✩ november monthly round-up✩

lovin' it #3: bay area eats, long cakes and a revamp of the group chat!!

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HI HELLO!

Just gonna get it out of the way now, if you’re waiting on part two of how to develop recipes… it’s coming next week. Life has been a crazy whirlwind during November and I’m finally settling back into routines. I want that post to include as much information as I’ve got floating around in my little head for ya. Thank you for the patience ♡

I started out November doing 3 (!!!) cake demos for the UXU teams at Google (!!!!). What a freakin’ experience, let me tell ya. Because, and this may come as a shock to some of you since I seem soo sooos oooooooSO cool and outgoing online, I’m a very big introvert with horrible social anxiety and a fear of public speaking. Which is why you don’t see tons of pop-ups or classes from me. But, a few months ago I decided I was just gonna start saying yes to the things that really scare the shit out of me. That’s a part of growing.

Back to Google, one event was here in LA and the other two took me to San Francisco for a week. I met so many great people through the demos and to my surprise no one threw tomatoes or booed me off the stage. Two tell-tale signs of success if you ask me. Two very special shout outs to Elisa (@saltedrye) who is my connect at Google and really made this whole thing happen for me. Second to Fayeeza (@fromfayeeza) who came over to help me prep, buy flowers + boxes, sit in insane bay area traffic with me and made sure I ate.

I also finished out the week making a 9 foot long cake (!!!!) with Elisa for a decorating demo + pop-up at Marigold Cafe in the Mission. Another insane moment, where I had to speak, publicly- and be perceived by strangers. One again, no tomatoes or booing. Instead I was met with some of the lovliest people. Who asked such great and insightful questions about cake, baking and the venture into freelance recipe development. It was such a great time and I’m so happy to have gotten to connect with some really great people <3333 Loving the long cake trend and I hope it carries deep into 2024 because there are some cake friends that I cannot wait to see their long cake takes.

there are really no pictures that can do this cake justice!!

A majority of my week in the Bay was spent working (lame), I did make sure I made some time to hit up a few of my favorite spots to do some of my favorite things.

The Spots:

• Saigon Sandwich- The banh mi here carried me through my time working at Mr.Holmes. I’d sprint down Larkin to grab one on my break. At $5 it was a great deal for a broke pastry cook. The service is super quick too- if there’s no line you can have sandwich in 3 minutes or less!

  

  the pics is horrid, sorry I was starving after finishing up my last google event. But, perfect meal.

• Outta Sight Pizza- A few steps away from Saigon Sandwich is Outta Sight, I was recommended this spot by one of the folks at the SF Google event… Goog looking out. I mean all pizza, is good pizza. Thin crust, flavorful and the pepperoni was on the saltier side- which if you know me, is my jam. Grabbed a bahn mi and a couple of slices before heading to golden gate park for a little solo picnic.

• Zareen’s- Fayeeza and I went here after the Google demo in Mountain View. I got the beef chapli burger and oh my fuuuuck. Such an amazing burger- well spiced and super flavorful.

• Bi-rite market + a picnic in Dolores Park- My ideal SF day starts at bi-rite picking up a baguette, soft cheese, meats, snacks, fruits, bevs and the occasional meat ball before heading over to Dolores for a little picnic. I cannot leave with out indulging in this little luxury of mine. The vibes are immaculate and I love chatting in the park with friends and watching all the cute dogs go by.

• Garden Creamery- I’m somewhat of an ice cream aficionado- it’s my go to sweet treat after a long day of being a 28 year old teenage girl. Garden Creamery is one of the greats and the perfect stop after a picnic in Dolores. I love their Bora Bora Vanilla, and the Japanese Milk Coffee. Some honorable ice cream mentions: Bi-Rite Creamery, Smitten & Nieves Cinco De Mayo.

• Urban Ore- Across the bay bridge in Berkeley sits Urban Ore. I love to come here and sift through vintage kitchenware. This trip I got away with a vintage jello mold and some pots with removable handles. They’ve got a little bit of anything you could need, from furniture, to a cheeky array of toilets outside, to sewing machines and clothing. It’s massive, so if you’re feeling like hardcore perusing, carve out a few hours for your visit to really take it all in and find some real gems.

• Berkeley Bowl- Every day I am heartbroken knowing LA has nothing close to the magnificence that Is Berkeley Bowl. I’m partial to the location on Oregon St- it’s superior to Berkeley Bowl West imho. It’s got such a wide array of seasonal produce- this last trip I walked away with fresh yuzu, bergamot and passion fruit. They’ve also got bulk bins for of harder to find grains like, teff, amaranth and more.

• Green House Bakery- I’ve been drooling over Rachels’s pastries and killer lamination work for a while now. I was so thrilled to finally get a chance to try her work. The carrot cake was by far one of the best things I ate during this trip. Highly recommend trying to get your hands on one of her boxes!!

  

  half eaten and taken in the parking lot of a Nordstrom Rack

I also asked for food recc’s over on IG, here is a map of *most* everything others suggested.

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The rest of November, faves at a glance:

Food & Drink:

• Trader Joe’s Stuffing Potato Chips + Wine Country Chicken Salad- My go-to snack this month. Thanksgiving dinner, in chip form.

• Wonderbelly Antacids lol- I’m just a girl who now experiences heart burn in her young age?? Mostly after eating something mildly spicy or a piece of chocolate… like damn can’t a girl just LIVE. So, I’ve been carrying Wonderbelly around with me and I like ‘em because they come in flavors like fruity cereal and strawberry milkshake. God forbid I just buy TUMS, that would make me too old.

  

• Walnut Tahini swirled brownies- do yourself a favor, add toasted walnuts, a tahini swirl and a sprinkle of flakey salt to the top of your favorite brownie recipe before baking. The nutty saltiness cuts the sweetness of the brownie for a more balanced bite.

  

  I mean, ain’t she a thing of beauty!!!

• Whole foods hot bar- Not sure what has come over me but I’ve been eating at the WFHB like my life depends on it. Probably because I’ve been running around like crazy this month and it’s so quick to grab a little box of food instead of trying to even think of what to feed myself. I literally told my friends I want next years birthday party to be WFHB themed. The WF in Lake Merritt a) was absolutely massive and crazy b) had the best hot bar offerings I’ve ever had. So if you’re in Oakland, know I’m jealous of your proximity to the best WF.

• Olive oil cake from Marco Polo- Had a birthday lunch with Alexys at Marco Polo in Silverlake. The highlight of the meal was the olive oil cake. It was topped with this crunchy sugary layer, orange marmalade and fried rosemary. The cake it self had a very tender and moist crumb with delightfully crisp edges.

  

• Birria Nachos from Ferchalada’s in San Diego- Ferchie’s has become one of my go to spots anytime I’m visiting home in San Diego. I think I’ve mentioned them in a past favorites post. Every component is so flavorful and the chips are housemade and are sturdy to hod up to all the toppings while remaining crisp and crunchy.

Misc:

• I’ve been really into figuring out my “signature scent” and i’ve been playing around with layer different fragrances. My current go-to perfume combo is Huda Beauty’s KAYALI pistachio gelato + Le Monde Gourmand’s Sel Caramel eau de parfums. Obviously i just want to smell like a baked good at all times.

  

• VERSED sent me a few of their products at the start of summer and I’ve been using it daily and re-upped on some of my faves this month. I wanted to be sure I actually fucked with the products before recommending them. My VERSED holy trinity is the Dew Point Moisturizing Gel Cream, the Press Start Gentle Retinol, and the Skin Soak Rich Moisture Cream. These three products have really been helping keep my skin nice and moisturized during these colder, drier months. (Mind you, cold in LA is still 72F) Use code IBAKEMISTAKES10 to save 10% on your first purchase ♡

• Instacrates- I’ve been lugging shit AROUND this month. From everything I’d take to Alexys’ to bake with, to loading up my entire kitchen and hauling it up to the bay with me. Instacrates have been there for me. I love them because they are durable, stackable and collapse down flat so they’re easy to store when not in use. I keep one in my car at all times now, for ease of unloading groceries. The best part is they’re just $9 each at Costco. (okay online you can only buy a 4 pack, but instore they sell singles!) I cannot remember a life before these crates.

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It’s not a monthly roundup without my playlist of the month either!!

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Now looking forward to December (how did we get here so fast???)

I am back in LA and I finally have a working oven again <333 (shout out to Alexys for letting me bake in her kitchen for about a month) Which means pastry boxes are back! As usual they drop on a weekly basis with a rotating menu. You can find the menu drop + pick-up schedule here.

I’ll also be back at Our Place Venice for their Holiday Market on Sunday December 17th. There will be cake, donuts and a few other local vendors. So mark your calendars, I hope to see you there!

This is my last month taking cake orders. I have a few custom order slots left. I added extra dates + more daily availability for Kassie’s Choice Cakes & passion fruit goat cheesecakes throughout the month to ensure everyone who wants one last cake can get it ♡ you can order those here. Use code “SUBSTACK10” to get 10% off on all off the menu items. Once again thanks so much for the love and support the last 3 years and for the votes of confidence as I venture on to a new career path. I truly love you all so much.

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