Monthly Archives: June 2013

Stiletto Network

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Written by Megan Smith
Artwork by Janet Hill

Purely out of curiosity and on her own dime, New York Times writer Pamela Ryckman flew to Silicon Valley in 2010 where fifty of the nation’s most recognized, influential businesswomen were uniting at the Alley to the Valley Summit.

For this financial services expert turned journalist, the trip would become a series of ah-ha moments and revelations that would not only re-define Pamela’s view of the modern businesswoman, but build a platform for her to share with the world how the culture for women in business has undoubtedly shifted. “What surprised me most was that the room was full of powerhouse women who looked like women! They were feminine and fashionable. They wore stiletto heels and talked about healthy hair. They defied the stereotype of strong women in business. They were unabashedly women.”

Spend five minutes with Pamela, and the way you perceive the word ‘networking’ will forever be transformed. When she speaks about the connecting power of women, each word packs channeled energy and focused passion. It’s utterly contagious. Which is a beautiful thing, because, without a doubt, this ‘love story’ of women doing what women have always done—bonding together, from Girl Scouts to carpool to the PTA—is finally re-designing the corporate ladder. In fact, that steep corporate ladder is looking a lot more like a swinging bridge ropes course these days: tightly netted cords and knots interweaving and intersecting to make navigating the business world adventurous and experiential.

With a listening ear and a journalistic thirst, Pamela discovered much more than topics of social change, corporate philanthropy, politics and gender issues were being discussed in Silicon Valley that week. It was the side conversations these women were having about their networking dinner groups that perked her ears. Nearly all, with career experience unheard of in their mothers’ era, were connecting deeply with other women on a regular basis through the most basic ritual known to humankind: a meal. Pamela was captivated. She probed further, needing to know more. What she found over the course of several months after the Summit, through dozens of consequent interviews, phone calls and travels, was that these networks are emerging everywhere. Women from coast to coast are coming alongside each other, propelling one another forward and finding likeminded camaraderie across industry lines. Women with smarts, style and, of course, a dazzling pair of stilettos.

In May 2013, her book, Stiletto Network: Inside the Women’s Power Circles That Are Changing the Face of Business, launched with a hefty stream of press and buzz leading the way. “While researching for the book, I innately felt I was onto something.” She likens the experience to a starburst effect with leads and connections rapidly turning her ideas and hunches into a 100-page manuscript. Having personally reaped the benefits of this ‘stiletto network,’ Pamela attributes its power to two things: evolution and revolution. “For the first time in history, women have self-made wealth and are opening up their rolodexes to help other women. They’re taking risks for each other, which never would have happened 20 or more years ago when there was just one seat in the boardroom for a lady, and each was vying for it.” In terms of revolution, Pamela sees firsthand how technology is transforming the unifying power of women in the workplace. “Women have always been relationship maintainers. We are the ones carrying the family ties. These skills that have been honed for generations are now infiltrating the online world and connecting women across a multitude of fields.”

There’s something in Pamela’s voice when she speaks about this subject that indicates she’s only caught a glimpse of the tip of the iceberg. “The book proves the power of its thesis. Women connect, get behind each other and propel one another forward. You don’t have to be isolated in your work. Pick up your head and let someone provide the spark to move you forward.”

Pamela’s career journey itself also proves the power of her thesis. After years in the finance world, consulting and working for companies like Goldman Sachs, she had her ‘come to Jesus’ moment while pregnant with her first son. For as long as she could remember, she wanted to be a writer. Taking the leap, she went back to grad school to study journalism and became “the oldest pregnant intern at the NY Sun.” Her own struggle moving through a maze of competitors in a teeming publishing industry testified to the results of women going to bat for one another. “I was in a new industry trying to navigate my way into a career, with kids. It ended up that every opportunity I got came through a woman. They were the ones who could think outside the box with me and see me as a viable candidate.”

Don’t for one second question Pamela’s ability to balance life as a wife, mom of three young boys, freelance writer and book author…she’ll quickly nip that in the bud. She resolutely chooses to follow passion, not balance, in all areas of her life. She’s equally as passionate about lunch dates with her young boys at the local diner as she is about discovering those idiosyncrasies that make women unite. “I love learning what holds these women’s groups together because at the end of the day, it’s all about friendships. It’s organic and fluid. That’s the glue.”

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The Model Activist: Summer Rayne Oakes

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Words by Pamela Sutton
Photography by Jacklyn Greenberg

“I’m the person who likes to take the machete to clear the path so other people can walk it.”
Summer Rayne Oakes

Our altruistic passions can become our career.  And while we may not understand the path to create this, it is possible to use ingenious ideas and passionate activism to impact the world. Because where integrity and inspiration meet is the key to successful social entrepreneurship, and a business, without a doubt, can be built around a passion when one puts a value on principles and knowledge. Summer Rayne Oakes has proved just that, finding her niche in the sphere of environmental sustainability and creating a profession without losing the soul of convictions.

As a child, Summer Rayne’s backyard in Northeastern Pennsylvania sparked her curiosity for the natural world. No one could have known that this budding brown-haired scientist, with her nose perpetually in a brightly-bound yellow National Geographic, would eventually become a modern-day ethical bohemian, honored as the World’s First Eco Model, and create an environmental social platform through a most unlikely avenue: the fashion industry. And yet, she did.

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ONE TOUGH HAND: New Mexico Rancher, Linda Davis

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Words by Kaelan Hollon
Photography by Herschel Mair

Sit and listen to an 83-year-old rancher talk about her life story; you’d better tune in. Chances are you could learn something. But listen fast; if the rancher is Linda Davis, she’s probably busier than you. With the relentless energy typically found in a three-year-old on a dead-set sugar binge, she won’t have much time for chit-chat. Between her volunteer shifts for the local EMT service, where she drives her ambulance over a swath of land twice the size of Rhode Island, she needs to check her mama cows, heavy in calving season, take a few minutes to say hello to her grandchildren, great-grandchildren, kids and neighbors, and hopefully squeeze in a sandwich. So when Linda Davis sits down to give you career advice on what lessons a life of ranching could provide young women, you’d do well to pay attention. This New Mexico cowgirl inspires awe among a nation of ranchers with good reason: Linda Davis is one tough hand.

 

Read the full article by subscribing or purchasing the 2013 Summer issue here~

The Road to Splendid: Jeni Britton Bauer and her Splendid Ice Creams

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Words by Molly Hays
Photography by Rachel Joy Baransi and Sarah Beaty

When the history of ice cream in America is written, chances are it will fall into two eras:  Before Jeni’s, and After Jeni’s.

The Jeni in question is Jeni Britton Bauer, who in 2002 opened her first Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams in Columbus, Ohio.  Today, just over ten years later, Jeni’s Splendid has ten retail locations, wholesale distribution coast to coast, $1 million in online sales, and countless raging fans.  And?  They’re just getting started.

Not Your Average Ice Cream

There’s no better beginning to the Jeni’s story than a fast-forward, right to the end.  As I chatted with Britton Bauer this past March in her light-filled, subway-tiled Short North location, we were interrupted shortly after we began.  “You’re super busy,” a gentleman said, apologetically, “[but] I want to thank you for your product, and your business model.”  His gratitude was palpable, his enthusiasm so keen he could have been an actor paid to deliver lines.  He wasn’t.  He was, he went on to explain, an accounting instructor from three hours upstate who case-studies Jeni’s in his classes, and who packs a cooler whenever traveling to Columbus to hand-carry his kids’ favorite flavors back home.

This is devotion.  This is success.

This is not your average ice cream.

 

Read the full article by subscribing or purchasing the 2013 Summer issue here~

Do Gooding: Madame

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Words and Photography by Sarah Jane Sanders

The greatest gift you can give someone is the gift of time…

Hauling large Tupperware bins of wedding gowns, suits, rings and decorations to Northwest Haiti, bridal shop owner of 40 years Diane Cornelius gives couples, far too poor to afford a wedding of their own, a rare and precious gift: a wedding day. Most Haitian families live in common-law marriages, some for over 25 years, simply because of the expense a ceremony would incur. They usually have several children and are forced to survive on less than a dollar a day. It’s a daily reality that parents must often choose which child will not eat. But in this culture, a chance at marriage brings with it a sense of pride within their community and allows both bride and groom to be accepted as family and receive an inheritance. Once married, a younger woman will be treated with respect, and a middle-aged woman can now be called Madame.

Read the full article by subscribing or purchasing the 2013 Summer issue here~

Issue 3 – Editor Letter

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When I was 15, I spent six weeks trekking through Papua New Guinea. At 17, I went to Africa. When I was 22, I rode horses and drank fermented mares’ milk in Mongolia and at 24, I again backpacked through remote tribal villages in PNG, this time with my husband and 7-month-old son.

And then my traveling days came to a halt. More baby boys came along, job transfers, career building, mortgages, bills, carpools… Well, let’s just say~ life happened.

Morning cups of coffee, sugary cereal bowls piled high in the sink followed by the school day send-off, office meetings, pending deadlines, grocery lists, soccer games, rushed dinners, even more rushed bedtimes, and then the quiet of the night before starting all over again. And as much as we try to embrace that sugary cereal bowl routine of life bit, we’re likely to discover we’re tapped out. That glazed over look in our eyes is not, in fact, from a late night marathon of “Justified” episodes but rather something more profound: a need to retreat.

Several weeks ago I became a soul-searching wayfarer to the south of England. A solo trip (thanks to my amazing family back home) to make time for something significant in my life that had long been neglected: travel.

My passport had expired, so with a crisply-spined new one, a far too heavy suitcase filled with layers of clothing I would never need (thanks to an unusually balmy UK summer) and my dusty Nikon camera, I tucked myself away in the stunning landscape of Somerset, England.

For two weeks I forsook my normal restrictive diet, daily workouts and work/life routine. Instead, I painted watercolors of peonies and toured historic landmarks. I took long hikes and baked sticky chocolate pudding. I met new people and listened to their life stories. I sat overlooking the sea and had my first Shanty. I started each morning with a cup of black tea with milk followed by many more as the hours went along. I read Agatha Christie novels on the trains to and from London and curled up on the beach, watching waves and drinking Heinz tomato soup from a thermos. I rode scooters with the local kids and walked to the small village shop (a lot) to buy malted milk balls and local eggs and cheese. I went to outdoor concerts and danced at sunset and rode bumper cars at the local town festival. I learned the proper way to throw a rugby ball and watched my first match with a crowd of Lions fans. I did yoga in a quiet orchard and settled in with a pile of blankets and bottle of wine to watch dusk turn to dark and greet the first star in night sky, followed by hundreds and then thousands of its twinkling friends.
The last time I had lain for hours watching stars in the night sky was in a grassy field in the middle of Guinea, West Africa.

I was 17.

Life happens.

Those things fall by the wayside.

And that’s somewhat regrettable.

 

I’m home now, embracing again the glorious routine of my life. This girl that ran to find retreat in the hills of Southern England is realizing that neglecting the practice of self-nourishment nearly capsized her ship.

I meet hundreds of you at conferences and events and know that I am not alone in this. In the summer issue I challenged you to make time for those things in life that you love. I took my own words to heart, because our goal in life and business should be to thrive, not just survive.

You may not be able to retreat to Somerset this year, but take heart. Your “England” can happen anywhere. I’m finding that a two-hour solo trip to the art museum on a Saturday afternoon or a drive to the grocery store with a slight detour down the bookstore magazine aisle has nearly as much impact as that stroll around Hyde Park did….nearly.

♥ Megan

Q&A with Diane Cu

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Words by Megan Smith
Photography by Diane Cu

Biggest fear as a businesswoman?

Speaking up for myself without hurting anyone’s feelings when I say “no.”
I often have to make important decisions every hour (sometimes it feels like every minute) of the day and I can’t always say “yes.” Ultimately, I’ll have to turn down an opportunity or turn down something I’d love to work on because I know that it’s not necessarily going to be in my best interest or because I just don’t have the time.
I don’t have issues with saying no, but sometimes the hardest part for me is explaining why, so that there’s no misunderstanding. I always want those folks to know that just because I respond with “no,” it doesn’t mean that I’m a bad person or that we can’t be friends.

Biggest sense of accomplishment as a businesswoman?

My biggest sense of accomplishment in business is making time to live a normal life.
It has always been very important to me to be able to put all my work aside at the end of the day and spend quality time with Todd, my family and dear friends. For many years in my early career, I was so driven and focused on growing my business, expanding my client base and leveraging more opportunities that I forgot how lovely it was to just have a sane home life.

Read the full article by subscribing or purchasing the 2013 Summer issue here~

Soda Pop PR: Dyan Dolfi-Offutt

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Words by Danielle Adkins
Photography by Chelsea Brewer

“My first job out of college was very ‘Office Space-esque’ and not fulfilling on any level. I was 22, living in Columbus, Ohio and watching all my friends start their careers, living what seemed to be relatively happy lifestyles.” As an only child and growing up in Pennsylvania, Dyan Dolfi-Offutt dreamt of becoming an actress. That dream followed her from her first play at age 13, through her teen years, into college, and beyond graduation before she finally took the leap, at 22, and made a cross-country trek to Hollywood. “I remember my dad and me loading up the car with my belongings and my cat, and we hit the road.” She never caught the big break, but what she did find was far greater: confidence. For her, confidence meant the ability to start fresh with a new dream that would set the trajectory for a fulfilling career.

Read the full article by subscribing or purchasing the 2013 Summer issue here~

Do Gooding: A Look Through the Healing Glass

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Words by Megan Smith

“glassybaby are useful in many ways. But their real use is lifting bad moods and loneliness. Their warm and colored light flickers like we do in everyday life. glassybaby serve as a metaphor to symbolize hope and are humble in spirit, but not in beauty. Whatever your mood, a glassybaby can keep your home inviting and full of spirit.”
MERICOS HECTOR RHODES

(Lee Rhodes’ 12 year old son)

Forgoing the power suit for a pair of dark jeans, white T-shirt and black blazer, Lee Rhodes walks up to the podium of the convention center ballroom and stands in front of a sea of executive women to speak. She sets her notes down in front of her, looks up, brimming a huge smile and bright red lips, and begins with a simple yet cheery “Hello” to the crowd below. She has not come to share her story of surviving cancer three times, although she has. And she hasn’t come to tell the story of her growing multimillion dollar company, although she has that, too. Lee Rhodes has come to cast vision to a captivated audience. When she speaks, it’s with the swiftness and passion of a woman confident in the decisions she has made and the message she is delivering. She is, without a doubt, a woman on a mission.

The mission?  To offer healing to cancer patients one glassybaby at a time.

In 1998, with three small children underfoot, Lee was battling a rare form of lung cancer for the third time. Hoping to distract her husband’s worries, she signed him up for a glassblowing class near their home in Seattle, Washington. Blowing glass bubbles and opening them to create a vessel is considered glassblowing 101. Week after week these odd shaped, colorfully hued glass cups began arriving home and accumulating on the kitchen counter. One night at dinner Lee dropped a tea light into the opening and struck a match to the candle’s wick. The room went quiet. Pin drop kind of quiet.

The lighting of the candle had instantly transformed the ambience of the room. The kitchen’s walls and table underneath instantly filled with the warmth of the soft hue encircling the candle’s flame. In that moment, Lee’s healing began. In that moment, the hope of a family began to rise; beauty had won the battle over the ugliness of terminal illness. In that moment, Lee’s life was set on a trajectory she never could have dreamed possible. In that moment, glassybaby was born.

Throughout the next five years, glassybaby grew into a full-fledged business and beyond the production capacity of her husband’s weekly glassblowing class. Lee, who was declared cancer-free in 2001, devoted her days to delivering raw materials to glassblowing shops around the area where 12 artisans were commissioned to handcraft glassybaby’s signature design. She would retrace her steps, pick up the finished designs, drive them home and unload them into her garage where she’d sell them to neighbors, friends and burgeoning glassybaby devotees. For Lee, this business endeavor, her first, wasn’t full of fear or self-doubt because for her it just made sense. “These magical beacons speak to the emotion in everyone, especially those in the chemo room. I wanted to create a business that builds community and gives hope, and glassybaby does that.” The business’ early financial success gave Lee the means to not only gift glassybabys to those braving cancer but the opportunity to begin donating to organizations that provide often forgotten cancer support. “We are always looking to give to new charities helping cancer patients around the country. We like charities that help with the costs that are not covered by health insurance but as essential for the healing process, like groceries, bus fare, childcare and electric bills.”

As with creating any delicately handcrafted item, glassybaby’s vessels, which have been made in over 400 colors, are labor intensive, requiring the work of four glassblowers and 24 hours to create. Each glassybaby is comprised of three layers of glass, with the rich hue, a condensed colored glass imported from Europe, being sandwiched between two clear casings. The thick bottom is also clear, allowing light to radiate through to the surface below. They are designed with sturdiness and timelessness to be passed down through generations. “You can feel the beautiful color and the weight of truly handmade American craft in each one. I had a visceral reaction to lighting that first one and I still get that same feeling to this day,” Lee shares. The company stands behind its sizable $44 price point. “I couldn’t sell a candle votive at our price without the vision and charity behind it,” says Lee. “But our customers feel great knowing over $4 of that purchase goes straight to a cancer patient in need.” Because glassybaby donates 10% from sales, not profit (even when the company lost money in its early days), the devotion to the benevolent mission never wavered.  “Our customers love not only the beauty of a glassybaby, but each purchase is often attached to a person, a memory, a milestone or a cause. Purchasing a glassybaby is a very personal experience.”

Without a doubt, they have a powerful impact and in 2005 its beauty, meaning, mission and functionality turned the head of its first titan of industry, a media mogul that would put glassybaby on the map worldwide. After receiving one as a birthday gift, Martha Stewart was smitten and came calling. On the first episode of The Martha Stewart Show, Lee Rhodes was invited as one of Martha’s guests. “Martha’s favorite color, bedford brown, is named after the foundation we give back to that helps seniors. She liked the color so much that she was planning to paint her living room the same hue.”

After the exposure that segment drew, glassybaby was full steam ahead in terms of both growth and charitable giving. The company’s growth allowed expansion into a new, larger location. Despite the unanticipated surge in sales and growth, Lee was (and is) determined to employ locally and handcraft in America. The following year, glassybaby’s second media mogul reached out and Amazon’s founder Jeffrey Bezos became glassybaby’s first investor. “Jeff had visited our shop and asked his personal investment advisor to reach out to us about buying part of the company. Originally, I didn’t return the calls, but eventually we met. He drove to the studio and we had an hour and a half meeting. He asked to buy 20% and I agreed. Jeff is very hands-off and allows me to continue giving a lot of money to charities. He believes that glassybaby will eventually be a hundred million dollar a year company that competes with the flower industry.”

When asked if she thinks she was born with an entrepreneurial spirit, Lee admits that she actually doesn’t consider herself much of a businesswoman at all. “I was content being a stay-at-home mom. I really wasn’t looking for fulfillment in any other way. But when I lit that first glass votive, I immediately became driven with a vision.” And Lee undoubtedly is a visionary. When she speaks, it is with a level of depth, passion and devotion that eludes most CEOs. “Glassybaby isn’t about me. If it was, I would have a ton of self-doubt and fear. But since it’s not, I can operate the business with joy.” Her tightly bonded glassybaby team shares this same passion and attitude. “At first I tried to do much of it on my own, but it was traumatic. Once I did start hiring people, I brought on people that were opposite of my personality because I thought that’s what would be best to fill the needs we had. But what I found over time is actually that hiring people similar to me works best. It really makes all the difference having a great team.” And glassybaby’s team nowadays is extensive. With over 70 glassblowers now creating 500 hand blown “vessels of hope” a day, essential components like strategy, production and development are being met and allowing glassybaby to forge ahead into new markets at a rapid pace. “glassybaby has grown as much as 50 percent a year since 2009. Last year the company grew about 30 percent.  Every single business expert told me that this company and business model would not work, yet we continue to grow and give back to charities.”

Because Lee has the gift of both perspective and gratification, even talking about the growing pains of business has a level of whimsy and ease, “We’re still in grade school and, believe me, we forget our lunch box all the time.”

Diagnosed cancer-free in 2001, Lee, who recently climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, lives life to the fullest. She operates her company from her soul, not from textbook knowledge or a business degree. “I don’t have my MBA and I’m not gifted at business and I can’t change that. But I get to live behind a brand of an experience I had once.” That experience is what she gives to thousands each day, because at the end of the day, glassybaby unites.  It connects the homemaking media tycoon to a woman in Nebraska with breast cancer who is clinging to her last days. It connects the founder of the world’s largest online retailer to a young child playing video games from his room at Children’s Hospital. It connects sisters, mothers, fathers, co-workers and friends at the truest essence of who we are as a human race. It speaks to each one of us and reminds us to live each moment in the moment, with beauty, light, warmth and hope for the future.

Lee, who found hope in the midst of tragedy in the most unlikely of objects, never could have imagined her moment of clarity and purpose in life would provide over one million dollars to cancer patients worldwide. But it has. “I don’t think about the Lamborghini or the vacation home in the islands. That’s not what drives me. We still have a lot more to do and a lot more to give. This is why glassybaby exists.”

Learn more:

www.glassybaby.com

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Helen Turner: Pitmaster of Her Domain

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Words by Theresa Stanley
Photography by Sarah Jane Sanders

Helen Turner is living a classic love story of fairytale proportions.  Boy sees girl, girl marries boy, they raise a family, she creates a highly praised business with gender-bending professional accolades and they live happily ever after.  One must not judge this book by its cover. Because through the thick soot of the smokehouse, the tall stacks of freshly chopped firewood out back, the basic kitchen set-up and the humble dining area, Helen Turner truly has it all.

Six days a week, 52 weeks a year, before daylight breaks, Reginald Turner, Helen’s husband of three decades, pulls into the parking lot of an unassuming baby blue vinyl-sided building on the outskirts of downtown Brownsville, Tennessee and builds a fire in the smokehouse of his wife’s restaurant, Helen’s BBQ, as he has done each morning for 17 years. “Helen is the gift in my life.” Reginald beams when talking about Helen, his broad frame tempered with a gentle voice and warm smile. The pride, love and adoration he has for her is something Hallmark cards are written about. He might have been won over by Helen’s beauty, but, for Helen, it was Reginald’s gospel and jazz melodies that made her melt. To this day, he serenades her often and continues to ‘light her fire’ both literally and figuratively, they playfully say. On this particular day his soulful, resonate voice fills Helen’s tiny kitchen with “Amazing Grace” as she works quietly, preparing pounds of coleslaw, potato salad, barbeque sauce and meat for the flurry of business ahead.

“Can’t no woman cook a BBQ” is Helen’s favorite myth to bust. In fact, she has accomplished that several times over and is seen as the finest pitmaster in the South, not just by her adoring husband but by a nation of barbeque fans. Those lucky enough to pass through Brownsville and grab a meal at Miss Helen’s quickly learn that the secret to this award-winning Memphis style BBQ is actually Helen Turner herself, who was initially hired by Dewitt Foster in the mid ‘90s to make sauce for his barbeque stand and serve the customers. By 1996, Mr. Foster was ready to retire and handed the keys of the restaurant to Helen, without either of them knowing that he was giving her the key to open more doors of opportunity than anyone could have imagined was possible in this pastoral Tennessee town. 

At first, encouragement and support in the community came from unlikely patrons. Folks who should have been supporters were naysayers. The unlikeliest customers became fans and supporters. As business prevailed, the naysayers returned and Miss Helen welcomed them with open arms to her table. Every sandwich and BBQ plate that passes through the ordering window is made by Helen. Customers will have it no other way. Each is particular to the way she pulls, chops, and wraps their sandwich, many of whom come daily.

Helen credits much of her success to simply following her instincts. She has confidence in her skills and knows what she wants to take on in terms of growth. There have been offers over the years. Many offers. Offers to partner, to expand, to franchise and to grow. But Helen turned down each one. She’s a self-described independent business owner and her system is perfect for her life, for her family, for her town and now for the country. In 2012, Helen’s BBQ made Southern Living’s “Smokin’ Hot List” as well as a coronation at the prestigious Charleston Food & Wine Festival. Last year also brought with it a documentary about Ms. Helen by Joe York for the Southern Foodways Alliance titled “Pride & Joy.” And this year she will be awarded “King of Pig” award, although the title, this year, will be deemed “Queen of Pig.” Very apropos for a pitmaster who is now myth-busting on the grandest scale.

Secret to her sauce? Never. Secrets to success? That’s easier to come by from this wise and honest, hardworking woman. “I came from raising a family into a business I did not think I would be doing.  You don’t have to have a college degree. You can do anything you want to do.  You just have to have the mind, the heart and patience. There’s nothing you can’t do when you put your mind to it.” These moments of candidness, along with the mouthwatering comfort food, are what bring patrons through her door and keep them waiting in long lines year after year.

The town motto, “It’s a good place to live,” resonates with Helen, who has, over the years, inadvertently established her restaurant as a community treasure. “I treat this place just like home. I look forward to coming in every morning and I treat my customers like family.”

Just recently, Reginald and Helen hosted a large dinner for their most loyal customers. No detail or southern delicacy was spared. That night, for the Turners, was a chance to walk down memory lane with those that have walked it with them. “We love this town and we love our lives here. If I had to do it all over again, I would rather it be just as it is right now.”  

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La Vie en Rose: Glenlivet Whisky Spring Cocktail

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Recipe by Patricia Richards
Photography by Sarah Jane Sanders

1.5 oz. The Glenlivet 12 year Single Malt Scotch Whisky
0.5 oz. St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur
0.5 oz. Freshly Squeezed & Strained Lemon Juice
0.5 oz. Agave-Rose Syrup (*recipe below)
4 drops Peychaud’s Bitters

Method: Combine the above measured ingredients into a bar mixing glass. Fill a bar mixing tin 2/3 full of ice. Cap mixing glass over tin and shake well to chill. Strain cocktail into a pre-chilled coupe glass. Garnish with an organic red rose petal to float. Serve.

(*Agave-Rose Syrup Recipe: Combine 1 part Monin Rose Syrup to 2 parts light agave nectar. Stir well to combine. Syrup will keep for up to one month.)

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Marcus Samuelsson: Behind Every Good Man

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Interview by Megan Smith
Photography by Michael Guenther

How do we do justice to describing a man whose fashion tastes are impeccable, whose swagger is more than noteworthy, who loves bringing his 5’11” model wife Maya along on casual interviews as well as swanky soirées, and who more than  knows his way around a kitchen? All we know is, Marcus Samuelsson is certainly swoon-worthy in our book. To boot, this Ethiopian-born, Swedish-raised, James Beard Foundation honoree, Food Network chef truly believes that women are tougher than men. (His words, not ours [swoon]). Keep reading and you’ll see why Maya is such a lucky gal…

You wrote an incredible piece for the Huffington Post about your life as an adopted child and it’s evident how important the role of family is in your life. What attributes have the women in your life’s journey possessed that helped shape and mold who you are today?

All the important women in my life have showed me what love means–in their own way. My Ethiopian mother sacrificed her own life so that my sister and I could live our own; my Swedish mother loved me fiercely as if she had given birth to me herself; my Swedish grandmother showed her love by teaching me how to cook; and my wife teaches me to be patient and kind through her utmost grace and inner beauty.

Your career journey has been anything but easy over the years, including dozens of restaurant rejections early on. Where is your inner strength and tenacity to push forward and dream big drawn from?

I think it’s my commitment to doing what I love. At an early age I was intensely committed to becoming a soccer player, but was rejected from going pro. After soccer, my next great love was cooking and chasing flavors and it has served me well ever since. But I don’t take any of it for granted. I’ve had high highs and low lows, but staying committed to food has always made me the happiest, and this is what I want to do for the rest of my life.

You obviously have huge vision for your life and career and have found great success in recent years. Are you one to map out your goals and dreams and make things happen or do you allow things to evolve in their own time and step through doors as they open?

It’s a mix of both. Sometimes you’re in the right place at the right time, but, for me, I usually envision something I want to do and take my time to curate that idea. “Yes, Chef” was five years in the making and you could say the opening of Red Rooster was something I wanted to do for ten years.

What was the tipping point in your career? Was there a specific moment that catapulted you from chef status to celebrity chef status? Were you ready?

I don’t like to say what was the tipping point…who knows what else the future holds? But it was being awarded three stars from the New York Times that put my name on the culinary map. I’ve been trying to do better ever since…but don’t we all aspire to do better day by day?

This is a question from one of our readers: “You work with many chefs, restaurant staff and colleagues~ many of whom are women. What is the best approach you have found to not only working with women but giving critical feedback when needed?”

It’s ironic that there are many more men presiding over the most famous kitchens, but cooking has traditionally been a feminine role. I have such high regard to the great female chefs I’ve encountered–April Bloomfield, Gabrielle Hamilton, of course Julia Child–and women are actually tougher than men. Men will want to make a bigger fire and show you their sharpest knives, but women are more resilient and fierce in the kitchen. I’ve found that I can actually be more blunt and direct with women because they know what you need, and I admire that in my female staff.

What synergy do you find most rewarding between men and women collaborating in the workplace?

Our corporate team at the Marcus Samuelsson Group is pretty much split down the middle between men and women. I love to see them working hard on a project or sharing a beer after work. We have a good team who are there for the same cause and that is the most rewarding thing. You can say we have quite a mixed bag of talent, age and diversity, but we all have a great time. In the kitchen, the numbers between men and women are split, too–some of my toughest staff includes my pastry chef, Deborah Racicot–and seeing the staff come together night after night is a sight of beauty for me.

Have there been any female mentors or colleagues who provided important insight or support during your career? If so, what wisdom did they provide that was especially significant?

How can I not mention my mentors in all fields who have opened up such worlds to me? The great Leah Chase who just celebrated her 90th birthday is my culinary mentor, and the incomparable Thelma Golden, director of The Studio Museum in Harlem, are just some of my fairy godmothers. Then, of course, there are my two mothers and grandmother who showed me how to be a man in the family and in the kitchen. They have all taught me to be humble and always stay curious.

You’re definitely one of the most stylish chefs out there. Who or what inspires your look?

David Bowie, Marvin Gaye, Lana Turner, and all the Harlem Dandies who come into our restaurant. I am inspired by not just people in the fashion world but anyone who can hold their own style. And I’m not talking about flashy logos and shiny shoes. I just came back from Barcelona and I love how everybody there had their own sense of fashion. It didn’t matter if they were on their way to a fancy dinner or on their way to the market–they were well-groomed, yet nonchalant about how they carried themselves.

Let’s end with a couple of foodie questions, shall we? Guilty pleasure food?

I love a great hamburger.

What meal do you most enjoy making for your stunningly beautiful wife, Gate Maya Haile?

I love making doro wat with her, a traditional Ethiopian chicken stew that takes hours to make, but it’s very methodical and, in a way, spiritual. Nothing beats sitting down with her at our kitchen table and cracking open an ice cold Meta (Ethiopian beer) to wash it all down.

*Follow CAKE&WHISKEY’s Pinterest board “What We Think the Men Should Be Wearing” and let us know what you think every guy should be wearing this spring season.

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Following the Paper Trail: Rifle Paper Co.

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Words by Freedom Martinez

Artwork from the brushstrokes of Anna Bond is hard to miss these days. Her name might not ring a bell, but the bold, colorful, whimsical designs that have become her trademark are unforgettable.

You might think you are walking into a mini Anthropologie when entering the little shop of Rifle Paper Co. And you’d almost be right. Timeless creations from this Winter Park, Florida design studio stock the shelves of Anthropologie stores around the country. Their cards and calendars, notepads and invitations can be found in over 2,000 locations worldwide–from boho boutiques to Land Of Nod catalogues.

Rifle Paper Co. officially started just three short years ago. With a portfolio bulging with concert posters for her husband’s band, Anna designed a winsome wedding invitation for a good friend and, as they say, the rest is history. One wedding invite led to another, which led to another, and just like that, Anna’s art became a business. Her love of stationery combined with her background in design and illustration was just the outlet she had been looking for.

In a brand new, made-to-look-old loft style building in historic Winter Park, Florida, there are no signs of “starving artist.” But, indeed, Anna says there were those days in the beginning. “I definitely see purpose in those early times though,” she shares. Those rice and bean days were, for her, an opportunity to build a solid foundation of what would eventually become Rifle Paper Co., to discover who she truly was as an artist and to develop Rifle’s signature style.

Inspired by music poster artists, she looked to the business savvy of such heavy hitters in the art/design world as Kate and Andy Spade, Andy Warhol, and Martha Stewart in taking her art beyond the traditional. “They’re people who were artists and entrepreneurs and visionaries. That is what I was aspiring to.”

Although the ride has been like a roller coaster paired with a good dose of elbow grease, Anna says, without a doubt, launching Rifle Paper Co. has been the best years of her young life. She credits the huge success to a healthy collaboration with her business partner, husband Nathan. “So much of this process has been figuring it out as I go and working with Nathan to solve problems and brainstorm ideas. He started working with me when we launched Rifle and he’s been the one who has made sure we’re making the right business decisions, making sure we are running things within our means, and so on. We’ve made a great team throughout this process.”

Navigating the waters of the hugely competitive market for art/stationery sales was not easy, and at times they were flying blind. While some artists hire agents to get their work noticed, Anna relied heavily upon the people in her life that influenced her. “Whether it was a press feature or someone saying something kind on a blog, that’s what gave me motivation to keep going.” And that perseverance has certainly been awarded, with her stationery being featured in such noted magazines as Martha Stewart Living, Southern Living, InStyle, People, Lucky and Real Simple Weddings.

Rifle’s popularity isn’t mystifying. In fact, it’s easy to love the bright ‘50’s kickback styles that this design house pumps out. Anna’s goal is that her creations will resonate with people. “I try to create designs and products that I would personally love and use. But I also have to think about what other people want, and try to make sure I am creating designs that will connect and sell. It is a business, but it all starts from something very personal to me.”

Of inspiration, she says it is an organic process, unplanned and free-flowing. “The best ideas often come when I least expect them.” And since Anna and Nathan love to travel, inspiration is plentiful and has contributed to many of Rifle’s current products, including their popular 2013 CITIES wall calendar depicting cityscapes from Sydney to Paris.

Since Nathan handles most aspects of the business, Anna is free to focus on the creative direction of the company, which often spills over into the workplace. Nurturing a fun work environment is a top priority for Anna, who knows that happy employees make for better production and better products. Their recent Holiday Party looked like something out of a Pinterest folder labeled “dream party.” Decorated in beautiful Rifle style, the outdoor courtyard of a local museum became the perfect venue. The festivities included an arm-wrestling competition, while a mariachi band added a touch of spice to an already fun, quirky evening.

When asked what advice she would give someone trying to make it in this business, she says, “Being original…is key. I also think it takes a lot of work and determination. There were many times I thought about giving up….Making that decision to push through difficulties is not always easy, but definitely vital to becoming successful.”
Favorite cake: simple chocolate, with vanilla buttercream icing.
Favorite way to drink whiskey: in simple but lovely cocktail~ Domain de Canton (ginger liqueur), and lemon juice. A little sweet and tangy with a powerful punch.

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Shama Hyder: Buzz Maven

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Words by Danielle Adkins
Photographer by Gilberto Vasquez

Just after finishing up Friday morning errands, Shama Hyder (Kabani) sat down to speak about the success of her company, her continual influx of speaking gigs, her recent book, Shama TV, and a few of the other endeavors this busy gal is pursuing. As the CEO of The Marketing Zen Group, an online marketing service, it was only fitting that the interview was done via Skype. She didn’t know it yet, but she had agreed to open up about her childhood, her beginnings as an online marketing guru and her best travel tips, all while Snoopy, her fluffy white Maltipoo, sits on her lap.

Growing Up

As a “transplant to the U.S.” at the age of nine, Shama has a deep appreciation for her life in the United States. “To me, America was like the land of milk and honey and really exciting.” Her voice still gleaming with excitement, she speaks of the first time her fourth grade teacher took the class to the library. In her native India the libraries were reserved for university students and academics. She joyously remembers her confusion and excitement when that same fourth grade teacher allowed her to check out a book to take home. “There were certain things other kids took for granted, I just didn’t.”

Whether it was her Indian roots or the first time she checked out a book at the school library, her appreciation for learning never stopped. The strict schooling system in India based around memorization and principle gave way to a much different American way of learning. “Different principles were highlighted, like teamwork and creativity. I can still remember the first time we watched a movie in class and had fun; it was like school heaven.” She couldn’t have known at such a young age that her shift in learning and appreciation for creative thinking would help shape her into the now CEO of The Marketing Zen Group and one of Business Week’s Top 25 entrepreneurs under the age of 25. The Marketing Zen Group was also listed on the Empact100 list of the top 100 companies in the US to be run by entrepreneurs under the age of 30.

Shama has plenty to brag about, but her delightfully down-to-earth tone and friendly demeanor are not compromised by her accomplishments, which is something that makes chatting with her all the more enjoyable. She is the type of woman who knows what she wants and will work hard to get it, while still being the endearingly pleasant person you can meet with for drinks on Friday afternoon with no shortage of laughs.

Success

Shama attributes most of her company’s success to “right time, right place” in the social media market. Businesses were ready to reach customers through different avenues, but did not know how. Social media marketing is definitely a more thrifty way to market a business, but it must be done carefully and requires constant attention. Purchasing ad space and TV commercials is going the way of the dodo and social media marketing is taking over. And why wouldn’t it? A Super Bowl commercial can cost millions, but a clever ad in the social media world can cost next to nothing and has a much wider reach. Shama was able to understand social media and its importance early on when businesses were looking for new ways to reach customers.

“We did really well just after we got right out of the door because people were hungry for the information and even though companies at the corporate level didn’t quite get it yet, small businesses did. Small businesses were the first customers because they got it. They wanted to find different ways to attract business.”

As social media was taking over as an important form of marketing, the company grew quickly. With excitement in her voice, she talks about the huge outpouring of support The Marketing Zen Group received from the community. “For the longest time I felt my age was a weakness, and I was surprised to find that it was actually perceived as a strength.”

She formed The Marketing Zen Group in 2009 and since then the company has grown to include 30 employees who work with clients from the small business sector to Fortune 500 companies. Today, Shama and her “robust team” work with clients in the United States, Europe, Asia, and Central and South Americas. Shama is also the author of the bestselling book “The Zen of Social Marketing,” which is in its third edition. Currently, she is working on Shama TV, an online television show with topics ranging from Google+ to an interview with the rapper 50 Cent. When she’s not working on one of those endeavors, she is jet-setting around the world to speak on various issues from social media to business. Yes, she is, indeed, a modern day superwoman.

Shama is a wealth of information on a wide range of subjects. Listening to her speak about new marketing, even as someone who knows a bit on the subject, is overwhelmingly exciting. As the conversation wraps up and morning turns to afternoon, Shama leaves with a few tips for gals on the go. Pack light, “bring only a carry-on if you are going for less than a week.” Choose one airline and stick to it, “you really can build up good points.” Last, but not least, “always pack fuzzy pink socks,” because you never know when your feet will be cold.

Favorites

Spare Time Activity: reading
Cake: German chocolate
Travel Destination: Dubai, great food and great shopping

 

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Sigrid Olsen: Paradise Found

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Words by Janet Holloway
Photography by Andrea Hillebrand

How is it that nearly every woman I meet who’s over 50, or even 40, is worrying about what’s next? It’s as if women are hitting a halfway mark on the time continuum or perhaps they’re discovering that the boomer bottom is staring them in the face. All those dreams. All those aspirations. Given today’s economy, it’s no surprise that some may be facing the loss of a job, a career, a home or worse. Women also report that they’re simply worn out from the daily grind, from more of the same, with no hope for change in the near future. Asking “what’s next?” may be their first step in making a crucial life change. Maybe it’s time to revisit those dreams and aspirations and redesign or repurpose your life around them.

Massachusetts fashion designer Sigrid Olsen had no choice about the change in her life. For more than twenty years, Olsen had filled a market niche for baby-boomer women who wanted to look bold and funky at the same time. “People came out of the dressing room with a smile on their face, saying my clothes made them happy,” she says. Her clothing designs were bright and colorful, well-made and comfortable. A woman of any size would look good in them. Under her trade name, Segrets, the business grew to $30 million in sales—a far cry from where she started in the 1980s imprinting colorful pot holders with her unique designs from nature. The company’s growth caught the eye of fashion giant Liz Claiborne.

“I was so happy that someone like Liz Claiborne, Inc. recognized what I was doing and offered to buy the business,” Olsen says. “My love has always been design, not running a multimillion dollar business.” Liz Claiborne’s offer of 10% ownership to Olsen, along with the title of creative director, sounded good at the time. Life was fast and fascinating at Liz Claiborne. Olsen had apartments in New York City and Boston, travelled to Los Angeles and Paris for trade shows and arranged photo shoots around the world.

“By that time, my kids had graduated, my husband was working in the fashion business, and I could devote myself full-time to expanding the clothing line,” she says. She took only one month off after breast cancer surgery in 2005 and then moved back into the fast lane. In 2007, with fears of an economic downturn on the horizon, Liz Claiborne began to cut back and streamline their brands. Segrets had been one of the conglomerate’s top 40 brands, but corporate directors felt they had overextended themselves. In 2008 the economy imploded, and, almost overnight, Liz Claiborne closed all fifty-four Segrets boutiques. Olsen lost her business, her brand and even the rights to her name.

“I had two choices then,” she tells me. “Either sit down on the couch, stuff myself with Haagen-Dazs and wallow in my disappointment—which I did for a while–or get up and start over again.” Wisely, she chose not to be a victim but moved ahead by asking “what’s next?”

“I realized that even though my fashion line had been wiped out, no one owned my talent. I began to consider what I could do to make the next two decades have meaning and purpose.” Now in her 50s, Olsen began to develop a vision of bringing together all the projects and experiences she loved: her art, running a small business, working with women, health and wellness. She returned to her art studio in Gloucester, Massachusetts, sold the big house she shared with her husband, and moved into the small room in back of the studio. It was a space where she could recharge her batteries.

More than five years later, Olsen has opened a second art studio in Sarasota, Florida, where she lives and works in winter. She’s written a book of recipes that includes her art work and anecdotes about how she bounced back from the loss of her company. With her step-sister and daughter, she has created inspirational yoga retreats for women in such places as Mexico, the Caribbean and Provence. Inspiration Retreats, Olsen says, “help women become attuned to their ‘inner artist’.” She acknowledges that the retreats are part of her own transformation, her need to refocus and be inspired. “We’re all in the process of reinventing ourselves.”

There’s a lilt, even a bit of laughter, in her voice that wasn’t there when I first interviewed Olsen five years ago. Today, she describes herself as an artist entrepreneur. “Both create something out of nothing; they figure things out along the way, seeing themselves as somewhat outside the mainstream. Both display enormous confidence in themselves, a commitment to hard work and perseverance in order to make their dream a reality.”

“You go on,” she tells me. “No matter what obstacles you have, you keep at it. You create a vision for your life and you keep working and trying new things. You just keep going on.”

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Whitney Rockley: Living the Dream as a Canadian Venture Capitalist

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Words by Cheryl Arkison
Photography by Lora Vertue

When most people say that they are living the dream, they usually mean a big house by the ocean and time to do all their dream hobbies like surfing, gardening, or lunching in fine restaurants. For Whitney Rockley it means owning her own business.

As a kid, she only ever wanted to create and own her own business. Her career after school started in environmental policy work, hardly the stuff of entrepreneurship. A swing through San Francisco brought her into the starched shirts of the venture capital world. A world she embraced. Stints in Calgary, London, Zurich, and now in Toronto sealed her place in this world. Despite years of backing businesses and seeing entrepreneurs both thrive and wither, she never lost sight of that childhood dream. “Venture capitalists don’t know what it is like to be an entrepreneur. Most don’t know what it is like to sit in the trenches and go right to the edge to put everything on the line.” Whitney describes her traditional, professional world full of calculated risk. But that is hardly the world for someone who wants to own their own business, is it?

Anticipating a major shake-up in her industry 18 months ago, Whitney and a colleague spent some time analyzing and dreaming. They asked themselves what they were seeing that is so big it isn’t going to go off trend and where they expected a phenomenal acceleration of technology. The answer, to them, lay in making existing infrastructure of big industry ‘smarter’, particularly as it works for the water, power, oil and gas, transportation, and building efficiency sectors. These sectors are where she and her business partner had success in the past. So they locked arms, took a deep breath, and started McRock Capital in March 2012. Now they are entrepreneurs as well as venture capitalists. And nothing could make Whitney happier.
“Personally, it is the most amazing – full-stop – thing I’ve ever done. I expected to be exhausted, but it is the opposite. Your energy comes from this place that is so real.”

This is despite the risk it takes to live her dream. Whitney and her business partner are financing themselves as they seek to back success. The vast majority of venture capital funds are established firms with backing from financial institutions, corporations, or high net worth family offices. It is rare to see start-up venture capitalists, even more rare for a woman to be leading it and for that firm to be started in Canada. “It takes a lot of courage to start a fund. It’s binary – you either raise a fund or you don’t. We did it because we are passionate about what we are doing and want to build the most successful venture fund in the world. We think it is contagious when you love what you do and are good at it. Investors will back us because we have a successful track record, a compelling investment strategy and are respected in the industry.”

 Thankfully, both Whitney and her business partner have strong family support for such a risky adventure. Whitney has been married for 15 years. She and her husband have two children, ages 10 and 11. The family has moved with her for her career and they back her now as she takes on this challenge.“There is a lot of holding breath, but also unwavering support,” says Whitney. She adds that her kids are old enough to understand what she is doing and the sacrifices it takes. She believes in showing them it is okay to take risks. “As long as the family unit is strong we can go through anything.”

 It might be the Tae Kwon Do she practices with her daughter, or it might be her sense of humor, but Whitney manages to keep a level head about this new venture.

With Whitney and her business partner financing their firm, as well as investing themselves and gathering outside investors, they are essentially paying twice for every investment. It is a harsh way to run things, but important to them as they run the firm their way. Whitney describes it as “personal funding by two passionate people.” The entrepreneurs get it, but they have to walk the investors through the model. Entrepreneurs also get the injection of personality McRock Capital put into their business. They are the firm, they are the brand. It made perfect sense to Whitney and her business partner to make their brand an honest reflection of themselves as individuals. On their website they’ve got videos tracking their journey – finding an office, the perils of business travel, fundraising efforts, and even homage to one of their biggest supporters. It is this humor, this personal side that sets them apart from the other venture capital firms. And it appeals to the entrepreneurs. They get the risks and the shot of personality. Entrepreneurs are used to selling themselves; McRock Capital is no different. Like all entrepreneurs, she has commitment and the right attitude. “My mantra is Positivity. Try to be eternally positive. Dispel negativity. Tell yourself you are doing it and it will happen. And be grateful for what you have.”

 Gratitude and the positivity are what make living the dream possible. Sure, there is hard work and boundless energy, but knowing what it takes to get where you are and having the right attitude to stay there make the dream a reality. “Make no mistake, we are still in the trenches. But 2013 is our year. We will get it off the ground. It’s been mental, but we are so excited.” When I asked venture capitalist and entrepreneur Whitney what her superpower would be if she had one, she asked for boundless energy, relentlessness. “Where nothing can take you down.”This, coming from a woman taking on a new business model in the venture capital world. From a woman with two kids and a burgeoning Tae Kwon Do habit. From a woman already living her dream.

 

Whitney’s Word Play

Sunshine – Beautiful
Cliff – Jump
Balance – Hard
Rejection – Tough
Purse – Don’t Care
Twitter – Effective
Perfection – Ugly
Fun – Yay!
Growth – Life
Speed – Inevitable
Cake – Yummy
Money – Outcome
Mentor – Grateful
Whiskey – Armchair
Darts – Bull’s-eye
Risk – Living
Friends – Precious
Peace – The Ultimate End Goal
Advice – Welcome
Sleep – Not Enough
Dream – Big

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Browned Butter Vanilla Cake with Caramel Buttercream

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Recipe and Photography by Anita Chu

Don’t let the simple appearance of this cake deceive you. I decided to take a basic vanilla cake and use one of my favorite techniques, browning butter, to oomph up the flavor. Browning will turn the simple taste of butter into a fabulous melange of caramel, nutty, and butterscotch, adding a lovely complexity to whatever you add it to. It also gives the cake a delicate creamy yellow color. The cake is then layered with a rich chocolate ganache and an innocuously pale buttercream, with a sweet golden taste of caramel. It all makes for a richly sweet cake to welcome spring.

Browned Butter Cake

makes (2) 9-inch round layers

12 ounces unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs plus 4 large egg yolks, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups whole milk, room temperature

To make the cake: Cut butter into 1-inch pieces and place in a medium saucepan. Cook on medium-high heat until the butter begins to turn brown and smell nutty. Swirl the pan so the butter cooks evenly.
When butter is rich brown (you can leave it lighter for a more subtle flavor, but don’t let it get too dark and burn), remove from heat. Place melted butter in a container and refrigerate for an hour until butter has resolidified.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour two 9-inch round pans.
Place solid browned butter in a stand mixer. Beat on medium until it softens and becomes creamy.
Add sugar and beat until it goes from dry and clumpy to fluffy and smooth. It may take a few minutes.
Add in eggs and egg yolks one at a time, beating between each addition, until fully incorporated. Add in the vanilla bean paste and mix until combined.
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
With mixer set on slow, add in flour mixture and milk in 5 additions, starting and ending with the flour. Beat just until incorporated.
Divide batter between the two pans and bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Remove and place on wire racks. Run a knife around the edges for easier removal. Let cool for about 20 minutes and then invert pans to remove cakes. Let them finish cooling before decorating.

Whipped Chocolate Ganache

8 ounces semisweet chocolate (around 70-75%), finely chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream

Place chocolate into a medium heatproof bowl.
Place cream in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. Heat just until it comes to a simmer.
Pour cream over chocolate and let sit for a minute before stirring to combine. Stir until chocolate is fully melted and the mixture is smooth.
Pour into a container and chill in refrigerator for an hour until it is firm.
Place ganache in a stand mixer and whip with whisk attachment until it is light and fluffy. Do not overwhip or it will become dry and crumbly, just like overwhipped cream.

Caramel Buttercream

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream

To make the caramel: Place sugar into a small saucepan and add enough water to give it the texture of wet sand.
Cook sugar on low heat until it has dissolved.
Raise heat to high and let cook until it turns golden. Do not leave it unattended – it can burn very quickly.
Meanwhile, place cream in glass measuring cup and microwave for about 30 seconds just until the cream is warm. Or, you can heat it in another saucepan on the stove.
Once the sugar has turned golden brown, remove from heat. Pour in cream in a slow stream and whisk to incorporate. If any hard chunks of caramel form you can place over medium heat to melt.
Let caramel cool and thicken while you make the buttercream.

3/4 cup sugar
4 large egg whites
1 ½ cups unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into 1-inch pieces

Combine the sugar and egg whites in a medium metal bowl and place over a pan of simmering water.
Whisk the sugar mixture constantly over heat until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture looks smooth and shiny. Continue whisking until the mixture reaches 160 degrees F.
Remove mixture from heat and pour into a stand mixer bowl. Whisk on medium speed for about 5 minutes until the mixture has cooled.
Switch to the paddle attachment and with the speed on low, add the butter a few pieces at a time, beating until smooth. Do not add the butter too quickly or beat too quickly or the buttercream may break.
When all the butter has been added, beat the buttercream on medium-high speed for about 6-10 minutes until it is very thick and smooth. It may appear to separate briefly but continue beating and it should come back together.
Be sure the caramel is still liquid and flows thickly. If it has cooled too much and solidified, warm it up slightly on the stove. Add the caramel to the buttercream and beat to combine.
The buttercream is ready to be used. Place a piece of plastic wrap against the surface until you are ready to use it, to prevent it from drying out.

To assemble the cake: Level off cake layers if necessary. Place one cake layer on a cake board or cake decorating stand.

Spread the whipped chocolate ganache over the layer evenly. You can reserve about half a cup for decorating the top of the cake, if you want.
Place the second cake on top.
Spread a crumb coat of caramel buttercream over the top and sides of cake. Refrigerate for about an hour to let the frosting set.
Spread the rest of the caramel buttercream over the top and sides of cake with an offset spatula.

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Ms. Small Town USA: Minnesota Photographer

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Words by Pamela Sutton
Photography by Kelly Reed

“Because how we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.”

– Annie Dillard, The Writing Life

Minnesota morning, my fingers wrap around my coffee mug as the low light dawns. The lakes freeze over and the land disappears beneath a slow, bright quilt of snow. My kids cheer. Frost patterns the panes that hold out this display of cold. I still feel trapped. The seasons shift slowly to thaw. The days turn to the longest of the year; verdant, flowing, the water moves again. I live confined where others vacation. But a summer sun rises and I rise with it.

I cannot change my circumstances but I can change my perspective.

Since childhood my camera has been cathartic. So I did what I knew. I began to use my camera to literally photograph the hell out of my life. Within the lens I rediscover that I can create beauty from the mundane. The ordinary becomes sacred art. And so, my photography business is born on the ashes left by my journey.

At the heart of Main Street, I meet with my clients in the warm coffee shop. Here, I am reminded of the tightly woven networks that naturally exist in small towns. There is a powerful common history here. Everyone knows each other or they are related. My friends have roots here. My competition has roots here. I am the outsider embarking on territory where I may or may not be received. However presumptuous, attempting to compete with other photographers has never been my ambition. I am reminded of Ayn Rand when she said that “a creative man is motivated by the desire to achieve not by the desire to beat another.” What I need is to create, to connect and to be part of something greater than myself.

Here is a story I can grow within: where business, community and friends meld. How can I learn to see the beauty here in the frozen nights? What can business teach me about catching the days amid dirty dishes and little faces? Madeleine L’Engle whispers in my ear that “we do live, all of us, on many different levels.” I hear her. I believe her. But confined in my Circle of Quiet, it is hard to believe that “the world of imagination is more real than the world of the kitchen sink.” Still, some day’s success is simply enough money to help with groceries and clothing, to put my daughter through dance or to buy books or fishing lures for my boys. This is equally real.

Hands down the biggest challenge I have faced is not related to small town life. It is treating my business like a job instead of an obsession. It is finding balance between work and being mom to my kids. It is choosing between client deadlines and laundry, between social media promotion and “what’s for dinner, mom?”, between working late and rising early. Some days I spin while my kids run in circles and tug on my legs. But what will be important when I look back at this season? If I am so tired I cannot read “Little House on the Prairie,” what does it matter if my house fits in a magazine? If I do not slow down to smile as my children momentarily huddle together under a warm blanket, what does a business mean? For me, having a successful business is equally about spending time with my children and providing a home where they can know they are loved.

Working from the corner office in my home, it is difficult to separate business from family life. I am in the process of bringing to fruition the dream of a studio space by restoring a floor in a rare, historic building with wide open space, with wood floors and large windows for natural light, with a downtown Art District feel. There are days I have had to pinch myself at this opportunity! I believe art is a valuable tool that can help a community grow as it brings people together, further enriching it for everyone. I am eager to use this space not only for my business but to share with others who gravitate toward the arts. I would especially love to see young people use this space as a haven where they can come to freely foster their creativity.

I still miss the energy of the city and the transitions of travelling; Winnipeg, New Zealand and Mexico are memories. Winters feel punishingly long, dark and cold, but coffee tastes best on a cold morning. Good business in a small community is greater than myself. It is to know and love my neighbor, and build my community. It is the reason I get up every morning and the measure by which I determine success. Because Annie Dillard is right that “how we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” I never intended to start a small photography business in a paper mill town on the border of Canada. I am slowly waking up to discover the art of contentment, no matter what my circumstances.