Sweets At The Fair Grove Farmers' Market 2011

Welcome Ingrid to The Fair Grove Farmers' Market A little about Just Desserts . . . I love to bake! My husband loves to bake! I can’t remember when I first wanted to be a pastry chef, but about 35 years ago I went on a crusade to make the BEST pie ever when I heard a certain young fella say that Dutch Apple Pie was his favorite dessert in the whole world! (What’s that saying, “The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach”?) Well, the young man and I didn’t last, but my love affair with baking did. Ten years ago, I met and married my husband, Chuck, who retired from the Navy after 20 years, and, you’ll never guess …Chuck loves to cook! In fact, Chuck is the creator of one of our signature recipes that I call Chuck’s World Famous Coffee Cake, which we make into hundreds of muffins and bundt cakes every year. In previous restaurant work, I had cooked for vegans and vegetarians and folks on special diets. In 2008 I was hired at the Developmental Center of the Ozarks (DCO) where I learned about the dietary needs of some very special young people. Gluten-Free diets are encouraged when dealing with ADHD and the Autism spectrum, IBS and other digestive diseases and conditions, such as Celiac disease. Being a Type 2 diabetic, I have a personal interest in working with sugar-free baked goods that taste as good as the “real” thing. My ‘taste-testers’ are a group of friends that consist of vegetarians and meat-eaters, folks with Celiac disease and diabetes, and those who just love good food. We all taste everything new that I make to be sure every baked good that we market is delicious and flavorful…and I never have to worry about leftovers! We work out of our “lab” (my home kitchen) located in Springfield, where we continue to adhere to sanitation and health department regulations and guidelines to insure our products are fresh and free from any contaminants. We use a dedicated pantry, bake ware, and cooking utensils to make certain no cross-contamination of wheat flour can occur when baking our gluten-free products. (We don’t use barley or spelt). We try to reserve one day a week for baking gluten-free to further guarantee no cross-contamination. We love to fill the kitchen with the aroma of fresh baked fruits from our pies; the butter, cinnamon and toasted nut flavor of Chuck’s coffee cake; the comforting smell of a freshly baked cake. My joy is in prepping the apples, carrots and other fruits and veggies that go into carrot cakes and gluten-free Morning Glory muffins. We love to inhale the mouth-watering smell of warm chocolate when it follows us out the front door from a freshly baked batch of cookies! We’re proud of the awesome gifts of “lovin’ from the oven” our candycakes make when someone needs a ‘thank you’ or birthday gift. (Miniature cakes dipped in chocolate that look as good as they taste, in case you haven’t had the pleasure.) And what could be better than the wholesome, healthy smell of freshly squeezed, sliced or crushed lemons and oranges, being readied to go into a cake, pie, scone or cookie recipe? We hope you’ll give our baked goods a try. My website is: http://www.justdessertsnow.com/ where you can see our work. I’m also a cake decorator and would love to make a cake for your special occasion or celebration. Send an email from the website if there’s something special you want waiting at the Fair Grove Farmers Market the following Wednesday. We look forward to meeting you there!