A deal inked in icing: Baker E to take over Flying Monkey

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A deal inked in icing: Baker E to take over Flying Monkey

POSTED: Monday, September 13, 2010, 6:28 PM

Filed Under: Food News | Openings

Courtesy of Elizabeth Halen

Baker E's chocolate whoopie pies

On Oct. 1, Elizabeth "Baker E" Halen will take over Rebecca Michaels' Flying Monkey flagship shop in Reading Terminal (12th and Arch). "I've been the early-morning baker there for about a year, ever since leaving my job at Temple," says Halen, who currently bakes her own whoopie pies and mile-high cakes out of A Full Plate Cafe (Liberties Walk, 1040 N. American St.). "I knew [Michaels] was looking for a buyer, so I just asked her one day how much she was asking for the place." Two months of RTM red tape later, the deal is nearly done, and while the name will stay, many of the recipes will change. "One thing Flying Monkey doesn't do now is emphasize seasonal anything, and that is really important to me, so I want to showcase local and seasonal produce as much as possible," says Halen. Seasonal fruit "Pop Tarts," for example, will feature flaky strudel dough filled with Halens jam made with local fruits. "Ill also be adding my signature cakes like Elvis and Arnold Palmer, as well as my line of whoopie pies, little bites and healthy breakfast cookies." Fear, not cupcake freaks. Therell be plenty of those, too, both at Halens Flying Monkey and at Flying Monkey Deuce (1112 Locust St.) check out their oh-so-civilized garden room which Michaels is in the process of morphing into a more of a cafe with extended hours, croissants and banh mi. "Im really confident that E can take this to the next level," says Michaels. "She and I have a very similar sensibility in terms of our baking style. Shes a really good fit." Flying Monkey will be Halen's first turn as an owner. "It's been just about a year since I left my academic life to start Baker E, and it feels amazing to have made such gains in that year," she says. "If you had asked me last year if I thought I'd be starting my own bakery in RTM, I'd have laughed at you. It seemed so impossible at that moment, but now it's really happening and it's simultaneously exciting and overwhelming."

Flying Monkey’s Pumpple Cake on Food Network tomorrow night :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper

Posted 2011-01-06 12:06:57

[...] Elizabeth “E” Halen, who took over the Flying Monkey hub at Reading Terminal Market this fall, has earned her fair share of national attention for her Pumpple Cake, the tempestuous [...]

Posted by Adam Erace @ 6:28 PM Permalink | Post a comment

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