Every day is a great day for Baking Whoopie!

Baking what?

In 2009, I was living in Los Angeles and my PR and marketing consulting business, On the Rox Media (restaurant and hospitality clients) was slow. So, I had the brilliant idea to start a whoopie pie (WP) company. Yup, in the middle of a recession. You see, I thought that whoopie pies were destined to rise to the same level of mega popularity as the cupcake. In fact, just as I was embarking on my venture, the New York Times came out with an article that reinforced this idea. I considered it a sign and so began the market research, recipe development, the experimenting with flavor combos, the numerous taste tests and of course putting together a business plan. What was missing was a cool name for the business. After wracking my brain and bouncing ideas off of some fellow marketing/PR peeps, restaurant owners and chefs, a lightning bolt struck me while I was in the bedroom...vacuuming. 

 

And Baking Whoopie was born. Nine months later, Neiman Marcus selected our whoopie pies for their 2010 holiday epicure catalog. Their decision was based solely on the quality and taste of the product. I didn't have an "in" or have someone make an introduction. The reason I bring this up is not to sound arrogant or brag but as a reminder that, in life, "nothing ventured, nothing gained;" "you'll never know if you don't try;" "throw it up against the wall and see if it sticks;" and lyrics to a song from one my fave bands, The Psychedelic Furs' Love My Way, "you can never win or lose if you don't run the race." 

 

Neimans was definitely a learning experience  and a positive one at that; they wanted my pies back the next year. But, I was tired (300 orders in six weeks -- approximately 7800 whoopies!). Remember that old Dunkin' Donuts commercial, "time to make the donuts?" That was pretty much how it was -- non-stop and just plain exhausting.

 

I've found that many people don't know what the heck a whoopie pie is, so I'll explain. Let's just call it a cake sandwich with a little cache and a bit of history. It's a classic New England dessert, supposedly originating from Maine. OR, if you happen to live in Pennsylvania and surrounding territories, the Amish are responsible for creating this sweet treat.  Does it really matter? What's more important is how a whoopie pie tastes -- regardless of where it comes from. And there are plenty of folks out there who make 'em. Home cooks, professional bakers and companies that are solely dedicated to churning out WP's that are made by the truckload and like a Twinkie, have a super long shelf life.

 

None, however, like Baking Whoopie's. They are the best you'll ever taste.  Great ingredients set the stage.  No chemicals or preservatives (with the exception of the red food coloring used in the red velvet pies). As Baking Whoopie slowly gets back up and running after a three year hiatus, I hope you will order some once I've set up my online bakery. We will once again ship across the country. They're not the least expensive dessert you can buy, but they're worth every penny.

 

Cheers!!

 

Roxy Rubell