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Meet the healthy food entrepreneurs: interview with Erin from Babycakes NYC
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courtesy of Clarke Tolton photography
Starting a business is never easy. There is the financing, marketing, legal fees, research and operations. Add to it the risk of breaking into a new sector and you've got yourself an ambitious leader. In the "Meet The Healthy Food Entrepreneurs" series, we will meet some of the pioneers in the industry to learn what got them where they are today.
Meet Erin McKenna, the entrepreneur behind Babycakes NYC, an all-natural, organic bakery offering tasty alternatives from the common allergens: wheat, gluten, dairy, casein and eggs. Many of the melt-in-your-mouth baked goods use agave nectar-a low glycemic sweetener, as a natural alternative. Babycakes continually impresses the "healthy food tastes like cardboard" crowd with its cupcakes, brownies and cookie sandwiches. Erin recently launched Babycakes, The Cookbook, so if your not in NYC or the soon to open post in LA, you can still enjoy her tasty treats.
Tell us a bit about your background, how did you get involved in the healthy foods market?
EM: I was living with dietary restrictions and saw a need for a bakery that catered to people like myself who couldn't eat certain foods.
How did you come up with the concept of your cafe?
EM: It was pretty simple. I saw a hole in the marketplace and decided that it was a perfect fit for my creativity, natural business sense and my love for baking.
So many people have "good ideas", how did you decide to actually go for it?!
EM: I just knew in my heart that I was meant to do this. It resonated in me on a level that no other business idea I had in the past (there were many) had done before.
How have you seen the healthy foods market change?
EM: I've seen it grow more popular and that people are less likely to shy away from "healthy" food.
Who are your customers?
EM: Everyone. Old, young, hipsters, celebrities, bankers, vegans, food sensitive, and everyone in between. It just tastes that good.
What do you hope people take away from eating at your restaurant?
EM: I hope they see what is possible in health food. It doesn't have to taste like dirt mixed with tree branches to be good for you.
What's been your biggest challenge in opening or running your business?
EM: Maintaining high quality product and excellent service.
What are 3 tips for running a successful company?
EM: Make sure you love it, live it and constantly nurture it.
What's next?
EM: That's a secret!!!
Brownie Recipe from Babycakes, The Cookbook
I used to make from-the-box brownies on Friday nights to keep me busy during commercials for Miami Vice, in my opinion the premiere television drama behind Degrassi High. My sister Bridget taught me that if you take the brownies out of the oven about five minutes early, you will have a perfect gooey texture. At BabyCakes NYC, I developed a recipe to replicate that consistency but with a full cooking time, mostly to avoid the retching stomachache I’d have for the second half of the Don Johnson fashion parade. Initially these brownies were made in a square casserole pan and each batch yielded twelve brownies. Because they are so rich, however, I decided to bake them in mini-muffin trays and serve them as bite-size morsels. Now these tiny little flavor agents are nearly impossible to keep in the case. If you’re whipping up a batch, be warned: You may want to double the recipe.
Makes 36
1 cup garbanzo–fava bean flour
¼ cup potato starch
2 tablespoons arrowroot
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup coconut oil, plus more
for the tins
½ cup homemade applesauce or unsweetened store-bought applesauce
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
½ cup hot water or coffee
1 cup vegan chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly grease three 12-cup mini-muffin tins with oil.
In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, potato starch, arrowroot, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, and salt. Add the ½ cup oil, applesauce, vanilla, and hot water to the dry ingredients and stir until the batter is smooth. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the chocolate chips just until they are evenly distributed throughout the batter.
Using a melon baller, scoop the batter into each prepared mini-muffin cup. Bake the brownies on the center rack for 10 minutes, rotating the tray 180 degrees after 5 minutes. (For a fudgier cake, bake for only 8 minutes total.) The finished brownie will have a firm edge with a soft center, and a toothpick inserted in the center will come out clean.
Let the brownies stand in the pans for 10 minutes; they are best served warm. To maintain freshness, leave the brownies in the tins until ready to serve. Cover with plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Special thanks to Erin McKenna for the interview.
Meet the Healthy Food Entrepreneur Series:
Mary, from Mary's Gone Crackers
Peter Schatzberg from Freefoods NYC
Justin from Justin's Nut Butter
Sarma from Pure Food and WineRelated Articles:
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