Hot Racks Bakery - Date Square

Along with the freshest, gooiest, tastiest cinnamon bun, we picked up an excellent, buttery date square from Hot Racks Bakery this morning.

Hot Racks Bakery - Date Square by Jay Scott

Once again, they did not disappoint.

Hot Racks Granola Bar

My sweet tooth flared up as predictably as the sunrise the other day so I swung by Hot Racks for not just one, but two treats. I had to grab one of their perfect cinnamon buns but also a granola bar.

Fresh, dense, chewy, sweet with just a hint of saltiness in the pumpkin seeds. It won't be my last.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Monster Cookies

Sorry for missing your weekly dose of deliciousness last week. I've been in the process of preparing data for migration to a new computer that I hope is ordered by the time this post is posted. That said, it may be a bit quiet for a little while until I have everything back to normal operation.

Until then, I hope these cookies from Hot Racks Bakery will keep you satisfied until I can resume the normal routine.

Monster Cookies by Jay Scott

Some Dessert from Hot Racks

Nothing to say but delicious! I love making photos of their products, but the best part is when I know I have the shot it's time to dig in.

Chocolate Toffee Bar by Jay Scott

Lime Cheesecake by Jay Scott

Hot Racks Cinnamon Buns

Last week when I was on a shooting rampage I was quite looking for food to shoot. It feels like it has been too long since I have made myself or anyone else hungry with my photographs.

Seeing as how we were short on sweets in the house we headed a few blocks over to Hot Racks Bakery and picked up some of their reliably scrumptious cinnamon buns. Responsibly, we only purchased two even though their buy three get one free deal was sitting right before us. Part of me would love to make far more frequent stops there but carbohydrates are one of my weaknesses and when they are as delicious as the products you'll find at that bakery it would be even easier to let indulgence get out of control.

Hot Racks Cinnamon Bun - 2 by Jay Scott

The next product we really want to try is their beet dill bread. It is a regular item on their menu on Thursdays and typically we don't cooking elaborate meals with which a nice loaf of bread would go except on Mondays, Wednesdays or Saturdays. I will have to plan to buy some, photograph it, sample it and then freeze it for the next time we make a nice batch of soup.

Hot Racks Cinnamon Bun - 1 by Jay Scott

If you are so inclined I would really appreciate a comment about which of the two photos you like best.

Have a delicious week.

Sticking Your Neck Out

Giraffe Looking For the Camp Fire by Jay Scott

First, let me apologize for the recent hiccups in images being displayed. 500px.com, the site where my photos are hosted, have been making some big changes including an even more attractive layout, flow of image display and a marketplace. Of course, that means outages and bugs in the short term. I have also noticed some images not loading, just the alternate text showing up. You can still click that text to be taken to the photo on 500px, but it's one more step in the reading process and interrupts the flow of my posts. Often a forced refresh (pressing Ctrl+F5) will resolve it.

I have not dug that deep into it yet but it may make it possible to automate print sales. I will see how their pricing is, the commission they will likely take, the print lab they use and product quality before I decide to activate it. The one reservation I have is the 150+ photos I uploaded that have a watermark on them. The market will not allow sales of watermarked photos and I wouldn't want to sell them. The watermark is to deter thieves, not penalize paying customers. I will decide if the time it will take, the cost of lost ratings and feedback and careful organization is worth it. Of course prints can still be ordered through me, knowing I have inspected your product before you receive it and that we are both supporting a local photo lab.

Speaking of supporting local business, I saw a tweet/Facebook post from Hot Racks Bakery a few days ago that despite a number of advertising and awareness initiatives on their part they could use another 30 or more customers to feel confident about making it as a business. They asked for marketing suggestions and referrals. That is sticking your neck out. But it is honest truth. It a world where businesses and corporations, even people, typically pretend everything is perfect until they are in way over their head, I respect their request for help. I have a mutually beneficial idea, but it needs further consideration before presenting it.

In the mean time, I'm going to try to buy something from them at least once a week and ask that if you're ever in the Stonebridge neighbourhood to give them a try.