For details on what I hope to do with this newsletter, see my last post. Otherwise, let’s get right to it, shall we?
About me
I’m Rose - Chicago-born and -based, living with my husband and preschooler. I have spent much of the last 20 years working in academia/health research but am now a grad student in social work. One thing that has been a constant throughout the last 20 years for me is baking. I am mostly self-taught though worked professionally for a few years as a pastry cook where I learned A LOT, both about pastry and what I need from paid employment. Since leaving the industry to return to research, I have continued to use any opportunity to practice and it’s only recently that I’ve started open up my baking to “the public”. (read: mostly friends of friends)
Though I have a lot going on, baking is a creative and meditative practice that steadies me. When I’m anxious or suffering some mental block, most of the time I end up in the kitchen or doodling ideas in my pastry notebook. That’s not to say that I don’t have days with complete cake wrecks and pastry snags much of the time (I do). And while I am all too familiar with the dangers of turning a hobby into a profession, there is something that always pulls me back to what I know. There are probably a few of you who know me (myself included) that are asking “why would she do this ON TOP OF everything else she has going on?”. The answer is difficult to articulate. Baking is joyful and comforting and familiar, especially at a time when parenting and school have me flailing at the bottom of a learning curve. It’s also mine, it helps me reconnect to my creativity, my body, my senses, my intuition, to myself. If you are a parent or a caregiver, you know how precious this can be. By doing this at home, I also have more control of when and how much I offer which is not something I could do with a salaried job (which I recently quit!). Which is also why you may see me go silent sometimes to focus on school, parenting, and y’know, trying to just exist (not easy for me to do).
What I offer
Much of what I offer is highly seasonal and reliant on the market. I try to use good chocolate (really into Tcho, rn) and local produce as much as cost and availability allows. I make things that I want to eat, usually classics paired with ingredients and flavors that speak to my unique experience as a Puerto Rican born in Chicago, raised in the south ‘burbs within two large racially-blended families, drawing on lots of memory and nostalgia. My aesthetic is rustic and heavily influenced by nature and my biggest cake heroes right now are people like Bronwen Wyatt, Sasha Piligian, Kassie Mendieta, and Julia Gallay I love swoops and swirls, flakey, buttery pastry and juicy, fragrant fruit. Cake designs are all improvisational using fresh or dried florals and fruits when possible, usually reflecting what’s on the inside.
Things I love right now: peaches, blueberries, fresh corn, zinnias, sunflowers, marigolds, yarrow, smoky flavors. I cannot WAIT for cooler weather. Heat makes me so angry and sad.
Things I don’t do:
lettering
intricate piping or fondant designs
Multi-tiered wedding cakes
Way out-of-season fruit (unless I have a freezer stash of the season’s harvest).
With that out of the way, let’s get to the fun stuff!
Late Summer menu
Here is what I’m currently offering, featuring all the goodies at the market!
Logistics: To order, complete this form and I will respond within 24 hours to confirm with an invoice for payment and pick up instructions. Please note that your order is not confirmed until payment is received. Cakes require at least 7 days notice. All other items require at least 72 hours.
At this time, I do not offer delivery. Pickup is on the northwest side of Chicago. Venmo or Zelle is preferred but other options are available.
Cancellations: I am a one-woman operation with a wild schedule so if you need to cancel, please do so as soon as possible. I cannot issue refunds for orders cancelled within 48 hours of pick up. I may be able to reschedule a pick up if my schedule allows.
If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at mayfairbakerchi@gmail.com.
Thanks so much for reading! Please share with anyone you think would like to subscribe!