All posts tagged: food

A Heritage Grain Moment: Farmer Mai and the Path to Our Table

June 24, 2025
by Karen Quinones
Leave a comment
Uncategorized

I have some incredibly meaningful news to share with you — the kind that feels like a full-circle moment after years of slow, intentional work. Through the generosity and connections of a few dear friends — Roe at Kings Roost, Nate from Fat Uncle Farms, and Katie from Mimsys_munchies Bakery — I now have in my hands a small but mighty harvest of heritage grain grown by someone extraordinary: Mai Nguyen, also known as Farmer Mai. Who is Farmer […]

Recipe Use & Adaptation Guide for Cottage Bakers

June 22, 2025
by Karen Quinones
comment 1
Uncategorized

Can you sell food made from someone else’s recipe found online or in a cookbook? As a self-taught cottage baker these are important ethical questions I had to ask myself. I cannot create recipes out of thin air. I certainly didn’t learn sourdough on my own. I absolutely learned from cookbooks and online. After reading the Tartine cookbook, I settled on that as the primary way I approach baking. I may have increased my wheat […]

The small business conundrum

September 15, 2024
by Karen Quinones
Leave a comment
Uncategorized

When I started this business three and a half years ago, I was very wide-eyed and inspired to bring my community the highest quality sourdough and desserts money can buy. I pride myself on using as many organic ingredients as possible, even down to the sugar. As this small business started to grow, my costs started to grow as well. The upfront costs took almost two years to pay off: mixer, fermentation refrigerator, Simply Bread […]

Oh Snap!

February 17, 2020
by Karen Quinones
Leave a comment
Appetizer / Uncategorized

Blistered Sugar Snap Peas with black quinoa, whipped feta, sesame date butter and mint One of my favorite restaurants in the Art District of Los Angeles housed inside an art gallery named Hauser & Wirth is Manuela. The restaurant is where the edible works of art are consumed. One of my favorite dishes is the blistered sugar snap peas. This recipe is my riff of this incredible vegetable dish. Time 1-hour Servings 2-3 Ingredients 1 […]

A Little Sweet… A Little Heat

November 11, 2019
by Karen Quinones
Leave a comment
Appetizer / Mexican

Chorizo and Sweet Potato Empanada with Salsa Verde I recently visited a popular restaurant in Los Angeles’ art district, Guerrilla Taco. They are famous for their sweet potato taco. It doesn’t sound like it would be good, but it came highly recommended by the late Jonathan Gold. I wondered how a mushy centered taco would taste in a soft corn shell. Well, it works because he adds chopped corn nuts for crunch. Genius, I tell […]