Advice for doing your own thang, tha-thang, thang, thang:

Step 1: Make Aland's face, shown here, often. 

     We are excited to announce that East Bay Edible picked up an article about us! However, this blog isn't really about that, Aland ( pronounced: eh-lahnd) wants to write about that anyway, because Rob is one of his BFF's. (I think they have matching brass knuckles. Aland has the " BF," portion and Rob has the " Forever," portion to officiate this sacred bond.  They also have a clubhouse in which, I'm never allowed).  Anyway, I'm only mentioning it because we had to answer a list of questions and from there, Rob wrote an article about us. My favorite question didn't make it into the printed version of the article ( someone please play me the world's smallest violin), and so I thought I'd write about it here. 
     The question was, " What advice would you give to young food entrepreneurs who want to follow your path or create their own?" And there are a lot of obvious answers to that question; anyone who has been doing the whole creating for capital for an nth of a second longer than us,could answer waay better than us. Obviously, the creator needs to be passionate about their product. Obviously, the creator should fill a need. Obviously, the   creator should research their product, their market, etc. etc. etc, but there are a couple of things I see people in my generation shying away from, and I think they're crucial to a successful business, (I'd love to hear your feedback on what you other young entrepreneurs deem mandatory for start-up) here's what works for us: 

-Contrary to popular belief,business is not  always about the bottom dollar, but is ALWAYS about the people. We  think it's important to keep in mind that the customer may not always be right, but the customer is always someone's mother, father, sister, brother, etc and should be treated with such respect, even if we don't agree with them or can't do exactly what they want us to do.


-Creativity is not always about more, being esoteric or being obscure. Despite what everyone around us may be doing, we're not pressured  to over gild the lily. Something extremely well made and simple is more. Bakesale Betty's has a line out the door, and though some people are there for their scrumptious cookies, most people are there for that sinful, oooh-mommmaaa Chicken Sandwich. One of my best friends drove all the way from San Diego on limited time, with 3 of her five kids and spent a good 30 minutes in line for one of them bad boys.  Our Hibiscus Pineapple Limeade has four ingredients: Organic Pineapple, Organic Lime, Organic Cane Sugar, and Hibiscus; it sells out quickly. Creativity can be creative without "more," being esoteric, or it being obscure. 
     
-Rely on help and critiques from others.There are people who have been doing things way longer then we've been alive and are amazing at what they do. We are not  ashamed to ask for their advice or help. Aland hates for me to throw a pop away,but if it's crap, it's crap. Not only do we set high standards for ourselves as a business, but we rely on the honest critiques of others.  Not everyone is going to like our product, because they have their own set of individual taste buds. However, no one can refute that our pops are well-made, fresh, and gourmet. As much as we'd like to give ourselves credit for being perfect, honestly it's been our friends, family and guinea pigs who have helped us to present our followers with an excellent product.


- Hang around people who are passionate about what they do, and amazing at it. They don't have to be fellow foodies, maybe they're Dancers or Finance Officers. Hang around people who are the best at what they do, it honestly rubs off on you and redefines standards and makes networking and brainstorming adventurous, fun, and exciting. 


- REST. When we're off, we're off, so that when we need to be on, we're on and crackin'.  Aland and I refuse to mix business and pleasure. Meaning, if we're on a date, I don't talk to him about the labels that need to be made, but I focus on enjoying our time together---this rule has really kept us sane. 


What about you guys? What advice would you give young start-ups? 

CASA! CASA! CASA!

I made the mistake of watching TLC's  "Toddlers and Tiaras," a couple of weeks ago while exercising, and outside of my nerd alert  Sally Jesse Raphael glasses that are taped in the middle, that  show was the best form of birth control I have ever come across. I am by no means an advocate of violence, but I seriously wanted to shake the parents in this show. Somehow, they had all managed to create the most narcissistic human beings I have ever laid eyes on in my life:

       Wait for it, she's going to spit-up pea soup any second now...  

And since we can't shake parents and we don't want to be hypocrites by writing about how great we are, we have decided  to do our part in ridding the world of narcissism by debuting another small business: CASA MURRIGUEZ! (We utterly adore this woman!)

We first met Sharon (the owner), at Bizarre Bazaar in the city, over Christmas. We loved her stuff immediately (of course, it didn't hurt that she was one of the few Oakland businesses representin', and we were literally neighbors.) We bought a handful of things---mainly postcards and gift tags and fought over them all the way home. In fact, we loved her stuff so much that after Aland and I wrapped our Christmas presents, we fought over which gift tags would grace what gifts.(I even made Aland give me back the gift tag pictured, after he opened his gift).

Fast Forward, a few weeks later: tired of people asking us if we had a card, we met with Sharon. We asked her to customize our business cards, she did, and this picture does not do her work justice. I don't know all of the technical names and details, but I do know that they are made in the same manner as her gift cards. Honestly, we could not be happier with how they turned out---they are amazingly fresh-to-def and have really helped to take our business to the next level. Several of our clients and accounts have commented on how lovely our business cards are,and we couldn't agree more. Outside of paper products, Casa M does really creative housewares, which are not only environmentally sustainable, but beyond stylish and affordable. All of her " retro-whimsy" designs are drawn by hand, and then she does her viola-magic to put them on fabric, material, etc. etc. 

All that to say, you guys should really check her out, she's worth it: www.casamurriguez.com.(Mention us, and maybe she'll give you a high five or something).

Who knows, folks? She might even be able to customize some Lil' Bebe kid's "Ni-Ni," if that's what you need...

Momma, can I have some money?

My neighborhood

Do you remember the days when you were playing with your little hooligan friends outside, doing things you probably weren't supposed to, like throwing rocks at cars driving by? Okay, maybe that was just me. I remember the summer heat beating down in The Town, the tarmac reflecting the equal heat back up at me, and having beads of sweat run down my hairless little armpits. Then out of the blue, my friends and I  would hear the comforting jingle of the neighborhood Ice Cream Truck. Some of us would be financially prepared, others would have to drop their rocks or sticks and break for home as fast as our  little feet could take us. I was always that kid.  I remember running in the house, slamming the screen door and screaming at the top of my lungs, " Hurry Momma, I need a dollar for the Ice Cream Truck!!"  Sometimes, a dollar was yielded, other times, she wouldn't even be there, and I would have to scramble for the couch cushions in need of that shiny nickle.  

...." Please.." I would plead, as I flipped each couch cushion over.  Please... "  YES!" 

Sadly, some  of the gang wouldn't return outside, others you could hear their change bouncing in their pockets on their walk back and the anticipation would build, as we listened to the truck scour the peripheral blocks. We stood,  just waiting for that old beat up Dodge covered in stickers to show its grill.  " Hell Ya!" We'd yell in joy, as the truck rounded the corner and  we bolted towards it to form a line.  Long-legged Trelis always managed to  get to it first, with us pushing and shoving behind him. Everybody had their favorites, Levi would always go for the " Ninja Turtle Pop," with the bubble gum eyes, Howie loved the Strawberry Shortcake, and Anthony, I don't even remember what he liked, all I remember was that he was MC Hammer's cousin; myself, I was always an Orange-Creamsicle kinda boy.  

I loved me some Orange-Creamsicle and I couldn't wait to get to that perfect marriage of cream and fake orange.  I'd savor every bite, as it dribbled down my arm, wipe my chin, and resume my shenanigans.

Re-up

And so, in memory of my childhood nostalgia, I  bring to  you (Amanda helped),  a beautiful pairing of Grapefruit and cream.  It is simply made with delicious and organic B& J Grapefruit,  and finished with our version of " cream," which is packed with Pro-biotics. Honestly, it's so good, it'll make you wanna throw a rock at a car.

Origin of the Popsicle...

George, Age 4 in " Oakwind."

When asked what tongues are for, Georgie from " Oakwind," unequivocally replies, " For licking Popsicles Cold Confections, silly."  And of course, you are silly if you don't think George is right, at least about Cold confections. I once asked him the winning numbers to the lottery, and he replied with  "Danna, let's play trains."  

Nevertheless, George has an unmatched blood-brotherly connection  with this deliciously good treat. He knows why God created the tongue, and he also knows that like him, cold confections are from Oakland. It has tickled our fancy for quite some time  to know that the birthplace of the " Eppsicle," (later to be called the "Popsicle") is Oakland, CA.  Of course, we are the birthplace of other great people, places, and things: 

-Julia Morgan

-The Black Panthers

-The Wave 

-Gettin' Hyphy 

-MC Hammer, Goapele, Digital Underground and other great musicians... 

-Rocky Road Ice cream and the Mai Tai 

...But the " Popsicle," whodda thunk it?  

The story goes a little something like this: 

At the ripe age of eleven, Frank Epperson left a glass of lemonade outside with a stick in it. Why, there was a stick in his lemonade? The world may never know, but I will point out two things: 1.) He was eleven. 2.) He was an eleven year old boy.  You can file that under, " mystery solved." Anywho,where was I?   Overnight, the lemonade froze  and dear ol' Franky licked the stick and found it to taste good. Twenty something years later, he applied for a patent for something described along the lines of, " a frozen treat on a stick." (Is it just me, or does Franky come off as the overly rational type?)  Later, his children,  with an ounce of creativity,  re-named it the  "Popsicle," and even later still,  the rights were sold to a company in our Sister City named Good Humor. 

The End ? 

No, not really...

106 years later, we're happy to bring  this delicious cold confection back home; so much so, that one of our mainstay flavors, "Peach Lemonade", which was created to be kid friendly and made with: Woodleaf Farm Organic Peaches, Ginger, Meyer Lemons and Organic Cane Sugar is dedicated to the Godfather, himself, Frank Epperson.

P.S. The word " Popsicle," is much like the words " Xerox, Band-aid, Crayon, Q-tip and the newest, Urban Homesteading..."  meaning, don't use them to describe your product, or your pants might be sued right off of your body.

Pop Recipe

Y'all the weather deities have been good to us this month, you should honor them with a  Tangerine Pudding Pop! Guess what? They're vegan, too!

Yields: 6-8, 3 oz Pops.

What you'll need: 

Aland's offering to the Bill Cosby gods...

• 1 Cup Organic Cane Sugar or organic powdered sugar with tapioca cornstarch.
• 1/3 teaspoon Tangerine zest or citrus of your choice( Lime not recommended)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoon of Vanilla Extract
• 1/3 teaspoon of hydrated saffron (optional) 
• 1 20 oz container of silken tofu (We like Hodo Soy, and you can find it at Berkeley Farmer's Market or at Berkeley Bowl but Mori-Nu Firm Silken works well, too*).
• 3/4 Cup of coconut milk or Earth balance soy free " butter"* works well too.
• 1 Cup of Freshly squeezed Tangerine juice or Citrus of your choice (again, no lime).

Directions: 

In medium saucepan combine coconut milk, cane sugar, tangerine zest, salt, saffron, tangerine juice and vanilla extract.  Whisk and bring to a boil over high heat.  Be quick and reduce your mixture to a simmer, KEEP WHISKING,  and let it simmer for about 45 seconds to a minute.

Pour your mixture into a blender with your tofu and blend until smooth. 

Pour your mixture into a non-metal bowl (acid + metal= not good), cover and toss that bad boy in the fridge for about 1-3 hours. 

Once your mixture has completely cooled, you can pour them into your pop mold and let them freeze for at least 6 hours.

Voila! Enjoy! 

We encourage experiments. Try additional spices that go well with citrus or different citruses, altogether...mmm..how's about Meyer's Lemon or Blood Oranges? The world is your oyster kid! Tell us how they turn out!

* Bryant Terry's " Vegan Soul Kitchen," recommends Mori Nu Silken. 

* If you choose to use the butter, do not boil, just melt it and let the sugar dissolve.

New Pops

Berkeley Farmer's Market

Aland and I have been guilty of  mentioning the word "community," here and there.  We understand that  there's always the risk within the American-English language of negative over-exposure. When  the "here and there" happens without responsibility over one's words, words like: "eco-friendly," "carbon footprint," "epic,"and " awesome" meet the unfortunate fate of over-exposure.  In the same breath, I can use the adjective " awesome," to describe my ability to parallel park (which Aland  would also describe as "awesome-ly terrible"), or Martin Luther King Jr.'s grace to lead a movement that changed American History. The word, " awesome,"  used to mean something and was reserved for truly awe inspiring moments like The Civil Rights Movement, but this is no longer the case.  The word, " community," cannot afford to meet this fate; a way of prevention is to start with honest and true conversations, which are shared from the heart.

These new pops are our conversation shared from the heart.

Aland buying vegan friendly...

Our Community Line of pops is an attempt to not only foster, but  sustain community, regardless of whom your community consists. One of the reasons why we have decided to sell this line exclusively to businesses functioning within a community setting is because we want to increase this line's chance of actually engaging people. Our hope is that while you eat these pops,they will center you around a table and  create opportunity to  start conversations, talk about pleasant childhood memories, new foodie experiences or inspire you in your own form of creating.

At the moment, we are not at liberty to  share everything regarding our new line. However, we do feel it prudent and fair to introduce to you  1  of the 8 new items that  you will be able to find in places around San Francisco, Oakland, and Berkeley in as early as May. ( Don't worry, we'll introduce the  rest of the New Pop gang very soon).

" Bill Cosby" here, helped himself...

So, without further ado, say hello to our little friend:  Chocolate Puddin' Cabernet. Chocolate Puddin' Cabernet is 100% organic, vegan, and gluten free. It is perfectly balanced and velvety smooth with hints of blackberry, smoke, black pepper, rose petals, currants, and of course, yummy dark chocolate.
It is delicious!