by this one. (I'm not even a country music fan, which is the true mark of well-done collections and curation, I think -- if it's interesting even to people who are not particularly interested.)
I brought many a box of cupcakes to work back in the day, Michelle! (wanted them to like me 😂) do you have any place you’d recommend to an armchair traveler? Hope you’re well! :)
It's amazing that Hostess cupcakes have been around for over one hundred years! I wonder what the shelf life was like back then. Love the idea for your summer project.
I love your new logo! Its colors 🟡🟠🔴⚫️ and what it represents. I remember my grandma and aunties using this kind of kitchen device.
You know, I've never been a fan of cupcakes until I found a new bakery/cafe near my place. It showed me that they don't have to be overwhelmingly sweet and bland. Their salty caramel, or dark chocolate with cherries are my faves. And I absolutely adore salty, eggy, breakfast ones, that are full of veggies, like spinach, pepper, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, and a lot of oregano, basil, hot paprika and other spices 🧁🫑🌶
Your springtime cupcakes look absolutely adorable and yummy! All in pastel colors and with these cute little eggies on top 🥚😍
It's hard to decide on just one 'you-must-have-this', but I think I can recommend anyone who visits Warsaw to check out 'pączki' (polish donuts), 'kruche ciastka' (shortbread cookies) and 'kremówki' (cream-cakes) at Cukiernia Zosicz on Żelazna 64 Street, that sells their sweets since 1972. https://goo.gl/maps/toLuWG665epkcKcX6
So glad you like the logo, Stygi! And I love all your recommendations, sound so delicious! Thank you for the link and again congratulations on your new venture. Do you ship to the US? Have a great weekend! 🧁
Thank you, Amy, waving at Lake Michigan for you 👋 😂 Yes to cupcakes! 🧁 Would love to hear a recommendation from you, maybe I’ll even get there! Till soon :)
I’ve missed your newsletter, Jolene! Love the new look, the cupcake focus and scrumptious photos! Great idea to expand the meaning of Time Travel Kitchen. There are many historic eateries in this neck of the woods that might be worth writing about, though fewer than once upon a time. One we love is Du-Par’s, which opened at LA’s famous Farmer’s Market on Fairfax in 1938. Their bakery is a huge draw, with pies and cakes always on mouthwatering display. Their “hotcakes” are famous too. I haven’t been there for a while, so I’m due a visit, but it would definitely make a fun feature.🥧
Thank you, Ruth! What a great suggestion! Now I want hotcakes 🥞 Have a good weekend! 🤗
Well, I would not be a true Wisconsinite if I didn't mention supper clubs -- which are, truly, mostly the only eateries/food establishments left that are 40+ years old. So I'm going to shout out The Hilltop, located 15 minutes down the road from me in Cross Plains, for the best Friday night fish fry one could ask for. Also, Ishnala, which is a little further north, in Lake Delton -- absolutely classic, with a gorgeous view of Mirror Lake any time of year.
I would be totally remiss, though, if I didn't mention Peter Sciortino Bakery on Brady Street in Milwaukee (just a pleasant train ride away from you!) It opened in 1947 and is full of bakery that just doesn't exist anywhere else anymore. I lived a couple blocks away from there for a few years in my early twenties -- broke, depressed -- and I'd go there with my roommate on the regular to pick up kolache (Czech, not Italian, I know) and anise biscotti. Sigh. Now I am missing it terribly.
Meet me in Milwaukee, Sarah! I’m definitely going to make the trip, I’ll let you know when. And I LOVE the idea of writing about the supper clubs. Thank you so much! 🤗
Jolene, I WILL! I have family in Milwaukee that I stay with when I visit the city for any reason so it’s very easy for me. Just email me the date!
Sounds good to me! I’ll email you, Sarah. It’s currently snowing in Chicago, so maybe we’ll wait till ‘early spring’ is over 😂
Your newsletter is like a sweet treat in my inbox; and I always learn something.
What a nice thing to say, thank you so much! Have a wonderful weekend :)
So many must-haves... in LA, where I live now, it’s a martini at Musso & Frank’s or a bowl of matzo soup with pickles and rye at Canter’s. In Berlin, where I spent a lot of time in grad school, it’s the entire food floor at the department store KaDeWe (though my favorite thing to do is buy fancy cheese and bread and sit at the Moët counter with a glass of rosé champagne), and always always a basket of German rolls with Eier im Glas (soft-boiled eggs in a glass with chives) for brunch at Café Einstein in Schöneberg.
I was just talking to someone this week who’d lived in LA and also mentioned Canter’s! And I goggled the floor of KaDeWe that’s the food hall, WowWowWow! I love all of this, Andrea and it’s so much fun to learn of these wonderful places, Thank you!
The department store food halls in Tokyo are also a thing of wonder!!
These suggestions are making me realize how many places I want to go in this world 🌎! Thank you, Andrea :)
Welcome back! Loved this dive into the history of cupcakes. Makes me think of Sally Bell's Kitchen, in Richmond, VA, which for many decades has sold lunch in boxes; they always include a sandwich, half a deviled egg, and a frosted cupcake. What was most interesting about the cupcake was that it was not too big--just the right size for lunch--and also that it was positioned upside-down and frosted on the flat bottom (now top) and a bit around the sides. If you ever get to Richmond, it's a treat.
Thank you, Domenica! I’m definitely adding Sally Bell’s to the list and I’d love to try one of those upside down cupcakes 🧁 Have a good weekend!
These comments have been so fun to read. My mom and I came up with a list of upstate New York (well our corner of it) favorites this morning:
- Ted's Fish Fry: The best fried fish I've ever have served in a hot dog roll with chili sauce (kinda like salsa) on top.
- Mini hot dogs: Weirdly, there are multiple restaurants devoted to little hot dogs (bigger than cocktail dogs, but smaller than regular sized). https://www.mashed.com/476660/this-city-is-famous-for-mini-hot-dogs/
- Verdiles: Full disclosure Verdiles is owned by a distant cousin. It is delicious, simple Italian. Upstate NY does the best Italian.
- Mozzarella sticks with melba sauce: I don't get it, but this is an Capital District favorite https://www.atlasobscura.com/foods/mozzarella-sticks-raspberry-sauce-albany
I hope I've convinced you to come visit Jolene!
I am going to go to all of these! I have family and friends in the Hudson Valley, Chatham and Germantown, Verdiles looks so good! Also, mini hot-dogs are right up my alley; in my family growing up we always had (the smaller) cocktail franks, piggies in a blanket for New Year’s Eve or New Years Day and it’s a tradition my 4 brothers and I still talk about and if we can still do it! 🌭 Thank you for this, Elizabeth! :)
Amazing! Let me know when you're in town. Maybe we'll overlap.
Welcome back! Love the logo. I do recommend The Madonna Inn (think Disney's Snow White movie on acid) in San Luis Obispo, CA, and its cloud-like pink champagne cake plus signature cocktail. And in my Scottish hometown, Dundee, the best bakery in Britain: Fisher and Donaldson. Excellent pastries all, but don't miss the Chocolate Violets, which are obscene: An almond meringue cookie piled with buttercream and dipped in chocolate, topped with a candied violet petal, as if to justify its existence. My dad called them "Chocolate Violence." Oh, but don't buy fresh cream meringues from Fisher and Donaldson's. You always buy those from Goodfellow and Stevens, as everyone in Dundee knows. They're ethereal.
Thank you, Annette! Snow White on acid sounds like a ‘must see’! 😵💫😂 Love all of these gorgeous suggestions and if you ever want to moonlight as a food writer, your descriptions are so great 🙌. Fisher and Donaldson, googling now. This is so much fun!
Thanks, Jolene! It dawned on me that, actually, Goodfellows wins the Chocolate Violence contest, too, and I think they invented them. But APART from those and the cream meringues, F&D are best. They can whip you up some filled rolls (Scottish sandwiches) and sell you their own excellent chocolates, and you have the best picnic. I once took Americans into Fisher and Donaldson's for tea, and one, a psychology professor (!) was so thrilled with the range of attractive tasty treats, she emerged with an entire grocery bag full of fresh pastries and cakes. That was when it dawned on her: "What am I going to DO with all these?" she wailed. Oh, and rhubarb tarts (actually round mini-pies) and strawberry tarts not to be missed either. Look, I'll just offer a tour, ok?
Yes! Offer a tour!
Welcome Back! You were missed! Who knew that cupcakes had such an interesting history? The ones you made are beautiful and look very moist and tasty. I confess that I had not made cupcakes in years, and I’m sorry to say that when I moved, I let my cupcake pans go! Now I see that was a mistake, which I’ll remedy.
I like your new logo and the idea of armchair travel. I need a little time to think on that!
Hi, Pam! Glad you’ll be making cupcakes again soon, they are fun. Take all the time you need, I’ll look forward to your rec in the future!
who would bet that cupcakes are THIS old? hahaha
I loved the logo!
I know, right???😂 You are already on my list, Flavia, because soon I’ll be sharing your piece about Brigadieros! 🇧🇷
Wonderful Jolene! Of course, I love a good cupcake and all things baked. When in Nashville go to the Country Music Hall of Fame and check out their amazing collection of cookbooks written by or about country music stars. And swing by Dozen, my favorite bakery. The owner is a Nashville native who trained in France and came back home and we are all the better because of that! ❤️ Love the logo!
Oooh, Dozens sounds so good! And the cookbook collection sounds incredible. I loved Nashville the one time I visited, so I am definitely due for another trip. Thank you, Anne! 🤗
The Country Music Hall of Fame is a remarkable museum. Can't beat Nashville in general, either.
It really is! I know people think only tourists go there, and they go in droves, but it has excellent resources and exhibits. And it’s why locals don’t mind playing tourist guide every so often when their friends come to town.
I was one of the droves... But I go to a lot of museums, and I was just so impressed by this one. (I'm not even a country music fan, which is the true mark of well-done collections and curation, I think -- if it's interesting even to people who are not particularly interested.)
Fascinating history about cupcakes- especially their popularity as a work treat! And love your idea of arm chair traveling!
I brought many a box of cupcakes to work back in the day, Michelle! (wanted them to like me 😂) do you have any place you’d recommend to an armchair traveler? Hope you’re well! :)
It's amazing that Hostess cupcakes have been around for over one hundred years! I wonder what the shelf life was like back then. Love the idea for your summer project.
That’s a really good question, Vicki! I’ll look into it. So glad you like the idea, any recommendations? Have a great weekend! :)
I will give it some thought!
I am new here & I love everything I see. Thank You !!
What a nice thing to say, Sylvia! Glad you’re here :)
I love your new logo! Its colors 🟡🟠🔴⚫️ and what it represents. I remember my grandma and aunties using this kind of kitchen device.
You know, I've never been a fan of cupcakes until I found a new bakery/cafe near my place. It showed me that they don't have to be overwhelmingly sweet and bland. Their salty caramel, or dark chocolate with cherries are my faves. And I absolutely adore salty, eggy, breakfast ones, that are full of veggies, like spinach, pepper, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, and a lot of oregano, basil, hot paprika and other spices 🧁🫑🌶
Your springtime cupcakes look absolutely adorable and yummy! All in pastel colors and with these cute little eggies on top 🥚😍
It's hard to decide on just one 'you-must-have-this', but I think I can recommend anyone who visits Warsaw to check out 'pączki' (polish donuts), 'kruche ciastka' (shortbread cookies) and 'kremówki' (cream-cakes) at Cukiernia Zosicz on Żelazna 64 Street, that sells their sweets since 1972. https://goo.gl/maps/toLuWG665epkcKcX6
So glad you like the logo, Stygi! And I love all your recommendations, sound so delicious! Thank you for the link and again congratulations on your new venture. Do you ship to the US? Have a great weekend! 🧁
Thank you Jolene! It’s so exciting time for me and my team. And yes, we ship to US, even globally, at thecode.xyz 🌐
Thank you, Amy, waving at Lake Michigan for you 👋 😂 Yes to cupcakes! 🧁 Would love to hear a recommendation from you, maybe I’ll even get there! Till soon :)