Pie or Cake? Biscuit or Cookie? How would you celebrate a milestone birthday? The American Craft Council celebrates their 70th birthday this weekend August 12-14, with the works of 230 artisans at Fort Mason Center.
Joining in the birthday bash are Bay Area bakeries, including two that focus wholly on our canine companions.
Canine Confections and Barkn Belly Bakery were invited to design unique doggie treats and cakes inspired by the various artists’ handmade pieces of jewelry, pottery, glass, fiber art and multi-media masterpieces that will be on display at the show this weekend - we got a sneak peek and they didn't disappoint! The star shaped dog treats Sandra created give you an idea of the level of detail, she puts into her creations for Canine Confections.
Sandra & Caesar Estrada bake their hearts out for dogs. Their recipes at Canine Confections reflect the incredible love, passion and gratitude they feel towards all dogs.They brought Chalupa and her younger "husband" Durango with them to our get together at Fort Mason Center. These two furry taste testers for Canine Confections were the cutest distractions, to me and the every worker that passed by setting up for the big show!
When I asked about their inspiration for their bakery business and their recipes, Sandra looked over at 12 year old Chalupa and said, "She deserves the best, anything we do is a drop in the bucket."
Like many of us dog lovers, Chalupa's diabetes motivated Sandra to find alternatives. Given Sandra and Caesar's attention to detail, love for dogs, while focusing on holistic and organic ingredients - Cleo and I will be reaching out to them in the near future for birthday (Cleo's homecoming day) biscuits and treats.
Because Sandra and Caesar are willing to create special treats just for clients, the tasty results create word of mouth marketing - a little like the dog network in 101 Dalmatians. From Florida to San Francisco, from St. Jude Children's Hospital to Gump's to Black Star Beer - Canine Confections are dedicated to offering only healthy and unique dog treats. For you local readers, some of their designs reminded me of famed chocolatier, Joseph Schmidt. He could make any shape out of chocolate - including wrenches, hammers and more. Sandra & Caesar are just as talented.
Jesse Figueroa may be young (he started his bakery business while still in high school!) but he has the dedication of someone who is building a range of healthy yet stylish creations for dogs to eat. He works hard at Barkn Belly Bakery trying to create unique treats and cakes for his growing list of clients.
His passion is offering organic & natural ingredients, styled into cool and fashionable dog treats and cakes. Jesse sells a lot of one-of-a-kind birthday cakes for dogs using his own patented dog fondant. You can see his creativity and sense of design in the cake he created inspired by PJ Floyd's rabbit. He puts long hours into always trying new ideas using healthy ingredients.
Barkn Belly Bakery offers cakes and treats that look good and taste good. Besides his custom cakes, one of his signature treats are canine petit fours or as I like to call them "pawty" fours. With Jesse's unique perspective, his business is bound to keep expanding into new designs and creations.
These two local bakeries speak to the growing desire by dog lovers to give their four-legged loved one a healthy choice that is beautiful to look at. And though they are local, you can find their confections nationwide! Visit their websites to learn more.
American Craft Council show: 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Fri., until 6 p.m. Sat. and 5 p.m. Sun.
$14 one-day pass; $5 show admission at the door after 5 p.m. Fri. only; $20 for a three-day pass;
American Craft Council members and children 12 and under free.
Fort Mason Center, Festival Pavilion. (
800) 836-3470. craftcouncil.org/sf.
All cakes, cupcakes and doggie inspired cake creations will be on display throughout American Craft Council show. You can view the entire gallery online here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/americancraftcouncil
About the American Craft Council
The American Craft Council's mission is to champion craft. As a national, nonprofit public educational organization founded in 1943 by Aileen Osborn Webb, the Council actively promotes the understanding and appreciation of contemporary American craft through its bimonthly magazine American Craft, annual juried shows presenting artists and their work, leadership conferences, awards for excellence, research library, workshops and seminars.
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