From the Bundt Lady's Oven...I mean Desk

New Year, New Goings On

Happy 2010 Everyone!

I'm still writing '09 on everything and know that this will continue well into February 2010.

Here are some New Year Updates that we'd like to share:

 

Baking Classes: 

• The January 2010 Baking Classes are now posted on our Baking Academy site, http://School.KissMyBundt.net.  You can read class descriptions and RSVP there.

January 2010 Tasting Event

• It's time for our nearly semi-annual Menu Tasting Event where we invite everyone to come to our shop to taste old favorites and new items as well.   Entrance to the event includes beverages, a Kiss My Bundt Menu Tasting, as well as a small wine/bundt pairing.  The event will take place on Saturday,January 16th, 2010 and you can read more info and buy your $10 ticket here.  Is something you'd like totaste, such as our Ooey Gooey Pecan Pie Bars or our Double Dipped Raspberry Kisses or the infamous Maple Bacon Cake?  Send an email to info [at]kissmybundt [dot] net and the top voted menu items will get added to the tasting menu.

Happy New Year!

-Chrysta

Status Update on our Save the Bakery Campaign

From Chrysta, the Owner and Founder of Kiss My Bundt Bakery:

 Thank you all for caring about my bakery and constantly asking us how  we are doing as we try to stay in business and bake Bundts at our home on West 3rd Street.

 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On November 15th, I put out a call-to-action to our customers, supporters, Facebook Fans, and Twitter Followers.  Read about that campaign here: http://bit.ly/SaveKMB

At that time, I asked everyone who likes our Bundt cakes to please come into the bakery between 11/16/09-11/30/09 to support with their dollars.  I set a goal of 5,000 mini bundt cupcakes (or $12,500), which was an ambitious goal.  By 12/3, we raised about 50% of our goal.   This was amazing, and I am so incredibly thankful! These sales were enough to catch up some of the Bakery's financial obligations.   But not all of them.

I recently had a conversation with one of our customers who told me that she had been unemployed for 4 months, and luckily just got a new job.  However, her lack of income for 4 months had put her so far behind that she lost her home, her car, and she's so far in the red that she doesn't know when she'll be back in the black.

It's amazing how a small "bad" period can take large amounts of time to recover from.  Life becomes a constant game of catch-up. 

This October and early November were the worst months of sales we had experienced in 7 months. Those 7 weeks of poor sales led us to become incredibly behind on our financial obligations.  We basically lost money nearly every day we were open.

Things turned around on Thanksgiving because we had amazing Holiday sales.  In addition, our "Save the Bakery" campaign brought in more sales during that 2 week period than we had experienced the previous 6 weeks.  Though the campaign was a HUGE success, it just wasn't enough to catch us up to enter the New Year with a blank slate.

December's's holiday sales were good for an incredible 2 weeks, and with the Today Show featuring our cakes on December 1, 2009, we shipped hundreds of Bundts throughout the US as well. 

But the holidays are over, and so we're just trying to assess where we are financially and figure out solutions so that we can stay in our home on 3rd Street.

I believe in the power of words and the Law of Attraction, so I don't want to say that Kiss My Bundt Bakery will close, but we are currently in a position where sales aren't enough to keep this Bakery open.  ::Things will get better:: because they have gotten better before.  We've pulled out of trickier situations.

The major obligation I am trying to negotiate is with the building's Property Manager/Landlord.  They want us evacuate this space to bring in a new tenant because we are late with our rent.  We have a sympathetic partner in the management company and I'm diligently working to catch up payments so that we can maintain this location.  However, it's a race against the clock.

I'll be posting an action plan tomorrow with the various ways (events, classes, book sales, etc) we are planning to reach our lofty financial goals in January 2010.

It's A New Year and New Opportunity to face challenges and prevail.

Thanks for caring, and we'll blog Part II soon.

Warmly,

Chrysta

New Years Sweets and Treats--Order Online or Call Today

Kiss My Bundt Bakery will be open on Thursday 12/31 from 9am-1pm (closed on New Years Day 1/1/10), and will be baking up delicious bundts to help you celebrate. 

You can call us at 323.655.0559 and order anything from our Menu, whether it be Rockin Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese frosting or Celebration Chocolate Cake with Dark Chocolate Glaze.

 Here are some ideas that you can pre-order for pickup or delivery especially for New Years Eve:

Champagne and Strawberries Package #1:  $30

• 6 Champagne Mini Bundt Cakes with Champagne Buttercream
• 6 Strawberry Mini Bundt Cakes with Champagne Buttercream

 

Champagne and Strawberries Package #2:  $40

• 6 Champagne Mini Bundt Cakes with Champagne Buttercream
• 6 Strawberry Mini Bundt Cakes with Champagne Buttercream
• 1 750ml Bottle of Cristalino Brut Cava (a Spanish Sparkling Wine)

 

Champagne and Strawberries Package #3:  $80

• 12 Champagne Mini Bundt Cakes with Champagne Buttercream
• 12 Strawberry Mini Bundt Cakes with Champagne Buttercream
• 2 750ml Bottles of Cristalino Brut Cava (a Spanish Sparkling Wine)

Champagne Package #1:  $40

• 1 dozen Champagne Mini Bundt Cakes with Champagne Buttercream
• 1 750ml bottles of Cristalino Brut Cava (a Spanish sparkling wine)

 

Champagne Package #2:  $50

• 1 dozen Champagne Mini Bundt Cakes with Champagne Buttercream
• 2 750ml bottles of Cristalino Brut Cava (a Spanish sparkling wine)

 

Assorted Dessert Platter:

• A silver platter filled with an assortment of Pecan Pie Bar Bites, Blondie Bites, Magic Bar Bites, Double Dipped Raspberry Kisses (white, milk, and dark chocolate covered raspberries),  and mini chocolate chip cookies.  Enough sweets for 20 people.  $45

 

And for the morning after, try these soothing comfort packages:

 

Coffee and Cake:

• 12 Cinnamon Pecan Coffee Cake Mini Bundts or 1 Big Ol Bundt Cinnamon Pecan Coffee Cake
• 8 ounces of organic, shade grown, and locally roasted Cafecito Organico Coffee (Peru or Oaxaca origin, your choice. Either whole bean or ground for traditional drip coffee maker)

Coffee and Pound Cake:

• 1 7UP Pound Cake
• 8 ounces of organic, shade grown, and locally roasted Cafecito Organico Coffee (Peru or Oaxaca origin, your choice. Either whole bean or ground for traditional drip coffee maker)

Breakfast Bundt

Nothing says "Hello Morning, Good By Hangover" like our Maple Bacon Big Ol Bundt Cake with Maple Glaze and Bacon Sprinkles.  Featured on the Today Show, this cake is a national favorite!

Closing in Observance of the Christmas Holiday

Kiss My Bundt Bakery will be closed on Friday, December 25th, 2009 in observance of the Christmas Holiday. 

We will open back up on Saturday, December 26th at 12pm.

Open Christmas Eve: Still Time for Holiday Gifts

Still Time to Place orders For the Holidays!    Ideas:   ·         Red Velvet Cake with smooth Cream Cheese Frosting (add green sprinkles for a nice touch)   ·         Maybe Chocolate Mint Cake with Dark Chocolate Glaze?   ·         Or Bacardi Rum Pound Cake with Rum Glaze?   ·         What about a Bourbon Pound Cake with Bourbon Glaze?   ·         Or the Maple Bacon Cake with Maple Glaze featured on the Today Show...     Whatever you want to celebrate this holiday season, we've got your BUNDT covered!   And it's not too late to get a cake for Christmas!   Mini And Baby Bundt cakes are available for walk-in's, but pre-orders are recommended.  (even if you just wanted to order a small quantity)   And  as our website-states, we don't except Groupons on Holidays.

 

Holiday Hours   *Thursday, December 24th, 2009 (Christmas Eve): Open 9am-1pm   *Friday, December 25th, 2009 (Christmas Day): CLOSED   *Saturday, December 26th, 2009:  Open 12pm-7pm   *Thursday, December 31st 2009 (New Years Eve): Open 9am-1pm   *Friday, January 1, 2009 (New Years Day): CLOSED   *Saturday, January 2nd, 2009: Open 12pm-7pm

 

Special Hours for Monday December 14th, 2009:

Monday, December 14th 2009:

Kiss My Bundt Bakery will not open until 12:45pm due to a private event.  We will be open 12:45-7pm!

Special Hours: Sunday, December 6th, 2009. Closed for the Day

Sunday, December 6^th, 2009

 We are closed all day for Private Events.

 To learn about future events and special hours, visit our website:  www.KissMyBundt.net

 

Giving Thanks: Day Three and Four

Thursday's Post didn't get out on time.  In fact, it didn't get out at all.  Thanksgiving was a wonderfully busy day at KMBB, and we got 20% closer to the aggressive sales goals we set forth a few weeks ago.

I wanted to focused today's "Giving Thanks" post on two things since I didn't post on Thanksgiving.

#1:  I am thankful for the friends and partners of Kiss My Bundt Bakery who always keep the bakery in mind and constantly think of ways to support the shop.  We've had customers who've brought me and my staff coffees, or lunch, because they see how thin our staff is and how hard we work.  They refer customers to us, hire us to cake-cater company events, or they carry our products in their cafes and stores.  We're truly fortunate for the friends and partners we have.  I'm excited for this weekend because we will celebrate with our friends and partners for my cookbook release and signing event.  Exciting! (See tomorrow's Blog Post)

#2:  I am thankful for the amazing West 3rd Street Business Owners.  West 3rd Street is the section of 3rd Street located between Fairfax Blvd and La Cienega and is predominantly made up of independent businesses.  These wonderful business owners are focused not just on the success of their own business, but also on the success of the businesses on the street.  A prime example of this community-spirit is the launch of the Community Valet Program which launches tomorrow.  On weekends from now untilt he end of the year, visitors on 3rd Street can park all day for $3.50, which is the cost of 2 hours on a meter, if you're lucky enough to find one anyway.  I'm excited for the valet, and excited for the life that this program can bring to our street.  And, I'm thankful for the sweat and tears (no blood) that it took from business owners that volunteered their time to make this happen.

What I'm Thankful For: Wednesday's Thanks

Thanksgiving Eve is a holiday for us in the catering/food service industry because we see a lot of demand on this day as people come to get food items for the holiday taking place on the following day.

As such, we saw an influx of customers today, picking up bundt cakes and side-dishes, and placing orders for Thanksgiving Day itself.

When I tell you my staff and I worked our Bundts off, I mean it. 

But what helped get us through the day was our AMAZING and SUPPORTIVE customers.

So, today's reason to be thankful is very easy.  It's my unbelievable customers!

See, I discovered a long time ago that if you treat people like they matter (because they do) and you provide an excellent experience while providing an excellent product, you'll have customers for life.

I know some of you are reading this like "DUH!" but seriously, this understanding is not held by all business owners.

Though we're very young in our "life" as a bakery, we have the best customers in the world who have supported us for the length of our life... even when the bakery was just a web-based catering business. 

Our customers have a good sense of humor, they are supportive, they love our great cake, they share their foodie experiences with us, they are curious about new flavors, and they have embraced our infatuation with Bundts.  We know them by name, we know their stories, and we know how to make them feel good when they come through out brown and pink doors by doing one thing:  treating them like they matter and letting them know we are happy to see them and are thankful for their business.

I saw so many wonderful old customers and made new relationships with new customers that I realized my gratitude today needed to be focused on my very wonderful customers.

Thank you for embracing my wild idea to open a community bakery, and thanks for being the community that helps keep the bakery alive.

-Chrysta

Why I'm Thankful this Tuesday: My staff

Of course we have a Thanksgiving Day Menu, but yesterday I started blogging about Thanksgiving and why it's important to be thankful for what we do have rather than focusing on what's missing. 

In this light, I decided that I would take time everyday this week to reflect on something that I am thankful for.

It's nearly 11pm as I sit at my desk, smelling fresh bundt cakes and chocolate, and instantly I know what I want to profile in my "Thanks"-giving.

My Staff.

I have to say that I have the BEST team of pastry chefs in the city working for me.  In an industry where staff turnover can be every 3 months, I've had the same 4 pastry chefs working for me since I opened on 3rd STreet).  My staff are  not only classically trained at Le Cordon Bleu, they are truly exceptional bakers and decorators, they are friendly and kind, that have a positive spirit, provide excellent customer service, and they ultimately love what they do, and it shows.

My staff has really embraced my vision and my dream, and it's because of this that we are truly a team unit because of their care.  They make decisions based on what's best for the bakery and our customers, and this is a major reason for the bakery's success.  I know Kiss My Bundt Bakery wouldn't be as successful as we've been without my wonderful team:  Megan, Lilly, Jennifer and Adriana.

It's been a crazy busy last week or so with our Groupon.com offer (1100 Groupons sold!) and our request for help to "Save the Bakery".  Thank goodness our sales are up (another things to be thankful for!).  But this means the demand on my staff has doubled.  But they have stepped up to the plate and have been incredibly wonderful and continue to be hardworking.

Given that it's Thanksgiving in a few days, and given that NBC Los Angeles featured us as one of the top places to create your own Gourmet Thanksgiving, the orders have been coming in fast and plentiful. (I'm also thankful for this!) 

Tonight my staff stayed 3 hours after their shift ended to mix nearly 50lbs of cake batter and bake nearly 100lbs of cake and make about 5 gallons of frosting just so that we would be prepared for Wednesday.  They always go above and beyond the call of duty, and for this I am very fortunate. 

And we'll be back in a few hours to do it all again.

So today, my special gratitude, acknowledgment, and Thanks-Giving goes to my incredibly awesome and supportive staff who always have my back and help me keep this place running like clockwork. :)

-Chrysta