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Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Baking cake and eating too!!!
Kerry Burns had to drag his wife "screaming and kicking" from her full-time job into the business that was his lifelong dream.
When Kerry Burns was a teenager, his mother made him stop delivering newspapers because he had to get up too early.
To replace his lost income, Burns got a job washing pans in a bakery. In the process, he found his true calling - a profession that has him rising in the wee hours of every morning.
Burns and his wife, Roseann, own the Town Crier Bakery in Peddler's Village, where they sell cakes by the slice, freshly baked breads and sweet pastries to tourists and locals alike.
Over the past three years, the couple has had to roll with the punches, reinventing their bakery and positioning it to succeed through these tough economic times.
"We're simple people," Roseann said. "We're hardworking people trying to make it in these crazy times."
Owning a bakery has been Kerry Burns' lifelong dream. But it wasn't one his wife shared, until he took over the bakery at Peddler's Village, the retail and dining destination in Buckingham.
"I kind of blew him off," Roseann said. "It's never going to happen. Then one day this crazy man said, 'I'm doing it.' "
Not only did he buy the bakery and quit his job as a merchandiser for a group of local grocery stores, but Roseann quit her job, too, as an elementary school assistant.
"She's a Republican, and I'm a Democrat," Kerry said. "But when it comes to business, I'm more conservative; she's more cutting edge."
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Kerry is the baking brains behind the operation. He's responsible for the counter shelves filled with cakes, pies, pastries, breads and other goods baked fresh daily.
Roseann, who entered the business "screaming and kicking," has become the public face of the Town Crier Bakery. She meets personally with every bride and prides herself with knowing exactly what a bride wants for her special day - sometimes even before the customer says anything. Her hunches are so dead on that her husband calls her the "cake whisperer."
"I found I have a creative side to me that I never knew I had," she said. "I love it."
The Burnses said they have had their share of rollercoaster rides. They were aggressive in building their business in their first year. During the second year, flour and fuel prices skyrocketed and the economy tanked.
This past year, the couple, who live in Plumstead, focused on building their local clientele base and improving their product selection. Because Peddler's Village is more of a tourist destination, they found that traditional bakery items - like fresh bread and pastries - weren't as strong sellers as items like cake slices and doughnuts.
They also hold daily deals, contests and giveaways to draw traffic. And so far, the hard work has paid off, they said.
"We feel pretty fortunate," Roseann said. "We live within our means. Our bills are being paid. We're surviving."
March 30, 2010 03:03 AM
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When Kerry Burns was a teenager, his mother made him stop delivering newspapers because he had to get up too early.
To replace his lost income, Burns got a job washing pans in a bakery. In the process, he found his true calling - a profession that has him rising in the wee hours of every morning.
Burns and his wife, Roseann, own the Town Crier Bakery in Peddler's Village, where they sell cakes by the slice, freshly baked breads and sweet pastries to tourists and locals alike.
Over the past three years, the couple has had to roll with the punches, reinventing their bakery and positioning it to succeed through these tough economic times.
"We're simple people," Roseann said. "We're hardworking people trying to make it in these crazy times."
Owning a bakery has been Kerry Burns' lifelong dream. But it wasn't one his wife shared, until he took over the bakery at Peddler's Village, the retail and dining destination in Buckingham.
"I kind of blew him off," Roseann said. "It's never going to happen. Then one day this crazy man said, 'I'm doing it.' "
Not only did he buy the bakery and quit his job as a merchandiser for a group of local grocery stores, but Roseann quit her job, too, as an elementary school assistant.
"She's a Republican, and I'm a Democrat," Kerry said. "But when it comes to business, I'm more conservative; she's more cutting edge."
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Kerry is the baking brains behind the operation. He's responsible for the counter shelves filled with cakes, pies, pastries, breads and other goods baked fresh daily.
Roseann, who entered the business "screaming and kicking," has become the public face of the Town Crier Bakery. She meets personally with every bride and prides herself with knowing exactly what a bride wants for her special day - sometimes even before the customer says anything. Her hunches are so dead on that her husband calls her the "cake whisperer."
"I found I have a creative side to me that I never knew I had," she said. "I love it."
The Burnses said they have had their share of rollercoaster rides. They were aggressive in building their business in their first year. During the second year, flour and fuel prices skyrocketed and the economy tanked.
This past year, the couple, who live in Plumstead, focused on building their local clientele base and improving their product selection. Because Peddler's Village is more of a tourist destination, they found that traditional bakery items - like fresh bread and pastries - weren't as strong sellers as items like cake slices and doughnuts.
They also hold daily deals, contests and giveaways to draw traffic. And so far, the hard work has paid off, they said.
"We feel pretty fortunate," Roseann said. "We live within our means. Our bills are being paid. We're surviving."
March 30, 2010 03:03 AM
RATING:
Favorite Print E-mail this Buzz up! ShareThis
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Breads
A new addition to our bread family. A prosciutto and Salami with cracked pepper bread. This is a super crusty, chewy "white" bread with an airy open-holed crumb with just enough of the meat filling thru-out the inside of the bread. Great dipping bread. I take some light olive oil and some fresh cut basil with just a squeeze of a fresh lemon. Salt and Pepper and of course some fresh garlic. I am a happy woman.
Central Bucks East
Town Crier Bakery TCB was once again invited to CB East Global Gourmet class to be part of there decorating class and we were thrilled!! Josanna our talented decorator showed these attentive aspiring decorators how to make a basket weave and a stand up rose. They all did a wonderful job and began practicing on there own what a great job they did. Once again we are proud to support our community and the wonderful Central Bucks East High School. Thanks for having us again.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Sweet Creamy Lemon Pie
Town Crier Bakery Summer time is right around corner and today we made some delightful Lemon Meringue pies. Fresh lemon juice and lemon rind make this pie's filling tart and lovely the perfect lemon curd. And when it's poured into a waiting crust, topped with billows of Meringue, ...words cannot describe this joyous mixture. Caramelized lemon rinds topped off this dessert come in a try one !!!!!
Birthday Tour at the Town crier Bakery
Town Crier Bakery Yesterday we had the pleasure of celebrating Christa's beautiful daughter 6th birthday at our bakery. Her friends from her school all joined in the festivities. The girls had a whirlwind tour of the bakery with our improv-baker Mr. Kerry and enjoyed pizza and drinks. Josanna's demonstration of how a barbie doll cake comes alive kept the girls at edge of their seats. When the demonstration was done the girls and our superstar birthday girl were all ready to create their own master piece with piping bags in hand all their creativity came alive. Extraordinary work girls I told Josanna she needs to worry !!! Finally we sang happy birthday to our birthday girl and the girls were treated to a special treat from our friends at Giggleberry Fair. They were so excited that they would be all returning to Peddlers Village and enjoying some fun at Giggleberry Fair.It truly was a magical day and all the girls and especially our birthday girl were just Fabulous.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Cake Challenge
Town Crier Bakery Presents Our 1st Annual Cake Decorating Challenge !April 25th ~ 12 Noon Enter our challenge by March 31st (Call or stop in to fill out an application) Drop off Cakes on April 23rd Judging will be April 25th at 12:00 Noon 3 Prizes Awarded:1st Prize ~ $75 Gift Certificate 2nd Prize ~ $50 Gift Certificate ...and third prize a $25.00 Gift Certificate. Have fun and be creative.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Rolls at the Town Crier Bakery
Town Crier Bakery The perfect roll makes any sandwich great! Sandwiched between our crusty torpedo roll is my pulled pork and home made coleslaw (low in points) with just a dab of mayo.I don't buy these at the store anymore. It's just not how I "roll." give these a try and your sandwich will be just perfect !!
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Scones
Nothing goes better with a pot of afternoon tea than scones made to a traditional recipe and a dollop of Devonshire cream and strawberry jam, A new favorite added to our line of scones Oatmeal raisin come in and try one.
Rosemary Bread
Enjoy a fresh loaf of Rosemary Garlic infused bread. The bread has a nice golden and crunchy crust, with a soft white interior. Good savoury flavor a great accompaniment with whatever you are having for dinner tonight.It also tastes wonderful when dipped into a hot bowl of chili. Enjoy!!!
Saturday, March 6, 2010
My husband Kerry
I am always posting beautiful pictures of all the work we do. This is one of the bakers behind the scenes my husband Kerry. He truly has such a passion for baking and believes in the keeping it as close to old fashion traditional baking like the bakeries that we loved going to in Philadelphia when we were young. That is also were Kerry learned most of his trade from the bakeries that he worked at in the city. He truly tries to stay true to that way of baking.
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