THANK YOU!!!!!

This holiday season is and will be one to remember forever; besides a bunch of good and special other reasons, this holiday will be my last here in Ann Arbor!!!! The time has come for me and my family to go back to Chile. After seven wonderful years living in this magical town, this next June we’ll be heading back to our country. Life has been good and generous so far, and I’m sure it will continue being that way always.. life is just good!!

Through this blog I would like to thank all my friends and customers who made this dream -of actually becoming an ‘alfajorier’ , a pseudo business woman and a family supporter- come true. What started as a “what if” turned into a “wow, it’s working”, and ended up actually rocking this entire 2010. Each time you bought one of my Alfajores, you reassured and recharged my spirit, and here I am.. looking back… feeling so good!

Thanks Eric, Megan and Bob! Thanks Steven, Hilary, Rich and Helen! Zach, Julie, Diane, Carol, Jessica, Brian, Mary, Tim, Leo, Jennifer, Scott, Dan, Jeff.. so many names, soooo many friends!!!! Thank you Zingerman’s, Comet Coffee, Arbor Farm’s, Everyday Wines and the Produce Station!!! Thank you magazines and TV shows for making me feel like a rock star by accident! Thank you market vendors.. my dear Agnes and Alex, special thanks to you.

Now go celebrate this end of another awesome year with your loved ones. I’ll be doing the same with a grateful heart and the joy of the arrival of my Ema anytime now.  

Feliz Navidad everyone!!!!

Happy times are coming

Hola everyone!!! I just realized that the craziest time of the year is coming SO fast! My brain is still celebrating things from January! What happened this year! How come it is already November and my body has gotten SO big!!! Life is funny, you turn your attention for a second and trillion things happen….But hey! Don’t get all anxious about the Holidays and all the planning and decoration and traveling… Actually, it is pretty cool to look around and see how the cold breeze is taking over and houses (full of Kleenex), squirrels (full of fat) and everyone (full of clothes) are getting ready for the white season…

Personally, I’m getting ready for another big exciting change in my life. My not so little Ema is coming soon, pretty soon, and the spirit in my house is full of pink anxiety! Can’t wait to see her!!!

It makes me really happy to being able to share all good things with all of you…. Good news, good moments, good announcements, and of course GOOD MAITELATES! Make sure to get a “place your order” form at the market, place your Holiday order in advance, and that’s it! You’ll be done! No stress, no pressure, just joy… lots of joy, and good calories. Isn’t this time of the year supposed to be that way anyway???

Cheers!!!

What a week!!!!! First, the miners in Chile coming one by one from hell to life! Then, my son Pedro telling my friends that he is having a baby sister, showing pictures of her and acting like a big brother:  “this is my Ema”! 

And now this…. 

Zingerman’s telling the world that what I do is a SENSATION!!!! Please go and check THE LINK .. This week will remain in my mind as one of the most rewarding ones…  

Salud!

ZINGERMAN'S!!!

Yeah, it’s true!!!! The rumor, about Maitelates becoming what so many of you wanted it to become, is actually happening. Good and important things are occurring. And, of course, I need to share the news with all of those  who have been an important part of this journey, I mean, all of you!

Two years ago, I was just starting to introduce my Alfajores at the Ann Arbor Farmer’s Market, when so many of you approached me and said, “This treat needs to be at Zingerman’s” And, as much as I loved my Alfajores and people’s reactions to them, never in a million years would I have believed that the “Z” thing would ever happen… Why? Well, I guess my brain was in more of a survival mode than a business one… 
All I knew about Zingerman’s was that whatever they touched, it changed people’s perceptions. Was I ready for that? No… not really… I needed to learn more, to explore further, to find exactly the best way to present and represent and refine Maitelates.

After all this time, after all these many wonderful things that have already happened to me, the day has come. Zingerman’s is offering to the world my finest version of what you (yes, all you) tried and admired a couple of years ago. Go tell your family, friends and pets… Maitelates made it, WE MADE IT!!!! 

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Maitelates presents (part III)

While watching the leaves welcoming the Fall, I thought it would be nice to squeeze the last drops of summer...
And what better than enjoying  pictures of a lovely lovely family, that traveled for hundreds of miles carrying the name of that YUMMY cookie you all love....

Here you can see my dear neighbor, friend, helper and always supporter, Liz with her son Aidin (the next Beckham) and her adorable Anahita. The pictures were taken in Newport, Boston and Montreal (Canada)

Love you guys!!!!!!

Maitelates presents (part II)

Hello!! Happy September!!!! I hope everybody is enjoying the beginning of school, classes, day cares, new jobs, new projects, etc! I'm enjoying everything as usual, specially the pictures of my dear friends wearing Maitelates shirts around the world!!!!

Here you see two of the cutest: Dianne and Francisca. Dianne is Agnes and Alex's Nemeth youngest daughter. Mother of two and the writer of the Nemeth's awesome blog! 

Francisca is a special friend that has been always there to give me a hand when I needed it. She is the second aboard in Maitelates' kitchen, and the best knitter I've ever seen. 

While Dianne took her picture here in Michigan, Francisca went a little farther.. her picture was taken in front of a sculpture called "the kiss" in Lima, Peru! How international is that!

Thank you ladies! Love you both!

Maitelates presents (part I)

This time I have little to say. I’ll let these beautiful pictures speak for themselves… 
Maitelates presents: MY FAVORITE PEOPLE!
Never in a million years could I adequately describe the feeling of seeing friends and good good people walking around town with the trendiest shirt of the summer… (if you don't have one yet, let me know)
Enjoy the pictures, as much as I enjoy living every chapter of this awesome adventure! 

Thanks everybody!!!!!
Pictures: Pedro (the best) -  Steve (goood friend!) - Bob (gran amigo)- Erica (best neighbor) - Zac (the tornado chaser) & Kyle;  (adorable) - Deena (come back!) - Hilary (my dear Hilary)- Gin & Margaret (lovely couple) -the happy Maitelates family! 

Sorpresa!!!!!!!!!!

I’m back! Alive, a little heavier, and happier than ever! I’m expecting another baby and even though my body and brain haven’t been cooperating, my heart is full of joy and energy. How good is that!!! Another Maitelates lover coming this upcoming January!!

So yeah, life keeps changing and improving, and while celebrating, I discovered something big: as much as I loved the flavor of my Belgian chocolate, being sick gave me some extra time to do a little research about chocolate. My Goodness!!!!!!! How can it be possible that most of that delicious combination of roasted cocoa powder, cocoa butter and sugar, comes from companies that exploit small farms of third world countries? No way, I don’t want to be part of that! Nor my Alfajores!!! So now what? Well… I guess is not that difficult; it was a matter of giving it some brain time (pretty limited during these days) to discover that there are many fantastic options out there, fair trade options, companies that pay and respect the work, and workers, of farms around the world that make it possible for you, and me, to get cacao beans of the most pure and ‘fair’ flavors.

Conclusion? Maitelates is introducing the new fair trade Alfajores now enrobed in either dark Ecuadorian Mindo chocolate (a good amount of 77% cocoa in each bite) or Semisweet Swiss Felchlin chocolate (another good amount of 60% cacao melting in your mouths with a creamy aftertaste that you just won’t forget). Each one has its own fantastic story and attributes. Stay tuned for more detailed stories and information on both! I encourage you to try both and keep choosing fair trade. You are choosing the best!

Thanks, baby, for making me sick! heh…

Dark

In the middle of the night, I heard Pedro saying WHILE SLEEPING “Maitelates” and I thought it was the funniest thing ever.. what am I doing to my child? 

Dark was the night as dark is the new Maitelates enrobed in 77% cacao Mindo Chocolate MADE IN MICHIGAN!! Joe and Barbara have cacao plants in Ecuador in where they grow Nacional and Criollo trees of chocolate. Once the beans are fermented and dried, they fly to Michigan, Dexter, in where they are grind and pressed to become the most aromatic and pure chocolate I’ve ever tried. Just a little organic evaporated cane juice and voila! Fantastic chocolate! If you haven’t tried it yet, do try my new Alfajores dipped in dark chocolate. I’m telling you, they are to die for…

And oh! You wanna look pretty? Order now your Maitelates t-shirt! They are just cool…  handmade cool!!

The three “J” travelers

Do you know Alex and Agnes from the farmer’s market? Of course you do, they are an institution in Ann Arbor, the sweetest couple, a ‘must visit’ if you ever come to this magic town. They have been coming to the market for decades bringing apples, smiles and more, so much more to all of us. Actually Maitelates Michigan Cherry Alfajor is made with cherries picked at the Nemeths. That’s why it tastes so good. I could talk forever about this family but this time, I’ll leave the pictures talk by themselves. Agnes and Alex’s daughter Jane and two of their granddaughters Jessica and Jennifer went to San Francisco to visit and celebrate the graduation of Kristin, another member of the Nemeth clan. As you can see, they had a terrible time…. Thank you ladies for taking such beautiful pictures!  Thanks for enliven the diary of Maitelates and the writer behind the screen..

The recipe of the day

I just spent three days in San Francisco, exploring, tasting and getting lost amongst its food, its people, its hills and fantastic colors. And hey! I was pleased to see our local producers featured all over the Bay Area. I saw Zingerman’s yummy products, Al Dente Pasta, and yes, Maitelates! I’m still digesting all I discovered, all I tasted, and all I was lucky enough to experience. And if I take forever to process what I learned (which may definitely happen), there’s one thing that I won’t be able to get over: a magnificent recipe. 
•a few cups of love for food
•a handful of traditions
•mix well with a tablespoon of persistence
•a lot of ounces of hard work
Blend well, believe in it, and voila, success will always rise in the oven…
And I mean tasty, delicious, nice glossy success, the success that you share over a coffee, the one that you make available to your community, by example, so that others can be inspired to try, and even follow, the recipe with their own twist!

Thank you Cristina (Kika’s Treat), Stephanie (Coco-Luxe), Brook (Dragonfly Cakes), Guisell (Sabores del Sur), Claire (Claire Squares), Caleb (La Cocina), Robert (Tcho) and the Foodzie team, for making my trip worth a LOT. Thanks for sharing your stories, your ideas, your amazing  products and your good energy. Now it is my turn to put everything together, and share what I’ve learned with my friends, my family, and my community here in Ann Arbor!

Sweet and Happy Mother’s Day!

On my way to San Francisco, I just can’t help but stopping and give a moment to remember and celebrate all the wonderful mothers around the world. Thank you to all the beautiful ladies, strong women, and hard workers that have given their lives for others. They make everything possible..

It took me a while to realize that I was no longer just me. After having Pedro, the whole world turned around, I had no clue of what was going on. But once it hit me, it hit me forever. From that day on, my mother took the most special place in my heart and I am grateful forever! She messes up, I mess up ALL THE TIME, but at the end of the day, you can’t deny it, Mothers ROCK!

Today is a special day. Today I remember my mother, and I remember that motherhood was the reason why I started making Maitelates. 
To my mother, to Pedro -- that made me the happiest mother -- , and to Maitelates, the consequence of a mother.

We are proud of you!

I’m stealing Obama’s words to congratulate our awesome students that graduated last Saturday! “We must embrace change and follow the lead of Michigan graduates who have changed the world." These are powerful and inspiring words, even for the ones that weren’t there, the ones that don’t go to school but do our best to contribute to a better society, a better community, and to a better, healthier and happier world. I was inspired! Were you?

And I was lucky enough to run into my neighbor Charnette Henderson after Graduation. She was proudly wearing her Cap & Gown, eating Maitelates, celebrating with her family, with all of us having witnessed her efforts and perseverance towards the final degree. Congrats Charnette! Congrats Helen! Congrats everybody! We are proud of you!