Chef Linda's Confection Commentary

Tag: in+dulge

Building Something of Value to Others

Strokes of culinary mortar

applied discretely in partnership;

trust first extended, it

the midwife of salubrious confection

 

Building Something of Value to Others

An interesting creative aspect of entering a completely new field is the opportunity to take a candid look at what historical features of my work style truly seemed to have benefitted others.

 

In reflecting, I realize that I’ve done my best work when I had the opportunity to build something of significant value to others that was self-organizing and deeply rooted in service. I love the process of – and have felt rewarded by – building something of value to others.

 

Recognizing this as my primary work style helps formulate how the work we do at Essential Confection and Essential-Insight Advisors can be most beneficial to our customers and clients.

 

A Snapshot of our Work

Here’s a snapshot of our work in Q122:

  • Partnering with other artisans. The most fun, and totally in line with how I love to work. We’re partnering with regional artisans to produce confection products using their own artisan products. It’s that “building something of value to others” piece I just mentioned.
  • Product development. We’re methodically building a stable of unique, Pacific Northwest ingredient-sourced cookies in pre-scaled dough. To-date, we have In+Dulge™, our luscious 3-chocolate, ‘accidentally gluten-free’ cookie dough; and brand new HazL+Nutly™ using our house made Oregon hazelnut butter. More PNW-sourced cookie dough products to follow.
  • Restaurant desserts. Essential Confection produces 7 texturally luxurious desserts to help restaurants create a reliable, predictable dessert profit center. Everything from the glorious Essential Almond Cake (using sublime almond paste) with 72% chocolate frosting, to Essential Citrus Olive Oil Cake (lemon-infused EVOO), to Essential Flourless Chocolate Torte to Essential Tiramisu (4 liqueurs). Our seasonal fruit desserts change each quarter.
  • Videos! In keeping with my love of writing, we’re dropping weekly ~2 minute videos designed to a. encourage cooks to deepen their pleasure of baking and cooking through self-education; and b. help restaurants incorporate the soft skills of hospitality to increase their restaurant’s success and profitability.
  • Here’s how Euclidian geometry aligns with creating confection products!

https://www.facebook.com/linda.naylor/videos/3262388327379139

  • Here’s how chefs worldwide create the experiences that are most important to us all:

https://www.facebook.com/linda.naylor/videos/624911065512465

  • A super-high quality mail order company has approached to consider taking our Essential Douglas Fir Shortbread™ national this year. We’d love to help other taste the Pacific Northwest, so…

 

A Super-Nova in the Works

In Q2, the advent of local fruit has so many exciting possibilities. (This is always true in Oregon. We get excited about sunshine and fruit.) We have a project in the hopper on a decidedly Oregon variety of an Italian fruit delicacy. More to follow, here, as well…

 

And, yes, Essential Confection has a holiday super-nova in the works… totally emblematic of the Pacific Northwest. A real stretch for us that we think – executed correctly – will have no equal. Of course, our beloved Essential Panettone™ will make its annual holiday appearance, dressed to the nines.

 

Working in partnership is discovery-filled. Creating unique artisan products that benefit our partners and delight our guests helps solidify our company as a true partner in a truly relational sphere.

 

We love hearing from you.

Linda

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shipping Goblins are in the Air

Shipping Goblins?

A set of uncertainties may impact nationwide product delivery in the approaching holiday season.

Inconsistent availability of ingredients due to supply chain fluctuations, highly irregular inter-state delivery times and changing delivery costs are converging to impact most holiday purchases.

Personal experience abounds. A FedEx wine shipment from California took seven days to leave the state and evidently spent the next eight days moving in and out of the Portland hub with zero delivery attempts. The major issue is understaffing. FedEx is performing at 60% of normal capacity. They declared the shipment as ‘lost’ when I inquired. There has been no FedEx truck in our community for at least three weeks.

As was our practice last year, we will have specific, three-week pre-order periods for our flagship products, Essential Panettone Artisan Milanese and Essential Panettone Northwest. In an attempt to offset holiday delivery issues, we will back that order period up by, perhaps, seven days. Unless shipment services improve, we will be required to ship all out-of-state holiday products via second-day air because what is important to our guests is the value of the gift to the recipient.

Essential Holiday Tin

Our first annual holiday tin, Essential Douglas Fir Shortbread, will be available for pre-order, as well. If you wish to be on our pre-holiday list for either product, please email me directly. Specific order details for each product will follow.

In+Dulge™

Essential Confection has another pre-holiday announcement. Recipe formulation and testing for our most-special chocolate cookie is complete. Packaging, pricing and shipping details are yet to follow in a formal product launch. Our new chocolate cookie is called In+Dulge™.

Accidentally gluten-free!  Here’s a “taste” of In+Dulge™’s heavenly qualities: bittersweet 72% Guittard chocolate and a luxurious mouthfeel, punctuated with a bit of the finest flaked sea salt. In+Dulge™ will always be shipped second-day air to allow you to bake them directly from your freezer at home.

 

“This moment’s indulgence is tomorrow’s nostalgia.”

 

We will continue to proactively communicate with you as shipping goblins ebb and flow. We value our relationship with you, and will make extraordinary effort meet our commitments.

 

Please feel free to email with your interest in joining our pre-holiday order list.

 

Linda

wwwEssentialConfection.com

linda@essentialconfection.com

#essentialconfection

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