Bleeding Heart Bakery
Bleeding Heart Bakery
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Post #31 - March 19th, 2007, 3:58 pmMichelleGarcia wrote:
I have spoken with my production manager together we are going to re-teach all of the breakfast pastries so this problem does not happen again.
I've been trying to teach my breakfast pastries not to be so fattening. It hasn't worked yet.
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Post #32 - December 31st, 2007, 3:02 pmFriday 28 December, I stopped in to Bleeding Heart Bakery, my first time at their newish location on Belmont, just E. of Damen. I was off from work, so was able to get there around 10:30 AM. I normally am VERY fond of their big, soft, gingery Molasses cookies and I also like their scones. Unfortunately, all of the ones I got were stale already, the cookies were so hard I couldn't bite through them, and I had to use both hands and a lot of force to break them into pieces. I wonder if it was the snowy weather? The scones were similarly quite hard. I've never experienced this from them before, either at the old location or at the Green City Market (in fact, my Mother in Law said they were the best scones she had ever eaten). I'm hoping it was a holiday fluke...
Bleeding Heart Bakery
1955 W. Belmont
Chicago IL
773-327-6931Leek
SAVING ONE DOG may not change the world,
but it CHANGES THE WORLD for that one dog.
American Brittany Rescue always needs foster homes. Please think about helping that one dog. http://www.americanbrittanyrescue.org
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Post #33 - January 25th, 2009, 9:37 pmOne of the most pleasurable aspects of doing WBEZ radio segments is that it gives me the opportunity to have focused conversations with people who are passionate about food, like Michelle Garcia, owner of Bleeding Heart, who I believe responded quite honestly and graciously to sometimes negative critiques from this community. I re-read the exchange from back then and couldn’t help but wish that all restaurateurs and other food providers who take sincere if hard input from our community could respond with such heart-felt articulation.
Michelle has a helluva story: she was a heroin baby then a bad girl sent to bad girl school in California where punishment was KP. Turned out, she loved cooking and so did more bad things to score more time in the kitchen (I asked her if it was okay to mention this backstory publicly, and she was cool with that, as she is with most things).
Talking with her, I noticed her voice became very thin at times, particularly when she got emotional about her commitment to the business and for making the kind of baked goods her customers enjoy. She’s got a soft side, for a tough gal (when she met her future husband, she offered to kick his ass right then and there.)
And killer tats. Lots of them.
I really dug the scones I got from Bleeding Heart."Don't you ever underestimate the power of a female." Bootsy Collins
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Post #34 - January 26th, 2009, 1:23 amMy absolute #1 favorite item at the BHB on Belmont has to be the espresso brownie which has never disappointed. It's not the first coffee-flavored brownie I've tried, but the dark roasted flavor conmingled with the chocolate persists beyond belief. It's more deeply satisfying than a chunk of Valrhona. Hie thee hence!
* Edited to correct for stupidity.Last edited by titus wong on January 27th, 2009, 4:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post #35 - January 26th, 2009, 7:52 amI had a chocolate chip cookie there over the summer that was pretty hard and I didn't enjoy the flavor. Since then, I've found the things I like there. My toddler son is especially fond of the vegan oatmeal cookie and it is always moist. I also like a plain vanilla cupcake there. Living in the neighborhood, I have my favorite spots for various things (Dinkel's for a sugar cookie, Whole Foods for a Carol's cookie, etc.), and Bleeding Heart is always a nice spot to go and sit down for a cup of tea and relax.
I love the high chair they have at Bleeding Heart. It is great for my son, as it has a tray and a strap that works--so much better than the standard issue wooden high chairs you find most everywhere.
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Post #36 - January 26th, 2009, 8:51 amI am a huge fan of Bleeding Heart's take-a-hike scone, which has been my Saturday Breakfast for each Saturday when the GCM is open for a few years. We stopped into the store this past summer and had what I think was Raspberry Brioche which was off the charts good.
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Post #37 - January 26th, 2009, 9:20 ammsmre wrote:I am a huge fan of Bleeding Heart's take-a-hike scone
I believe that's the vegan scone, right? I ate one of those yesterday, too.
What I like about their scones is that they're crunchy. I realize this is not everyone's preference -- some enjoy more a cake-like consistency. For me, the closer desserts aspire to crispiness the better.
This raise the issue of soft vs. crispy. Yesterday, I also spoke with Rose of Roses' wheat-free bakery, and she, like me, prefers a crispy cookie. She believes we are in the minority, however, and that most people prefer soft cookies."Don't you ever underestimate the power of a female." Bootsy Collins
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Post #38 - January 26th, 2009, 9:56 amDavid Hammond wrote:msmre wrote:I am a huge fan of Bleeding Heart's take-a-hike scone
I believe that's the vegan scone, right? I ate one of those yesterday, too.
Yeah, that's the one. Before I actually had one I would have scoffed at the notion of a vegan scone, but they've become one of my favorite baked goods of all time. I think I even wrote a post in the "Best thing you've eaten [lately]" thread about it.
I had a slice of apple spice layer cake there the other day that was phenomenal. I wish that they had layer cakes by the slice more often... I just can't get in to cupcakes.
-Dan
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Post #39 - January 26th, 2009, 11:38 amThe bleeding heart bakery is my favorite. Whether it's a brownie, one of their orange dreamcycle cupcakes, the goat cheese croissant, you can't go wrong. And the owner, Michelle and Viney are sincerely some of the nicest and most sincere people out there. My two cents.
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Post #40 - January 27th, 2009, 11:09 amtitus wong wrote:My absolute #1 favorite item at the BHB on Belmont has to be the espresso brownie which has never failed to disappoint.
??
I don't think that was really your intent? (emphasis added)Objects in mirror appear to be losing.
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Post #41 - January 27th, 2009, 4:28 pmAck!! Phppt! Well, at least I know someone's reading these...thanks!
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Post #42 - February 10th, 2009, 12:45 pmReprinted from an e-mail I received this morning -
Press Release 2/10/09
Breaking News: Stop the Rumors! The truth Behind the Very Temporary Closing of Bleeding Heart Bakery
It was reported yesterday, 2/9/09, that the Chicago Health Department conducted a routine inspection of Bleeding Heart Bakery, resulting in its closing due to clogged sinks, no manager on duty and overflowing garbage in the alley. The blogs, internet and news has run am muck with the story and many speculations and slanderous comments have been made.
We are writing this statement to put a stop to the rumors and to state our side of the story, which not one reporting agency, besides the Booster, has bothered to ask.
On Sunday night, after service, our kitchen sink became clogged, once noticed in the morning, the sink was covered and not used. The hand sink near by was affected and was also closed. These are two of 6 sinks we have in the bakery, three of which are hand sinks. This in no way said that we were not either washing our hands (as there is a sink 15 feet away for that) or our dishes. We were not actually open and no food could have in anyway been affected. Drano (yes, I know...bad) had already been purchased and cleared the drain in minutes. Problem solved before 11am.
We get our trash serviced every Monday by Waste Management. They usually come around 10 am which they did yesterday. As our inspection was between 8 and 9, the garbage was not emptied yet. We pay for this service and they come faithfully every week.
There were two members of the staff present both of which had their sanitation license, they were not asked for it. However, the bakery was cited for not having a staff member with their sanitation license present. The owner, Michelle recently had surgery and had to run out for 1 hour to a post op appointment. This one hour just happened to be the hour the health department showed up. Interesting.
We have always prided ourselves on our cleanliness and have supported an open kitchen from the very beginning to prove we have nothing to hide.
We apologize for any problems this may cause people, we have already gone back to the city and will be re-inspected within 48 hours, which is routine procedure. We will be open for business this weekend or sooner, without a doubt, and we will be celebrating another wonderful Valentines Day.
Michelle & Vinny Garcia
The Bleeding Heart Bakery
1955 W Belmont Ave
Chicago, IL 60657
773.327.6934
http://www.thebleedingheartbakery.com
http://www.thebleedingheartbakery.com/vdmenu.pdf
http://flickr.com/photos/thebleedingheartbakery
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Post #43 - February 10th, 2009, 1:11 pmThe blogs, internet and news has run am muck with the story and many speculations and slanderous comments have been made
Well, if it's any consolation... not anywhere that I've seen.Watch Sky Full of Bacon, the Chicago food HD podcast!
New episode: Soil, Corn, Cows and Cheese
Watch the Reader's James Beard Award-winning Key Ingredient here.
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Post #44 - February 10th, 2009, 1:37 pmMike G wrote:The blogs, internet and news has run am muck with the story and many speculations and slanderous comments have been made
Well, if it's any consolation... not anywhere that I've seen.
First I've heard of it, too. Sorry for your problems. Hopefully things will work out for you soon.Steve Z.
“Only the pure in heart can make a good soup.”
― Ludwig van Beethoven
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Post #45 - February 10th, 2009, 3:41 pmEpoisses wrote:I will always support these kind of businesses. I left feeling really good.
I stopped in Bleeding Heart again last week and got a few scones, and it's funny what you say about feeling "really good" about supporting this place; I agree, and although I just about always put taste before all other considerations, it does feel good to know you're patronizing a place that supports sustainable agriculture and organic ingredients...though I wouldn't shop there if I didn't like their scones."Don't you ever underestimate the power of a female." Bootsy Collins
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Post #46 - February 10th, 2009, 7:07 pmI tried to take my son today, there was a big green city of chicago sign on the door and their chalkboard said they were closed due to plumbing problems and waiting for OK from City to reopen. We were both looking forward to chilling there after spending time at the park today in the beautiful weather! Oh well. I hope they reopen soon.
Since I mentioned a health inspection, here is the link:
http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/ ... tment.html
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Post #47 - February 11th, 2009, 5:02 amBrown wrote:I tried to take my son today, there was a big green city of chicago sign on the door and their chalkboard said they were closed due to plumbing problems and waiting for OK from City to reopen. We were both looking forward to chilling there after spending time at the park today in the beautiful weather! Oh well. I hope they reopen soon.
Since I mentioned a health inspection, here is the link:
http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/ ... tment.html
This closure seems the result of an unlucky convergence of factors, though the suggestion of conspiracy has been thrown out there:
http://blogs.menupages.com/chicago/2009 ... chd_c.html"Don't you ever underestimate the power of a female." Bootsy Collins
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Post #48 - February 11th, 2009, 6:19 amMostly unlucky, perhaps. But I have to say I don't get the "the garbage was not emptied yet" excuse for overflowing trash. For very good reason, you are not allowed to leave overflowing trash out in the alleys, even if Waste Management is coming to pick it up soon. If one dumpster isn't enough, you either pay for a second one, pay for 2 trash pickups per week instead of one, or transport the excess trash yourself to a disposal center. Leaving it outside the dumpster in the alley is not acceptable.
Spoken by someone who once had a rat colony for neighbors while I lived next to an establishment that often left overflowing trash in the alley. I spoke to the owner once, the behavior persisted, and I called the health department. I had to find a new neighborhood watering hole after that, but the problem was solved....defended from strong temptations to social ambition by a still stronger taste for tripe and onions." Screwtape in The Screwtape Letters by CS Lewis
Fuckerberg on Food
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Post #49 - February 11th, 2009, 11:19 pmI have to agree with KennyZ on this one.
Perhaps if the owners put as much effort into making sure that they had adequate dumpster capacity and unclogged sinks as they do blog-promoting some ridiculous conspiracy theory in which the city health department has a vendetta against them, they wouldn't have these problems in the first place.
Personally, I have found the owner to be a quite unpleasant person, and the baked products to be unacceptably bad on more than one occasion in her bakery. Moreover, I have taken great offense to the personal attacks that she has dared launch against those who criticize her business for any reason.
I'm all for giving businesses a second chance to improve their products.
But, it is clearly time for Ms. Garcia to take accounatbility for her business and its shortcomings rather than attacking anyone who causes it to be portrayed negatively.
For those of you whio know me, you know that this is an unusually harsh criticism of a local business from me. Trust me when I tell you that the owner has personally earned my disdain.
Sorry, not a fan. I'd never darken the door of the place again.
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Post #50 - February 11th, 2009, 11:58 pmi agree that the excuses put forth sound pretty fishy.
the sinks both just happened to clog at the very end of the day before they were inspected, the inspector just happened to arrive when the owner just happened to be gone for just an hour, and the garbage just happened to be overflowing just that one time.
not buyin' it. that many things don't "just happen" all at the same time.
i've never been to bleeding heart and have no personal grudge against them or their owners. in fact, i support what they're trying to do wrt organic, local, etc, etc... but the story being put out just doesn't hold water imo.
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Post #51 - February 12th, 2009, 6:03 amelakin wrote:the sinks both just happened to clog at the very end of the day before they were inspected, the inspector just happened to arrive when the owner just happened to be gone for just an hour, and the garbage just happened to be overflowing just that one time.
not buyin' it. that many things don't "just happen" all at the same time.
The sinks clogged the day before, according to her post. As I'm unfamiliar with the rules & regulations of the City of Chicago health board, is covering a sink and telling employees not to use it permissible if there are an acceptable number of operating sinks? I've seen it done in kitchens before, so I was wondering if anyone knew.
Also, I've had that many things "just happen" at the same time.
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Post #52 - February 12th, 2009, 8:28 amGlad to know that I am not the only person who doesnt like Bleeding Heart. I like what they are trying to do, I have just have been disappointed with most of their offerings. Having tried them on several occasions, they even have a pic of my wedding cake on their site, I have decided its just not for me.
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Post #53 - January 17th, 2010, 3:14 pmSurprised to see so few mentions of the Oak Park spot, considering it filled a vacant niche here (that Red Hen almost immediately helped fill as well). They don't bake on site in OP, which so far hasn't been a deal breaker. But has anyone else noticed varying degrees of quality or freshness in what they carry? Just wondering. I've enjoyed what I've bought so far.
They had a Haiti cupcake yesterday, banana cake with coconut frosting, proceeds directly to the Red Corss.
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Post #54 - January 18th, 2010, 1:45 pmVitesse98 wrote:Surprised to see so few mentions of the Oak Park spot, considering it filled a vacant niche here (that Red Hen almost immediately helped fill as well). They don't bake on site in OP, which so far hasn't been a deal breaker. But has anyone else noticed varying degrees of quality or freshness in what they carry? Just wondering. I've enjoyed what I've bought so far.
They had a Haiti cupcake yesterday, banana cake with coconut frosting, proceeds directly to the Red Corss.
I had posted on the Oak Park spot once, but only in the "Worst Thing you've eaten lately" thread
I'm not sure what niche BHB is supposed to be filling in Oak Park (vegan and gluten-free baked goods? do they do anything else that you can't get elsewhere? just the unusual cupcakes?) but whatever it is, they don't fill it well. Vegan pumpkin bar was one of the single worst baked goods I have ever had produced by a professional. Devoid of the strong pumpkin flavor I would have expected, and whatever they used to make it vegan friendly rather than the eggs and dairy that would have been used for a more typical custard-like bar resulted in an unpleasant texture that left my mouth feeling chalky after every bite. I ate less than half and threw the rest away.
Cupcakes were a mixed bag, though generally varying from slightly below average to slightly above. Nothing great, and nothing awful either.
The lemon bar was actually good, but no better than any I've had from other local bakeries that have been around for years.
Overall, I was hugely disappointed by BHB, as was my wife. My parents have tried it a couple times as well since they live about 3 blocks away, and they've given up on them already. I'll give the cupcakes another shot at some point because I want the more unusual flavors to be good, but unless there's significant improvement that'll be it for me.
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Post #55 - January 18th, 2010, 2:15 pmdid i read it right on there website a cake in 2-d start's at $150 for 15 people.philw bbq cbj for kcbs &M.I.M. carolina pit masters
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Post #56 - January 18th, 2010, 3:46 pmI'm not sure if this email was just a press release (which I got through Gapers Block) or an email that went out to their regular customer listserv (of which I'm not a part), but some big changes are afoot with Bleeding Heart, including some efforts to address consistency issues. Sent January 4th (italics & bold mine):Wrapping Up 2009
2009 has truly been a year of ups and downs and has given us so much to think about. Our business has grown tremendously (that is thanks to you!) and much of our dynamics have changed. We have had major accomplishments, many food network challenges, so many highs and just as many lows. We saw a lot of turnaround in staff, which is always saddening, however, it has given us the drive to seek out the very best more family and career oriented people we possibly can to give you, the customer, the very best service we can possibly provide.
With the opening of Oak Park, we have many new customers and we would like to welcome you to our business and our family. We would like to extend to you what we extend to all of our customers, and that is our hand in honesty. The relationship we have with our customers is vital to the success of this business and essentially, our way of life. We are incredibly passionate about what we do and want to hear as much feed back from you as possible. Without your honesty, we will never know where we stand. We urge you to email, call, write us, whatever it takes to get us to hear you, whether you want to tell us how amazing your cake was or even if your were disappointed. We promise to care for your needs with integrity and respect, because not only do you deserve that, but our product does as well.
2009 has given us so much to think about and many of the lessons we have learned have made us think about our future and the future of this business. As many of you may know, we have two small children, both of whom need there mommy and daddy more than ever. So with this new year will come many changes. You will see some new faces, a smaller, yet much more stable and solid line of product, many more Bleeding Heart branded product (as we have officially been trademarked!) and the dismissal of wholesale accounts. For years now, we have sold our products to other business', we are so grateful for this support, however, we started to hear complaints that our products were not being handled correctly at these other places. So, to keep the integrity of our product and our business, we have made the decision to (with the exception of a very few amount of places) keep our product solely in house. That means that there may be a Bleeding Heart opening near you soon! (if there isn't one already). We are very busy really solidifying our root and base business so it can stay strong in any community and we are very excited for this type of growth.
Previously I brought up my children, which lead to speaking of changes, which brings the biggest change of all, Valentin (Vinny) and I have made some very large life changing decisions, one of which is that we have not only chosen to certify our business green through the GRA (Green Restaurant Association), we also have decided to re-certify with Oregon Tilth as Organic. As many of you know we were previously certified and decided to surrender when we heard how so many other business were being certified knowing that there practices were far from organic. To us, the certification meant nothing if our certified neighbor had a cooler full of chemically produced food products. Through our research, we have grown to trust Oregon Tilth and will begin the process within a few weeks.
Now, certifying our business and all of our products organic means that we will be using less suppliers and have a much more concentrated product. This is all just wonderful for us because it helps us feel as though our original dream has finally happened and that you really can have a successful certified organic food service business that still cares about food being fresh and local and affordable.
The second (and most exciting) is the we have decided to start our own branded lines of cakes and confections separately from Bleeding Heart. My (Michelle) passion truly lies in a very special subset of pastry being chocolates and sugar candies. While frosting thousands of cupcakes a week I daydream of pate de fruit and sucre de ore. The daydreams happen so often that I just cant shake it. Vinny as well, has taken up making amazing gumpaste and specialty sugar work for cakes that is truly astounding. We both feel the need (after 6 years) to follow what our hearts are obviously telling us we need to do. This, in the end, makes us much more available for the most important people of all, our children.
This in no way means that we will be leaving the bakery, however, it does mean that our focus will be different. We, as a pair, will be taking over the entire specialty cake side of the business, so if you plan on getting a cake that is shaped, covered in fondant or in anyway out of the ordinary, we have you covered. Bleeding Heart will still have there complete line of basics, including the award winning carrot cake and devils food! Along side the cakes will be a complete lines of candies and truffles that will be in the same vein as our store, Chaos Theory, but taking the flavors and curiosities even further. We are very excited about all of this and as soon as the name is finalized and our store is up online, we will let you know!
In the end, we wish you all an amazing New Year. We graciously thank you for all of your support and hope to hear from you soon!
Michelle & Vinny Garcia
The Bleeding Heart Bakery
FWIW, as of two weeks ago, the new Kitchen Sink Cafe in Edgewater (was Pause Cafe) was still carrying Bleeding Heart goods (alongside muffins and scones from Bake).
Kitchen Sink Cafe
1107 W Berwyn
Bake
2246 W North Ave
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Post #57 - January 19th, 2010, 6:00 amwe started to hear complaints that our products were not being handled correctly at these other places. So, to keep the integrity of our product and our business, we have made the decision to (with the exception of a very few amount of places) keep our product solely in house.
It is always someone else's fault with this Bakery.
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Post #58 - January 19th, 2010, 10:51 amI was looking forward to checking out there (Coming Soon) location at the new Block 37 near work.
Guess it will be a wait and see.
http://www.block37.com/store.cfm?StoreI ... 2137038054Bill-Aurora
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Post #59 - January 19th, 2010, 1:36 pmMarquee wrote:Glad to know that I am not the only person who doesnt like Bleeding Heart. I like what they are trying to do, I have just have been disappointed with most of their offerings. Having tried them on several occasions, they even have a pic of my wedding cake on their site, I have decided its just not for me.
Count me among those who are not enamored. Like you, I've tried several items. I found them disappointing and unappealing. I cannot remember ever going to any other bakery and disliking items so much that I threw out the remainder after tasting them. This happened with several items at Bleeding Heart.
IMHO Chicago doesn't have any one-stop bakeries that do a lot of different pastries really, really well, like places I've encountered in other cities. But we have some bakeries that do a few pastries really well, notably Vanille Patisserie, Fox & Obel, Delightful Pastries, Swedish Bakery, Fritz Pastry, and Pasticceria Natalina in the city, and Three Tarts and Gourmet Frog in the suburbs. There's no reason to put up with mediocre pastry, and that's what I've found at Bleeding Heart.
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Post #60 - January 21st, 2010, 12:37 pmI enjoy visiting Bleeding Heart Bakery but have been underwhelmed for the most part. Are there any standouts? I'm hearing the oatmeal cookie, the espresso cupcake, and the take a hike scone... What else?"The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity."
