Inside Cranberry Island Kitchen - People Are Talking
Karen & Carol
"Boy, were we surprised when we opened the box from Cranberry Island Kitchen... What a beautiful presentation!!! Judy and I whisked it away and took it home where we have been enjoying a new little surprise every day. We are actually using the cute little "tub", filled with gourds and fruit, as a centerpiece on our kitchen table right now."
"Everything about your product says creativity and quality. Congratulations and thank you both so much for the gift. Thank you so much."
Appreciatively,
Rob
Dear Ladies
"Only a few hours ago, Karen stopped by where I work and delighted me with a twin pack of Crazy Clams. I had no idea what "delighted" even MEANT until I tasted these! While I have been reading about your efforts at this new company and wishing you all the best.........I had NO IDEA you were this good. I simply can not put into words how wonderful these "clams" were. Please believe I will be shopping at CIK both for me and for gifts. Can't wait to try the rest of your products!"
My very best wishes to you both for every success and a wonderful holiday season.
Kevin from Maine
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Carol Ford, left, and Karen Haase stand behind one the gift tins sold on their Web site.
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Cooking up Maine
Written by Avery Yale Kamila, lifestyle editor The Community Leader. Photo by Tim Greenway.
2006-09-28
Because their company is based in Maine, Ford and Haase knew they needed a lobster themed product and the Lucky Lobster shortbread does the trick. A moist twist on tradition, the Maypole Mussel Whoopie Cake is based on a recipe created by Haase's mother.
Inside the cozy kitchen of a cottage on Little Cranberry Island, the idea for a unique line of pastries was born. For more than 25 years, Falmouth resident Carol Ford and her family have summered on the Maine island, and good friend Karen Haase is a frequent visitor.
During three weeks of fog-soaked days a few years ago, the two retreated to the inviting kitchen to create delectable baked goods. It was then that inspiration struck for a specialty food company. So this past June, after completing market research and perfecting their products, the pair rented space in Cumberland, where they built a commercial kitchen and opened the Cranberry Island Kitchen bakery.
Shaped like icons of the Maine coast, the company's hand-crafted desserts resemble a lobster, a clam and a mussel and come filled with natural, organic and locally-produced ingredients. "We both believe in sustainable agriculture," Ford says. "Small farms and sustainable agriculture are so important to sustaining Maine communities and preserving the environment."
This sense of responsibility translates too into the bakery's pledge to donate 10 percent of profits to charities, including The Island Institute and Doctors Without Borders. The pair worked with artist Laurie Rothrock to create the look of the lobster shortbread, which is covered in an organic lemon oil glaze tinted red to match the color of a boiled lobster.
"We wanted it to be cute and have a little personality," Haase says. "We knew the shortbread had to be a lobster, because you eat lobster with butter and lemon." L.L. Bean is selling these charming and delicious Lucky Lobsters (whose flavor bears no resemblance to the crustacean).
"People don't recognize the lobster right away as a dessert, but once they taste it they love it," Ford says. Of course, the clam and the mussel cakes don't taste like their salty inspirations either. Instead the rich flavor comes from high-quality ingredients like Maine buttermilk, free-range eggs and organic vanilla extract.
"The Crazy Clam's island buttermilk cake is a 100-year-old recipe from the island," Ford explains, and adds that on the island it's called island gingerbread, even though the recipe contains no ginger. "It's been passed down from generation to generation. I've loved it for over 20 years. I used to make it all the time on the island, in square and regular pans. Then we got the idea to make it in shell form."
The Maypole Mussel Whoopie Cake is named after a point on the island where particularly sweet-tasting mussels can be harvested. This moist twist on the traditional Maine whoopie pie comes courtesy of a recipe from Haase's mother. Haase explains that her father didn't like the dry texture of regular whoopie pies. So her mother whipped up a version based on a chocolate cake recipe. It was a hit, and today everyone can enjoy it in the shape of a Maine mussel.
Cranberry Island Kitchen recently debuted three new Maypole Mussel flavors. These include Sunrise, with espresso filling, Captain, with rum filling, and Regatta, with triple sec and orange zest filling. The creative cooks also came up with a peppermint version for the holidays.
"Because people love them, we decided we're going to offer the peppermint all the time," Haase says. The appeal of the Cranberry Island Kitchen desserts comes through even when the setting is less than perfect. Ford and Haase have been making the rounds of craft fairs and summer festivals. At a recent appearance, the skies opened and the rain fell and the pair quickly learned that their tent was defective. "It was a disaster," Haase says with a good-natured laugh, noting that everything was soaked. "The funny thing is people actually saw us there and we've been getting calls," Ford adds with amazement.
The bakery welcomes special orders, such as whoopie cakes by the dozen rather than individually packaged, and the duo also bakes traditional cakes for parties, corporate functions and weddings. These include the island buttermilk cake, a blueberry bunt cake with a glaze, and a four-layer whoopie cake torte with raspberry and triple sec or rum filling. Dessert orders can either be picked up at the Cumberland bakery or shipped.
"Senator Olympia Snowe's office ordered 65 (Lucky Lobsters) for a luncheon she had in July with other senators," Ford says. "Her staff called afterward and said everyone loved them and told us, 'Olympia is eating one right now and bringing one home to Jock (McKernan).'"
With such a stamp of approval from one of our state's most famous residents, the goodies from Cranberry Island Kitchen are sure to have a bright, and very sweet, future.
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