The smell of chocolate truffles, orange cream and strawberries flooded the KVIE commercial kitchen Wednesday morning as Women’s Empowerment graduates were hard at work. Making 1,200 desserts for 550 people was no easy task, but the 10 women took on the challenge with smiles on their faces and tears in their eyes. The desserts are for the 10th Anniversary Celebration of Independence Gala that benefits Women’s Empowerment, a Sacramento non profit that helps homeless women find jobs and housing for their families. The gala is Thursday from 5:30 - 9 p.m. at the Grand Hyatt, 1215 J St. The women worked diligently to make the perfect cheesecake bites from a recipe of one of the graduate’s grea

You’ve probably seen cake pops on food blogs or at bridal showers or even at Starbucks. The bite-sized treat is becoming a popular alternative to cupcakes. South Sacramento resident Wendy Bell has made an online business out of her made-from-scratch cake pops called It’s a Peace of Cake! After seeing a cake pop recipe online, she decided to make her own version using her five basic cake recipes: lemon, chocolate, vanilla, red velvet and coconut. Bell crumbles the cake and combines it with frosting, rolling it into a ball and then dips it in a chocolate shell and finishes it off with her signature chocolate swirl. Each cake pop has a different combination of cake and type of chocolate.

Whether you are hunting for speckled eggs or spending time with loved ones, don’t forget to stop by local eateries for their special Easter desserts this weekend. Get ready for the cuteness overload. Freeport Bakery 2966 Freeport Blvd. Freeport Bakery has a beautiful display of Easter decorations and a variety of creative and beautiful cookies, cupcakes and large cakes. You can purchase bunny, duck or Easter egg cookies in a bag, box, on a tray or by the piece. You can also purchase rich chocolate or golden buttermilk cupcakes, topped with buttercream or chocolate frosting and Easter decorations.  Each cupcake is $2.95. There are a variety of cakes available on their Easter menu, i

Sacramento’s Local Roots Food Tours are a fun way to experience Sacramento’s culinary scene by sampling different restaurants and learning new recipes, like homemade pasta noodles. The tours began in February, and were created by Lisa Armstrong who is the owner and only tour guide at the moment. “My first experience on a food tour was in Seattle,” Armstrong said. “After coming home from Seattle I couldn’t stop thinking about how much fun I had and what a great idea it would be to put together a tour for a city like Sacramento.” At 11:15 a.m. on a Tuesday, Armstrong conducted her first official three hour tour with a group that included eight people. “We are hoping to attract anyone who

As a 3-year-old girl, Carissa Jones dreamed of a life of baking, and on Tuesday, she opened her first bakery, Sugar and Spice Specialty Desserts on the corner of 12th and F streets. “We make traditional European desserts with an American twist,” she said. “Everyone has had a meringue cookie, but we make green apple martini meringues.” Jones has been a pastry chef for six years, earning her stripes as a wedding caterer. Every time she catered a wedding for the past three years, sharing kitchen space at various restaurants, she was tracking what worked and what didn’t with the goal of opening a successful bakery. “One of the things I’ve always liked about baking was that once you know the

Great Chefs 2010 is coming this August! Great Chefs is a gourmet celebration to benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Sacramento. It will be taking place on Saturday, August 21, 2010 from 6p-9p at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Capitol Plaza. For this 9th annual event, head chefs from some of the area’s finest restaurants, wineries and breweries will be pairing foods and beverages for a fun-filled, one-of-a-kind evening. In addition, the evening includes a silent auction and dancing. And the delicious desserts are not to be missed. Some of the featured restaurants will be Aioli Bodega Espanol, Bake Sense Inc., Just 4 U Catering, Event Architects, California Capitol Chefs Association, Sa