By
Emmanuel Touhey - 02/13/13 05:43 PM ET
Sara
Fatell and Jamilyah Smith-Kanze
Grassroots
Gourmet, Bloomingdale, Washington, D.C.
Grassroots
Gourmet moved its catering operation into a newly minted storefront on Rhode
Island Avenue in November, serving the Bloomingdale-LeDroit Park community and
beyond.
These
two cousins complement each other. Jamilyah Smith-Kanze describes herself as
“master of the spreadsheet,” while Sara Fatell, who does most of the baking, is
“master of the mixer.”
Taste
is paramount here — you won’t find fondant on the menu, no matter how beautiful
it might look.
“Our
goal is to fill it with good food. We focus more on the taste and the way it
makes you feel,” says Smith-Kanze.
Grassroots
admits to attracting off-beat couples, and it’s just fine with that.
Smith-Kanze and Fatell pride themselves on the personal touch, and believe that
good things come in small packages — namely cupcakes and whoopie pies. You
won’t get a cake larger than 10 inches.
The
first meeting with a couple takes about an hour; stories are shared, flavors and
combinations discussed and ideas shared. All the information is then entered
into a spreadsheet.
“At
the end they feel lost and we feel better,” jokes Fatell.
New
ideas and combinations are born from there, and within a month the couple is
invited back to the bakery for a tasting. All cakes are served in cupcake form.
“We
bring you a plate and run you through all the things you wanted to taste,” said
Fatell. “Then we sit and talk about it and we try to work with them to narrow
it down.”
Grassroots
requires minimum order of 1 dozen items per flavor. Cupcakes start at $25 a
dozen, cakes at $45, pies at $28 and whoopie pies at $22.
The
bakery has already become a neighborhood favorite, and baked goods fly off the
display case all too quickly. If either woman catches your eye as you pass by
their window, you’ll have to stop in and you won’t be allowed to leave
empty-handed — nor would you wish to.
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