e
G
t
a
R
i
s
e
Baking
Madness
By Michelle Moran
There were plenty of great new products to be
had at the International Home + Housewares
Show in Chicago this March, but one aroma
wafting through the aisles provided a clue to
one of the hot categories this year – baking.
I am not sure what it is that has American
consumers heading back to the kitchen to
bake up some cake pops or an artisan loaf of
bread – an ancestral call to get back to basics?
A need to know their food sources? A desire
to control at least one aspect of their lives in
these uncertain times?
Duff Goldman, star of “Ace of Cakes” and
owner/founder of Charm City Cakes, believes
it simply harkens back to a different time.
“You have to cook. You have to eat,” he began.
“But baking is one of those things that gives
people [surrounded by technology, iPhones
and laptops] the idea of heading to the kitchen, baking some brownies and feeling good.”
Goldman, who introduced a wealth of new
products under his self-named brand with
Gartner Products, is excited about baking
and he gets everyone he meets excited about
it as well.
“Once they get into [baking], they realize it’s
cool. It’s good for the soul and a good outlet,”
he noted. “When you are the kid with the cake,
you are the coolest kid in the room.”
It’s Goldman’s infectious love of baking and
creating great-looking and tasty creations that’s
helped foster consumer interest in baking. At
least that’s my story – and I am sticking to it
– as well as increased attention to baking from
other Food Network and Bravo television programs such as “Cupcake Wars” and “Top Chef:
Just Desserts.”
Add to that the fact that manufacturers are
helping retailers feed consumer interest with
better products that allow them to cook like
the pros – or at least get close to succeeding
in the precise science and art of baking.
Here are some tools to help bake up your own
sales and classes, and help your customers get
a rise in their baking acumen.
Flex~it® Measuring Cup Set
by iSi North America
800-447-2426
www.isinorthamerica.com
The Flex~it Measuring Cups combine the beneficial properties of superior-grade silicone with the convenience of a clear and marked measuring cup.
The gradation lines marked with both U.S. and now metric measurements
are a precise guide for filling, while the flexibility of the silicone allows
perfect control for pouring, even into the narrowest openings. The base
of each measuring cup is firm and stays stable while stirring and mixing
food. The cleverly designed Flex~it Measuring Cups make life a little
easier and a lot more fun for home cooks.
MSRP: $25.00, set; Open Stock, 1-cup for $6.00,
