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Your flowers are so beautiful! Would love to see photos of how you made them. And can't wait to see that cake too -- sounds delicious. Thanks for sharing!

I couldn't make it back yesterday, but I did show up first thing this morning (a little after 9 am). They posted the demo schedule for today: 1-2 pm Chris Garza, Art Girl Cookies Cookie icing 2-3 pm Kate Sullivan, Lovin' Sullivan Making and hand-painting gumpaste butterflies and magnolia flowers 3-4 pm Elisa Strauss, Confetti Cakes 2-D cutout relief gumpaste flowers 4-5 pm Raven Dennis, Cake Man Raven Variegated buttercream flowers and swags 5-6 pm Gail Watson Decorated sugar flowers and sugar boxes 6-7 pm Maria McBride, Brides Style Editor Making placecard holders from sparkling wine cages I haven't been able to stay for the demos, so it would be nice to hear from those who got a chance to go.

My batteries ran out before I could take a photo of each cake, but I did take one of the bamboo. I had almost made it around that entire side of the hall too. Steve's cake smelled deliciously chocolate-y; a lot of people were tempted to taste! I'll try to post photos later. I asked several people on the floor what the demo schedule is, but no one seemed to have a definite list. It's too bad I couldn't take a 3-hour lunch! I'll be back tomorrow to take more photos...

Definitely this needs to be an hour; it would be great to go along with the winners of each round when they take tours of other kitchens.

I decided to try Chantico with a co-worker after lunch the other day; as an incurable chocoholic, I admit that all the hype had me curious. Also, I wanted to see how it measured up to City Bakery's hot chocolate. Chantico has the same velvety texture, and with the first sip I thought, Wow! By the fourth or fifth, I started to feel a little ill and had to stop drinking it. I was sugar-buzzed the rest of the afternoon and kept chugging water to feel better. I agree: It's a bit over the top. I probably won't have another one for a few months. I'd rather make my usual Ibarra hot chocolate at home.

Just wanted to thank my fellow eGulleteers for tipping me off to Ina Garten's Coconut Cupcakes -- you helped me win my department's annual bakeoff! My mini cupcakes trounced the competition, which included treats like a strawberry orange cream pie, an apple walnut cake with buttercream icing, among others. This recipe rules!

You could get free advertising if your store appeared on Ghost Hunters on SciFi Channel. http://www.scifi.com/ghosthunters/

9 out of 10 times I'll reach for the chocolate chip cookie, but that must be because I'm a notorious chocoholic. The ideal cookie is crispy on the outside and chewy inside. And don't be cheap with the chocolate! Lately I've been into black and white cookies. My last fave (treats that I go out of my way to buy) was a white chocolate macademia cherry cookie.

Yay, pictures! Thank you, DuckDuck, for posting them. I've been checking in on this fascinating thread frequently, hoping for some visual updates. Congrats, Mel, your store looks awesome! I had to slow down the slideshow of these pics, because 3 seconds is not enough time to ogle these beautiful treats.

I've always loved this drink and am interested in feeding my cravings for it more frequently at home. What's your favorite recipe? And is there a specific brand of tea that I should use? thanks!

I haven't tried them yet, but I did order a sampler for one of my tea-loving friends. She liked the gift (I sent her a mix of flavors and green teas), and particularly enjoyed the caramel tea.

Edward, which store in NY sells this sugar?

Mooshmouse, I've often wondered the same thing. You can find all sorts of Asian cuisine in Manhattan, but when it comes to Filipino food, it usually comes down to two places on far ends of the spectrum: Elvie's Turo-Turo or Cendrillon, which is pegged as "nouveau Pan-Asian." I was weirded out there a few years ago when I spotted people eating pancit with chopsticks! There are more places in Jersey and Queens, but I haven't been out to most of them yet. jschyun, my father-in-law – who's a great cook – thinks along the same lines as you do: Why go out to eat something that you can cook better yourself? So then do you think that the success of new Filipino restaurants would depend on getting people from other cultures interested in the cuisine? I would love to see more bakeries out here; trekking out to Jersey City to get mamon and pan de sal is sometimes too much!

Today, Manhattan User's Guide asks Hesser, Why? (Click on "Weekend Pleasures" and scroll to the bottom.)

I guess Starbucks is all about "educating" its customers — and its employees. Here's an article on how it's going to create "coffee masters." You can tell who the "masters" are by their black aprons. So ever since I read this, I've been harrassing all the Starbucks patrons I know with "So, have the black aprons arrived yet?"