15 Minutes of Fame (part 2)

Last November I talked about how exciting it was to have our cakes and pies featured in a Thanksgiving article published in a local magazine.  It was not the first (nor last) time we had seen our bakery's name in print.

Many, many years ago in the month of August, our baked goods were featured within the "Gourmet Guide" resource issues of our local area magazine, South Florida Home & Garden.  It was quite an honor, not only to be listed those years, but to have our baked goods photographed for the layout.

1987 issue

Unbeknownst to us, some representatives from the magazine had come into our store to check us out.  They obviously liked what they saw and the items they tried, for they soon contacted us to include us in an upcoming issue featuring their Gourmet Guide.

1986 issue

We were honored to be included among such illustrious company.  The other businesses catalogued within were ones we had admired and frequented ourselves.  To see our name listed among them meant we'd hit the bigtime!

We were proud of Afternoon Tea.  We knew we had created a really good bakery.  We knew we were making some amazingly delicious baked goods.  We knew we were offering selections that people couldn't find anywhere else in town.  We knew our offerings were absolutely top-notch.

But it was still a validating feather in our cap to be recognized in public as gourmet.

We didn't just make gourmet baked goods, we created beautiful Gift Baskets chock full of our goodies and extras ... specialty jams and preserves, gourmet candies and chocolates, and pouches of premium coffees and teas.

And we didn't just make Gift Baskets, we put bows and ribbons on tea breads and pound cakes, and tied off our bakery boxes with colorful curling ribbons, and packaged cookies with mugs and teas, so that literally everything in our store could be presented as a gift to anyone at any time.

And we didn't just make catering trays piled with cookies or slices of tea breads and pound cakes, or sweet little tea sandwiches.  We delivered those catering trays as Gift Trays to doctor's offices, workplaces, and people's homes to enjoy while hosting guests.

It was the extra attention to detail that made the Afternoon Tea bake shop special and gourmet.  It was taste, it was unique offerings, it was the selection of items that you just couldn't find anywhere else.  And that, ultimately, is what creating a successful business is all about.  Finding your own little niche and fulfilling it excellently.

People came not only to purchase a birthday cake and some cookies, they came for Gift Baskets and Cookie Trays and a ribbon tied on a Pumpkin Bread so that they could bring it to their grandmother who wasn't feeling well.

We were very touched that we were included in the Gourmet Guide of our city magazine back in the day.  It was not just about how delicious our baked goods were, it was not just that we had interesting and one-of-a-kind offerings you just couldn't find anywhere else, it wasn't just that we were a specialty bakery ... it was all of the above and the "extra-ness" we put into each and every item that went out our door.

Enlarged from the page at left.

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Enjoy previous seasonal blog posts:

Fruit-Picking Season There's nothing quite as satisfying as growing your own food	The Fruits of Summer There's fruit in my salad! And I wouldn't have it any other way!
Butter-Rich Baking When flavor counts, there's no substitute for butter. Butter make everything taste better!	The Buzz About Bees Bees are precious, industrious and endangered.  We can do our part to make sure we don't lose these amazing creatures.
We're Jammin' When the harvest is bountiful ...	Obsession: Heirloom tomatoes ... the ugly ducklings / beautiful swans of tomatoes
Cooking with Herbs Herbs are making a tasty appearance in some of your favorite desserts!	Top Chef - Colorado A celebrity in the family!
Sunshine In A Jar Preserved lemons are a game-changer!	Outdoor Spaces Bringing the indoors outside is just how we want to live in the summertime.
Summer Entertaining ... the perfect way to entertain.	Get Jiggly With It! Make every summer party a whole lot more fun with these colorful & spirited shots!
Food Porn It has become a national obsession ... we're salivating over food and all the food shows on tv.	Ice Cream Socials We all scream for ice cream!
Herb Harvest There's nothing like growing your own fresh herbs!	One-of-a-Kind Design Create your own fabric, gift wrap and wallpaper to take custom designs to a whole new level.
Happy Labor Day! Ana's prize-winning 1st Place French Apple Pie & her 2nd Place Bourbon Chocolate Pecan Pie!	National Coffee Day September 29th is the day to perk up! Have a Mocha Milk Punch from us
Back to the Farm Fall is the time to head to the farm to pick pumpkins, visit the animals, go on a hayride, and sip hot cocoa by a bonfire	Brandied Fruit  Time to put up your Brandied Fruit to marinate and mellow in time for the Holidays
Wine Poached Pears Perfect for fall, perfect for dessert, perfect on a cheese board, perfect in a gallette!	Pear Tart, Part Deux  There's a time for rustic, and a time for elegant.
Of Natural Disasters and Charity A humbling reminder that nature is in charge, despite our best-laid plans	Congrats, HWP! Healing Warriors Program received a huge honor, and we were invited to the Pentagon to see it!
Do-Gooders! Ana's non-profit, Healing Warriors Program, gives away a state-of-the-art electric wheelchair!	Donate if you can! Healing Warriors Program, my sister's nonprofit, does very important work for our service members' complete health and wellbeing.