Hey all, I have to apologize, it has been....a long....time, since I have posted!  Exciting things have been happening around Ann's Bakery.  We can start with December 2011, my daughter Jordan, Ann's great grand daughter was married, to a sweet handsome young man, Geoffrey.  We had 4 months to plan the wedding, I have to say, it was a blast.  I had never planned a wedding before, myself never having the big shindig, so we planned a wonderful evening for the cute couple. Of course I had to show the cake :) 

The summer of 2012 we embarked on a wonderful trip to Colorado with Mandy, we stayed in a family home there, near Salida.  We went fishing, hiking, exploring, eating, repeat!  Beautiful views, delicious food!





The fall of 2012 we decided to buy a house, the one we were in was a little big for the two of us now that my 3 were all grown and finding there own ways :) Basically they moved next door and across the street.  So we found one on a quiet street, a good foundation, and ready for us to put our touches on it, big enough for us and for any visitors too!  We love our little abode!

 

Sooooo 2013 marked the 75th year in Ann's Bakery history, we have a few fun things planned, first being a recreation of the historic bread line from 1946.  If you can see the little girl on the balcony, well, that's my mother, Sharon!  In May of 2013 we called out friends, family and customers to come out and recreate the historic line, but this time it was for CAKE! 

We had a wonderful turn out, Dickey's BBQ came out and we provided dessert!

 

 

Next on the agenda was the 75th Anniversary party!  We booked 2 bands, The Blazer Band with front and center my brother in law, Russ Angell and Admiral Twin, a long standing Tulsa favorite!  Food trucks came out and supported us, we had a cupcake eating contest and prizes and drawings!  It too, was a great night, in the words of Admiral Twin "We can now mark this off our bucket list, playing at a bakery"!  Yes, I know tongue in cheek! 

So after all the fun, my daughter and her husband decide to move to Florida!  Nooooooooo!  But, yes, they did, so happy they are spreading their wings but sad to see them go.

 

 

 She's such a silly girl, we miss her terribly!

 
So in the meantime, my husband and I plan a driving trip to California, he has had a life long dream of driving his car, which was then a 370Z, down the Pacific Coast highway.  I loved planning the drive. First to Sante Fe, then to Flagstaff, Las Vegas, then on to Monterrey.  Wonderful sites to see, a stop into the Robert Hall winery.  Of course, we had to buy a bottle of wine at every destination.  We drove through Pebble Beach and down the Pacific Coat highway.  I can see why now, he wanted to take this drive, breathtakingly beautiful.  I will definitely want to go back.  Our drive home was just as beautiful, alittle different route, but interesting nonetheless. 

 

 

 

So after our amazing California drive, my Sister in Law, invites me on another trip of a life time.....Paris!  Yes!  So I prepped and planned for this exciting trip in December, I'm only sharing one photo, I could post them all, but it wouldn't do it justice.  The bakeries, flower shops, chocolatiers, cheese shops, markets with fresh meats, fruits, vegetables.  I totally loved the experience.  The food was incredible!  The history was so delicately preserved, I couldn't keep my eyes off the cobblestone streets.  I did enjoy the Vin Chaud!

 

 

 

About a week after arriving home, we received a phone a call at the bakery about a new series being filmed for the Food Network, questioning us as to whether we would be interested in knowing more and if we were "qualified" or if we fit the criteria for the show.  The question being "were we currently struggling as a bakery, small family owned business"?  To be honest....we laughed, we struggle ever year, some years are better than others, prices of ingredients, good help, repairs, equipment, you name it.  So after some discussions and interviews, we were chosen to film our episode in February.  It was a wonderful experience, the host and star of the show, was genuine, supportive and most of all helpful, we were stuck in the past, and also trying to teach the new generation of family, the family trade secrets.  The show offered a much needed face lift for the bakery and more than anything else it gave us a much needed boost of confidence.  Here is a link to the designers blog http://myfixituplife.com/

They are absolutely wonderful!

 

 

 

 

With that said, we were also motivated to accept an offer to open a satellite store with our good friends at Party Pro Rents at 41st and Sheridan, a little farther south for our south Tulsa customers!  Here is some progress with that location, hopefully soon to come! So stay tuned for more news, I hope I have gotten everyone caught up!  We now have a great crew at the shop with some long time loyal employees, the boys Joe and Jake are perfecting their baking skills, and some great talent and personalities!

 

 http://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/save-my-bakery/100-series/baking-excuses.html

Link to the Food Network series

 

 

Hi again Ann's fans!  It's been a while since the last time, but definitely worth the wait!  We are so proud to feature one of our great "cake artists" Gwen! 
She has been a wonderful addition to our "Ann's" family, she is incredibly talented, which is good for us, but she is also a great friend!  Gwen is not even close to being out of her 20's but decorates, creates cakes like she is a veteran of the art.  The pictures to follow are proof! It's hard to describe her "style", she has such a gift for creating such beautiful cakes.
No more typing, talking about Gwen.......let's look at her work!

A fun Lisa Franks inspired cake

Obviously a rock and roll inspired

A "crown" inspired cake

    These are just a few of her wonderful creations!

One more pic for the fun of it, sums up Gwen's quirky, yet fabulous personality!

Hope you enjoyed the pics, stay tuned for more Ann's "family" stories and pics!

 

 

 

Sooooooo....................

We are back and hoping to keep this up a little better than before!  We have some exciting news.  First, our very own, great grand daughter of Ann, is in the Tulsa World this week, in the "Weekender"  We are so excited!  We are gearing up for our fabulous 75th Anniversary which we will kick off this January 2013 and carry on through the year until our Anniversary month of July, for a big celebration!  So keep a look out for Anniversary specials coming up and some fun activites, too leading up to the big month!  We are so fortunate to have such a great bunch of employees, we are looking forward to sharing with everyone, bits of fun info, about our crew! 

So first up is......Jordan!  Most of her fun info was in the article, but what isn't said in the article, is what an amazing artist Jordan is.  She is very creative and loves to paint, we have a few of her paintings hanging in the bakery.  I think everyone working here would agree that she is out going and friendly, and doesn't mind, speaking her mind!  She was married December 2011 to Geoffrey and they have a rowdy puppy (Boxer) named Boz! 

Until next week...........

Tulsa Neons

I have always loved our "old" neon sign at the bakery, we also have these great neon's in the original front door that we turn on at night. 

I just love the neon's around town!  A local magazine did a spread, not too long ago about the great neon's in town, unfortunately ours were left out!  But here are a few that I have always loved!









Sooooo many of these bring back such good memories of growing up in Tulsa........I guess I'm feeling alittle reminiscent...