Happy Valentine's Day 2013
We wish all of our wonderful clients a Happy Valentine's Day! And where better to celebrate Valentine's Day than at our newest creation - Julia Baker Confections
http://www.juliabakerconfections.com- and her new piece of chocolate heaven at the Arizona Biltmore Fashion Park!
We were so honored to be selected as the architect for this little jewel. Just before Labor Day and my annual trip to Italy, my good friend, Julia Baker, called me and asked if she could refer her to an architect to design her new flagship store. I told her I had the perfect firm for her - us! She paused for about two seconds and said, "Yes of course! Let's do it!" We were so excited and knew this would not just be a chocolate boutique but a little work of art. We teamed up with Claire Ownby of Ownby Design
http://www.ownbydesign.com and Schultz Development
http://www.schultzdevelopment.org and we had the store designed and open for business by December 17th! What can be better than enjoying art in your mouth while being surrounded by elegance. It doesn't get more decadent than that!
I met Julia about seven years ago when she came to my office to design a French inspired home. We immediately became good friends. She loves architecture and of course food and cooking and so do I. We have cooked and baked together many times. She created my daughter's entire farm themed cake for her 5th birthday. She established Julia Baker Confections in 2006 and has never looked back. Her desserts and chocolates has been featured internationally and she has been acclaimed as the "Chocolatier to the Stars." Singer/songwriter Alicia Keys has called Julia"breathtakingly talented." Among the many celebrities Julia has made chocolates for Bono of U2, Paris Hilton, Jennifer Aniston, and Brittany Spears.
Julia was trained at the Le Cordon Bleu in Paris and is an amazing cook but was drawn to creating desserts. "I have had a sweet tooth all of my life. I just love dessert and have been known to eat it either before or in place of a meal! Chocolate is a super food after all," says Julia. We asked Julia what dessert comes to mind when she thinks of Valentine's Day, "Well this year with our new boutique and dessert bar - you'll be seeing a lot of heart-shaped lava cakes! Any heart with an oozing chocolate center is the definition of the PERFECT Valentine!" comments Julia.
Julia Baker Confections has some special experiences awaiting you for this Valentine's Day and the entire weekend. They will feature special dessert packages for 2 including champagne or their incredible chocolate martinis....these are a must have! Julia goes on to say, "And being that hopeless romantic - I am thinking about running nonstop romantic comedies on our TV in the wine bar. When Harry Met Sally, You've Got Mail, and Sleepless in Seattle will all be on the list!"
We asked her if she has a Valentine and what her personal Valentine wish would be this year? "I have a long distance Valentine. My wish is simple...that he would be here for Valentine's Day!"
Stop by and say hi to Julia and enjoy a very sensory inspiring experience.
Candelaria Design - St. Mary's Food Bank Day!
Thank you to all of you who pitched in and donated to our Candelaria Design day at St. Mary's Food Bank
http://www.firstfoodbank.org last month. In one afternoon we put together 1890 grocery sacks of food which equates to over 10,000 meals and we also raised and donated $1,000 which equates to another 7,000 meals. It is amazing how all of us working together made such an impact in such a short amount of time.
One statistic that really jumped out at me was that one in seven Arizonans do not know where their next meal is coming from every day, and that one in 4 Arizonan seniors do not know where their next meal is coming from and that one in three Arizonan children do not know where their next meal is coming from. It really is hard to believe those statistics exist right here in our state. We are committed to doing what we can to see that change. So - instead of doing this Candelaria Design day at St. Mary's Food Bank once a year we are going to make it every quarter! If you are interested in helping us out, just call our office and sign up. It is really easy, you just need to show up. We go for about 3 hours and you can make a direct impact. We had a great time and we all felt proud that we had made a difference. Join us -
602-604-2001.
Candelaria Design selected for Best of Houzz 2013.
http://www.houzz.com/press/7/Houzz-Unveils-2013----Best-of-Remodeling----Winners?mkt_tok=3RkMMJWWfF9wsRolv6vAZKXonjHpfsX57OQrXbHr08Yy0EZ5VunJEUWy2oEJS9QhcOuuEwcWGog8yANNAPo%3D
Scottsdale Charros - Parada del Sol & Spring Training
I enjoyed my ride with my Charro compadres down Scottsdale Road last Saturday and Candelaria Design contributed the design for the new western facade that just went up at the Charro Lodge. The new western storefront was donated and constructed by my good friends at Telluride Natural Stone http://telluridenaturalstone.com. Come check out some games. I have amazing packages right here at the Scottsdale Charro Lodge http://www.springtraining.com. Our proceeds go to wonderful programs and charities all geared towards education and children!
Final Comments
That wraps it up for this week! We have some exciting announcements coming up in the weeks and months ahead so stay tuned and subscribe to our blog. Our 10th Anniversary Candelaria Design Tour Italy Trip http://www.facebook.com/CandelariaTourItaly is sold out for this year and we are taking reservations for 2014! We already have several travelers lined up for 2104 so don't wait long!
Stay up to speed with daily updates by following and LIKEing us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/candelariadesign.
