New Year, Big Changes

Ah, a new year and a fresh start! Since the world is going to end this year, I figure I should squeeze in everything I’ve ever wanted to do at the bakery before I run out of time. Some big changes are in our very near future, and while the details aren’t all ironed out yet, I want to let everyone know three big things that are happening. (And I’m kidding about the world ending thing, that’s all made up, right?)

Number one: We are raising our prices. I KNOW! This sucks. We have gone through TWO coffee wholesale price increases without raising our prices, and some of our drinks are seriously under-priced at this point and we are losing money. We have also watched flour, sugar, and pretty much everything else we bake with get more and more expensive over the last couple years, some of it doubling in cost. On top of that, many distributors are charging large delivery fees to cover high gas prices. I’ve held out as long as I can, but it is time for us to add those costs into our products so we can stay in business. Yes, our prices may be a bit higher than a non-vegan bakery, but the products we use in baking are not as widely available as traditional ingredients like butter and eggs, and the replacements for these items (Earth Balance, Tofutti, etc.) aren’t cheap.

Number two: At the beginning of February, we will no longer be serving our all-you-can-eat Sunday Brunch. I know that some of you are having a heart attack right now (I’m sorry Paul!) and I hope you will forgive me when you read number three. I have LOVED serving brunch for the last four years, and it was exactly what I wanted it to be – a time and place when many different people crowded together over vegan food and shared tables and made new friends. I always wanted it to be a community meet-up, and I feel like, for many people, that’s exactly what it has been. It has also helped me develop what I think are the best vegan biscuits ever. On the down side, it has been a scheduling nightmare for us, as well as being completely unpredictable. Some weeks are insane, and some are so dead we hear crickets, but we always have to buy the same amount of food because we never know how many people will show. So sometimes we run out after an hour (this sucks!), and sometimes we compost food to feed an army (this sucks more!). So, the next four brunches listed on the right of this page will be our last four ever.

Number three: I have saved the good news for last, which is that starting at the beginning of February, we will be serving breakfast 7 days a week. Our biscuits aren’t going away, they’re just becoming something new! We are no where near finished with the menu, but as soon as it is done I will post it far and wide. It will definitely feature biscuits and gravy, biscuit breakfast sandwiches and other quick breakfast items, that you can grab to-go or eat here. It will also have several Gluten Free options. We’ll be remodeling the sandwich menu at the same time, to add some new favorites and more salads. More info on all of this soon.

I know this is a lot of news at once. I spent a lot of time away from the bakery in the last year since I had a baby, but I’m really happy to be back and I have renewed motivation to help us be the best we can be. You may have already noticed some changes (new pastry case! palmiers!) and there will be a lot more to come. We are going to focus on having new and exciting pastries regularly, and making sure our pastries are baked daily in small quantities so we can ensure freshness and quality for all of our customers. We’ve also spent some extra time on our espresso training this fall, so come try a espresso drink if you haven’t had one in awhile.

Thanks to all of our loyal customers, and all of our new customers this last year too! All of you eating and shopping locally makes a big difference in all of our lives, and we love seeing your faces. We also know that Portland has a lot of amazing vegan food choices and we really appreciate it every time you stop by the bakery, and the mini-mall.

xoxo – Lisa

p.s. A list of vegan baking and cake decorating classes that I’ll be teaching at the bakery this spring is coming soon!!

My 15 minutes of fame

The PCC catalog just came out, and my face is on the cover! I can’t tell you how weird it was to pull my mail out of my mailbox yesterday and find a giant picture of myself in there. Here it is:

i love you cupcakes

There is also a little article in the back of the catalog about how I started the bakery, and a great photo of my recently finished sleeve, by Jerry Ware of Atlas Tattoo. But the best thing about this picture is that John is in the background again. Last time I was in a magazine he was in the background, and now I’m starting to think he is sneaking into all my photos on purpose. The PCC classes were a lot of fun, and they are listed again in this Winter catalog for February. More info is here – PCC CLASSES

We made it through Thanksgiving week, and we’re really excited about all the great feedback we got about our pies this year. Thanks so much to everyone who bought one! We made well over 200 pies – I need to ask Katie what the exact number ended up at. Our oven got a real workout. Katie forgot her camera that day, so I had to take photos with my phone. Not as good.

can you tell which one is yours?

We’re getting ready for all of December’s holidays now, we’ll have rugelach and Star of David and dreidel sugar cookies for Hanukkah, and then Christmas themed stuff too. Leela, of Bright Designlab hung fresh wreaths and garlands in the bakery a couple of days ago, and it feels so cozy and wintery now! We are going to have a lot more packaged “to go” items for the holidays, so you can take stuff home to share with your families, and items to give as gifts. Drop by when you can, and see what’s new!

Get in our kitchen, learn cool stuff

You know you want to learn how to make a seitan roast and decorate a kick ass cake for Thanksgiving! Sign up for these amazingly fun classes that I will be teaching at the bakery, through Portland Community College (PCC).

Vegan Holiday Baking Series click this link, then scroll down a bit.

I found it a bit difficult to understand the classes and how it all works on the PCC website, but I’m also not the best at computers. I’m giving you all the info here just in case, but you should sign up through the PCC page. You can take the entire series, or just one of the classes.

Vegan Holiday Baking Series

Sweetpea Baking Company owner, Lisa Higgins, invites you into their top notch kitchen to share secrets for yummy, (I would have said delicious, or extremely pleasing to your palate) professional looking Holiday treats! Celebrate the Holidays (why do they keep capitalizing holiday?) vegan style without animal products and wow your guests with creations from your home kitchen. Includes bonus tips and suggestions for allergy-free (gluten free, soy free, nut free!) cooking. This series should not be missed! (that’s right!)

Ice Box Cookies: Easy Treats!

Wednesday October 14th 6:00-8:00 pm

Get a jumpstart on holiday baking this year, with simple recipes that can be baked-as-needed for great gifts and holiday treats! Step-by-step instructions includes tips for successful vegan baking.

Modern Cake Decorating

Wednesday October 21st 6:00-8:00 pm

Give your cakes a new look! Learn the latest and greatest creative techniques to decorate holiday layer cakes and cupcakes like a professional. Includes pastry bag basics, working with ganache and writing with icing – no animal products!

Perfect Pie Secrets

Wednesday October 28th 6:00-8:00 pm

Your friends and family will be amazed by your perfect pies! Learn the secrets of a flaky crust, how to build a lattice top, and the basics of holiday pumpkin pie. This class will be very hands-on!

Savory Seitan

Wednesday November 4th 6:00-8:00 pm

Unveil the mystery behind homemade Seitan! Class covers new ways to make and cook Seitan, including pepperoni style, chick’n fried, and a holiday roast. It’s easier than you think!

I am most excited about the cake decorating class – it is my favorite thing to teach and I have been wanting to do a class for a long time. Each class will be very hands on (wear clothes that can get dirty!) and you will take recipes and treats home with you.

Sign up! Sign up a friend! Come hang out with me. I’ll even take your picture standing in our giant oven.