How It All Started.. 1969

1969 was a great year.. 2012 not so good for Hostess Bakery Products.

Every class I teach I get someone asking.. "How did you get your start" or "When did you know you wanted to be a pastry chef?" It was 1969. One of the first field trips was to the Interstate Baking Co. It seemed like we spent all day there. I recall bringing my lunch and we all got to taste donuts hot off the line. We even each got an entire bag of the powdered gems to take home. That was a huge bag of donuts! Ah I was hooked. I recall watching the twinkies get the injection on the bottom of the tube of sponge cake and the cups cakes getting one center injection and then the top icing, Oh dont forget the 7 swirls on each cupcakes.. I was told 7 swirls mendt that the baked fresh daily. Its not easy seeing an iconic brand taken away. When I would stop for gas I would sometime grab a cupcake or honeybun.  After seeing the plant.. I knew I wanted to be a baker. Everone was so happy and loved the excitement of pastry! 

Hostess Product By Debut Year

1931: Wonder Bread (Helps Build Strong Bodies in 12 Ways) 

1930: Twinkies (Originally with a Banana Creme Filling)

1947: Snow Balls (Normally Pink or White, but in March Green)

1950: Cupcakes (My Favorite)

1961: Suzi Q's

1965: Fruit Pies (Apple, Lemon, Berry, Peach, Chocolate)

1967: HoHo's (Three little cake rolls)

!985: Cinnamon Coffee Cakes

Will they come back? Humm  I hope so. 

Rose Meringues

What do you do with the left-over egg whites? Here is a fast and easy recipe to make. You can make these last in your holiday baking so you can put them in the oven to dry out overnight. I made mine with rose water and light pink coloring. 

Meringues

Fruit Cake and Onion Jam

We ALL know the horrible dreaded fruitcake. I really hate it. Now if it was dipped in chocolate or not made of fruit that sticks to your teeth.. Maybe.

One of my first jobs was at The Cake Walk on 3rd street in Los Angeles. It truly was one of my favorite jobs. Biill and Bill owned it. Christmas time was a mad house we did crazy things for the industry (Media) since we were only block away from Paramount and so many other production places. One job I had (since I had the best writing) An industry person would give us their entire LA area holiday card list. We would take that and sign their names and deliver a cake (Mostly Lemon, Pistachio, Fruitcake or Chocolate Cherry) with the holiday card. Gladice and David Beagleman (former producer and agent) had the longest list, over 300. Funny I would sign the cards and David was arrested only a few years prior for embezzling.

Our fruit cake at the Cake Walk had the candied oranges and Grand Marnier (really cheep triple sec), And golden raisins. This recipe is from 1980 when I was in pastry school. I created it and I still use it today. Its great.. That is if you love Fruit Cake.. I have my fruits right now soaking and Sunday is when I am baking mine for my father. Its his favorite!

Fruit Cake

Onion Jam  This is a very useful Jam. Take a little and place it on a toast point, Add cheese on top and place under the boiler until bubbling. 

Sea Foam Candy.. Beware the Corn Syrup!

Sea Form, Angel or what ever you call it Candy....

I just finished making the recipe for tonight to ship out to all of you on my blog and newsletter. 

Lets talk corn syrup.. There is a new bad lighter version in the house.. DO NOT.. I say and the label says also.. DO NOT USE FOR CANDY MAKING.. Oh what does one do with corn syrup? brush on toast? 

Here is the recipe. Do not double and make sure you have a digital thermometer. (The one with the probe into your roast works well).

Angel Candy

My Time in Morning TV

Since my first food segment in 1993, (the week after Disney closed the bakery)... I grin from ear to ear when I get on the set. It was all a lie in 1993. One of my last days off at Disney I was watching a morning show on KCAL9 in Los Angeles, Live in LA with Cyndy Garvey and Steve Edwards. Mr. Pie was on. I thought he may have the best way to roll out a crust and I wanted to see this guy do it. I was in shock.. He took a frozen crust and pressed it into the shell. Did he not have a message... Did he not teach anything? I called a colleague Nancy McDermott, told her I wanted to do the food segment for the show. Without any training or being in front of the camera I knew I could do it.. One thing Disney did teach me is that "No" is not a word. Nancy told me to look for the name of the segment producer at the end of the broadcast, get the number and then call. (This was before the internet). The next day I phoned Mimi Prizza, Segment Producer. She met with me and told me to bring a few ideas for segments and my "reel" of shows I have done. Not letting her know I had never been in front of the camera except a failure at a Game Show.. I created 12 shows, brought so much food that I knew her mouth would be full and she could not ask for the reel and would "Love" me and my ideas! The next few days I studied the show, the food segments and how the food was handled and presented. 

Start first with a finished product for a "tease". (All the way to the left of the table), then all of the ingredients in the order of the recipe. Explain each ingredient and the amounts SLOOOOOOWWWWW  so people can write it down. (remember no website for them to get it.. Oh they can write in with a SASE!), then have whom ever helps you make your food.. "Work', such as mixing or stirring.. Have a partially pre made item at a point that you need it.. I saw that each guest got about 3-4 minutes.

I showed up at Mimi's office across the street from the studio on Melrose. Nervous that I would be found out..  I took Muffins, Cookies, a Cake, a pie.. so much.. Mimi was in heaven.. She phoned another producer they loved my ideas and I was on the next Thursday. Blueberry Muffins! Mimi never asked for my Reel. I was a regular on the show. I created a wedding cake for the wedding show, I created chocolates, candies and more.. Then I was asked to try out for a new show that was national. Mike and Maty. on the ABC Network (this was before Disney owned it). The pilot and my segment was Cinnamon Rolls. I made them for the entire 230 in the live audience. Again, I moved into the resident food segment person on the show. 

Since that December in 1993 I have been hundreds of shows coast to coast. I love teaching and showing how easy something is to make.. 

I had lunch with Mimi when she was working on the old Rosie Show in NYC.. She said.. "You know I have been wanting to ask you something.... Did you ever have a reel?" Nope. Blueberry Muffins were my first and not my last! 

I love to show "behind the scenes" Here is the set from behind the camera. You can see the fake fronts, the weights holding my table set.. Nothing in the kitchen works. To the right is the green screen for outdoor shots.. The left is another sit down interview set.. I still set up my segment like I did 19 years ago.. But now I understand the lingo... Blocking, Tease, Bumper Shots, swap out, beauty.. and the actions. In Five...Four.. Three.....