Happy New Year! I hope the start of this year has gone well for all of you, and only the best things are in store for all of us as we roll on through.
I’ve gotten a lot of questions over the past few months about the happenings around here, future plans, & special orders. I thought it best to address them all here!
Q- “Why aren’t you working in a Certified Kitchen?”
- This answer remains the same- there are NO shared commercial kitchens (unless privately owned) in our area that are ABSOLUTELY GLUTEN FREE. This is something I pride myself on, in that, no other contaminants are present in my baking & cooking areas- ever. With Celiac disease & food allergies, even the smallest particles can cause intense, extreme reactions in people & that’s not something I ever want to be responsible for. My kitchen is entirely GF, thoroughly cleaned, and I know exactly what is in it each and every day.
I do work in certified kitchens when working with corporate and business orders, and still hold my ServSafe certification, Nutrition certificates, my RRMC (tax certificates) and more.
That said, my kitchen is not nut free. Even if my products do not have nuts in them, I am not comfortable claiming they are “nut free.”
Q- “How do special orders work?”
- Special orders are now taken through my Facebook page, VIP group, email, and text message. I suppose phone calls, too, but if you know me- you know phone chats just are not my thing. (Blame my introversion and being on the phones constantly for work.) The Online Bakery is still open and viewable as a menu, but due to changes made by Square and Weebly, I can no longer review orders BEFORE they are accepted.
This means when someone places an order, it is now automatically accepted before I have a chance to review it to ensure I have all of the ingredients or time to get it made. This has caused issues, and I hope that Square gets it together (per my hundreds of requests…) and puts it back to the way it was before. (When an order was submitted, I could review it before accepting it.) I apologize for any inconvenience with this, but it is still out of my hands.
Once an order is placed, I will invoice you via email address through Square, PayPal, or directly through Facebook pay. In some cases, I will allow check or cash on pickup, but this is no longer the standard. Needless to say, some took advantage of my kindness, ruining the trust of “I’ll pay you on pickup” for others.
Q- “What are your 2021 plans?”
- Ha, what a great question! Thanks to COvid & my failing health, it is too difficult to fully commit to markets at this point. That said, I’m hoping to re-join Historic West Main Street & New Haven’s M3 this year at least a few times (assuming they’ll still have me). We miss our market family & friends!
I will still be accepting Special Orders throughout the year, in a limited capacity. I’ve had to cut back my work schedules on every level and platform to accommodate my health, my children & life- but I’m still packing in as many orders as possible each and every month! We will still be running on contactless porch pickups/deliveries until further notice. I am also still offering catering, as well, with LOTS of prior notice.
My advice: If you know you’re going to want #OHFORKS goods around a certain time, let me know when so I can reserve the order space for you through 2021.
Q– “Can you customize orders?”
- Yes! Customizations can happen on most all of our goods! 90% of our goods are also vegan; 100% of our goods are ALWAYS gluten free.
If you have an allergen, dietary or customization need- just ask! All of our goods continue to have nutrition labels, specific ingredient lists, & 95% of our ingredients are organic.
Q- “Any new cookbooks coming?”
- Yes. I am always working on cookbooks, new recipes, and free recipes for the website. I did a horrible job updating the site with new recipes last year (damn 2020…) but am hoping to do better this year! I’m currently deciding on how to work out some new recipes & cookbooks and thinking about trying things in a new way with single recipes & flat costs. We shall see what the year holds!
Q- “Is OH, Forks!™ your main job?”
- No. OH, Forks!™ is my side-gig, which is why I accept limited orders and do not frequent 900 markets any more. I appreciate those who understand this!
Changes Coming in 2021
One major thing to note, is that one of my distributors is ending their Small Business Wholesale program at the end of March. This will affect my prices and ability to *quickly* get some ingredients, once again. (*Quickly- can still get my ingredients, just not at the warp speed shipping levels happening now.) I am not sure just how much of a change it will be until I get ahold of the new price sheets and rules.
Another thing, Senate Bill 185, is being introduced this year, and might give home-based vendors the ability to sell to third-party vendors (stores, shops, etc.) and work solely from their home kitchens. I am hoping this passes through all of the levels & houses, as there are many stores & shops that have requested my Dry Goods baking mixes, Spoon in Spice blends, Socially Frozen ice creams, and more for years! Would be fabulous to get it out there and into your hands!
So, basically things are still things, and I’m still here working away making you the highest quality, best tasting goods I know how to. I’m so grateful that many of you have stuck by me through the years, through the growth, & through the trials and tribulations.
Here’s to 2021- the NEW goods I’ll be offering and the exciting things to come!
Peace, love & light!
