Dream Jobs - Flour Bakery

So, I love to bake and would love to bake for a living but until I find a willing investor will settle as an architect. Leslie Henslee owner of Frankenart Mart in San Francisco asked me earlier this year to participate in one of her shows entitled "Dream Jobs". The Mart is an eclectic participatory art project/gallery with themed shows every three months or so - and I agreed. All I had to do was make an appointment and the Mart was mine for the time to transform into whatever I wanted. Of course I wanted it to be a bakery - so following is my account of my own personal bake sale. 

Aside from it probably being illegal to sell baked go

ods from an art studio for profit (and ignoring minor health codes requiring food to be sold in places without pets...) we had a lovely time. I took over the Mart for a weekend in November. In preparation for this event I had to name my bakery which I now call Flour, decide on a menu, and find lots and lots of cake stands. I think I ended up with 14 different items on the menu and a beautiful display of baked goods using some of a local artist's ceramic stands (check them out Whitney Smith Pottery). 

I think I spent about 25-30 hours the week before the show baking and preparing packaging, and by the end of the week was totally exhausted from working a 16 hr day. Thanks to my husband Michael for keeping me sane (or at least somewhat sane).

I may have taken the "transformation" option for the gallery a little too seriously though it turned out beautiful. The only problems we encountered was a cream-cheese-crazed-cat named Reuben and plaster walls that did not like shelves much. 

The weekend was a success and we had a lot of people stop in - mostly confused - who ended up buying some treats. Personal sized items are my favorite. I think people are more into a two bite cookie than a cookie the size of your face - which allows you to either gorge yourself with as many different types as possible or just one little nibble to cut the sugar craving. Thanks to all of you who helped me make my bakery dream come true - by eating, assisting, and ordering afterwards. Hopefully this dream will someday become a reality.