Spread the Love

Happy Holidays friends, and thank you so much for stopping by.  There's been some unimaginably sad events happening all around.  And we don't know exactly why or how this is all happening.  I've been staring at my kids extra long, burying my nose in their hair every chance I get, and squeezing them extra tight.  I hope you've been safe, healthy, and  cherishing each quiet evening at home with your loved ones.

And today, I received this amazing note from a customer who sent some SweetPotatoMayas to her friend as a Christmas gift.  This note really touched me, and I had to share:

"Just wanted to let you know that my friend in Arizona, Tammy, received the SweetPotatoMayas and loved them.  Her ex-husband, for whom she is care giving, also ate 2 at one sitting - which she said was unusual for him in his frail condition."

Thank you so much for letting me share this :)  I hope it brought warmth in your heart like it did for me.

Shipping SweetPotatoMayas

We did it!  SweetPotatoMayas are shipping now.  You're not getting out of trying these puppies.  I know, I know...sweet potatoes are not everyone's favorite.  I get that.  I used to think running was for crazy people, and it definitely was not my favorite thing.  It wasn't pretty at first but I tried it, and now I like it.  So if you're looking for something new and different, that's also good for you, jump right in and join me on this love affair with sweet potatoes :)

Shipping SweetPotatoMayas

Half Dozen.........................................$22

One Dozen.........................................$32

Two Dozen........................................$42

(Shipping and Handling included)

Price set for 2-3 day delivery, anywhere in the U.S.

Please add $2 for Delivery Confirmation.

Shipping made on Mondays and Tuesdays only, to ensure delivery within the same week.

For any questions, or to place an order - or better yet just to say hello - please click here and send an e-mail to SweetPotatoMayas.  No need to worry, it's just me at the other end of the line, and I love hearing from people :)

Damaged Goods

Photo by Yoshiko Wong

I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving! - with lots of good food, family and friends, and laughter all around.  I had so much fun bustin' out all the SweetPotatoMaya orders.  When I was making the deliveries, I got to see customers and wish them a nice holiday in person.  That was an added bonus :)

Now that Thanksgiving is over, I need to fix something.  Shipping.  Some SweetPotatoMayas were sent to New York and California, and it was, an epic fail.  Inside the box were 6 pies in a cellophane bag, and the crumble topping fell off and scattered everywhere inside the bag.  What an embarrassing mess.  This is not how I want to start off my business.

So what's next?  What do I do?   I packed an extra package to keep in my garage for several days.  I tossed it and shook it, let it land upside down and all around.  I was doing this in my garage, and I was sort of enjoying it.  But my kids stared at me all wide eyed - I guess they've never seen me throw things before.  Needless to say, when I opened the tester package a few days later, it was a mess.  It looked like the work of  that mean Gismo - wet newspaper wrapping pulled and torn, smashed up against misshapen wet sticky pies...  Absolute horror.  Definitely not acceptable, and I would like a chance to redeem myself.  Operation Re-ship to New York and California, is a go.

So yesterday, I baked up some extra batches, picked up new shipping boxes with different dementions, and bought a FoodSaver.  Have you seen these things?  I'm not big on buying gadgets just for the sake of convenience (I'm kind of old and crotchety like that).  But I think it's just the thing I need - and what an amazing tool!  You can put your things in there, and it sucks the air out, and seals it tight.  And thanks to the Mr. who enjoys figuring out new gadgets, he set everything up for me, showed me how to use it, and even put the empty cardboard boxes away.  So here we were, in our kitchen on a Tuesday night, running test vacuum seals with salami slices and having a hoot of a time.  Talk about a party getting out of control.

This morning I mailed out two new packages with vaccum-sealed SweetPotatoMayas inside.  We'll see how it works.  Go, my SweetPotatoMayas... Go!

Happy Faces

I delivered an order today, to a local Elementary School.  One hundred  SweetPotatoMayas to be exact, for the first grader's Fall Harvest Party!

There are no words to describe how honored I feel, that the staff chose to spend their limited budget (one party per year) on serving SweetPotatoMayas to their kids - despite the fact that they could have easily gone with 'satisfaction guaranteed' choices, such as frosted cookies or cupcakes from Costco.


Thanks guys!  For giving SweetPotatoMayas a try...and for these wonderful shots!!!  Pictures speak a thousands words...so I'll shut up now.

What are friends for

Hello there :)  A little update here: I've reached my limit for Thanksgiving orders.  I'm so excited to cook up some serious SweetPotatoMayas.   Thank you so much for all the love and support wonderful people!  I would love to continue baking cozy yumminess through the holiday season, winter, and early spring, so please let me know if you would like some :)

Photo by Sammy Gould

It's no secret now, that I've had a life long love affair with sweet potatoes.  But I've learned in recent months that just because I love sweet potatoes, doesn't mean everyone else loves them too.  Did anyone else know of this alarming concept?  I sure as hell didn't....

But the really cool thing is, my friends have been brave enough to give SweetPotatoMayas a try anyway.  And that kind of thing just gives me the warm fuzzies all over.   How amazing are my friends, to be willing to try things for me, even though they don't like it.

And after they try it - they like it.   "I don't like sweet potatoes, but I love THIS!!".  That's the reaction I've gotten from every non-sweet potato lover so far.  I'm converting them to Lovers :)

Goes without saying, if any of my friends start a home cooking business, I will be first in line to try their stuff.  Even if it's lizard tails - boiled.  Because that's what friends are for. 

Coffee shop updates...

Hello friends, and thanks for checking in on SweetPotatoMayas :)

The super cool peeps over at World Cup Coffee on 18th & Glisan in Portland, have been kind enough to give SweetPotatoMayas, a go!  They are a locally owned coffee shop, with two locations in Portland.  

I met with Dan Welch, the owner, back in October.  That was the coffee shop I later went back to do "a hostile takeover".  

I met with the General Manager last Thursday, and when he told me they were super excited about SweetPotatoMayas, I was completely caught off-guard.  I didn't know how to react.   It's very possible he thought I was "not firing on all pistons" from that point on because, I probably had a very awkward permanent grin on my face.  We chatted about the product, the market, the client base they serve, the shop's mission and goals, my mission and goals...and the whole time, all I wanted to do was jump up and down and squeal like a little girl.  "Focus woman.  Play it cool!!!" - I kept telling myself.  I think I pulled it off.  Yep.  I'm sure of it. 

One thing is for sure, I love the vibe over at World Cup Coffee, and the people who work there are...well, let's just say they're in the right business :)  And I am so excited that they are welcoming SweetPotatoMayas into their place.  Thanks guys!

       

And the other wonderful Coffee Shop who tasted my wares was, Metro Perc.  The owner Kim, a gracious, lovely lady with a hip, vivacious energy, met with me and gave SweetPotatoMayas a try.

She was kind enough to talk to me on the phone yesterday.  And she let me know that the SweetPotatoMayas were not the right fit for her client base.  Her coffee shop is a quick, come-and-go type of place, where people want to grab a coffee with a donut or a pastry, and go.  Not sit down with a little dish of pie, where using utensils is involved. That made complete sense to me.  She also gave me some amazing advice - to look into some dessert and tea shops, or patisseries - where people plan to sit down with coffee or tea, and enjoy a delicate piece of cake or a torte.

I think that is so true!  SweetPotatoMayas are more for sitting down and enjoying, as a side dish or a dessert.  Well, you can eat it however you like :)  But for sure, it wouldn't work for people who want something easy to eat in the car.

Thank you so much Kim, for giving this a try, and for the great advice.  And thanks to my friends and family ( you goofballs! ) for going in and buying some.  You guys are awesome :)  I feel so lucky!

What's with the green color...?

It's Halloween today and I'm writing about the SweetPotatoMayas taking on a glowing, greenish color.  

I wish I could say I did it for Halloween - something fun and special.  "Radio active sweet potatoes from Smallville".  Nope.  Nothing like that.

Everything is okay.  It's still the same SweetPotatoMayas, and I'm so sorry to have worried you!  

It happens to be the color of the potatoes I got this time around.  I am still using the same sweet potatoes, from the same vendor, that get their sweet potatoes from the same farm.  (My dream is to one day cut out the middle man and get it directly from the farm!)  Some come out really bright yellow, some come out rather transparent yellow, with a greenish tint.  I'm thinking it has to do with the amount of water inside the potatoes.  Some seem to be packed with water, and turn out super 'gelly' at the pre-baking stage.  Some are more dry, and they turn out a little more on the starchy side with a chalky  yellowy hue.  But I'm using the same recipe, and making them the same way.  

I could make them look the same, but the only way to do that is to use artificial color, flavoring, and preservatives.  I would have to add all those chemicals on my ingredient list, that I don't even know how to pronounce.  And if I were to use those chemicals, I would have to learn about them and figure out how to use them - and quite frankly, I'm too much of a lazy ass for that.  

So I hope this helps, that the greenish color is normal.  Just our sweet baby pies having a little personality of their own.   Like how each vegetable in your garden has it's unique characteristics, and are never the same.  A friend told me once, that there is not one sunset that is ever the same. I think that is so beautiful :)

So thanks for asking friends, and happy food-tidings!

Things SPMs will make you do

Yesterday was one of those days where I randomly giggled.  An unbelievably sweet, supportive friend and her husband, actually went and found the coffee shop that carried my SweetPotatoMayas, and bought some!  One for her, and one for her husband.  What's more, she and her husband pretended not to know what they were.  The SweetPotatoMayas were sitting in the display case with other pastries, and they pointed to them and asked what they were.  The coffee shop girl told them they were 'yummy pies', so they bought two, and went home.  When she told me this, I was dying.

Am I the only one here that thinks that was so sweet and funny and cute?  Surely, you must agree that I am like the luckiest person ever because, I am surrounded by such cool friends!!

Photo by Sammy Gould

Family all around

I live in a cul-de-sac with some pretty awesome neighbors.  Two doors down from us are Grandpa Al and Mama Mary.  I already have two amazing moms and, well, you could call Grandpa Al and Mama Mary my other mom and dad.  Mama Mary will call me and tell me to shut my garage door, if it's late and she knows I'm home alone with the kids.  I go over to borrow a cup of sugar, or send my kids to deliver stuff to her.   Mama Mary comes over when she needs stuff too.  Oh, and the other day, she had Grandpa Al deliver me a glass of wine.  They are awesome.

Today, Grandpa Al and Mama Mary took me to a local coffee shop and introduced me to the owner.  We sat down together, chatted, laughed, and I gave the owner a box of SweetPotatoMayas.  She was going to try the SweetPotatoMayas herself, share them with her staff, and give them to some of her regular customers.  We agreed that I would bring her another box on Sunday, and she would try to sell them and see how they go.     

We kept the meeting short, because of course, her coffee shop's slammed.  She hugged Grandpa Al and Mama Mary goodbye, and I thanked her for meeting with me.  Grandpa Al and Mama Mary are huggers, and so am I.  I steal a kiss or two from Mama Mary whenever I can.  I wanted to hug the owner lady too, but I thought that might scare her off.  So I didn't.

Meeting a local coffee shop owner lady, with my two fabulous mom and pop neighbors.  Not a bad day at all.  Thank you Grandpa Al and Mama Mary - I love you!  

Getting The business going

Photo by Sammy Gould

To honor and heed the advice of my wonderful PR friend, I'm coming back to talk a little bit more about how I got it all going :)  I hope if anyone is wondering about starting a home baking business, that they find this helpful.  

Now, read the following steps very carefully - it's extremely complicated. 

• Bake a ton of your product and force them on people - get feedback
• Type into search engine, "How do I start a small baking business out of my home?"
• Call your City Planner
• Call your County Office
• Call the Department of Agriculture

Okay, so it wasn't all that complicated :)  With a little bit of time, basic typing skills, and a decent phone etiquette, you can get your baking business going too!

Getting the Business Going (continued...)

The one amazing resource I had was, Lisa Banks, of Lizzy Cakes Cupcakes.  Our kids were in school together, and I knew she had just started her beautiful cupcake business out of her home.  So I called her and introduced myself, and asked if she would kindly give me some pointers.  She was so gracious and supportive, and spent lots of time explaining to me the process she went through.

It was my birthday last week, and I got to order Lizzy Cakes Cupcakes!  On the evening of my birthday, my family took me out to dinner, and when we came home we devoured Lisa's cupcakes.  I ordered the mini Lemon Meringue cupcakes (complete with homemade lemon curd inside), and with her recommendation, the Lemon Raspberry (with homemade butter-cream frosting and fresh raspberry inside). They were so fun to look and oogle at, and they were delicious!  We were all smiles :)  Lisa bakes the cupcakes to order - to be eaten on the day of - so they are fresh.  And there are so many different flavors and designs to choose from - all of which are wonderful, original creations of hers.  Thank you so much Lisa, for your time and advice, and for your amazing cupcakes that made my birthday extra sweet! 

If anyone is looking to include some major sweetness to their next event, or just because, I highly recommend Lizzy Cakes Cupcakes.  Below is the link to her lovely website :) 

Lizzy Cakes Cupcakes

...and the judge approves!!

I can't come up with the appropriate words for these shots!  But more importantly...thank you to my friend who took it, AND for letting me give her baby girl some SweetPotatoMayas :)  

A Hostile Takeover

It's been a week, and I haven't heard back from the owner of the coffee shop.  The 'prospective customer'.

It was a really cool experience, but I was so, so, so, nervous!  I've never done anything like that before - meet with a business owner and pitch my product.  Going in, I felt like the little girl with an easy-bake oven.

He wanted to know how I came about making SweetPotatoMayas, what my goals were with this product, and how often and how much I thought I could produce them.  He introduced me to his managers, I gave him my packages of SweetPotatoMayas, and he said they'll be in touch.

And that was over a week ago.

So I baked another batch today -  to drop off another box of SweetPotatoMayas tomorrow.  I'm just gonna go in, say hello, and hand deliver some cozy goodness.  Hey, I can't back down this easily, right?

There's no school tomorrow due to staff development, so the troop will come with me; my kids, one of my kid's friend, and maybe my niece.  That's right baby.  I've got my entourage.  You could call it a hostile takeover - SweetPotatoMaya style.

Passed the Inspection!

The inspector from the Department of Agriculture came to my house today, and approved me for a 'Domestic Kitchen Bakery' License. Ya~y!! Now I can officially start baking SweetPotatoMayas, and sharing them with the world.  

I am so relieved.  If I didn't pass this inspection, I wouldn't have been able to go forward in this little business venture.  Then I would have needed to find a job in accounting, which is what I went to school for in the first place.  I don't have anything against accounting, but right now, baking at home seems more fun to me.   

The inspector arrived at 10am, and stayed for over an hour.  He had me pull out my equipment, tools, and explain to him where I would be storing the goods and how I would be making the SweetPotaoMayas.  I was missing a thermometer in my separate refrigerator (designated for SweetPotatoMaya use only), and I need sanitizer and sanitizer testing strips, to clean and prep kitchen surfaces before making the SweetPotatoMayas.  

He mentioned the length of my hair (it's long), and noted in the report: "Adequate hair restraints worn during processing".

"Yeah, my hair has major behavioral issues.  Restraints would be a good idea."  - was what I wanted to say.  But I restrained myself.  Don't wanna piss off the gatekeeper!

Thank goodness my sweet friend came over to be with me too - she was a wonderful support.  She gave me lots of big celebratory hugs after the inspector left :)  Thank you, my friend~!! 

I was so exhausted afterwards, that I didn't even have the energy to fix up a cocktail.  I literally laid down in a sunny spot on the carpet and passed out.

A Surprise Goodbye

Today I was making SweetPotatoMayas, and I messed up.  That's right people - I made a mistake.

"Scrood-da-pooch", as the Mr. so eloquently puts it.

I was making a batch of SweetPotatoMayas today, because tomorrow morning, I am meeting my very first (if all this goes well) prospective customer.  He will sample them to see if they go well in his coffee shop.  Can you imagine?  Little SweetPotatoMayas, at a cafe!  And such perfect timing for the fall - leaves are beginning to turn yellow and red, the sun shining bright and the air so crisp.  Who wouldn't want to cozy up with a fabulous mug of coffee or tea and a SweetPotatoMaya :)

So I'm hoping this batch turns out extra yummy so that the cafe dude likes it.   I am peeling, chopping, boiling...thinking happy, joyful thoughts in my head so that lots of love go into these babies.  I mashed the sweet potatoes, got the mashed goodness into baking cups, and they went into the oven.

Phew!  Phase one, complete.  Now that they're in the oven, I shall prepare the kitchen for the next phase.  And I go to tidy up a bit, and I notice a plate sitting on the counter.  Two slabs of butter, all softened and ready to butter-tize 'something'.   I forgot to add butter.

Now, I am perfect.  My house and car is ALWAYS spotless and clean.  I go to the grocery store for one item and buy ten more things, but ALWAYS remember to get that one item I went in for.  I've NEVER run out of gas on the freeway, I have NEVER forgotten my kid's well-child check-ups, and I most certainly, NEVER, EVER, have opened a bottle of wine before 3pm.  So you can just imagine how absolutely shocked I was.    

The babies come out of the oven, I look at them cautiously, and they look...the same.  I think we're gonna be okay!  Now, I love sweet potatoes, and I love butter.  And I'm pretty sure they love me back.  If it turns out that the SweetPotatoMayas with less butter tastes just as good, I think I'm going to have to cut butter out of our little love triangle.

And I'll hope that that cafe dude likes it this way too! 

Last week I met a  friend for coffee.  When I finally got up the nerve, I told her about SweetPotatoMayas.  She literally had tears in her eyes.  How awesome and sweet is she!?  I was floored - what did I do to deserve such a friend??  She was so excited for me, and wanted to know more about how I got it all going; who I contacted, which governmental agencies I went through, what types of laws and regulations there are for a "Domestic Kitchen" License, how I go about getting my kitchen inspected, etc.  So I gave her the quick and dirty version.  Then she told me I needed to share this on the blog.  Huh?

Me: "Who wants to hear me ramble on about how I'm doing this?  It's can't be that interesting."

Friend:  "Some people want to know those things and find it interesting.  It might give someone else the information they need, to follow their dreams.  You must let people join you on this journey."

She's works in PR.  Microsoft is one of her accounts.  Oh ya - that girl knew exactly what she was doing.

There were hugs and kisses, and we ended our - always way too short - coffee date.  Little did I know, that by then she had already worked her magic on me!

So I'm going to write about the steps I've gone through so far, to get SweetPotatoMayas going - for anyone who would like to see :)  And just so you know, I'm not done yet.  My kitchen inspection is next week, and if I fail - no deal.  If I pass the inspection, THEN I can actually apply for the license. 

Today I finalized my 'Nutrition Facts' label (which we're all told to read carefully when purchasing food - but sometimes I just want to bury my head in the sand and eat the damn thing), and the 'Principle Display' label (the main label you see on the top or front of the package, with the name of the product and the net wt., etc).  The inspector who is coming next week, has been reviewing them and pointing out changes and corrections I need to make.  This took about a week of going back and forth.   Now that they're set, I need to figure out how and where I'll get them printed in mass amounts.    

But to get the Nutrition Facts label going, this is what I did.  Since I'm only making one type of food using one recipe, I just need one nutrition fact - I don't want to spend $200 on a software to make nutrition labels.  So I went looking and found some free stuff online.

First, I needed my recipe calculated, to figure out the Nutrition Facts.  I did this here: Super Easy Recipe Calculator

Then, I needed to get the data onto a Nutrition Fact Label template.  And I did that here: Free Nutrition Facts Template

That's it!  If you have your recipe set, this is all you need to create a Nutrition Facts label.  To be honest, trying to get the label just right - making sure I'm following all regulations and guidelines - was not the most creative or exciting part of this process.  I've spent the last year making batches after batches of SweetPotatoMayas, playing with the recipe, having people taste it, and asking for feedback.  That was super fun and gratifying for me.  Then suddenly this week, I was dealing with tweaking  type sizes and obsessing over format requirements on our home computer.  Obviously, I prefer to be peeling, chopping, mixing  - over sitting, squinting, and clicking a mouse.

In a 'oh what the hell' kind of way, I'm honoring my fabulous coffee friend and heeding her advise. And I learned a lot.

I should also mention that the Mr. helped me out A LOT, with the techie aspect of 'label creation' this week.  Thank you so much honey.  I would have been chopping and baking the computer if it hadn't been for you :)   

The Sweet Potato is your friend

As these babies are getting prepared for their debut, I realized I'm sort of forcing these guys upon you without much information.  They are so comforting, so rich, so 'nothing like I've tasted before', that I assumed people would fall in love with them.  End of story.  But it's not just the taste that I'm in love with (well it WAS back when I was a kid, but now that I'm older and have to 'watch my calories'), it's all the health benefits that come in a Sweet Potato, that makes it even more wonderful. So I wanted to share it with you :)

I found two easy articles that point out the nutritional benefits of Sweet Potato.  They explain it much better than I would, so here you go.

9 Reasons To Love Sweet Potato
How Sweet Potato Works

See?  It's like this untapped super food, packed with all kinds of good stuff - NATURAL good stuff.  The Sweet Potato needs to be shared with the world!

So thanks for checking this out, and I hope it enriches your enjoyment of SweetPotatoMayas :)

SweetPotatoMayas are made by hand, and from scratch - with real ingredients. I've had a life long love affair with sweetpotatoes, and now it seems, the sweetpotato and I are making babies. We hope you enjoy them :)