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Posted on Mon, Nov. 09, 2009

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Mom's business taps into flour power

By NIESHA LOFING

McClatchy Newspapers

Shonna Martin knows the hard work that goes into owning a bakery.

The third-generation baker grew up making cakes, cookies and every other type of confection at Cramer's Bakery, the former Hollywood Park fixture that her grandfather, father and uncle took over in 1968.

It was late hours and labor-intensive work. But it also made for some of her fondest memories, such as listening to '50s music while rolling out Danish pastry in the wee hours of the morning alongside her father.

Martin is trying to duplicate those good times with The Baker's Daughter, a by-appointment bakery where children and adults can learn the art and joy of baking.

"Everyone is in a rush these days, and we've forgotten what it takes to produce something from scratch," Martin said. "People just put their kids in front of the TV to be entertained, and when the kids get out in the world, they don't know how to fend for themselves and cook. I don't think that's good."

Martin offers an array of classes and birthday party baking sessions at her Orangevale location, and will travel to private homes or other venues.

She tailors the event or class to suit the parents' and children's tastes, be it cupcakes, cookies, cakes or candy.

Gina Solis of Sacramento took her three children and two guests to Martin's cupcake decorating class in September after spotting an ad on SacMomsClub.com, The Bee's site for moms.

The children learned to bake cupcakes from start to finish, and while one batch was baking in the oven, they learned how to decorate cupcakes Martin had prepared beforehand.

The kids, who ranged from 4 1/2 to 10 years old, festooned one set of cupcakes with homemade colored sugar and decorated the other with fondant shapes.

Solis said the $55 cost for the two-hour class it's $15 for the first child and $10 for each additional child was money well spent.

"They learned a lot of skills there," she said. "We will definitely be signing up for more."

Coteia Clark hired The Baker's Daughter to do her daughter Courtesy's 10th birthday at a local pizza parlor. The girls at the party had their own mini-cakes to decorate and take home, and Martin had decorated a large heart-shaped cake topped with smaller heart-shaped cakes and surrounded it with zebra-pattern cupcakes.

"And last but not least ... all I had to do was sit back, eat and enjoy the party," Clark said.

Martin, a mother of two, said she enjoys working with children and passing on lessons about measuring, mixing and decorating.

It's a tradition she hopes will continue through her own children.

"I asked my daughter, who is 8, what she wanted to be and she said 'the baker's daughter,' " Martin said.