One of the many perks of working for Williams-Sonoma? Getting to meet amazing cookbook authors and testing their delicious recipes all while on the clock. Who could ask for a better way to spend the work day?!
Actually, Jeni Brinton Bauer was our first cookbook author to come to the West Des Moines Williams-Sonoma ever, and it was such a blast. I personally had to make (5) batches of her to die for Ugandan Vanilla Bean Ice Cream (pgs. 148-149 of her book) as well as her Berry Crisp Ice Cream (pgs. 196-198). I spent a big part of the day before her signing preparing. It was actually a lot easier to make than I thought it would be and I got to taste the results first :)
The next day, it was all about setting the store for Jeni's arrival. We were all so excited to meet her and know everything about her.
First look at her Berry Crisp Ice Cream creation. It was divine. The sweetness of the brandied cherries, was set off by the creamy not-so-sweet vanilla ice cream, and the "crisp" was a unexpected joy too!
Is that her?! NO, it's just my good friend Nancy, being silly and getting excited to meet Jeni herself.
There she is! She was so SUPER sweet and pleasant to work with and talk to. She talked to every single person and told us all about what inspires her flavors and what is she working on next. She was so taken aback by Des Moines. She loved the mix of old and new buildings in the downtown area. I told her all about the East Village and told her that she needed to run down to RAYGUN and get their famous "IDAWAHIO" t-shirt which pokes fun at people who confuse Idaho, Iowa, and Ohio, the famous potato-corn-tire "state" (Jeni is from Ohio).
She even took a picture with the team before she jetted off to Meredith's Better Homes & Garden's Ice Cream social, in her honor.
She is featured in August's issue of Better Homes & Gardens. The photo-article layout is beautiful and just makes you want to run and out all the unusual ingredients and combinations that she's come up with in her book.... Beet Ice Cream being one of them... it is truly a sweet treat :)
Actually, Jeni Brinton Bauer was our first cookbook author to come to the West Des Moines Williams-Sonoma ever, and it was such a blast. I personally had to make (5) batches of her to die for Ugandan Vanilla Bean Ice Cream (pgs. 148-149 of her book) as well as her Berry Crisp Ice Cream (pgs. 196-198). I spent a big part of the day before her signing preparing. It was actually a lot easier to make than I thought it would be and I got to taste the results first :)
The next day, it was all about setting the store for Jeni's arrival. We were all so excited to meet her and know everything about her.
First look at her Berry Crisp Ice Cream creation. It was divine. The sweetness of the brandied cherries, was set off by the creamy not-so-sweet vanilla ice cream, and the "crisp" was a unexpected joy too!
Is that her?! NO, it's just my good friend Nancy, being silly and getting excited to meet Jeni herself.
There she is! She was so SUPER sweet and pleasant to work with and talk to. She talked to every single person and told us all about what inspires her flavors and what is she working on next. She was so taken aback by Des Moines. She loved the mix of old and new buildings in the downtown area. I told her all about the East Village and told her that she needed to run down to RAYGUN and get their famous "IDAWAHIO" t-shirt which pokes fun at people who confuse Idaho, Iowa, and Ohio, the famous potato-corn-tire "state" (Jeni is from Ohio).
She even took a picture with the team before she jetted off to Meredith's Better Homes & Garden's Ice Cream social, in her honor.
She is featured in August's issue of Better Homes & Gardens. The photo-article layout is beautiful and just makes you want to run and out all the unusual ingredients and combinations that she's come up with in her book.... Beet Ice Cream being one of them... it is truly a sweet treat :)
Joey - love the blog! The ice cream you made that day was the BEST and the customers loved it. Jeni was so sweet and it was a great day at Williams-Sonoma! thanks nancyb
ReplyDeleteYou'll have to check out the newest post on your breakfast bruschetta recipe :)
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