New offerings, seasonal shifts, and HORROR
Plus, a cake order discount code exclusively for subscribers ;)
Hiya folks, welcome (back) to All-Purpose by Rad Joy!
Offerings + announcements
The long-awaited fall cake books are now open. My inspiration for this early fall menu happens to be the copious amounts of locally grown late summer produce I am now hoarding in my brand new chest freezer.
But the BIG NEWS is that I have provided a couple new size options for cakes!! I am now offering 6” (serves 2-6) and 9” snacking cakes (4-10), they are single-layer, made to share with a fewer amount of people (or not), and are more affordable than my multi-layered cakes since they are less labor intensive.
Since you are a newsletter subscriber, I’ll provide you with a 10% off discount code (BACK2COOL) for any cakes, if you book within the next week (expires 9/15). Thanks for being here.
Here is the fall 2023 collection, in all its glory. And for all you carrot cake lovers, that flavor is here to stay as a signature item:
Where I’ve been, where I’m going
Best summer ever. This summer, I made it a point to try and have the best summer ever. I made it my personal goal to travel well, eat heartily, move my body, and get my mind out of a dark place. If you follow me via IG stories, you already know that this journey of mine was largely successful.
I got hitched at the downtown Chicago courthouse, wandered around Brooklyn to catch up with old friends and visit some familiar haunts, grilled shrimp and baked sweet potatoes during a fancy cabin trip out in the Michigan woods, and swam with whale sharks in the Yucatán Peninsula. At some point earlier in the year, I remembered that I deserved to have fun, feel fulfilled, and experience new and pleasurable things. Employing a praxis of pleasure is more difficult than I thought, but it is shifting my perspective in ways that were so sorely needed.
Up next. Through the fall and winter, I’m doing my best to connect with other food and beverage professionals in the city in hopes of doing a pop-up series in the coming months. I’m envisioning cake slices in cozy, lively spaces, some of my handheld pastries to go with your coffee on Saturday mornings, maybe even a pastry workshop with me?
I still feel like the new kid in this city, and, I’ll admit, the entrepreneurial part of this is not my strong suit. But what I do know is that I hope you get to try my pie someday. I’ve been working on making it maximally flaky and delicious.
What I’m reading/watching lately
Horror films, racism, and real life. Unlike the majority of my close friends, I love horror. Zombies, vampires, glam, campy, psychological – you name it, I wanna see it. Last month, I attempted to rewatch Donnie Darko, and finally got around to watching Jennifer’s Body, and while the music choices in the former and the campiness of the latter were appealing, I noticed a general theme of casual, anti-Asian racist tropes (that added nothing to the plot) in both films.
It reminds me all too well how what we think of as history is not that far away, and how necessary critical race theory and discourse is in this country. Unfortunately, it is increasingly under threat or being removed in many states across the U.S. Did we really get rid of affirmative action??? The true horrors are living in the country at this time, and maybe we learn to be like creatures of the night and destroy what isn’t working anymore.
Noteworthy: A philosophical debate amongst students on affirmative action