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Employee Spotlight // Dimitri

Hi, BCZ Readers! HAPPY FRIDAY!

Today, Dimitri is SPOTTED on our Employee Spotlight! If you are a regular Bella Christie’s customer I am sure that you have had the pleasure of working with Dimitri. Whether it is via email, phone or in person — He is always willing to go above and beyond to ensure that all of our customer’s orders meet their creative needs! Let’s get to know him a little better… Here are a few questions that we asked!

What is your position at BCZ, what exactly do you do?

Sales Consultant, Sweet Truck Coordinator, Manager of Lawrenceville… I assist clients with their orders while also managing the Lawrenceville location.

Dimitri is a very busy man!

When did you start at BCZ?

August of 2013

What was is your favorite bakery item here?

Buttercream cookies or chocolate chip cookies.. Tough decision between the two.

Agreed!

If you had to choose, what is your all-time favorite cake (Design Wise)?

3D sculpted cakes.. I don’t have a specific one in mind, but all of our sculpted cakes amaze me!

What is your favorite cupcake flavor?

Definitely Samoa! I love anything with a good coconut flavor.

What is your favorite thing about working at Bella Christies?

There’s no monotony; every day is different with unique and custom orders

A pink, glittery bakery is always sure to surprise!

If you could travel anywhere, where would you choose?

Australia or New Zealand.. Or even both!

Who is your favorite music artist?

Plastic Plates, Madeon, Russ Chimes.. Can’t decide between the three.

What is your favorite song currently?

Madeon with Mark Foster – Nonsense

Who is your role model/hero?

Gandhi!

What is your all-time favorite movie?

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Favorite quote?

“You can either go through it or grow through it”

Favorite Pittsburgh restaurants?

Udipi, Gaucho, Tana.. They are all so good!

Have a sweet day, Readers!

xoxo,

BCZ

Setting the SEEN // with BCZ

Good afternoon, readers!

Today we are featured on “Setting the SEEN” with SEEN editor – Natalie Bencivenga – and style editor – Sara Bauknecht! – The main topic of discussion is The Midwife Center for Birth and Women’s Health 10th annual Let Them Eat Cake competition and fundraiser.

Not only do they discuss this great cause, but they also channel their inner “cake boss” with our very own BCZ team! Our lead cake decorator, Breanne, shows both lovely ladies a few tricks and techniques of the trade!

Click the link below to check it out!

Setting the SEEN, Let Them Eat Cake!

Employee Spotlight // Breanne

SPOTTED at #BCZ // Our Lead Cake Decorator Breanne

HAPPY FRIDAY, READERS!

This Employee Spotlight is all about our lead cake decorator, Breanne! We asked Breanne a few questions so that the customers at Bella Christie and Lil’ Z’s could get more acquainted with the cake master herself. Breanne is beyond talented and since her start here at #BCZ she has never disappointed our team. Her background in art truly shows through her “cake artistry”. She is up for any challenge that our clients throw at her and the results are always fabulous! Here are a few questions that we asked:

Q: What is your position at BCZ and what do you do?

A: I am the lead cake decorator at BCZ. I make sure everything in the cake department runs smoothly day to day and that all orders are completed on time. Most importantly though, I am decorating many of the cakes that leave BCZ.

Q: When did you join the Bella Christiez team?

A: I started in August of 2014.

Q: What is your favorite bakery item?

A: It’s too hard to choose! If I could pick something to eat right this second it would probably be one of our chocolate chip cookies.

Q: What is your all time favorite cake? Design wise, of course!

A: I love so many on them, but I think my favorite would have to be the Heinz ketchup bottle cake I did back in the fall. I love making cakes that look like other foods!

Q: What is your favorite cupcake flavor?

A: My favorite cupcake flavor currently is probably the Cafe Mocha, but they change so often I always have a new one.

Q: What is your favorite thing about working at Bella Christies?

A: I love that there’s always a new challenge to be had. Just recently, we did a life sized man shaped cake. I like that I’ll get an order that’s something I’ve never done before and I get to figure out how to make it. I also like making pretty things, so that’s another plus!

Q: If you could travel to anywhere in the world, where would you choose?

A: I would probably go to Paris, or maybe London…somewhere with a lot of history, art and culture. Or Hogwarts.

Q: Who is your favorite music artist?

A: I would have to say Bruce Springsteen. I saw him in concert last summer and it was incredible.

Q: What is your favorite song currently?

A: My favorite song right now is probably Four Five Seconds by Rihanna, Kanye West and Paul McCartney. It’s a mashup of three artists I really love.

Q: Who is your role model/hero?

A: Mindy Kaling. She’s hilarious, smart, successful and totally relatable. I admire her ability to be herself and be confident, even though she doesn’t necessarily fit the “mold.”

Q: What is your all time favorite movie?

A: Either Mean Girls or the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Q: What is your all time favorite TV show?

Buffy the Vampire Slayer!!!

Q: QUICK! Pick a favorite quote of yours:

A: “Be who you are and say how you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.” -Dr. Seuss

Q: Do you have any favorite Pittsburgh restaurants?

A: I love breakfast, so Pamela’s is definitely one of my favorites. I also love Fatheads and I often find myself at Mad Mex in Shadyside.

Do you dare challenge Breanne to make your masterpiece?! Call us at (412) 772-1283 to place your order today!

XOXO,

Bella Christie and Lil’ Z’s!

#WinterWedding by BCZ

Tis the season! The season for gorgeous weddings… that is! Today we’re featuring the wedding of Alexi Pankas and Stephen Martin on October 4th.

Our Events Director, Amanda, worked with Alexi to perfect all of the details of her dream wedding cake and sweet table. The vision for the cake was elegant and the decision to add a #BCZ Sweet Table added an element of fun!

The cake was the epitome of elegance. A stunning white, 5-tier cake with a striking petal design, finshed with a touch of pearl shimmer. Don’t these two look adorable cutting it, too?! Here’s another, photo in color:

As far as the Sweet Table, Alexi and Stephen were bringing together Italian and Greek family cookie traditions. Wow – can you imagine what a delicious table that was… those two backgrounds are like T H E cookie people!

So… we incorporated each families cookies and gave them our Bella Christie’s Sweet Treats flair. We created more premium and customized items such as buttercream cookies with their monogram, glitter bon bons in the colors of their wedding, and cake truffle pops incorporating their colors and monogram. All of the sweets were a perfect blend of tradition and contemporary. Feast your eyes on the these photos…

Sweetly Yours,
The Bella Christiez Sweet Team

*The first three photos you see in this post are credited to: Caroline Yoon Fine Art Photography .

Holiday Gift Guide

Good afternoon, #BCZ Readers!

This week we want to fill you all in on the details of our Holiday Gift Guide, 2014!

Bella Christie and Lil’ Z’s Sweet Boutique offers only the highest quality and most delectable treats to make this year’s holiday season the sweetest for you and your loved ones.

Q: What exactly do we order when it comes to a #BellaChristiez gift?
A: For starters – Our Gourmet Holiday Bakery Boxes include scrumptious buttercream frosted and assorted Gourmet Cookies, our Famous Decadent Bars, Brownie Minis and Chocolate Covered Pretzels – all put together in a beautiful gift box… topped off with a holiday cookie gift tag that can be personalized with your message or company logo. // Medium (24 pieces) $29.99 and Large (42 pieces) $49.99. You also have the option of choosing from our Gourmet Holiday Treat Boxes and Towers which include the same items above as well as Glitter Bon Bons, Cake Truffle Pops, and Hand Dipped Oreos. // Medium Box (24 pieces) $39.99, Large Box (42 pieces) $59.99, Medium Tower (28 pieces) $44.99, Large Tower (48 pieces) $69.99, VIP Tower (88 pieces) $159.99

Q: What other Holiday Gifts can you order?
A: Our #CustomCookies, of course! The most popular buttercream cut-outs can be customized right into your holiday design then bagged and tied with a beautiful bow. Transform your family photo into a decorated cookie with a personalized message or send out Seasons Greetings from your company to all of your clients with logo cookies. Do you have you own, creative-custom-cookie idea for the holidays? Let us know, and we’ll make sure it gets done, just as deliciously as all the others! // Starting at$9.95 each for 6”-8” cookies and $4.50 each for 4’’ cookies.

Who doesn’t love glitter?! Especially around this time of year? Place an order for our Holiday Glitter Bon-Bons… a unique gift to give to that special someone who has everything. Delicious rich chocolate bon-bons covered in holiday sparkle. // A 4-piece gift box is $7.99 and an 8-piece gift box is $14.99.

…and who doesn’t love a good Chocolate Covered Pretzel? They’re simply sublime! A gourmet assortment of chocolate covered pretzels gorgeously wrapped and ready to go. A 4-piece gift box is $8.95 and a 9-piece gift box $18.95.

Another one of our favorite options for #SweetTreat gifts… Gourmet Apples – our crisp and tart Granny Smith apples are dipped in creamy caramel and covered with loads of toppings and rich chocolate – 8 flavors to choose from, each individually wrapped. // 1 lb apples (4-6 servings) is $11.95 each, a box of 4 Mini Caramel Apple is $14.95 each.

We’re also offering Individual Holiday Treats…

Caramel Pecan Popcorn $5.75
Santa Bag Stuffed with Assorted Mini Pretzels (8 pieces) $10.50
Large Chocolate Dipped Pretzels $2.50
Chocolate Dipped Oreo $2.75 each
Chocolate Dipped Oreo, 6-pack gift box $16.95

One more gift idea and that’s all she wrote… Our fun Cake Truffle Pops are the perfect few bites of a rich and creamy cake covered in chocolate and garnished to dress up any party. Prices, below 🙂

$1.75 each Drizzled
$2.50 each Glittered
$3.25 each Elaborate
8-piece gift box $17.25
12- piece gift box $25.00

All gifts are customizable to be themed for Christmas, Hanukkah, or Neutral – just let us know when you place your order. To place your order, give us a call at 412-772-1283 or e-mail bellachristiez@gmail.com.

Sweetly Yours,
The Bella Christiez Sweet Team

It’s Beginning to Look a lot like…

Good morning, BCZ Readers!

Thanks for stopping by =) It’s getting to be that time of year, it’s getting colder – the days are getting shorter and we’re getting excited for the holidays. We can’t believe how fast time has flown, it’s already the 2014 Holiday Season! And naturally, we’re celebrating with all things custom-sweets. It’s so much fun to see the orders that come in every year, they’re different every time! And… oh-so-creative.

In prep for the holiday season, we wanted to give you all the necessary details for placing orders, times we’re open – times we’re closed and what to expect from now until January 1st.

Thanksgiving is coming up and we hope you’ll be spending the day with your family and good friends, fill yourselves with stuffing and green bean casserole (or cupcakes that look like them ;-), see picture below). And while you’ll be celebrating – so will we. Our doors are closed Thursday and Friday, November 27th & 28th. Normal hours on Wednesday… the day before TurkeyDay and regular hours resume the Saturday, afterwards.

We’ll fill you in on Christmas/Chanukah/Kwanza/etc. coming in December. But! As a rule of thumb: place all orders for your special holiday parties – AS SOON AS POSSIBLE =) The earlier we get your orders in, the better! The last day to place orders for Thanksgiving is Monday, November 24th.

Before we go today – wanted to introduce you to our newest holiday-related creations… The Cookie & Cupcake Trays. How convenient for festivities, eh? Please also see our Thanksgiving Flyer 2014 for inspiration for orders and pricing!

bella christiez, pittsburgh bakery — Cupcake Tray

Sweetly Yours,
The Bella Christiez Sweet Team

#EmployeeSpotlight:

Good Morning, #BCZ Readers!

Can you believe it, it’s that time again – this month’s #EmployeeSpotlight, featuring our very own, Sugar Fairy, Carly! This adorable red-head works behind the front counter, greets and keeps all of our Bella Christiez day-to-day a-flow. Her smiling face is warm, personality bubbly & she knows how to handle a register! Here is our Q&A…

Q: How long have you been working at BCZ?
A: Almost two and a half years
^Wow! We can’t believe it’s already been that long. Amazing to have Carly on board, such a joy.

Q: What is your favorite part about working at BCZ?
A: It is a pink sparkly bakery with delicious treats and great co-workers.. What’s not to love about it?! It’s such a fun and exciting work atmosphere.
^We couldn’t agree more! Pink, trendy, s p a r k l i n g each & everyday… keeps our #Pittsburgh spirits high during those grey-wintery months (that are coming up; heavy sigh).

Q: When you are not working, what do you enjoy doing in your free time?
A: Shopping and exploring new places!
^Here at #BCZ we love shopping, too! Shopping for cake batter, icing flavors, candies & glitter to dress our custom-cakes, cookies, cupcakes …and everything else 😉

Q: Do you enjoy to bake at home?
A: I do love to bake, but only at home.. I leave the baking at work to the professionals.

…well, that’s a compliment. We are the professionals!

And before we go… we had to ask Carly who her celeb crush and favorite quote…

Q: Who is your celebrity crush?
A: Oh gosh.. I’d have to say Ian Somerhalder and I can’t forget about the Pittsburgh Pirate’s very own, Jordy Mercer!
^We can definitely create #customcookies of Ian, for you – Birthday Idea?

Q: What is your favorite quote?
A: “A dream is a wish your heart makes” -Disney
^What a coincidence, we make Disney-themed Cookies & Cakes, all-the-time!

Stop in for a visit at our Aspinwall location, say hello to Carly and grab a cupcake… or call us at 412-772-1283 to place a custom order!

Sweetly Yours,
The Bella Christiez Sweet Team

Bella Christie’s has been TOONED!

Good morning, Bella Christie & Lil’ Z’s Readers!

So – today we have a really awesome-cool illustration we were just involved in! Michelle Littler created TOON in the Burgh six months ago. Her objective? To create cartoon-like depictions of locations around town! …ourselves included. Ever since she sent us our pretty picture (it’s displayed here in this post, right below this paragraph), we’ve been waiting to feature her design and her story on our blog.

We asked Michelle, “How long have you been creating your TOON designs?”
A: Well I have been creating TOONs for all sorts of things for over 15 years but I just started “Toon into the Burgh” in the last 6 months!

Q: Other than us, what are some other well-known businesses that have been TOONed?
A: Franktuay (yummy hot dogs), Sorgel’s Orchards, Carnegie History Museum, South Side BBQ Company and even the Pirates!

We couldn’t help but inquire how Michelle comes to design these amazing TOONs…

I first go to several businesses and I have to love not only what they are selling but the overall atmosphere. I take a bunch of pictures and then freehand draw a few different ideas. Once i’m set on a solid idea thats when I create them on the computer.

And of course, we had to ask her… what’s your favorite thing about Pittsburgh?
A: The food. I am a huge foodie. So I have to be very careful that all my TOONs aren’t all centered around food, haha.

Finally, the most important and pressing question… how did we, Bella Christie & Lil’ Z’s get so lucky to be selected to be TOONed?
A: First I love nothing more than a good cupcake and I was always drawn to the signage. I loved the decor and all of the little touches inside. And after eating the Ho-Ho brownie I know it was a business that people should check out. Everything was super yummy and the staff was so nice. My only complaint is I never know what to try next.

Well, thank you, Michelle! We are so happy to have worked with you and proud to say we’ve been one of the ones you especially picked to TOON! #ShamelessPlug: TOON in the Burgh is accepting commissions for the holiday season. They make great holiday cards and are wonderful marketing materials.

Check out previous TOON in the Burgh on Facebook.com/toonintheburgh and give ’em a “Like”.

Sweetly Yours,
The Bella Christiez Sweet Team

Station of the Month: Liquid Nitrogen

Doesn’t Liquid Nitrogen just sound cool?! Literally, sometimes we can’t get over it either. Let’s just dive right in, what exactly is a Liquid Nitrogen Station and what does it have to do with a Pittsburgh Bake Shop?

Well, thanks to co-owner, Kadee – while in Miami, she taste-tested a Liquid Nitrogen Shot. After one too many shots (*wink) and laying beneath the night stars – she thought to herself “We could totally incorporate this into our Sweet Treats at Bella Christie’s & Lil’ Z’s!” And there you have it, the Liquid Nitrogen (bakery version) was born!

Q: So what all can you enjoy if you have a #BellaChristiez LN Station at one of your weddings, mitzvahs, corporate parties, birthday parties (or really, any party or get together!)?

A: Flash Frozen Treats: This popular station flash freezes an array of your favorite treats, such as marshmallows, apples, bananas, and brownies. Frozen treats can be dipped in chocolate, caramel, peanut butter, biscoff, or “Nutella”. Guests can choose to dip their treat in one, two, or all three dips for our famous “Triple Nitro Dip”.

Ice Cream / Ice Cream Sandwiches: Delicious hand crafted ice cream. Our fresh crème anglaise base is flash frozen using liquid nitrogen right in front of your guests’ eyes! Your guests will choose from vanilla or chocolate ice cream, then they can select from an assortment of toppings and sauces to create their prefect dessert! We can also create an ice cream sandwich using chocolate chip, oatmeal, or M&M cookies or peanut butter, HoHo, or triple chocolate brownies!

Frozen Cocktail Sorbets: For adults only! Cocktails are flash frozen into delicious cocktail sorbets. Clients will choose and provide 2-3 “signature” drinks to be flash frozen. Popular drinks are Cosmopolitans, Mudslides, Strawberry Lemon Drops, White Russians, or create your own! NOTE: Non-alcoholic beverages can also be flash frozen. *Alcohol/drinks will be provided by the client or venue. Kids’s cocktail sorbets: Kids can bring their soda-pop, juice, or Shirley Temple to the liquid nitrogen station to watch it become a refreshing sorbet!

Mmm, oh yes – how tasty do all of the above sound? If you want your event to stand out from the rest, our unique liquid nitrogen stations can help! These special treats are created right before your eyes through a flash freezing process using liquid nitrogen at -320*! This Sweet Treat Station is extremely popular – so we advise you booking, as soon as you know you want it – months in advance.

Sweetly Yours,
The Bella Christiez Sweet Team

Halloween is here!

All Hallow’s Eve – the kick-off of the holiday season! We’re still enjoying the crisp, cool fall weather, looking forward to a night of dressing up and trick or treating with our children, family or friends. It’s a fun time of year! Which means it’s even more FUN for us in the bakery!

Custom Halloween Cupcakes/Cakes/Creations couldn’t be more fun to bake and make. We’ve featured a few ‘fall related’ wedding cakes these past blog posts – but now, we’re really shifting into the Halloween spirit!

Have you ever visited us in Aspinwall? (Our first of 2! locations) After walking through the big pink doors, to your left you see a display table – full of our latest creations. And these next weeks, all we are seeing is custom Ghost & Boo cookies, pumpkin-shaped rice krispie treats & candy corn, and chocolate bar goodie bags.

We also just did a Halloween #SweetTable for a party. Frankenstein & Pumpkins were amongst the sugar cookie portion of the display. Ghosts, scary – hairy purple & green monsters lined the cupcake part of the table… and our most note worthy piece to finish off this B.C. S.T. was he 3-tier Frankenstein + Skeleton + Pumpkin Cake! From the bottom up, each layer custom iced-fit to its character.

Adding zest to this Halloween season – we have carmel apple, apple chai, and salted carmel flavored options! And even though we aren’t quite to Thanksgiving, just yet! …we are starting to make our famous pies! Blueberry, triple berry, pumpkin, apple and pecan. Did we forget to mention? Those pie-flavors come in pie-pop devours, too!

Before we go – stay tuned to our Social feeds next week – we’ll be featuring our Halloween-themed favorites!

There are more pictures, below*

Sweetly Yours,
The Bella Christiez Team