Now that’s a good tip
Martha Stewart shops in Spokane. OK, it wasn’t Martha herself – it was an editor for her magazine Martha Stewart Living and they were shopping online – but the owners of a local baking Web site were still thrilled when they could supply the Ateco pastry tip they were looking for at www.ultimatebaker.com, says Douglas Rose, co-owner of the business.
Martha Stewart editors used the large petal shaped tip (Ateco #180, which sells for $3.74) to put ribbons of white chocolate mousse atop the Poppy Seed Grapefruit Torte in December’s issue of the magazine. They gave the Web site a small mention in the process. Look inside today’s Food section for the recipe.
Rose and his business partner, Gareth Oxford, took over www.ultimatebaker.com and its sister site www.bakerstools.com when the local retail store Cook’s Dream went out of business. Through the site they sell professional grade aluminum cake pans, cake pan sets, cake decorating supplies, cheesecake pans, cake boxes and “all the little weird baking tools that you would ever need.”
About 60 percent of sales go to home bakers who want high-quality products and the rest is sold to baking and culinary professionals. “They don’t want the stuff you get at Wal-Mart. We don’t sell it,” Rose says.
The products are sold online only, but are happy to arrange for local pick up to save on shipping. For more information about www.ultimatebaker.com, call 954-5753 or toll-free (866) 285-2665.
Bake something ugly
Don’t let the name scare you, UglyWare can help you make gorgeous dinners and desserts.
The pans, made by Lloyd Industries of Spokane Valley, were so named because the process for coating the pans leaves behind streaks and rack marks. The business started by selling commercial pizza pans to some of the largest home delivery outfits including Domino’s, Papa John’s, Little Caesar’s and Pizza Hut.
Now the company is offering its commercial bake ware to home cooks.
To show off its pans, UglyWare is sponsoring a pie baking contest at the Festival of Foodies on Saturday. There are two finalists and festival attendees will help choose the winner.
Students from the Inland Northwest Culinary Academy at Spokane Community College are baking the finalists’ pies: Apple Crisp pie, from Marilyn Moore (who is a member of our Spokesman-Review reader food panel) and Huckleberry-Blueberry Pie from Tamara Barron. Festival attendees will taste samples starting at 2 p.m. (until they’re gone) and vote for their favorite.
The winner will be announced at 4:45 and receives $500 worth of UglyWare.
The Festival of Foodies will be held from 2 to 6 p.m. at the Lair building at the Spokane Community College. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. Look inside today’s section at the calendar for the locations to buy tickets, or call 242-2668.
For more details about UglyWare go to www.goodbaking.com. The pans can also be purchased at local University Appliance locations.