The Bake Shop Way
From the Hamptons to Philly
I’m writing to you from the Philly —> NYC Amtrak, which means we are so back. I’m sipping a Ghia (client) and looking at New Jersey from the window. This week was very full and very special. I went to the Hamptons with my client Tate’s Bake Shop for their first ever brand trip. We visited the original bake shop, made chocolate chip cookies (they are unreal hot out of the oven), and had so much fun celebrating the brand and summer, which is so close. We got back to the city on Friday afternoon and I headed straight to Philly for a girls weekend. Este had a fun weekend with her aunt (thank you, Leah, for cat sitting). I am returning home tired, grateful, and ready for a vegetable.
Now, let’s dive in! Paid subscribers will receive a bonus newsletter this (and every) Thursday. This week, we’re talking about summer and what it’s going to look like this year! And congrats to Katelyn for winning
’s cookbook!Something to cook:
I really didn’t cook much this week but I was grateful to my past self for making granola, which I ate with greek yogurt, chia seeds, and frozen mango.
The night before my trip, I made a favorite freezer dinner of frozen dumplings, frozen spinach, and frozen edamame. I top it all with chili crisp and soy sauce and it feels balanced and somewhat nutritious.
Something to order:
On Monday, Julia and I got dinner at Lighthouse, one of my favorite spots. We had oysters, burrata, hummus, tahini caesar salad, and orange wine and sat at the bar, the best place to sit.
I got bagels at Bagelsmith for our ride out east and they fueled us well. Sesame bagel with scallion cream cheese forever!
After a busy day of prepping for the Tate’s guests to arrive, we had a lovely team dinner at Sant Ambroeus in Southampton, which had delicious pasta and great vibes. Jess ordered Sancerre for the table and it was so nice to spend time together in person.
The highlight of the trip was our visit to the original Tate’s Bake Shop, which is bustling. We put on hairnets and got to work mixing and scooping the cookie dough (
was a star). A lot of the bake shop team has been there for decades and it was so cool to see some of their new menu items (some of which may find their way to grocery stores). Pro tip: they have great coffee and breakfast items too, don’t miss the coffee cake.
We partnered with Wolffer Estate for a special happy hour pairing wine with Tate’s Cookies (their tasting room is right down the road from A Room at the Beach, the home base for the trip). The new Sauvignon Blanc is excellent.
Finally, we had a beautiful dinner at Lulu’s in Sag Harbor. The roasted cauliflower and burrata with figs were both so good and we had Tate’s cookies and ice cream for dessert to wrap up a sweet day.
My first stop in Philly was Middle Child Clubhouse for dinner with the gals before the Japanese Breakfast concert at the Met (we all got Liquid Death, hydration is hot). The latke is great and so is the tofu sandwich.
Natalie, the mastermind behind this trip, found and recruited Alicia, Anna and me to sign up for In Flow studio, which was a short walk from our AirBnb. It’s a former pretzel factory turned auto body shop turned yoga studio, which is very Philly and very gorgeous (and spacious compared to New York yoga). Afterwards, we met Rebecca at Front Street Cafe for brunch and the huevos rancheros were great. It was sidewalk sale day in Fishtown so we wandered around and I got some secondhand utensils and a blue and white bowl for berries.
I moseyed my way to Sandra, Jake, and Maya in South Philly and we headed to Bok Bar, which is also where they got married. We had some Lo-Fi spritzes and curly fries and Maya danced a little (she’s walking now and it’s so cute).
Sandra and I got dinner at a spot that was not great, but we had after dinner pizza from Square Pie, which was very good. And some Tate’s cookie bark for dessert.
It was Italian Market festival weekend so we walked around and saw the procession after brunch at Royal Tavern. Maya and I really liked the scrambled eggs.
Something to read:
Love Diet Coke? You Have My Dad to Thank for That
Cristina, Isetta’s founder, shared some inside scoop on earning new media in
Natalie and I both wear these earrings almost every day and we both sleep in this eyemask (originally a Lissette rec, I love it).
What My Divorce Revealed About My Friends
It was my ten year college reunion this weekend and I didn’t even realize till earlier this week. Needless to say, I didn’t attend. I didn’t love college but I love Philly (and always have) and returning time after time to create new memories makes me so happy.
Moving advice on grief from Stephen Colbert via
on loathing then loving Like a G6Congrats to
on 100 issues ofA gorgeous essay on grief and working for the Parks Department on 9/11
How to feed a crowd from
—brunch can work at any time of day.I am extremely ready for And Just Like That season 3
I will be in Austin next week for work and have time for one dinner—any recommendations? I’ve never been!
Have a great week! xo
Abigail
It's been a stupidly long time since I've been to Austin, but Guero's Taco Bar was always a favorite (so much so that my brother and sister-in-law had them cater their wedding!). https://gueros.com/ Plus, the S. Congress location is so fun!
I don’t like Tate’s cookies (I’m not a flat cookie gal) but I would actually kill to have such a cookie filled day. The whole experience sounded so cool!
Also - can you please relink the essay on grief and working for the Parks Department on 9/11? That one sounds so interesting!