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Click here to learn about Our Philosophy for Good Living.
Ask any baker, performer, or painter what the most important factor that they deal with is, and they'll
all give the same answer: the ingredients, the several separate components that, when combined together,
make up the perfect finished product. To the baker, it's the flour, water, and yeast, the performer has
to know his lines and deliver them just right, and the painter must use the canvas and colors to create
what lives in his mind. A business is no exception; you must find the right pieces to complete the
perfect puzzle. Who you work with is just as important as the work you do.
Let's try out this recipe: Take an older sister, Staci, who graduated from college with a degree in Hotel
Restaurant Management, spent time around the world studying the fine art of service and cuisine, and ends
up running several of Chicago's most successful restaurants. Now stir in a younger brother, Kenny, with
an educated palate who was ordering escargot at age six and earned top Chef honors at the Ritz Escoffier
in Paris by the time he was nineteen. Toss in a restaurateur Father whose landmark steakhouse has been a
Chicago Loop staple for over thirty years. Add a healthy dash of creativity from a Mother who designs her
own hand painted furniture and mix in a filmmaker brother with a sweet tooth and a knack for bizarre
food creations, and you're ready to start cooking.
Staci and Kenny thought their talents would be the perfect combination to open their own restaurant. And
why not? It was in their blood. From an early age the siblings had been working for their father in his
restaurants. That's why it was so shocking that it was their father, Herman, who discouraged them. Instead,
he suggested they go in to baking to service the booming espresso bar business hitting the Chicago market.
However, the baking scene was already saturated. What they needed to do was enter the old club with a new
game. And that's exactly what they did.
In February 1993, Staci and Kenny launched Little Miss Muffin (their mom, Barbara, gets credit for the name).
Little Miss Muffin was born out of desire to change..change the way people thought of low fat, cholesterol
free baked goods. And let's be honest, who wasn't ready for a change? Staci and Kenny were ready to take
healthy baking to the next level. They knew that with flavors like S'More, Raspberry Poached Pear, and
Peach Blueberry Cobbler (brother Roberto's twisted creation) that they had something special. The company
was an instant hit around the Chicago area, and it wasn't long until the country was getting a taste.
Guests at local espresso bars and cafes, passengers on United Airlines, and travelers passing through
the world's busiest airport, O'Hare, were captivated by more than forty exotic muffin flavors that
this young bakery was churning out in a record setting pace. They quickly outgrew their original bakery
in their dad's restaurant and moved into their own space.
Shortly after relocating to their new bakery, Little Miss Muffin received national praise from several of
the countries top critics. Crain's Chicago Business, The Montel Williams Show, The Chicago Sun Times all
hailed their delicious baked goods as some of the finest in the country. And the jewel in their crown,
Entrepreneur Magazine listed them as one America's most exciting young companies. The public desired more
from the gifted young bakers: more choices, they wanted full fat varieties, and most importantly they
wanted Staci and Kenny to do it for them.
Here they grow again! In 1997, the sister and brother team launched a full fat line that boasts over 100
items including Carrot Cake Muffins and Quadruple Berry Scones. Next came the addition of Donuts. In 1998,
Staci and Kenny expanded their culinary talents to add donuts, with flavors including the infamous French
Toast Donut and the Toffee Bar Crunch Donut that are so insanely delicious, customers have been known to be
left speechless after eating them.
Staying true to themselves and to their vision, the sister brother team has taken their baking fame in
stride. Like Staci and Kenny always say, "We don't want to change the world, we just want to feed it."
So, here is their recipe for success: You start with love, sprinkle in a healthy dose of trust, mix in a
ton of creativity, and a big ol' dash of laughter. Bake on high ambition. Once it starts to rise, never
look back and never doubt your talent.
And There You Have the Birth Of A Muffin.
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