Mäni’s Blog Café

Mäni's Morsels: SPOTLIGHT on PASTRY

In addition to her qualifications as a pastry chef, she’s a culinary instructor for Chefs Inc. She also teaches cooking and baking for the City of Arcadia to kids ages 8 to 12 years old. She's also worked as a personal chef. Our latest addition to our pastry team, ladies and gentlemen, please join Mänis in welcoming Cherylynn Barber, our new pastry chef! 

Cheryl comes to Mäni's from Le Cordon Bleu in Pasadena. She was the pastry/baker chef assistant at the Hotel Sofitel on Beverly Boulevard, where she prepared and plated desserts and pastries for weddings, banquets and business meetings. One of the areas of focus that interests Cheryl is custom cake decorating, and specifically wedding cake designing and decorating.

Sugar or Not? How do you like your bakery products?

I'm curious.  When I shop at Whole Foods or any quality market, I usually read the labels to see if a product is made/sweetened with or without sugar.  It's not that I never eat sugar, but I prefer products which are just not overly sweet.  Not only do I eliminate that sugar rush/sugar crash when I have foods sweetened with an alternative sweetner, but I actually prefer the more complex flavors.  Am I that unusual?  Or do others feel the same way? 

And what about whole wheat flour instead of white or bleached flours?   I find the consistency of whole grains more satisfying.  Maybe it's because I feel I'm getting real nutrition.  Just wondering what you think.  That's why I like to eat here, I love to hear what you think about:

• Alternative sweeteners
• Whole wheat flours and whole grains

I think some people prefer more traditional bakery items their flavors and textures.  So let us know your favorite things.... I'll give you a cookie, just ask for Larry.

Mäni's Morsels: HISTORY of CHOCOLATE PART III

From it's earliest beginnings as the "heavenly drink" the Mayans knew as "the food of the gods", and nearly a hundred years as Spains' Top Secret recipe - guarded by monks, to it's status in the 17th century as an evil poisonous drug only the elite could afford, chocolate continues to enjoy an association with divine-decadence.

Hershey Acquires Specialty Chocolatier

Just a little tid bit that sort of goes with todays Morsel: History of Chocolate Part III...

I read in todays LA Times that Hershey Co. has plans to acquire the Berkeley-based Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker Inc. Scharffen Berger, maker of premium dark chocolate bars and baking products, has stores in San Francisco and Berkeley as well as one in New York. It's products can also be found in some specialty shops...like Wholefoods.

Customers Blogging with Us

Here's my first request since starting our Mäni’s blog last week.

How do we get our valued customers to become part of our blogoshphere?

After all, our goal is a noble one:  "to build a better Mäni’s on Fairfax"

So a first question could be "What is a Better Mäni’s?"  Really only our customers, our Mäniacs can answer that question.  I'm not sure we even want to ask traditional marketing research questions.  We don't want to suggest anything.  We'd like it to come from you.

That brings me back to the original question of how do we involve YOU?  OK, we're listening...

Fifteen Years

We never know when we start something where it may end up. Fifteen years ago, Mani's was just an unknown little bakery on South Fairfax. For the first few months maybe we had a few dozen customers a day. Now we serve thousands per week. Our team of 45 work to give our customers the best food and service. But I personally find it disappointing when we fail to live up to what we want to be.

Sometimes it seems to be almost impossible to get everything right from 6:30AM to midnight. Every cookie, cake, sauce, cream, salad, sandwich, coffee. The music, the air conditioning, keeping every table ready at every moment for another guest. And I think we do it pretty well, maybe even a 99% on some days. Maybe less on others.

With staff from dozens of countries over the years and, open almost every day of the year, it has been a challenge from time to time.

But we are extremely fortunate to have been able to accommodate almost everyone for all these years. To those who've enjoyed our food, desserts, ambiance and staff I say thank you, thank you, truly for being there for us and allowing us to serve you and create wonderful creations for your

Mäni's Morsels: History of Chocolate Part II

When the Spanish invaded Mexico in the 16th century, the Aztecs thought Cortes, arriving from the east, was their savior "Quetzalcoatl" and promptly offered him a cup of their beloved 'xocolatl' drink.

After thanking the awestruck Aztecs, the Spanish promptly conquered them and returned to Spain with the wonderful treasure where it was kept a secret for almost 100 years.

Eventually Spain's power declined and an Italian traveler, Antonio Carletti, discovered Spain's best kept chocolate secret and brought it to other parts of Europe. But the drink that would one day be consumed by children all over the globe splashed onto the scene with a lot of controversy.

Mäni's Morsels: BITTER WATER" or "FOOD of the GODS"?

… A History of Chocolate Part I

The scientific name for the Cacao tree is “Theobroma Cacao”—Greek for “food of the gods”. The Mayans revered the trees’ ground up beans as a “divine elixir” as long ago as 600 A.D., only they called it “xocolatl” which meant bitter water. Xocolatl was a simple drink made by the combining of pulverized cocoa beans with water and hot chilies.

In the 16th century the Aztec Emperor Montezuma considered it a divine drink that built up resistance and fought fatigue, and just one cup would enable a man to walk all day without food. So it comes as no surprise that he was said to drink it before visiting his harem since it was also used to increase virility in men! However the Aztec recipe was described as ‘finely ground, soft, foamy, reddish, bitter with chili water, aromatic flowers, vanilla, and wild bee honey, - a bit more palatable than the Mayan version!

Mäni's Morsels: CUCKOO for COCOA!

When people think of eating right, most wouldn’t include a daily portion of chocolate in their diet. It’s high in saturated fat and is more associated with sin. (Not thin.) Yet while some chocolate products are high in sugar and made with the use of hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils, more and more studies are showing that all chocolate is not created equal! In fact, certain forms may actually be beneficial. (In moderation, of course.)

Chocolate is made from cocoa powder derived by processing the pulp and seeds from inside large pods that grow on the trunk of the Cacao tree. Like all plants, the Cacao plant contains flavonoids, a type of polyphenol (antioxidant). The most common flavonoids in cocoa are flavonols, which exist both as single compounds, and compounds linked together known as procyanidins. In recent years both flavonols and procyanidins have been linked with cardiovascular health and may contribute to a healthy diet and lifestyle in a combination of vegetables, fruits and regular exercise. Flavonols also affect the flavor of chocolate; and every step of processing, from harvest to finished product can affect their levels.