Happy Monday, everyone!
It's officially week 10 since the bakeshop has been closed for dine-in service to the public and that we've been doing curbside pickups. This sudden and mandatory change in how we serve our customers and operate our business did not come without its challenges...just as it has affected everyone in our local community and around the country, it has turned our world upside down in every way. With the continued patronage and incredible support from all of you, we have been holding on tight and been able to weather all these weeks of uncertainty so far.
Perhaps I was a little naive when all this first started....you have this set deadline in mind that you're working towards when you're laser-focused on just "making it" and "surviving through" this crazy challenging time for all small businesses; this deadline of when it all just ends and you go back to normal as if the pandemic never happened. I guess nothing is that black and white. As we look to the end of May when the current stay-at-home order is due to expire, it still appears unclear as to when we do actually go back to being fully open as we were before. Figuring out how to reopen safely and responsibly now seems as challenging, if not more, than figuring out how to close down and adapt our service offerings. There is the question of how to reopen the shop with new restrictions, how to participate in our markets, how to not burn out our production staff, how to lift furlough on our front-of-house employees, how to retrain ourselves for these new circumstances....and the questions on how to adjust to effectively operating in this "gray zone" just continue.
I know we are not alone in having to figure out the answers to these questions and I am a 100% certain that we WILL figure them out. However, we have realized that we need to take some time to attend to these matters and give ourselves a much needed breather before we dive back in. Hence, the "Goin' Fishing" title for this newsletter. While we are not ACTUALLY going fishing, we will be taking next week off and will not be offering pickup service for the last week of May. No worries, friends - WE WILL BE BACK AT IT FIRST THING IN JUNE, BRIGHT AND BUSHY-TAILED AS ALWAYS!
With that said, we're excited to share this week's pre-order menu with you today! Our online shop is now open and here are some of the new items that may pop out at ya. Over the weekend, I celebrated a loved one's birthday with their favorite dessert - Key Lime Pie. It was so tasty and creamy that I decided we should definitely make it for our customers this week. Also, for something as delightful and as fresh as these spring days, you'll see Grasshopper Pies offered this week (they are not only minty and creamy but they come on an oreo cookie crust - yummy, right?) For a brunch option, you'll see Ham Spinach Gruyere quiches on the menu. Also you'll find a bread flavor that we haven't made in a long time - Caraway Rye. We hope folks will be happy with the rest of the bread and pastry lineup this week and we're excited to try out some new ideas and flavors for when we get back from break.
Here is the ordering/pickup info for the week and a link to our online shop:
DEADLINE to place Thursday orders will be 9am WEDNESDAY
DEADLINE to place Saturday orders will be 9am FRIDAY
Both THURSDAY and SATURDAY pickups will be from 9am-1pm
Thanks and enjoy the rest of your week,
Jojo