A fabulous Art Hop and wonderful Holiday Treats

This Friday we have a very special Art Hop. If you've lived in Kalamazoo long enough you've likely crossed paths with Jana Hanka. And if you haven't, now is your chance! Jana is an artist that is unbridled by medium or theme. While she has many pieces that focus on horses she has told me directly "do not call me the horse girl!" She's an interesting person and talented artist who will be showing many of her pieces at our bakery this Friday from 5pm to 8pm.

While that's all the reason you need to come visit us, we will also be serving pizzas all night, the customary (and complimentary) 'art hop beverages', snacks, and some holiday treats! 

With Thanksgiving, so late in the year, it's a short holiday season so we all have to get cracking. I’ll send the menu very soon and just mention some of the treats here.

While most of the food that we make is best eaten fresh, there are some holiday items that keep quite well. Some make good stocking stuffers or surprises in packages you intend to mail. We've got Hazelnut Balls. Russian Tea Cakes and Rum Balls, all of which travel well and keep well. Orange Cranberry Bread, which comes tightly wrapped, stuffs stockings and holiday care packages very well, keeps for several days, and also freezes well.

We also make Stollen which is made with a rich, buttery dough that is slightly fruited with a central log of marzipan. Making and eating Stollen is and was so important in Germany that it took papal letter, The Butterbrief of 1490 to allow an exemption to the rule that butter could not be used during Advent. Instead, they used turnip oil (which surprisingly, was quite expensive). Mind you this allowance to use butter was only for the Prince-Elector and his family. The hoi poloi? Let them eat turnip oil.  

Also, let me remind you that “Sarkozy Bakery has Merch!!” We have our wonderful “Pain” pun baseball caps, birdfeeder T-shirts (I'll be happy to tell the story behind that), and with a little luck, we will have the old-fashioned logo aprons with matching professional hot pads. With the little luck, we may get the Ken Sarkozy designed croissant T-shirts, but maybe not. We'll see. As usual food is the most important part of the holiday, and we didn’t remember to order some of the merch until it was too late. Next year.

You know how we always ask you to order early? Well, this year we really need you to order early. It turns out that we will be short three employees during the entire Christmas season. Alec and the rest of the bakers are making a valiant effort to get all the products made and made well and in time. The pressure of doing that is why we close for the week after Christmas so that all the bakers get a chance to see their families. So you can really help by ordering early.

That's all for now. Really looking forward to seeing people at Art Hop this Friday. Say what you will about rampant capitalism and consumerism, it's wonderful that it gets people downtown. The streets are already beautiful with lights and decorations, but they're nothing without happy families and friends enjoying this  festive time of year. Come see for yourself!

Bakery love,

Judy
(and Alec)