Meet Heather, one of the baristas at One Girl Cookies DUMBO:

Heather joined the OGC family when the DUMBO shop opened in February of 2012.

Where are you from originally, Heather?

Richmond, Virginia

What brought you to NYC?

Definitely the cheap rent, clean streets, and easy-to-navigate subway system

How long have you lived in NYC?

7 years this September

What music do you like to play when you are working behind the counter?

80's new wave, punk, electronic, and 60's oldies

What do you do when you are not at OGC?

My band Sonic China Doll is my second full-time job where I sing, play bass, and write all the songs. [www.sonicchinadoll.com]

What are some of your past jobs?

Lifeguard, waitress, real estate investment firm administrative assistant, film production coordinator

When it comes to snacks, do you prefer sweet or savory?

My favorite snack is usually just eating peanut butter straight out of the jar...so...both?

Meet Joel, One Girl Cookies' General Manager:

This is Joel's 10th year as a barista and he still loves it.  After running small coffee shops first in his hometown and then in Boulder, Colorado while he was a student at UCB, he made the move to NYC.  Regulars at both stores know Joel... he was a barista at the Cobble Hill shop for about a year and a half, then moved over to manage the DUMBO shop.  Now, we are happy to say, customers at both locations can get their Joel fix; as General Manager, he's splitting his time between Dean Street and Main Street.

Where are you from originally, Joel?

Mankato, Minnesota.

What brought you to NYC?

I was a Sex and the City freak and wanted to come here and live like Samantha.  After my fourth time on the SATC tour, I realized there are better things out there for me to focus on, chiefly cookie-related endeavors.

How long have you worked at OGC?

Pert near 3 years.

What made you apply for a job here?

I have been doing barista work for many years and know a good operation when I see one, just thankful to have been chosen for what was initially a very part-time role with OGC.

Do you live near the shops?

I live in ReHoCaGa; it's a new and really trendy neighborhood that no one really knows about, under the expressway at Hamilton Avenue on the border of Red Hook and Carroll Gardens.  If your building doesn't shake when a semi drives by on the BQE, you do not qualify as a resident.

What do you do when you are not at OGC?

When I am not at One Girl, I attend Hunter College full-time and study various things. I love spending time with my super girlfriend, and our wonderful cat.  I also spend my time online as an extremely skilled and high leveled warlock/wizard/mage etc. protecting various realms from unimaginable evils. I also play the guitar.

What music do you like to play when you are working behind the counter?

Depends on the hour, mostly different versions of the same 2 Prince songs.

Nice.  What type of music do you listen to at home?

The heavy type.

What’s the last movie you saw?

What did you think of it? Paranorman 3D, it was hilarious.

Read anything good lately?

Julia B’s Yelp review of our DUMBO location, and that one about Splenda.

When it comes to snacks, do you prefer sweet or savory?

Savory.

Any good OGC stories you'd like to share?

Not really. I just enjoy spreading the love of One Girl; always enjoying all of the positivity and dedication that people have for both of our lovely establishments and all of our wonderful treats.

On another note, after 6 fulfilling years at One Girl Cookies, I will be leaving to pursue the next chapter personally and professionally.  It's been a great run here with many high notes along the way and I will certainly miss the OGC kitchen.  I have so loved teaching the classes for the past 2 years and I thank everyone who participated.  Your dedication to learning the joys of baking from scratch was inspiration to me.

So, happy sweet baking!

xo

Next class: French macs, round two... April 17th with Dave and Ayumi.  (All future classes will be taught by Dave.)

Sweetly,

P.S. Our March 20th French Macaroon class is already sold out.  Since there was such high demand for this one, we are offering a second French Mac class on April 17th!  Stop by or give us a call to sign up!

After a somewhat stressful and emotion packed end of 2012, it was somehow comforting to kick off the new year with a string of celebrations. A good reminder that even when bad things are happening around us, there is still much to celebrate and be thankful for. Occasions like my nephew Alex’s birthday party, our friends Karen and Sean’s engagement dinner, the one year anniversary of One Girl Cookies Dumbo and most recently, Valentine’s Day. It means we’ve been eating more cake than anyone should, but all in the name of honoring births and anniversaries and love. I consider that a good thing.

All of this actually got me thinking about how important celebrating these moments and milestones are. Coming from a family that fills in our collective social calendar months ahead of time, it is easy to become jaded. These celebrations consume free time that would otherwise be spent doing other, likely less important, things. Reading the Sunday paper. Making some homemade bread. Sitting around not doing a darn thing. Those activities are fun and certainly important, but the happiness they bring pales in comparison to seeing Alex’s eyes light up as his entire family sings “Happy Birthday” to him. Or to toasting to my oldest friend who has waited a long while to find her soulmate. I wouldn’t trade any of that for all the homemade bread in the world.

So, here’s to celebrating life’s little and big happy moments. It’s really an honor to be a part of them.

It is always fun planning for the Wedding Party.  It's a chance to really be creative and show people what we can do.  This year, our pastry chef, Francina, took her inspiration for the cakes from Spring 2013 bridal gown designs.  For the palette, we started with the 2013 Pantone colors of Nectarine and Linen, then brought in shades of pink and gold to complete the look.  On the table, we wanted three different dessert vignettes... each featuring its own cake, cookie bar treats, and favor box, each with the same basic palette but with a style all its own... from perfectly simple and tailored to gilded with a nod to the 1920's.  We couldn't have been happier with the result!

This year's Wedding Party was a wonderful event... we met oodles of happy brides & grooms, moms-of-brides, and maids-of-honor, and got to chat with lots of our fellow vendors.  One of the highlights was when Martha Stewart herself stopped by to say hello and snap a couple of photos, one of which made it onto her blog!

http://www.themarthablog.com/2013/02/attending-martha-stewarts-wedding-party.html

If you are in Cobble Hill, stroll by our shop... our Wedding Party cakes and favor boxes are currently on display in our front window.  We'd love to know what you think!

Until next time,

 One Girl Cookies Smallknot Contributors: