The lights are on

November 8, 2010 – The arrival of the holiday season sneaks up on me like the
drop of autumn leaves. One day the landscape is rich golden red and then in the
blink of a windy afternoon a stark brown takes over and the onset of winter becomes
real. Like the change of seasons, Christmastime is a gradual morph that seems
to happen all of a sudden.

This is what happened to me running errands over the
weekend. I finally clued in to the Christmas displays in the windows, the
decorated tree in a plaza lobby and the lights – oh the lights are definitely
up. Friends are asking when I would like to do some holiday baking. I realized
I knew neither the when nor what of that equation. Christmas was, as usual,
sneaking up on me.   

I’m sure you’re well ahead of me in your holiday baking
plans. I recently met with Marla Kravice, president of Baker Street, to discuss
their seasonal treats. Baker Street is a family owned dessert company whose
products can be found in major retailers such as Loblaws and Metro. The Baker
Street line -up for this year focuses on classic comfort foods with a twist,
such as gingerbread cake. Kravice also said they invested in creating new pie
flavours as she sees pies making a comeback. I think we’ll be seeing lots of classics
with a twist this year. It plays off the love of all things retro right now and
the public’s appetite for the unexpected in their indulgences.