Made To Order

We’re all about giving back here on SKM. If you can’t make it to a family gathering, send a gift from a company that gives back. We found four delicious treats that do a body good and the community.

Erin McKenna is a baker on a mission. BabyCakes, is a vegan sweet shop that started in New York City and recently opened in Los Angeles. You won’t believe that the deliciousness coming from the ovens such s their tender cupcakes, moist crumbcake and delicate cornbread, aren’t sweetened with sugar and are free of allergens like wheat, gluten, dairy, caisen, and even eggs. The primary sweetner is raw agave nectar which is a healthier alternative to sugar. Deliciously good for you.

Based out of Ann Arbor, Michigan, Zingerman’s, has combined both delicious food with philanthropic efforts. They were the first for-profit business in the US to launch a food bank. They operate on an “act local” philosophy that nurtures relationships with the community as well as independent producers who provide many of their ingredients. Their pecan pie, made with unrefined brown sugar, ships in a sturdy, (and reusable) box.

I have always wanted to be a preserve making girl alas, Casey Havre of Loulou’s Garden has it down to a science and all I need to do is order. She uses produce grown mostly on her northern California farm and handmakes pantry specialties like preserves, jam, pickles and chutney. Her belief in eco-friendly extends to her shipping practices: recycled cardboard boxes and biodegradable cornstarch packing chips that dissolve under running water. A favorite around these parts is her Calimyrna fig jam which is seasoned with garden thyme and Meyer lemons.

Miette’s Megan Ray was an early contender as far as baking with organic ingredients. She too act locally by buying locally milled flour, milk from certified-organic Strauss Family Creamery and seasonal, regionally-grown fruit from San Francisco’s Ferry Building Marketplace. Organic can be beautiful, local and whimsical too!