One near-axiom of opening a business is that there will always be unforeseen obstacles. The trick is whether you have the agility to sidestep these pitfalls and maintain as much forward momentum as possible. When I first learned about Tell Tale Preserve Company, the storefront was projected to open by the end of this year. […]...
A Trip to Japan at Napa CIA Worlds of Flavor
Last month I was lucky enough to attend the annual Worlds of Flavor Conference up at the CIA in Napa. This annual conference is one of the best professional forums on flavor trends, and has also been described to me as, "the best food you'll eat all year." Every year a different, current trend in […]...
The Best of Baking Cookbooks 2010
2010 has been a very good year for cookbooks, and a very, very good year for baking cookbooks indeed. I can’t buy bookshelves fast enough to keep up with my ever-multiplying book collection. Here, then, a bakers’ dozen of my favorite baking cookbooks from this year – it was diffcult to choose! Hopefully some of […]...
Time Enough for Pears
Do you ever feel like you have so many things to do you don’t ever actually accomplish anything? I’m talking about something slightly more intangible than just the overflowing to-do lists that fill all our lives. I’m thinking of the muse, the creative impulse, how sometimes it can fall distressingly dormant, or sometimes, grow unruly […]...
{Cookbook Review} Dorie Greenspan: Everyone’s French Fairy Godmother
{Sweet San Francisco} The Society Bag: Tell Tale Missive One
Smoked almond brittle from the November Society bag. What’s a pastry kitchen with a not-yet-open storefront to do? You could start supplying local coffee shops with morning comestibles. You could also start a monthly sweet subscription service and provide people with a veritable bag of goodies to enjoy and hopefully become addicted to. I think […]...
Anita Chu, also known as pastrygirl, is a baker, writer, and photographer with a passion for pastry. She trained at Tante Marie's Cooking School and is the author of Field Guide to Cookies, Field Guide to Candy, and Lollipop Love. Anita lives in San Francisco with her husband, daughter, and dog Max. 
