St. Patrick's Day

Pour some Bailey's in your coffee, it's time to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day! We have been busy baking all of our Irish favorites. New this year is Kennedy Rye. I got the recipe from Albert Cumin, pastry chef in the Kennedy White House. This rye bread was a favorite of the President, so we have named it after him. We also created a Ruben Sandwich which I think will be a great addition to our lunch menu and goes perfectly on the Kennedy Rye bread.

Wedding Walk Inspirations Part 2

This week we started getting ready for the 6th Annual Hinsdale Wedding Walk which is coming up Sunday, March 7th.

We always try to create a party-like atmosphere for the event, and fill the store with great wedding cakes and favor ideas.

I thought that last year our store looked especially festive with the raspberry and orange color scheme we used.

This year, we are going for a more elegant and glamorous look. I got my inspiration by looking through fashion magazines and different websites. I imagine brides do the same thing when they start the planning process of their weddings!

Our new color scheme is silver, pink, and black, which are pulled from our new logo and store colors. We are still very excited about our new look and can't wait to share it with you!

More on the wedding walk in blogs to follow!

Crate and Barrel's Bridal Party

On Sunday I attended the Oak Brook Crate and Barrel’s first ‘Bridal Party’ of the year. It was fun to meet the brides, and I always enjoy their reactions to the cakes I have on display. We will have a table set up with breakfast pastries and cake samples for all of the brides every Sunday in February from 9am-11am. It’s a fun event and I’m always glad to be a part of it.

Paczki Day

I can hardly believe next Tuesday, February 16th, is Paczki Day! This year it is only two days after Valentine's Day. We are grateful here at TONI to have so many reasons in February to celebrate with sweets.

Paczkis (pronounced pawnch-key) have become a Fat Tuesday tradition in the Chicago area because of the large numbers of Polish immigrants that live here. In Poland, Paczki Day is actually the Thursday before Lent. Paczkis are similar to Bismarks, however, the dough is a little richer, because of additional eggs. Our fillings are especially rich and very unique. We have Paczki filled with White Chocolate Mousse and Fresh Strawberries, Cream Cheese and Blueberry filling, as well as more traditional flavors.

If you stop by, you won't miss our LARGE SIGN that I carefully put up during the blizzard, just for you!
TONI Paczki options

Valentine's Desserts

Valentine desserts make me happy! By this February holiday, we are all looking for a little love, fresh red berries and decadent chocolate. At TONI it gives us a chance to do some beautiful individual desserts. One of my favorites and of many of our customers is the Rosewater Petit Four. The flavor and the candied rose petal capture the Valentine sentiment.

Last year we started making an individual heart shaped French Silk pastry, perfect for an intimate valentine dessert. It has so many great components and textures. I couldn't wait to bring it back this year. (It is made with White Chocolate mousse, raspberry swirl, a nutella crunchy layer, chambord soaked genoise and a praline wafer) We do a larger version to share with the whole family. Valentines Day what a great winter treat!

Wedding Walk Inspirations

Every year we decorate the shop in anticipation of the Hinsdale Wedding Walk. We sample and display cakes, favors, and sweet table options. Here are some photos of the treats we made for the Wedding Walk in 2008. The color inspiration was red, pink and aqua blue. I loved how the aqua blue popped against the pinks and reds. It was one of my favorite windows and we have had many brides inspired by the "Word" cake.

Super Bowl XLIV

We try to do something special in anticipation of Super Bowl parties. Of course it is always the most fun when the Bears are involved… Alas… not since 2007. On the bright side, the surprise performance of the New Orleans Saints has given us the idea to incorporate Mardi Gras and the Super Bowl this year. King Cakes make a fun hostess gift as well! Here are some things we’ve put together for Super Bowl XLIV.