There appears to be some flogging going on. I haven’t read all of the recent comments and blog posts critiquing our little Lasagna Cupcakes™, that would take forever, but I have made an attempt and I feel I must address some of our detractors because there seems to be a common thread of discontent.
Let me get the most dramatic out of the way first, the political ones that give wind that we are not sensitive or patriotic making a career out of something so fanciful like a lasagna cupcake when Egypt is in crisis and third world countries continue to suffer from hunger. To these accusations I say… you’re right.
Our kitchen is small and so is our political impact. We focus at this time on the crucial importance of reducing waste from our landfills by recycling all plastic and aluminum and paper and glass and cardboard. Also we are aware that we have purchasing power. We source out small farms that struggle to keep going when technology is rapidly moving in the direction of “meat-labs” and GMOs. We continue to seek out new ways to keep our eco-footprint light and our employees happy. We have big plans for the future concerning how to expand our potential for progressive change. We’d like for these intended actions to reach brave and peaceful protestors across the globe as well as desperately impoverished and hungry countries, but they certainly never will and for that our heads hang low.
There is also much talk over Marshall Heymann’s description of our repurposing of food. Allow me to elaborate because it does sound wildly off-putting and unsanitary as it is stated in The Wall Street Journal. For every catering party we pack an overage of food, we must in case unaccounted for guests arrive or we have big eaters in attendance. This excess food is security for us so we never run out and it is kept in it’s own packaging and if unused, goes back to the kitchen just as it came. What to do with these leftovers? Well we try out new recipes for lasagna cupcakes and taste them ourselves. If we like them they go into production, and I must correct Mr Heymann, we make 300 an hour not a day, far too many to be comprised of leftovers.
Many people complain about the price. At seven bucks a pop and an additional forty in shipping, I hear ya. Please know we make all our pasta by hand using organic eggs. Although the cooks making this pasta work fast, rolling enormous amounts of dough to meet our ordering demands is a tedious task and all of our employees are paid a living wage. Additionally we make many of our cheeses which requires space and time and the skill to do it, none of which comes for free. Our meats, as I already mentioned are sourced from small farms which charge more than commercial farms but not only can you taste the difference, it also is the ethical thing to do. Our produce, same thing. Very carefully considering all of the above, seven dollars is a fair price. As for shipping, take that up with Fed Ex, we don’t mark up.
Lastly, people are really upset by the name Lasagna Cupcakes™. They say it sounds “disgusting” and “nasty”, and if you’ve never actually tasted one, I suppose the pairing of these two words does indeed promote a visual (frosting on noodles anyone?) that is less than desirable. As caterers, we wanted to bypass sloppy family-style lasagnas in favor of individual sized lasagnas to make a buffet or a platter look prettier. Calling them mini lasagnas seemed so ho-hum, so Matt referred to them as “cupcakes” and I laughed. This is where the name came from and it just stuck. We were too busy making them to fret over it much. Moving on from that, we wanted to step outside the box of sausage lasagna. Have you tried our artichoke lasagna? You must, it’s terrific. Or what about the wild boar bolognese with fresh pulled mozzarella? Outrageously divine. The mac-n-cheese lasagna cupcake that got a rise out of some Yahoo Readers, well that’s just our fresh pasta with everything that’s represented in the most righteous mac-n-cheese casseroles: several types of cheeses and a béchamel, prosciutto is not mandatory but certainly recommended. Viola. Some critics consider this break from tradition to be nothing short of heresy. Others say, yawn, they’ve been making these themselves for decades.
In short, we are not pushing our company or our food as a “trend”. We want to keep ourselves and our staff and our purveyors working during this economic slump and we want to do so with conscience. I hope this testament clears the air a little bit for those whom we have offended. Our mission is for our customers to eat well and to have a good time– in the lasagna cupcake, whatever the flavor, we’re working to provide both.
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| Braised Short Rib Lasagna Cupcake™ with Cipollini Onions and Fresh Pulled Mozzarella |
I definitely read some of the WSJ comments and cringed to think you guys would to. Your food at our wedding was BY FAR the most discussed feature!! I mean, I’d like to think our 75 guests paid any mind to the ceremony and tabletops and other hoopla, but when it comes to what they’re still talking about today? Well, let’s just say, it ain’t my wedding dress or jamie’s matching yellow sock & tie combo*.
LONG LIVE LASAGNA CUPCAKES!!!
*although talmadge definitely impressed some single ladies with his dedication. working an event while hobbling around in a cast?! they swooned. 🙂
Leslie, your wedding with it’s beautiful earth toned flowers made of recycled fabric and biodegradable place settings was the one that has made the biggest impression on me. Your taste and thoughtful consciousness was exquisite. I only wish I had worked it so that I could’ve seen more than just the pictures.
And Tal is single.
I just read your “Mission Statement of the Day” and I am in disbelief.“Not sensitive or patriotic making a career out of something so fanciful like a lasagna cupcake when Egypt is in crisis and third world countries continue to suffer from hunger” Are you kidding me? Did someone seriously say that? What is going on in this world? Here is an AMERICAN made small business that has created a REASONABLY PRICED gourmet food that we can all enjoy via shipment anywhere in the world (on dry ice) using LOCAL FARMS, their own hand made cheese and pasta, responsibly recycling everything possible, EMPLOYING people in an economy with 10% unemployment – and some mindless people have the audacity to make such ridiculous comments? And the name LASAGNA CUPCAKE is GENIOUS regardless of how it came to be. I have personally had the opportunity to taste ½ dozen varieties of your cupcakes and they are BY FAR SOME OF THE BEST TASTING CREATIONS I HAVE EATEN IN MY 50 YEARS OF LIFE! Keep up the FANTASTIC job you are doing and don’t even waste your time trying to respond to such mindless people in this world who can’t appreciate the success of a young couple who are living the AMERICAN DREAM!
In full agreement with Tracy. Nothing I can say that she hasn’t already said. I have to imagine that people leaving negative comments are just negative people spreading it around, or simply people who don’t understand the value of your business concept. Your blog post has gone a long way to illustrate that concept. That said, $7 is *completely* worth it for those cupcakes.. they’re damned good! <3
Your food/ your service/ your passion are nothing short of perfection. From my wedding to your tasting at Silverlake Winery… it is always a pleasure to indulge in your food… phooey to the nay-sayers – with all that is happening indeed in the world they should get a life and leave the rest of the HeirloomLA love fest to those of those that appreciate it all including ‘lasagna cupcakes’ which perfectly describe a little lasagna heaven
I just started respecting the hell out of what you do and how you do it.