Valerie Confections

Saturday movie inspiration? Go with @emmathemovie by the inimitable @autumndewilde. Back in the #oldworld Autumn reached out to me to create a dessert tableau for her movie release party @chateaumarmont ...it was a glorious and inspired night...I did my best to translate the spirit and look of the movie into a landscape of custom desserts. Fast forward to the #NewWorld and the dvd release of #Emma once again @autumndewilde called on me to recreate the esprit of Jane Austen’s ...world , but this time in a deliverable package to select viewers around the country in our Covid lives.The week of the release our country was in total upheaval with protests so spirited and heart wrenching dealing with the recent murder of #Georgefloyd .... @autumndewilde and I spoke at length about our world, the tragedy at hand, and the necessity of holding on any promotion for her dvd release. In the weeks since, her feed has transformed into an evocative channel advocating for social justice. In short, @autumndewilde is the coolest lady around and if you want to watch a stunner of a movie, choose hers. #femalefilmmakers #janeausten #emma #emmathemovie #autumndewilde @ Chateau Marmont

PIE IS LOVE. How we do it...all butter crust, packed with @regierfamilyfarms #JuneLady peaches...tastes like sunshine. I can’t stop with the pies right now, in my idealistic processing I actually believe that a slice of pie will improve your day. Thank you so much @bill_addison for your incredibly generous prose...humbled and happy over here.... Valerie Gordon’s beautifully decorated cakes and elegant chocolate truffles had been on my radar, but it wasn’t until I saw an Instagram post from her Echo Park shop a month ago that I realized she was baking seasonal pies: strawberry rhubarb with lattice crust, sour cherry hand pies, mini caramel-apple gems. And wow, can she bake a textbook peach pie: softly sweet, vanilla-scented fruit cradled between a double crust that stays sturdy until it melts on the palate. I had a big slice on a recent Sunday evening after fried chicken takeout from East Hollywood’s Found Oyster, and yeah. Greatness. @ Valerie Echo Park

Jam making is a pursuit I find uniquely therapeutic, from the prep table to jars, watching fruit transform is an addictive past time. What's your weekend cooking project?

This week I was supposed to be in Bend, Oregon riding 300 miles with @chefscycle ...but the world was flipped on it’s ear and I’m here in Los Angeles getting ready to ride 10 miles instead! Like all the disruptions and wake ups this year, this change in schedule must be taken in stride. And the work at hand cannot stop.... @nokidhungry continues to raise funds to help feed the kids. Summer is always a time of extreme difficulty with kids out of school and little access to dai...ly food, this year ONE in FOUR kids could face hunger in our country. That number is terrifying, and it is the reason why I stay committed to the work of @nokidhungry . In the last few weeks, our country has finally taken systemic racism to task, FEEDING HUNGRY KIDS helps alleviate one of the key symptoms of poverty and systemic racism. Please help me raise a little more money for this great cause, the link is in my bio. 10 miles is better than none, so is 10 dollars! #chefscycle #endchildhoodhunger #nokidhungry @ Los Angeles, California

Here’s a new dessert. I’m not quite sure what you call it, it’s a hybrid pie/tart ...a low pie? In any case it feels right, right now. The filling is strawberry rhubarb, topped with buttery, crunchy oat crumble...it really needs a healthy dollop of cream. We’ll have it this weekend and likely all summer. ... #handmadeinla #VALERIE15 @ Valerie Echo Park

Happy Father’s Day to all the Daddy’s out there. @sweightmanjr you are wearing this Dad thing really well, thanks for being so fab to our very lucky kids. The old guy in the third picture was my Dad, JV Gordon, he passed almost thirty years ago but I still hear his voice so clearly. ... Be safe out there and give the Dads a big kiss!

GIVEAWAY!! A brand new cake for all the great Daddy’s out there. German Chocolate Cake in a whole new formation: Two layers of Devil’s Food Cake, Caramel, Coconut, Macadamia filling and ...Nutella Buttercream. It’s a lot to take in.... And we are giving away not one but TWO of these uber masculine beauties. Tag a Daddy that deserves a sweet treat, give me two sentences on why #hewinsthecake ...and let’s make him happy. ***Must be in Los Angeles and able to PICK UP the winner cakes on Saturday, June 20.**** He deserves it. @ Valerie Confections

Some things in life are important to acknowledge. Within that list must include homeschooling children through a pandemic and a massive, and sorely overdue, social uprising...and to that end I say WELL DONE to the Millions of parents who grabbed reality by its hand and HANDLED. A snapshot into our story: When the world flipped mid-March our world was, quite literally, turned upside down. All of a sudden we had a 2nd and 7th grader with completely differently scholastic demand...s at home indefinitely. Additionally, our company was forced to adjust to the robust and seemingly spontaneous shifts put forth by various government and health agencies. New protocols, websites, layoffs, more paperwork than you could imagine...and 2 children to homeschool. How we did it- @sweightmanjr was in the field, on most days 10-14 hours, handling more than I could possibly list...I dealt with school, the boy in 7th grade with 9 classes and the girl in 2nd with 2-5 online platforms shifting week to week. Then after 1pm, my Role changed to Valerie of Valerie Confections. The past three months have been intense, and incomparable to anything we have experienced. Some days I threw the school agenda out the door (sorry @wonderlandschool @larchmontschool ) we worked new classes into the agenda like HOME EC, with an emphasis on sanitation! In the past three weeks, CURRENT EVENTS took center stage as we watched the news together every night, ignoring standard assignments, and discussed in real time what effected our world. This is a time that we will never forget, it was not easy...I am TIRED...but we emerge strong and ready for the next chapter. Cheers. @ Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles

PIE IS LOVE. Over the last few weeks I have taken to sharing pie with a number of friends....whether it has come in the form of a surprise pie on a doorstep or bartering for a glorious bucket of fried chicken with @foundoyster...pie makes people real happy. Now we have a great opportunity to make pies for justice and that makes US really happy. We have partnered in a massive pie bake sale championed by @andgatherforgood ...pop to their site for all the details...proceeds go ...to @gather4justice @blmlosangeles It all goes down on June 19th aka JUNETEENTH. You want this juicy Peach Pie. With it comes all kinds of happy. Be safe out there!!! #handmadeinla #justiceforbreonnataylor #juneteenth @ Valerie Echo Park

During times of challenge, no activity brings more solace to my frazzled spirit than cooking. Jam making is a pursuit I find uniquely therapeutic, from the prep table to jars, watching fruit transform is an addictive past time. If you have never made jam, hopefully this little video (the first in a series of home cooking fun) will walk you through the steps and make you a convert. Feel free to DM me with any questions! Stay safe out there!!... : Stan Weightman Jr #handmadeinla

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June 5, 2020 would have been Breonna Taylor’s 27th birthday, so we are here to celebrate her life and honor her memory with #Breonnasbirthdaycake. Tomorrow we will have slices of her cake available at #valerieechopark and donating ALL PROCEEDS of these sales to the GoFundMe account for Breonna’s family. Making as much cake and buttercream as we can right now...let’s go. @battymamzelle coordinated seven actionable items that you can do to bring #justiceforbreonnataylor Swipe t...o see items and link in my bio for click through. Thanks and be kind out there. @ Valerie Echo Park

At the heart of it all, we stand by this message. After a difficult weekend, we hope for peace and productive action this week. This morning, we made contributions to the @naacp and @blklivesmatter and we thank these organizations for their tireless work. Be safe and kind out there today.