Benicia mom’s homegrown cookie business goes commercial

(Originally published in the 2/14/16 edition. A correction was made regarding the date of the event)

   In just three short years, Whipt Baked Goods has grown from a small mom-and-pop organization to the place where people from all over come to have cookies designed for their big events. 

   Whipt became open for business following the enactment of Assembly Bill 1616, which went into effect on Jan. 1, 2013. The bill allows people to prepare non-hazardous food items in their kitchens to be labeled as “Cottage Food Operations.”

   A few months later, local mother of three Krizy Osada registered her business with the Solano County Department of Health and Social Services, making Whipt the first CFO in the county. Osada initially intended for the business to be something she did on the side as she raised her children with plans to return to school for a master’s in education, but Whipt ended up doing so well that it now operates as a commercial bakery. 

   “We initially started out by vending at local events,” Osada said. “But then a buzz happened and people started hearing about us. We just got really busy with our private orders.” 

   Whipt offers a variety of treats, including cookies, cupcakes and shortbread, but Osada says what distinguishes the treats is the fact that the ingredients are organic, sourced locally and do not contain GMOs. 

   “We have an organic flour mill from a local organic company, as well as our chocolates which are produced here in the Bay Area,” she said. 

   The store also has vegan and gluten free options as well as ingredients like cage free eggs and organic cream-top milk. Whipt’s specialty is the Whipt Original Cookie Cake, which is a two and a half-inch diameter circle with a frosty center encased in a crunchy shell.

   “The texture itself is something that one would want to sink their teeth into,” Osada said. 

   In addition, Whipt also utilizes photo-quality edible graphic options that clients can put on their cookies for events like birthdays, weddings and company promotions. The business has a will call window where customers can pick up their treats by appointment, or they can have the items shipped to them.

   “Our clients come to us and basically get their picture or logo on our Whipt products,” Osada said. 

   Currently, Osada says, the designs are all chosen by the clients, but Whipt is looking to revamp its website to include a catalog of custom designs for special occasions throughout the year. Designs chosen by past customers include an array of cupcakes embroidered with the Disney princesses and another set of cookie cakes featuring the covers of famous hip-hop albums, including Nas’ “Illmatic” and A Tribe Called Quest’s “The Low End Theory.”

   Osada said the designs often draw a strong emotional response out of clients.

   “I have met with customers in public, and they have admitted to me ‘I had to save that cookie. I never ate it,’” she said. “Some people have told me that they’re collecting my cookies almost like they’re collector’s items. I’m like ‘No, you have to eat them because they’re delicious.’”

   Osada attributes much of the growth of her company to social media, particularly Facebook and Instagram. 

   “There’s a lot of power in social media,” she said. “People will see a picture, they’ll like it, their friends will see them like it, and then they’ll learn about it that way and want to order.”

   Osada is very happy for how her business has thrived.

   “We’ve grown from this mom-and-pop baking company that didn’t even really have a vision for serving people outside our community, but we have orders coming in from L.A., New York and all across the country,” she said. 

   An event will be held from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 21 where members of the community can stop by and enjoy complimentary milk and cookies. The event is free and open to the public. Whipt Baked Goods is located at 1440 E Second St. For more information, call 742-3215. 

   

New comic book store flying high in Benicia

(Originally published in the 12/27/15 edition)

   Comic book stores: the final frontier for Benicia. This is the story of the newest specialty shop in town: Zeppelin Comics. Its long-term goal: to sell unique goods, to frequently bring in a variety of customers, to boldly go where no local business has gone before. 

   Zeppelin Comics opened its doors to the public on Dec. 5, but the new comic book and collectibles shop’s staff had been promoting the store on sites like Facebook as far back as June. The store is run by husband and wife Dan and Natasha Curtis with Natasha serving as the primary owner. The couple had wanted to run a business in Benicia for a long time and settled on a comic book store to fill a void in town.

   “There really hasn’t been a comic book shop in town for a while- I don’t know if ever,” Dan said. “The nearest neighboring store is over 10 miles away, so my wife and I would have to constantly drive to Berkeley, and I know other people in town were driving out to Concord and Suisun. We’ve always wanted to have a store in Benicia, so we figured comics was the way to go.”

   Zeppelin Comics differs from the typical image of comic book stores in two ways. The first is that it sells more than just comic books. Patrons also can pick up graphic novels, T-shirts, toys and collectibles related to the worlds of superheroes, science fiction and fantasy. Among the available items are a plastic model of the Starship Enterprise from “Star Trek,” a plush of Marvel’s Deadpool character and a figurine of Daenerys Targaryen of “Game of Thrones,” complete with a dragon.

   The other major difference is in the store’s design. Unlike the typically dingy, dimly lit comic book shops, Zeppelin Comics is brightly lit with a shiny wood-panel floor and metallic-colored walls. In fact, the store’s industrial look is paying homage to the Cold War era, which coincided with the silver age of comic books where Spider-Man, The X-Men and The Flash all made their debuts. The appearances of zeppelins in many of these comics provided inspiration for the name.

   “It evokes a time period and style that we’re trying to convey to our customers,” Dan said. “It’s an old-time, peaceful, world-traveling silver-aged motif.”

   The shop also has a game space where people can bring their games, tabletop and roleplaying games. The store also hopes to host a variety of events.

   “We’re trying to bring in local artists as well as some others to do signings,” Dan said. “We’re also looking to do launch parties, game nights and book clubs based on various genres and genders.” 

     In the few weeks the store has been open, Dan says the response has been very positive. 

   “People have been stopping by, and they like the store,” he said. “It’s got a different feel than your average comic book store. It’s open, well-lit, well-adorned and peaceful. It’s a place that people can come, browse and enjoy talking with others about all things comic and comic-related.”

   The Curtises hope their store can become a major community hangout.

   “Mostly we hope to be a spot that people come to and know about,” Dan said. “We want to partner with the libraries in town- both the public library and various school libraries. We want to have regular events and just be a place that’s known for not just the youth but also their parents and everybody in town.”

   Zeppelin Comics is located on 191 East H St. and is open from noon to 7 p.m. on Wednesdays through Saturdays and noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays. The store’s website can be found at ZeppelinComics.com. 

(All photos by Nick Sestanovich)

   

Star Wars merchandise on display at Zeppelin Comics in honor of "The Force Awakens."

Mannequins Lynn and Zep, seen here dressed as Princess Leia and Obi-Wan Kenobi, will continue to have rotating outfits. 

   

Benicia sports bar to celebrate silver anniversary

(Originally published in the 11/12/15 edition)

   In the fall of 1990, Vanilla Ice was ruling the charts, “The Simpsons” was entering its second season, the Internet seemed like science fiction to most and a Benicia institution opened its doors for the first time.

   Bottom of the Fifth, located on the corner of Military East and Fifth Street, is about to celebrate its 25th anniversary. In that time, the sports bar has been a place for Benicians to drink beers and watch sports games, but the building had housed several different businesses before that.

   “When I was a little kid, it was a Pentecostal church,” Owner Bruce Adams said.

   In 1979, the building became a bar called The Landmark, which lasted until the late ‘80s. At the time, Adams was running a bar on First Street called JM’s. 

   “The landlord called, this place was sitting empty, and I made a deal with the owners to come up with an option to buy,” he said. 

   Adams opened Bottom of the Fifth with the goal of providing Benicia with a cleaner bar than some of the other taverns in town.

   “Back then, there were four or five neighborhood bars,” he said. “I was trying to make one a little nicer in 1990 than everyone else’s, and I did it. I was wildly successful.”

   Adams was able to keep people coming back with the amenities he offered. When the bar opened, it had three pool tables and four TVs for patrons to watch.

   “That was state of the art in 1990,” Adams said.

   As the name suggests, sporting games have always been a major emphasis of Bottom of the Fifth. The TVs are tuned to games of every kind from NFL to MLB to rugby. With the advent of DirecTV,’s NFL Sunday Ticket, the bar has had access to broadcasts of football games across the country.

   “For 21 years, we ran a 49er booster bus that went to Candlestick Park every home game,” Adams said. 

   The saloon has had plenty of changes over the years. Over time, the number of TVs expanded from four to nine, and the biggest change occurred just a few years ago: Bottom of the Fifth added a kitchen. This happened as a result of Adams deciding the place should be more than just a neighborhood bar with sports games.

   “Times change,” he said. “What worked in 1990 didn’t work in 2010. We morphed into a more of a place to get something to eat and have something to drink.”

   After a few years of renovation plans, Bottom of the Fifth re-emerged in 2013 as a sports bar with a remodeled design and full-service kitchen. Visitors can sit down and nosh on appetizers such as onion rings and chicken wings or eat entrees like burgers or fish tacos. All the items are freshly prepared and never frozen.

   Despite the changes, Adams has held firm on one thing: no minors.

   “There’s enough family places downtown for people,” he said. “This is a bar where you can get something to eat.”

   Bottom of the Fifth will hold a 25th anniversary celebration on Saturday, Nov. 21, where all beers will be half price.

   “We wanted to roll everything back to ‘90s prices, but nobody wanted to do the math, so we just made everything half off,” Adams’ son Sam said.

   Additionally, Sam says the bar is close to selling its five millionth drink. When that happens, the customer who purchases it will be rewarded.

   “The winner will get free food and drinks for a week,” he said.

   After over 40 years in the bartending business, Bruce is satisfied with his accomplishments.

   “I couldn’t be happier with the way my 25 years have turned out here,” he said. 

   Bottom of the Fifth is located on 498 Military East. The bar is open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. every day, and the kitchen is open from 11 a.m. to midnight.