Lovely

Vote Lovely!!!

2008-02-23T21:45:00.003-05:00

Your very own Lovely has the honor of being nominated for the title of Best New Bakery in Time Out Chicago's 2008 "Eat Out Awards"! The readers, customers, and voters decide!

If you agree, and would like to vote for your favorite bakery, go to our website at http://www.lovelybakeshop.com/, click on the "Vote Lovely" link, and you will be directed to the Time Out website. (While you are there, you can also vote in the categories of best new restaurant, gastropub, breakfast spot, local brewery, and many more.)

Thank you so much for all of your support. We have HUGE plans for 2008, so stay tuned...

xo,
g&b

Happy Birthday, NayNay!

2008-02-18T22:40:00.003-05:00

Our little girl is all grown up!
(This year we'll work on your spelling...)

We sure lurve you!!!

xo,
b&g

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

2008-02-13T23:26:00.002-05:00

Um, er, Happy Valentine's Day?

Ok, so we are chronically behind in blogsville, but in Lovelyville things are right on schedule.

Stop in for lunch soon! Our current menu is on our website. We are having lots of fun feeding you your vegetables before giving you dessert...

We will have special V-day offerings tomorrow, so bring your sweetie for a treatie! (sorry.)

xo,

g&b

What we've been up to.

2007-12-30T21:57:00.000-05:00

You may have snoozed, but you don't have to lose!

2007-11-21T09:30:00.000-05:00

We are open today until 7 pm, and tomorrow on Thanksgiving from 7 am until noon.

If you didn't get a chance to pre-order your pie, stop on by to pick one up anyway!

We made extras for you...

xo,
g&b

Time is running out!

2007-11-11T20:52:00.000-05:00

Call us to order!
773.572.4766

xo,
g&b

Join the club. Eat more pie.

2007-11-06T11:32:00.001-05:00

It's that time again, ya'll...

2007-10-14T21:12:00.000-04:00

It's time for you to buy and measure your ingredients...

It's time for you to roll your dough into the pie tin and devise a clever way for it to keep from puffing...

It's time for you to par-bake the shell, mix the filling (and allow it time to macerate), spoon the filling into the par-baked pie shell, bake the shell with the filling for a while, meanwhile, make and grind the streusel, top the par-baked-filled-pie-full-of-filling with mounds of streusel, and bake it until perfectly golden brown.

Oh, and design and set a beautiful table...

OR.

Let Lovely do it for you.

______________________________________

We're excited celebrate the holiday season with you.

xo,

g&b

Things we didn’t know as of Friday, March 23, 2007:

2007-09-29T23:03:00.000-04:00

You can never have too many of these.

The photo above would be the last recorded evidence of either of us ever reading anything non-work related. And it’s a can of ginger ale.

If you really think about it, cupcakes make a great, well-balanced meal at breakfast, lunch, OR dinner. (So, if you’re in a time crunch…)

Brooke’s best friends in the history of the whole world are willing to fly all the way from Atlanta just to help her do dishes.

This would actually rarely, if ever, happen.

We wouldn’t look like this again for a long, long time.

The simplest thing can make people so nostalgic and just plain happy.

Cupcakes come in lots of shapes and sizes.

It is really hard to find time to blog once the doors to your bakery actually open for business.

Two girls can share a passion and a vision and make their dreams come true.

____________________________________________________

We promise to update you more soon. Really. This time we mean it.

xo,
g&b

Closed for a Lovely Labor Day

2007-09-02T16:53:00.000-04:00

We'll be closed Monday September 3 for Labor Day.

Forgive us for not posting in a quite a while... we have no excuse!

Back to work (and posting some pics and specials) Tuesday... we promise!

The Best Onion Tart. Ever.

2007-08-06T13:51:00.000-04:00

One of us actually cried, it is so good.

And it wasn't the one who was cutting the onions...

xo,

g&b

Happy August!

2007-08-01T09:56:00.001-04:00

As July has ended, so has our summer holiday celebration...

We hope you enjoyed our special treats as much as we enjoyed making them for you! We can hardly wait for the real holiday season!

In other news, this Friday at 11:00 am on the channel 7 news, Mr. Steve Dolinsky (aka The Hungry Hound) will air a tour of Lovely as well as some footage of us baking in the kitchen and chatting with Steve. We appreciate his interest and support! After all, he was our very first customer. Ever. Can you believe it?

Thanks for checking in. Time to make the doughnuts, er, pie.

xo,

g&b

We're making a list...

2007-07-19T09:28:00.000-04:00

...and checking it twice. Christmas in July? Oh, how nice!!!

So, we've been thinking. All of the baking we have been doing has left us craving our holiday favorites. Why should you only be able to enjoy them once a year?

Saturday July 28th and Sunday July 29th, we will be celebrating Christmas in July at Lovely. Stop by for some holiday cheer.

After all, who doesn't love a good fruit cake?

xo,

g&b

We're sorry, cupcakes!

2007-07-18T08:36:00.000-04:00

With all the pie goings-on, we have started to feel very very sad for our beautiful little cupcakes.

We have neglected them, overlooked them, let them stand in the shadow of the pies... and for that we are truly sorry.

So today, these little babies are front and center. We have Carrot Cake, Vanilla, and Chocolate. Some are filled with our homemade jams and lemon curds, and some are good ol' fashioned topped-with-buttercream.

It is a Lovely day when pies and cupcakes can live in harmony!

xo,
g&b

Pie Mania!!!!

2007-07-16T10:27:00.000-04:00

We have been rolling dough, lining pans, mixing fillings, and baking pies for days now...

We love pie mania!

And you seem to, as well.

We have pies and cobblerettes galore in the case today.

Pie not your thing? We of course still have cupcakes, cookies, petit fours, and dozens of other choices.

If we haven't met you yet, we can't wait to.

If we have, we can't wait to see you again.

Stop in soon!

xo,

g&b

Blueberry Surprise!

2007-07-13T13:25:00.000-04:00

Today we whipped up some mini Blueberry Surprise Tarts and they are just lovely.

We also have Apple Almond Cobblerettes, Peach Cobblerettes, and Pecan Pies...

Don't you want to know what we come up with next? Come on in and find out!

xo,

g&b

Pie, Pie, & More Pie

2007-07-12T15:07:00.000-04:00

We still have bread pudding for all of you enthusiasts...

But don't forget about our cakes, cupcakes, and pies!

Thank you so much to the Tribune for the beautiful picture and glowing review of our pies, tarts, and cobblers. They are flying out of the case. Time to make more!!!

xo,
g&b

Afternoon Snack?

2007-07-11T11:40:00.000-04:00

Today is FREE BREAD PUDDING DAY!!!

Come on in, and with any purchase of a pastry and a drink, you can be the proud eater of delicious chocolate & cherry bread pudding. On us!

Stay to snack, and we'll even warm it up for you.

xo,

g&b

We are so computer savvy...

2007-07-09T12:41:00.000-04:00

Actually, our friend/dj/web designer Josh is.

Check out our now fully-functional website!!!

www.lovelybakeshop.com

Now, on our 'menu' page, you will be able to check out our daily specials.

Come and get 'em!

xo,
g&b

We're sorry, do you have the day-after-holiday blues?!

2007-07-05T12:02:00.001-04:00

What could be better to chase those blues away than blueberry pie?!

We'll tell you:

Our special blueberry-peach cobblerettes that just came out of the oven!

Come and try them... we promise the'll cheer you right up.

xo,

g&b

Mmmmm.... PIE!

2007-07-03T10:12:00.000-04:00

what could be better than your very own pie that you can eat in its entirety with no judgment WHATSOEVER?!

we have pecan and apple minis in the case...

and today back by popular demand (that is, we think they're yummy and wanted more), we have a special Peach Cobblerette coming out of the oven in just a little while.

get 'em before they're gone!!!

xo,
g&b

We're open!

2007-07-02T08:05:00.001-04:00

We opened the doors of Lovely this Saturday and were so excited to finally bake for our neighbors, family, and friends!

Thank you so much to Time Out Chicago (http://www.timeout.com/chicago) for letting people know we are here (and the hilariously large pic of us in the shop). And, many thanks to Daily Candy (http://www.dailycandy.com/) for the Lovely poem that captured our vision and put it into words so beautifully.

Come and visit us soon!!!

xo,

g&b

And today, we are speechless.

2007-06-24T00:53:00.001-04:00

A picture is worth 30 words.

2007-06-19T22:18:00.000-04:00

NICE Cupcakes!

2007-06-05T19:33:00.000-04:00

A little preview of what you will see in our case every single day.

Intrigued?

We hope so.

xoxo,
g&b

Thank you so much to Nathaniel Edmunds, who took some spectacular pictures for us. More to come. You can find him at www.nathanieledmunds.com .

WE'RE STILL HERE!!!

2007-06-04T21:53:00.000-04:00

We are sorry we haven't updated you in a while...

We have found a very healthy stress release:

DANCE PARTY.

Our painting, sanding, sawing, staining, tile-laying, equipment installing (well, almost), furniture refinishing, more painting, more sanding, more sawing, more staining, more tile-laying, more equipment installing (well, again, almost) and more furniture refinishing are finished. Now we are decorating, purchasing, merchandising, scheduling, meeting, collaborating and putting the last Lovely finishes on our first Lovely shop. We can't wait for you to see it.

We will now begin to tease you mercilessly with glimpses of what is to come.

Stay tuned...

xoxo,
g&b

ps Check out the site that our friends Josh and Byron are helping us to create at www.lovelybakeshop.com. You can find them at www.boysfromjupiter.com. Trust us. They're the best.

We Got Lucky In Kentucky!

2007-05-02T22:16:00.000-04:00

We figured the headline would keep you reading. It’s not what you think…

We have been busy girls since our last update.

We found beautiful vintage furniture on ebay (that we couldn’t live without!) and contacted our new friend, Gallery shop owner John Taylor in Russelville, KY. Once we picked our pieces and made a deal, we promptly headed down south. On our journey we learned a few things. Leaving Chicago via the Dan Ryan at 7:00 on a Friday evening is not really a good idea. You might as well stop for dinner first. The Waffle House (in the middle of nowhere) is, as it always has been, a place to see and be seen (or stared at). Sometimes when there is a stand-still traffic jam (at 3 am somewhere south of Louisville for 30 minutes or more) truck drivers fall asleep, in turn causing another traffic jam that causes other truck drivers of 18 wheelers to honk a lot. The Fairfield Inn (in Elizabthtown) has an amazing free continental breakfast. 26-foot U-hauls make WIDE RIGHT TURNS. Furniture can look light as a feather in a photo, but you try to haul it into said U-haul. It’s not so easy. One of these two here partners has a fantasy to be a truck driver, out on the open road, singin’ at the top of her lungs, but really only makes it 4 blocks before hitting two curbs, freaking out, and letting Trucker Babe take the wheel (and driving the remaining 8 hour trip to Chicago). We’re not naming any names. Unloading a 26-foot U-haul sucks just as much as loading it. But oh my, isn’t that furniture just perfect?!

Worth every mile.

JT & Babe, thanks for making the trip with us! You are rewarded with free coffee, pastry, and our undying love, for life.

After unloading and sleeping for a couple of hours, we decided to make use of the 26-foot truck in our possession and go to the Sandwich Antiques Market in Sandwich, Illinois. We found and bought so many pieces for so little money that we could hardly believe our luck! Although, we were delirious from driving to Kentucky and back, so who knows what we bought or for how much money, but what turned up in the shop looks great. We think we’re ok.

Since then, we have been to Home Depot for an average of 6 times in a span of 5 days, which could be worse but could be so, so much better. We are now suddenly carpenters, painters, plumbers, cleaners, tile layers, wall builders, and electricians.

And we are loving every minute of it.

xo,
g&b

Miles and Miles of Oak

2007-04-15T14:20:00.000-04:00

(above) That's us, still smiling at the end of a long day.

(left) Our current kitchen. Needs a little work, no?

(below) Lots and lots of staining.

Yesterday was quite a productive day in Lovely land. Faced with 600 lineal feet of various wood wall base components and new doors to stain and varnish, we did what any other ambitious business-starters would do.

We went to lunch.

Once we had sufficient fuel in our bellys, we hit the road, ran our errands, and eventually made it back to Lovely to get to work.

We love being there, in the space, watching our vision materialize right before our eyes. Even more, we love getting our hands dirty and making it happen ourselves. It helps to have an ever-present crew of friends right in there with us.

This is a big week for Lovely. Here are a couple of "before" pics. The "afters" are soon to follow!

xoxo,

g&b

Who Knew?

2007-04-12T23:05:00.000-04:00

The load capacity of a Volvo does not support hauling 500 sf of ceramic tile. Apparently anything over half of that will cause sparks to fly from beneath the bumper.

Growing, harvesting, roasting, cupping, and serving coffee is an art. There are people who are so passionate about it that they travel for 265 days out of the year to work with, educate, and buy from farmers all over the world. We can't wait to serve the fruits of their labor.

Good plumbers are hard to come by. When you do find one, they ask you for LOTS of money. Wish us luck.

Painting a 2500 square foot space with 14' ceilings will run you the cost of supplies plus free coffee for life for all those who volunteer to help. We're glad to pay up.

Friends come out of the woodwork to help you make a dream come true.

Thank you for checking in on us. We will have so much more to report soon!

xoxo,
g & b

Awesome bows.

2007-03-29T15:00:00.000-04:00

Option A for our uniforms. Tryin' to keep it real, ya know?

Monday morning, back to "work"

2007-03-26T12:40:00.000-04:00

I think that Brooke & I are both still tingling from Saturday night. It felt like our very own debutante ball, being two girls from the South. We are eternally grateful that the bride & groom allowed us to contribute to their day and introduce their family and friends to Lovely at the same time. It was, of course, all about them and we were ecstatic to be there.

Now we're back to "work", which I define as the stuff that's not so fun to do. Budgets, number crunching, planning, planning, planning. Brooke is forever calming me down in that department, as I am the high-strung worrier and she is my laid-back counterpart. We just can't wait to get in the kitchen, open the doors to Lovely, and feed you all as much as you will allow us to! None of that will happen, alas, until finish our homework. We are so close. Almost there. Eating, breathing, & sleeping Lovely. We are at our "office", which is defined as any coffee shop with good lattes and free wi-fi. Brooke is going to "kill me" if I don't stop using quotes, either of the typed or air variety.

Tomorrow we will have keys to the space in hand, which will be a milestone of both of our dreams. (Commence butterflies in my stomach.)

Keep checking in with us. We look forward to sharing this journey with you!

-gina

Last night was awesome.

2007-03-25T15:52:00.000-04:00

We catered our first wedding cupcake table last night and are so pleased with the results! It's crazy that yesterday morning began with full boxes of naked little cakes in paper cups... and in a few hours they were transformed into small works of art. They really looked beautiful and we had so much fun working on the project. We were invited to stay for the reception, where we enjoyed amazing food, cocktails and company and danced the night away. So many wonderful people, so much fun!
Today, I'm still reeling from the thrill... and my feet hurt from all the dancing. But last night I caught a glimpse of whats to come for us and our little bake shop, and I'm so excited I could cry.

-brooke

Coming Soon!

2007-03-23T21:17:00.000-04:00

We're working hard to bring Lovely Bake Shop to life and can hardly wait to share it with you!

Check back often to see what we're up to!

Hooray!
Brooke and Gina