Month: April 2012

eat.drink.Mississippi

Taking the Cake: Fat Cake Guy

eat. drink. Mississippi
March / April 2012

When Jim Stewart got out of bed one Saturday morning in June 2007, he had no idea that by the end of the weekend he would be the new owner of a candy store.  Stewart and his wife Ginnia decided to run errands that afternoon, ending up near Candy’s Confections on Old Fannin Rd. in Brandon.  Noticing the door to the store was left propped open, the couple decided to step inside.  Next thing they knew, the current owner was making them an offer.

“My wife and I decided to go home that night and talk about,” revealed Stewart, who at the time was working as a safety manager for a trucking company in Clinton, but had spent several years working in the food industry.  “The next day we went back and did an inventory and Monday morning I quit my job.”

Because the name Candy’s Confections was already well-known within the community, the couple decided to keep the name.  Baking was a service that the previous owners offered, but gourmet candy and sweets had always been the main focus of the business.  Eventually, Stewart began to notice more demand for custom-made cakes.  In September 2011, the Stewarts decided to close the original location and move into a larger facility on Lakeland Drive in Flowood.  The store re-opened as Fat Cake Guy a week later.

Fat Cake Guy offers a variety of custom designed-cakes for any occasion including weddings, birthdays, baby showers and corporate events.  Their cakes range from decorated sheet cakes to 3-D cakes (to date, his most elaborate 3-D cake has been a replica of the Starship Enterprise from Star Trek) and come in any flavor imaginable from traditional white to red velvet to hummingbird.

“Now days with Google, if I can find a recipe for it, I’ll make it,” says Stewart.

Fat Cake guy is more than just a bakery, however.  Not forgetting their roots, the store still offers a large selection of bulk candy items in addition to gourmet chocolates, brownies, cupcakes, and iced cookies.  Both adults and children can pull up a bright orange bar stool and enjoy a “candy cocktail” at the Candy Bar.  These non-alchoholic beverages, comprised of soda and flavored Italian syrup, are served in brightly colored hurricane glasses with candy fruit garnishment and fun, squiggly straw.  Patrons can try a frappe freeze, which is a non-caffeinated drink made of crushed ice, milk, and chocolate or caramel syrup.

Parents looking for a fun and creative idea for their child’s birthday need to look no further.  Not only can Fat Cake Guy bake the cake, but they can host the party as well.  Each guest is given a four-inch, iced cake that they can decorate any way they want with icing, candy or sprinkles.

Looking back over the unexpected turn of events that brought him from a safety expert to cake baker and decorator extraordinaire, Stewart adds, “Almost five years later, we are still going strong.  It has been a lot of fun and I hope to keep it up.”

Fat Cake Guy
5352 Lakeland Drive #2000
Flowood, MS 39232
601-992-9623
Website

Hours:
Monday – Thursday 7am – 7pm
Friday – Saturday 7am – 8pm
Sunday – Closed

eat.drink.Mississippi

Are you Ready to Rumble? Eat Jackson’s Bread Pudding Throwdown Serves up a Delicious Dose of Competition

eat. drink. Mississippi
March / April 2012
Article and photos

Sparkling lights strung across the balcony of Old Capitol Inn’s Gala Ballroom cast a warm glow over some of Jackson’s top chefs and over 350 dessert lovers from the Jackson-metro area for the city’s first ever Eat Jackson Bread Budding Throwdown on January 20.

Large silver chafing dishes lined long rows of tables in the center of the room and as guests hurriedly tied on their bread pudding official judge aprons and grabbed a plate, the lids came off to reveal the warm, sweet, gooey contents hidden underneath.

Fifteen restaurants participated in the event, showcasing sixteen different varieties of bread pudding ranging from classic to creative.  Each judge was given an official ballot.  The name of the game – visit each station, try the bread pudding, then cast your vote for Best Overall, Most Creative, Most Like Grandma’s, and Best Table Decoration.

Parlor Market went home with two awards – Best Table Decoration and Most Creative.  Their “Lighter than Air Bread Pudding,” was served on individual spoons to ensure each guest got a perfect bite of brioche, dried cherry anglaise and candied pecans.  Chef Tom Ramsey of Underground 119 was named runner up.  His “Homer” Bread Pudding was inspired by the favorite food of cartoon character Home Simpson and featured grape jelly donuts, beer, and bacon.

Primos Café was awarded Most Like Grandma’s.  Their simple, yet comforting recipe has been evoking fond memories of Grandma for years.  Runner up was another Jackson-area landmark – Two Sister’s Kitchen.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The big winner of the night was the White Chocolate and Cranberry Bread Pudding by Chef Andy Cook at Parker House.  The recipe was first developed by Ken Dixon, former general manager, and Kenny Sutton, former pastry chef, for the restaurant.  Chef Cook tweaked the recipe after joining Parker House in 2005, but says it’s basically the same creation.

“Over the years we have been hearing people tell us our bread pudding the best in town, but this is a town filled with a lot of incredible bread puddings,” said Chef Cook.  “When Eat Jackson mentioned the bread pudding throw down I was very excited about our chances.  We had a blast participating and anytime you get so many restaurants together for an event like this it’s like a family reunion.”

In between judging, guests enjoyed a top-shelf bourbon tasting by Katz Winery in addition to gourmet coffee courtesy of Beanfruit Coffee.

A portion of every ticket purchase went to the Craig Noone “Rock it Out” Memorial Scholarship, a fund established by the Mississippi Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (MRAEF) in honor of the late owner and head chef of Parlor Market.  The scholarship is awarded to a Mississippi culinary student to help with the cost of school.  Attendees were also able to make additional donations during the event.

Added Cook, “Even though it was a competition, it was a great time win or lose.  We were participating for a great cause and for the joy of interacting with people and bringing them joy through our passion for feeding people.”

Portico Jackson Magazine

Eighties Nightmare to Kitchen Fabulous

Portico Jackson Magazine
April 2012

It has been said that the kitchen is the heart of the home.  For Andy and Anna Howell, they had what they felt like was a great house in a great neighborhood.  Their Madison home is located in a friendly subdivision with a spacious backyard for the couple’s son and dog.  However, despite these great features, the couple felt like the “heart” of their home needed something more.

Built in the 1980’s, the Howell’s describe their home’s living space as “dated, small, dark, and totally isolated.”  The layout was awkward, they had a dining area they seldom utilized, and storage and workspace was minimal.

“The kitchen just did not work well at all,” Anna recalled. “The appliances all opened on top of each other – the dishwasher door opened right in front of my sink!  I would also have to include the burgundy countertops and pink and burgundy floral wallpaper to the list of items I did not like about the house.”

The Howell’s seriously considered packing up and moving out of their beloved neighborhood into a larger home, but before putting their house on the market they decided to look into remodeling.  Previously, the Howell’s worked with Celia Barrett Designs to renovate their master bedroom.  Once again, they called on Barrett to help with the redesign of their kitchen and the surrounding living space.

“Starting with a design concept helps me stay focused as I travel through the planning, design, and decoration of a space,” Barrett said.  “My concept for the Howell’s home was as you walk from living room to dining room you are transported into a welcoming, open home with comfort and character.  I wanted to be able to have an abundance of light, use the space to its maximum capacity, and turn it into a room they never wanted to leave.”

Barrett presented the family with a plan that not only provided more functionality, but added more square footage to the existing home.  By knocking out the adjoining wall between the kitchen and the dining room, the newly designed area added an open family room with a fireplace, cathedral ceilings, and full-height windows to let in more light.  A peninsula island in the kitchen looked out over the family room and provided much needed storage and counter space.

The renovation not only enlarged the original kitchen, but also extended the bathroom and added a walk-in closet to the master bedroom in addition to a laundry room off the kitchen.  Neutral color scheme, granite countertops, and custom-stained wood cabinets add a casual and comfortable element to the space.  New wood flooring replaced the carpet in the dining and great room, while large travertine tiles were laid in the kitchen.  Extra touches such as a pot-filler over the gas range, side bar sink, stone and cracked tile backsplash and unique hand-painted tiles around the fireplace were added surprises that the family loved.

Barrett also knew of Anna’s fondness for family heirlooms and antiques, so she incorporated several of Anna’s pieces plus a few finds of her own to make the space truly feel like home.  The entire design was rounded out with a full-length deck across the back of the house and a screened in porch, giving the family the perfect place to relax on a warm evening.

“With busy work and school schedules, family time is so limited these days,” said Anna of her new living space.  “Celia really delivered when we told her we wanted and open living area.  She gave us our ‘wall of windows,’ which really brings the outside in.  I now have a front row seat to so many beautiful sunsets.”