Hello dear friends,
I'd like to start off this newsletter by saying THANK YOU SO MUCH to everyone who came to our Dumpling Pop Up last weekend! The saying goes, during Lunar New Year celebrations, that the more people that gather together at someone's place and the more dumplings that get eaten as a result symbolize the fullness of life, of family, of friends, of community, and of a lucky prosperous year to come. Our hearts and our bellies were so full because we made over a thousand dumplings and fed close to 200 people that night! We are so lucky that C&C has such a supportive community and we definitely don't take it for granted...so once more, thank you - we can't wait to do it again next year!
With a new month upon us, we have been spending the last few days mapping out the weeks ahead and starting to plan for the summer market season - it's going to be here before you know it. So far we are excited to say that we'll be back for sure at the outdoor Rockford City Market on Friday nights and at the Beloit Farmer's Market on Saturday mornings. We'll let you know when we find out about returning to our other markets. For now though, here's a line-up of March events going on at the bakery:
Tomorrow is First Friday and that means it's Pizza & Beer Night at C&C. I love these nights because I get to crank up my ovens as high as they'll go and watch all the cheese bubbling onto the decks from our Roman-style pies. If you haven't tried our pizzas, I hope that you stop by tomorrow night and give it a go! If you've been before, I'm excited to tell you about a cool new addition to our pizza nights. We are going to be hosting different local/regional breweries who will come out to sample their beers every month and we will have the full size brews available at the shop for purchase to go with your pizza. First up is Generations Brewing Co. from Freeport, IL who've been producing artisan ales and lagers since 2014. I haven't tried it myself yet but I heard their Jelly Donut beer is super good...word on the street is that it'll be available late spring :)
On Saturday, March 14th, we are planning to serve up a St. Patty's Day breakfast menu but we also can't forget it's Pi Day! I've been itching to make some pies and galettes so this is going to be my chance to have them in the bakery case. I'm also a big fan of corned beef hash so basically I'm gonna be a happy camper on St. Patty's Pi Day.
On Friday, March 20th, we will have our second Panini Night! With the crazy amount of paninis we served up at our last one, I think it's safe to say that Rockfordians really love paninis and we gotta give the people what they want, right?
That's about all the updates I have for now so I hope you mark your calendars and come hang out with us!
See you soon,
Jojo