Tuesday, January 31, 2012

NC's French Bakeries

So apparently there a little France in North Carolina...


Amelie's French Bakery
Charlotte, NC
www.ameliesfrenchbakery.com




Miel Bon Bons
Carrboro, NC
www.mielbonbons.com


Rue Cler
Durham, NC
www.ruecler-durham.com









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Where do you satisfy your French sweet-tooth?

Monday, January 30, 2012

Random Places for Godiva

So where are the (seemingly) random places in North Carolina to find Godiva Chocolate????

Charlotte Area...
Hallmark Stores
Belk
Macy's
Nieman Marcus
Barnes & Noble
The Fresh Market


Wilmington Area...
Stein Mart
Belk
Macy's
The Fresh Market

Winston Salem/High Point Area...
Hallmark Stores
Belk
Macy's
The Golden Apple
Barnes & Noble


Raleigh/Durham Area...
Hallmark Stores
Belk
Macy's
Stein Mart
Barnes & Noble
The Fresh Market
Saks Off 5th Street

Asheville Area...
Belk
Hallmark Stores
The Fresh Market
Profitt's

Friday, January 27, 2012

Hidden Sweets

So where have you found your Hidden Sweets in North Carolina???


Erin Y. of Raleigh writes...

I must admit that when the call went on Facebook for a willing participant to write a review about a dessert or dessert restaurant, I got more than a little excited.  How best to combine my two secret loves of writing and eating?!?!  And after a very hectic month of eating lunches at my desk, this was a great excuse to take a field trip for lunch with a few co-workers. 

I had heard about PieBird through the grapevine.  It's a restaurant that serves ONLY pie!  Savory pies, sweet pies, pies of all sizes and descriptions!  I love the idea of everything about a place that sells only slices of happiness.  Who doesn't love pie?  Could such a magical, wonderful place really exist, I wondered?  Well, it absolutely does!  In the historic Oakwood section of Raleigh, PieBird sits discreetly nestled in a short strip of shops.  Everything about the restaurant is adorable.  And, the pies are delicious!! 

A few friends and I had lunch there on Wednesday.  The lunch was delicious; but, I could not forget my assignment -- EAT DESSERT!  I understand that the the pie menu changes regularly.  However, the delectable choices for Wednesday included cherry pie, key lime pie, chocolate cream pie (excuse me while I wipe my watering mouth . . .), honey and sea salt(?) pie, blueberry pie, coconut cream pie, and maybe more that I just can't recall. 
  
With only a little hesitation, I selected the Key Lime Pie.  My friends chose cherry and chocolate cream so that I could taste more pies.  They were all absolutely DELICIOUS.  The Key Lime Pie had that precise mix of tart and sweet; the (graham cracker crust was perfect, and the cream was divine.  I savored every sweet, delectable bite.  I also had a bite of cherry pie which was also wonderful.  The pie was not too sweet and the crust was perfectly flaky and golden.  PieBird also takes pride in the pie's presentation.  Check out the cute chocolate cream "face"!!   My friend described the chocolate pie as the best she has ever eaten.  She is quite an accomplished traveler and foodie so that is quite  the compliment. 

If you have the opportunity to visit Raleigh, please visit the original PieBird.  You can check them out at www.piebirdraleigh.com. 


***

Email me at TheSweetLocator@gmail.com if you'd like to share your Hidden Sweets of North Carolina...

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Sweet Community Classes

Ever wanted to create a mouth-watering dessert...like a professional? 

North Carolina's community college system provides Baking & Pastry degrees throughout the state...


Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College
Asheville Area
http://www1.abtech.edu/culinary


Central Piedmont Community College
Charlotte Area
http://www.cpcc.edu/hospitality-education/baking-pastry-arts-bpa


Sandhils Community College
Pinehurt Area
http://www.sandhills.edu/programs/hosp-culin/index.php


Wake Technical Community College
Raleigh Area
http://baking.waketech.edu/index.php
                   Wake Tech will host a Culinary Arts Showcase
                   April 24, 2012
                         http://culinaryartsshowcase.waketech.edu/

 

Wilkes Community College
Wilksboro Area
http://www.wilkescc.edu/Baking/

***

Where have you taken your baking & pastry classes?

Global Sugar Art

   

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

bakers on the web

A web search of North Carolina bakers can bring up thousands.  So what if you wanted...a baker who makes red velvet cakes?  After a websearch, maybe you would try...


Ashley Cakes
Raleigh, NC


Cake Dreams by Sally
Fuquay Varina, NC


Cake Expressions by Lisa
Charlotte, NC


Cinda's Creative Cakes
Holly Springs, NC


Jackie Green's Sweet Cheek's Inc.
Holly Springs, NC


Jennifer Steven's Ambrosia Cake Creation
Fuquay Varina, NC


Bake Me  A Wish, gourmet cakes, valentine's day cake

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

OBX Bakeries

One of North Carolina's best features is it's Outer Banks...and the having sweets while enjoying the ocean makes your stay there even better...


Bakeries...

Coastal Cookies (coastalcookies-obx.com)...Manteo, NC...252-423-2071

Orange Blossom Bakery & Cafe (www.orangeblossombakery.com)...Buxton, NC

Tullios Pastry (www.tulliospastry.com)...Duck, NC...252.261.7112



Cakes...

Atlantic Cake Company (www.atlanticcakecompany.com)...252.475.0002

Cakes By Robin (www.obxcakesbyrobin.com)...252.305.5365

Great Cakes! (www.greatcakes.net)...252.261.3403

Icing on the Cake (www.icingonthecakes.com)...252.261.7325

Just Desserts (www.justdessertsobx.com)... 252.441.2931

Outer Banks Rum Cakes (www.outerbanksrumcakes.com)...252.441.9090


Frozen Desserts...

Hawaiian Island Snow-Balls (Duck, NC)...252-261-1666

Capt'n Grumpys Ice Cream (Corolla, NC)...252.453.4166

Ned's Ice Cream & Convenience (Corolla, NC)...252.453.8821

Uncle Eddy's Frozen Custard (Hatteras Island, NC)...252.995.4059


Candy...

Outer Banks Fudge CO (Kill Devil Hills, NC)...252.473.2835

The Sweet Spot (Corolla, NC)...252.453.2310


Dylans Candy Bar

Monday, January 23, 2012

Big Business Chocolate

  

Chocolates...Chocolates...Chocolates
Chocolate starts out as a bean from a tree and ends up an exquisite delight, and then turns into BIG BUSINESS.  North Carolina can boast in taking part in this wide spread business venture in chocolate.

Here is a directory of what I'm playfully calling BIG BUSINESS CHOCOLATE...




GODIVA BOUTIQUE
South Park Mall
4400 Sharon Road
Charlotte, NC 28211
704.366.1335

GODIVA BOUTIQUEStreets at Southpoint
6910 Fayetteville Road
Durham, NC 27713
919.54
4.3622




GODIVA BOUTIQUE
Crabtree Valley Mall
4325 Glenwood Avenue
Raleigh, NC 27612
919.781.0930



GODIVA BOUTIQUEHanes Mall
3320 Silas Creek Parkway
Winston Salem, NC 27103-3032
336.765.7321


Lisa B. of Raleigh says...The Godiva stores in South Point and Crabtree Valley Malls have delicious chocolate treats and truffles...couple those with great client service and I'm a client for life :-)

***

The Fudgery
Jockey's Ridge
3933 South Croatan Highway
Nags Head, NC 27959

The Fudgery
Curituck Club
603 A Currituck Club House Drive
Corolla, NC 27927

 The Fudgery
TimBuck II
790-M Ocean Trail, Space A
Corolla, NC 27927

The Fudgery
Scarborough Lane
1171 Duck Road, Ste. A1
Duck, NC 27949


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Nestle Tollhouse Cafe by Chip
South Park Mall
4400 Sharon Road, Suite K19
Charlotte, NC
704.364.9933

Nestle Tollhouse Cafe by Chip
Four Seasons Town Centre
410 Four Seasons Town Centre Space #0118
Greensboro, NC
336.790-0545


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The Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory
Aberdeen Commons Shopping Center
11088US Highway 15/501
Aberdeen, NC 28315
910.692.9440

The Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory
Biltmore Park
30 Town Square Blvd, Ste. 150
Asheville, NC 28803
828.650.3013

The Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory
Northlake Mall
6801 Northlake Mall Drive, Ste. 185
Charlotte, NC 28216
704.599.4553

The Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory
4400 Sharon Road
Charlotte, NC 28211
704.365.3344

The Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory
9820 Rea Road, Ste. B
Charlotte, NC 28277
704.341.0100

The Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory
Charlotte Douglas International Airport
5501 Josh Birmingham Parkway
Charlotte, NC 28208
704.359.4367

The Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory
Concord Mills
8111 Concord Mills Blvd., Ste. 424
Concord, NC 28207
704.979.1044

The Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory
The Streets at Southpoint
8030 Renaissance Pkwy., Ste. 935
Durham, NC 27713
919.361.4322

The Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory
Jefferson Village
1626 Highwoods Blvd
Greensboro, NC 27410
336.852.8464

The Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory
Brier Creek Commons
8521 Brier Creek Pkwy., Ste. 103
Raleigh, NC 27616
919.806.8992

The Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory
Triangle Town Center
Triangle Town Blvd., Sp. DU-2148
Raleigh, NC 27616
919.792.2277

Gourmet Fudge and More Chocolate Gifts at Chocolate.com

Friday, January 20, 2012

Hidden Sweets

...Let the whole world know where you find your sweet delights in North Carolina...

***
Kurma Murrain in Charlotte...
"I have known Lincoln Fairweather for such a long time and still never get tired of his cooking, but specially of his desserts!! He recently opened a bakery at his very own house called Flourpower (@Flourpowerpineville Lincoln Fairweather) and I have tried his very special dark cake soaked in wine, his passion fruit cake… delish! But my favorite of all times is his very awesome chocolate brownie cheesecake which is super creamy, but so soft to the taste! It melts in your mouth very slowly, you feel goosebumps in every bite because it’s THAT good! And there are a bunch of other creations that have made me so happy that I think I’m going to have to pay him a visit soon!!"

Dessert Day with the creator!!


Flour Power Cakes in Pineville, NC.


Flour Power Cakes enoyed with friends.


Fruit Tart.   Peach Pie.    Carmel Pie.


This is my favorite...Chocolate Brownie Cheesecakes!!!



***


Todd Childers in Winston-Salem suggests everyone check out Dewey's Bakery (www.deweys.com)... 
"They are famous for Moravian style pastries and their Moravian sugar cookies. Apple dumplings are one of my favorites. Dewey's has been an institution in Winston-Salem for decades. Located next door to the old Borders location, I grew to love them. Their coffee was very good too." 


***

Dylans Candy Bar