Living in Lala-Land, you’re guaranteed to see a celebrity or two. It’s all in a day or week. My normal reaction to television and film stars is an internal “Oh, that’s (insert name). Neat.”. There is, however, one type of celebrity that makes me swoon, gush and send “OMG” text messages to my friends. Food stars and celebrity chefs. I nearly fainted when I encountered Giada De Laurentiis on the streets of Georgetown while living in D.C. (she’s unbelievably gorgeous in person). One famous foodie was spotted in Santa Monica today to sign her newest book, BabyCakes Covers the Classics at Williams Sonoma. Erin McKenna, vegan and gluten-free baked goods goddess, relentlessly pursued her passion to make delicious, quality treats for people with food sensitivities and allergies. Maybe that’s why we love our celebrities; against all odds they choose creativity and happiness over the mundane and safe.
Erin answered questions as she was making Chocolate Chip Waffles at the Williams Sonoma store in Santa Monica. Read her GOOP interview and you MUST watch the Frosting Party. Girls, baked goods, whipped frosting & Freak Nasty’s “Da’Dip”!
BabyCakes was an idea while Erin worked as a waitress. On taking the risk and opening a business: “I just did it. It was really hard in the beginning and I was definitely living hand-to-mouth, but I was so happy; it was so fun. All of the hard times were so much better than all of the hard times when I had a job where I was unhappy. Going to the bakery every day was fun, meeting people from the neighborhood, working in the kitchen all day making food and laughing… and crying! It was worth it all.”
Will BabyCakes open a store in West L.A., Santa Monica or West Hollywood? We hope so! The current locations are New York City, downtown Los Angeles and Disney. Erin listened as fan threw out ideas from curbside service to a BabyCakes food truck. The BabyCakes interior is part of its charm. My vote is “no” on curbside. I am more than happy to park and trek downtown L.A.’s streets for this little gem.
Most importantly of all, I asked Erin which shades of red she and her fellow BabyCake gals wear. Erin’s answer: “the old-lady Revlon lipsticks in the green tube!”. Blog love to Cupcakes & Cashmere, who has the exact shades outlined in “Favorite Things“.
Which celebs make you swoon? Who would you love to meet?
