As Valentine’s Day approaches, Sacramentans may be in search of something sweet to impress that special someone, and The Sacramento Press found just the place to go when a store-bought box of chocolates simply won’t do. Sacramento native Melissa Johnson took her love of all things sweet and launched an online dessert magazine that features what she said are the Web’s most delicious sweet treats. Best Friends for Frosting offers an eclectic collection of recipes and trends that are gathered from the hippest, freshest dessert blogs in a forum that offers bakers one-stop shopping. Johnson said she started baking when she was a little girl and dreamed of opening a bakery. She started a blog

The holidays are a time for family gatherings, but let’s face it – sometimes dealing with Awkward Uncle Andrew is best done with something sweet in-hand. The Sacramento Press talked to local bloggers and pastry chefs about their favorite holiday desserts and compiled the following recipes. Ginger Elizabeth Fudge Brownies – Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates “It’s one of the first recipes I learned to make in restaurants when I was younger, and throughout all the different bakeries and schools and everywhere I’ve been, it’s still my favorite brownie recipe,” said Ginger Elizabeth, owner of the Midtown chocolate shop. “I think it’s the perfect blend of cakiness and fudginess.” The following r

French pastries arrived on the corner of Ninth and K streets Dec. 8 when Estelle’s Patisserie opened without fanfare to gauge the market before adjusting and doing a grand opening sometime in January. “The customers have been so supportive,” said owner Esther Son, whose first name translates to Estelle in French. “I’ve owned other businesses, and this group down here is just so dynamic and supportive.” The staff of about 12 starts baking as early as 3 a.m., and the bakery offers about 35 items – from fruit tarts, puff pastries and croissants to soups, sandwiches and baguettes. Cream-filled puff pastries, raspberry and blueberry tarts, buttery croissants and Madeleines in various flavors

French desserts will once again be available at the corner of Ninth and K streets downtown as the owner of a popular East Sacramento cupcake shop plans to open Estelle’s Patisserie on Dec. 1 in the building that formerly housed Danielle’s Creperie. “This has been my lifelong passion,” said owner Esther Son. “I’ve always dreamed of owning a bakery, ever since I was a little girl.” Though not traditionally trained as a baker, Son said she considers herself self-taught, and she has extensive experience in coming up with recipes and tweaking them until they’re perfect. Her cupcake shop, Esther’s Cupcakes, has been in business at 2600 Fair Oaks Blvd. for two years. “We were always coming do

For weeks, a sign saying “so close you can almost taste it” hung in the window of the storefront vacated by Le Petit Paris last year, and on Tuesday, Sacramentans got their chance to go in and sample authentic Italian gelato in Midtown when Devine Gelateria & Cafe opened. “The opening went really well,” owner Elizabeth McCleary said Wednesday morning as she prepared to make gelato and sorbetto from scratch for the upcoming day. Originally planning to close at 8 p.m. on the opening day, there was a line of people as late as 7:45 p.m., and McCleary said she might adjust her hours to stay open another hour if the trend continues. Flavors include roasted almond, pistachio, dulce de leche, b

Snow cones are a seasonal favorite of the Osaka-Ya pastry shop and market, but it’s taken more than snow cones to keep the shop in business for almost 100 years. A vestige of Sacramento’s former Japantown, which sat in the area around L, N, Third and Fourth streets, Osaka-Ya still provides traditional Japanese sweets, hot food and other edibles near the corner of 10th and V streets downtown. “My mom and dad took over this business in 1963,” said owner Linda Nakatani. “A friend gave them the recipe for the snow cone syrup, and they used a hand-crank snow cone machine to shave the ice.” Her father installed a motor, and the snow cones have been a summer favorite at the business ever since

A native of Trinidad and Tobago is bringing gourmet cakes and the taste of the Caribbean to Sacramento with the newly opened Spotlight Cakes on Stockton Boulevard. Donna George, 54, learned the art of Caribbean cooking and cake baking at an early age from her family, and at 16, they moved to New York City, where she later began a career in nursing. “I’ve always dreamed of opening my own restaurant and bakery,” she said Wednesday, adding that it opened July 21. Her move to California from New York was prompted by the 9/11 terrorist attacks. “I witnessed the first plane fly into the first tower on my way to work,” she said. “I have seven kids, and one of them was in college near the towe

The Child Abuse Prevention Center will host their Pour for Prevention wine tasting benefit, supporting their mission to prevent child abuse, neglect and abandonment. This event showcases local wineries, restaurants, artists, and features live music for a full night of entertainment – and a chance drawing with some fabulous prizes available! Pour for Prevention will take place in the heart of Sacramento’s historic district at a private estate. What: Pour for Prevention Wine Tasting Benefit When: Saturday, August 27 – 6:00 pm- 10:00 pm Where: 1724 N Street, Sacramento, CA 95811 Who: The Child Abuse Prevention Center Tickets: $35.00 in advance, $40.00 at the door Visit www.thecapcenter

The owner of TreyBCakes – rhymes with "baby cakes" – made good on a dream inspired by his grandfather when he opened the gourmet bakery and eatery Monday. Trey Luzzi, 34, just started his first business at 19th and L streets with plenty of help from his relatives. Recipes, family stories and a love of food have been handed down for generations on both sides of his family. George Lunsford, the grandfather who showed him how much fun cooking and entertaining could be, died five years ago. But the rest of Luzzi's family has done everything they can to help launch TreyBCakes at 1801 L St. in Midtown. "It's a family affair," said Luzzi Wednesday as his sister, Tami Adge, ate lunch at a table

A popular frozen yogurt shop in Westfield Downtown Plaza is expanding to Midtown, occupying a space that formerly housed Jamba Juice. “We’re really excited to be expanding,” said Yummy Yogurt Cafe owner Jason Yee. “Most businesses are cutting back or locking their doors.” Yee, a Sacramento native who comes from a long line of Sacramentans, said the 1901 J St. location will be ideal for his business, as he wanted to expand locally. He opened the first Yummy Yogurt Cafe in July, 2009. “We’re going to be right there in the mix,” he said. “The timing is right, and we’re moving forward.” Despite there being other frozen yogurt shops in Sacramento, Yee said he is confident that his yogurt wi

The economy is finally showing signs of dragging itself out of the quicksand.  This slow but steady comeback has sparked some pleasant surprises throughout downtown over the last few months. Like a chain reaction, specialty businesses are popping up in some rather unexpected places, encouraging more to follow suit, as rents are becoming more affordable and creative spaces more available. Sugar and Spice Specialty Desserts, 1201 F St., is a valuable oxygen source to the span of 12th from D through H streets. For the last six months, that area had stretches of blocks with no tenants as “for lease” signs littered the windows. Now, change has come. I pass by that location every night on my wa

As a 3-year-old girl, Carissa Jones dreamed of a life of baking, and on Tuesday, she opened her first bakery, Sugar and Spice Specialty Desserts on the corner of 12th and F streets. “We make traditional European desserts with an American twist,” she said. “Everyone has had a meringue cookie, but we make green apple martini meringues.” Jones has been a pastry chef for six years, earning her stripes as a wedding caterer. Every time she catered a wedding for the past three years, sharing kitchen space at various restaurants, she was tracking what worked and what didn’t with the goal of opening a successful bakery. “One of the things I’ve always liked about baking was that once you know the

If you think a cupcake is a special treat – and that a business selling them might be considered a luxury in tight times – you’d be wrong. Individual cupcake prices at Icing on the Cupcake, 1121 Alhambra Blvd., range from $2.75 to $3, and co-owner Christee Owens characterized them as being “small indulgences that make people smile.” According to Area Manager Kristina Johnson, the store – which has been open for two weeks – has already garnered a loyal following. “We have every-day customers,” she said. “It makes you feel good to see them coming in each day.” The new location is the third one for the chain, which was founded three years ago in Rocklin. Cupcakes are baked fresh each day

Since 2007, when Culinary Institute of America honors graduate Ginger Elizabeth Hahn transitioned her 2-year-old Sacramento chocolate-making business from wholesale to retail, the Camino native has been wowing the cocoa-craving public with her always-from-scratch, all-natural, palate-pleasing confections. For the past eight months, Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates, 1801 L St., has been offering semi-regular “Cupcake Day” events, when she adds a quartet of divine chocolate-heavy varieties for sale to those who can’t get enough of her many shades of brown. This past Saturday, Cupcake Day featured two usual suspects: Hahn’s “Real Red Velvet Cupcake” and her “Salty Caramel Cupcake,” as well as a

One big fat Greek festival offers all you need for Hellenistic acculturation. Fortunately for Sacramentans, the Sacramento Convention Center will host the 47th annual Sacramento Greek Festival this weekend to make this possible. Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church’s Mike Dariotis has been involved in the event for 15 years and said his favorite part of the weekend is, first, the food; second, the folk dancing and then of course working together with the church community and fellow parishioners. In recent years, the event has served around 10,000 people over the course of the three-day festival. So what is it about this event that brings both Greek and non-Greeks out? The answer is simple

Chocolate lovers gathered for their sugar high Saturday morning for a course in cupcake creation hosted by Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates. The class was taught by owner and world-renowned chocolatier Ginger Elizabeth Hahn. Students meet in front of the L Street retail store and filed across the street to a penthouse kitchen classroom in the 1818 L Lofts. Getting a spot in the class was highly competitive. Within 24 hours of the class' announcement, Hahn said the 35 seats were filled. A second afternoon class was added to accommodate wait-listed students and was filled within hours. In the end, more than 60 people were turned away. "I couldn't wait to see if my friends wanted to take the cl

The Jewish Federation is celebrating their move to Midtown Sacramento by throwing a big party for a cause! The Big Nosh is a gourmet food and pub crawl benefiting 5 local charities where participants will get a chance to eat and drink their way across the grid sampling appetizers and cocktails at 30 restaurants and coffee shops. Tickets are $36/person and Crawl Captains may register at www.thebignosh.com and earn their ticket for free by recruiting 10 or more people to their team. Teams will start at different locations at the same time in a "round robin" format and experience Midtown as it's meant to be experienced: walking! Calling all Crawl Captains...register now at www.thebignosh.com