I became a baker incidentally over the course of months that followed my first daughter’s birth. I felt empowered by having her, learning how to care for her most basic needs + just watching her grow. I also had many emotional ups + downs that came alongside adding this tiny person- a girl- to our family. Baking became more than a sweet treat or something to do for fun- I started to turn to baking as a calming activity + a beautiful thing happened along the way. Baking is now a love language my daughter + I speak fluently to one another, it’s what we do for fun yes, but also for bonding!
When I first decided to pull out the mixer, she was just three months old. I was a little uncertain about how she’d handle all the racket, but I also knew, there’s no time like the present to teach my babe about a new sound. While she didn’t take well to the vaccuum (a different decibel level after all), she seemed to be entranced by the mixer from the start. We have been baking together ever since, madeliene’s + old-fashioned berry cakes for her birthday, scones for the royal wedding + chocolate chip cookies when our freezer stash gets low. She is so many of the reasons that I started my own cookie business but that is a post for a different day! Please remind me to tell you that one sometime.
Since that day + many of the days since, I have admitedly become a bit of a pastry snob. If it isn’t freshly made with care I just can’t eat it. I envision the steps + ingredients whenever I enjoy a pastry, I seek a certain look from the air pockets made by the many folds of butter in my croissant, anything else is just a fancy baked bread posing as an imposter to the French delicacy. Quelle horreur! A truly authentic croissant after all is a thing of beauty—one that can be eaten + savored all by itself, wouldn’t you agree?
Since our first trip here in the Summer of 2016 we have been hard pressed to find many locally great bakeries here in Metro Atlanta for our early morning pastry needs, until we discovered Créma of Dunwoody. The place has a certain quality + ambiance that reminds me a little of Saffron Restaurant + Bakery in Downtown Charleston.
There is a level of detail that is given to each of their offerings + attention due to the way everything is presented that I feel like a kid in a candy store the moment my eyes meet the case.
I cannot remember where I first had a fruit tart, but I will forever remember my first blueberry tart at Créma… the velvety vanilla tart filling, the blueberries sprinkled with confectioners sugar, the precisely made tart shell, all come together for a taste experience that is for me, unmatched.
Is it any surprise then, that it is Créma who made my birthday “cake” this year?! My family knows how I love to share a beautiful pastry with those I love! If you are anywhere near here, do yourself a favor + make the trip to this cozy cafe whether you are just running in or sitting for a while. I can assure you, that you won’t feel that time —or butter— has been wasted there. * Whichever treat you enjoy, order their “crema” coffee.
Happy Weekend everyone— here’s hoping the weather starts to cool down so we can all enjoy more time on the porch! / mc
porches + pillowfights 