Connecting our community to the local harvest in A LOT of ways and we want to do more! Let's BOOM IT to the next level together. YUM!
Happy Girl Kitchen Co. connects the community through food in A LOT of ways and we want to do MORE! In order to expand what we are doing we need to make some investments in our infrastructure. We want to take it all to the next level for this upcoming season.
Our mission started with a passion for preserving the local harvest and working closely with our lovely, local organic farmers. This passion continues to drive everything we do and we want to do more of a good thing. We started teaching workshops and hosting recipe swaps 4 years ago and they continue to be wildly popular and empower people to get in there and preserve their own food. Then, almost two years ago we built out our own kitchen space and opened a cafe and little shop, which features locally preserved foods. At that time, we also started a group called The Food Preservationists, which is a bulk produce delivery program that inspires people to take the skills they learned in our workshops and USE THEM! This year we started to offer pop-up dinners at our café, which highlight a local farm and a local non-profit group bridging all of our communities to work together. We also rent out our kitchen space to other local artisanal food companies to offer a space where people can start their own small business. To top it off, we host school field trips and private parties. We want to connect people to their food and the simple pleasures that it brings in any way we can. We need to invest in our infrastructure to take on more projects, recipes and build out our shop!
THE PRODUCTION: We want to preserve more of the local harvest.
The demand exceeded our production last year by volumes. This is a good thing. We need some new equipment like blenders and choppers and evaporator pans and lots of jars to put all the food in. We need a Robot Coupe, Vitamix, Hobart FP 350, a tilt skillet and another double boiler to make salsa, ketchup and other preserves. This means that if you love our award winning apricot chili jam, bread and butter pickles, world famous spicy tomato juice, dry farmed tomato ketchup and salsa that you will be able to get it for more of the year because we will be able to MAKE MORE! We need the new equipment so that we can bring back our much loved salsa and spicy tomato juice (voted one of the best 50 foods in the world by Guardian Newspaper!).
THE STORE: Is a chance for small, local food artisans to have a spot on the shelf!
We would like to build out our store space so that we can connect the local community with great food artisans in the area. We need to build out the shop to accommodate more products. The building that we are in has historical significance in that it was the first local, natural food store in the area for 25 years and so we want to continue in that tradition of small and local. We will stock the shelves with all organic food that we can believe in, of course. We have built out our store with salvaged wood and other found furniture. After all, we are not just preserving the local harvest, we are creating an eco-friendly environment through our design and practice.
THE POP UP DINNERS: These are community gatherings around good food and good ideas.
We have done trial runs of these dinners to see how they would be received…THEY ARE A HUGE HIT! Here is what one guest (Eric Schlosser, author of “Fast Food Nation” has been to a lot of good farm to table dinners!) had to say “we had a terrific time last night...the food was amazing...and the spirit in the room was the best part of all--" We have been borrowing all the equipment needed for the dinners thus far and need to buy plates, tableware, cloth napkins and table cloths, tables and chairs, and a lot of them!
THE WORKSHOPS: Giving people the skill of the nearly-lost-art of preserving the harvest.
We love sharing our secrets and teaching tricks so that you can have a party in your own pantry too! People get so inspired from our workshops that they form their own canning groups and parties throughout the Bay Area. We are so proud of our passionate students that take up the practice of making jams, pickles, cheese and other preserves. They spread the joy to their friends and before you know it everyone is eating the local harvest! Its just that easy and fun. We will continue to teach more workshops and our kitchen build out will include improvements for our workshops too.
Thank you for checking out our campaign and your donations will go directly to expanding all of the fun and great things that we are doing. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!!! WE LOVE YOU!
*Awesome photos by Margaux Gibbons
FAQ
Have a question? If the info above doesn't help, you can ask the project creator directly.
130
Backers
$14,507
pledged of $72,000 goal
0
seconds to go
Funding Unsuccessful This project reached the deadline without achieving its funding goal on October 6, 2012.
Funding period
Sep 3, 2012 -
Oct 6, 2012
- First created · 1 backed
- Jordan Champagne 97 friends
- Website: happygirlkitchen.com
Pledge $1 or more
5 backers
High five and eternal blessing on our thank you page and on our thank you wall in the kitchen. Make the wall!
Estimated delivery: Nov 2012Pledge $10 or more
10 backers
"There's a party in my pantry" postcard autographed by the happy girls and stickers galore!!!
Estimated delivery: Nov 2012Pledge $25 or more
16 backers
A mixed CD of Happy Girl's favorite music to work to and dance to (aren't they the same?) featuring records from our selection at the cafe. (we have great taste!).
Estimated delivery: Nov 2012Pledge $25 or more
11 backers
One Apricot jam recipe and our "special HGK tricks in the kitchen" booklet that we have created just for kickstarter backers. Includes tricks and tips for making jams, pickles and tomato preserves.
Estimated delivery: Dec 2012Pledge $50 or more
22 backers
Elite Kickstarter gift box with 3 jars with special recipes and labels for our supporters including a pickle, a jam and our world famous spicy tomato juice and an autographed "there's a party in our pantry" postcard! A perfect gift to send someone you love for the holidays!
Estimated delivery: Dec 2012Pledge $50 or more
3 backers
"there's a party in my pantry" tote and postcard (autographed) and a jar of our award winning jam with a jam recipe card.
Estimated delivery: Nov 2012Pledge $50 or more
10 backers
5 Happy Girl Kitchen recipes including 2 jams, 2 pickles and one tomato and our "special HGK tricks in the kitchen" booklet that we have created just for kickstarter backers. Includes tricks and tips for making jams, pickles and tomato preserves.
Estimated delivery: Nov 2012Pledge $100 or more
8 backers
10 Happy Girl Kitchen recipes including a variety of jams, pickles, tomatoes and cheese and our "special HGK tricks in the kitchen" booklet that we have created just for kickstarter backers. Includes tricks and tips for making jams, pickles and tomato preserves.
Estimated delivery: Dec 2012Pledge $125 or more
3 backers
2 tickets to our Kickstarter backer party at our Queen Ann Victorian in the Temescal district of Oakland. Listen to old time music in the oldest barn in Oakland while dining on great food and having a blast to celebrate! (did we mention fun). A thank you jar and tote are given to you upon arriving...and a big hug from the happy girl crew!
Estimated delivery: May 2013Pledge $125 or more
3 backers
2 tickets to our Kickstarter backer party at our kitchen and cafe in Pacific Grove including live music, amazing food and dancing under the disco ball until every pickle is gone!!! A thank you jar and tote are included on arriving and a big hug from the happy girl crew!
Estimated delivery: Nov 2012Pledge $125 or more
6 backers
Tomato Lover's gift box. Salsa+Spicy tomato juice+ketchup+dry farmed tomato juice!!! Pre-order your much loved Happy Girl Tomato products by the case here. Help us buy the equipment to make it. The box includes 1 case of 12 jars of the tomato product of your choice and an HGK tomato lover recipe booklet along with a mixed CD of our favorite vinyl Italian classics to get you in the mood. Plus the tote and make it on the wall of gratitude! add $25. for shipping or else we can deliver to our bay area spots for you!!! Please specify if you would like Spicy tomato juice, Salsa, dry farmed tomato juice or ketchup or a mixed box.
Estimated delivery: Nov 2012Pledge $150 or more
2 backers
15 Happy Girl Kitchen recipes with a variety of jams, pickles, ferments, marmalades, jellies, tomatoes and cheese and "special HGK tricks in the kitchen" booklet that we have created just for kickstarter backers. Includes tricks and tips for making jams, pickles and tomato preserves.
Estimated delivery: Dec 2012Pledge $150 or more
8 backers
2 VIP Chef's table tickets for our dinner with chef Jacob Pilarski from Manresa Resturant at our space in Pacific Grove including a special thank you jar and other special treatment at your table.
Estimated delivery: Oct 2012Pledge $150 or more
0 backers
Private one hour food preservation consultation with HGK founder, Jordan, either in our Pacific Grove kitchen, on the telephone or skype.
Estimated delivery: Oct 2012Pledge $150 or more
3 backers
1 Happy Girl Kitchen workshop ticket to any of our workshops PLUS the "special HGK tricks in the kitchen" booklet that we have created just for kickstarter backers. Includes tricks and tips for making jams, pickles and tomato preserves.
Estimated delivery: Dec 2012Pledge $190 or more
7 backers
Stock your pantry with our new shop! 10 items from our new shelves including pickles, jams, crackers, dried beans, granola, nuts, tomato preserves, local salt and dried fruit. The assortment of the best that the Happy Girl Shop has to offer.
Estimated delivery: Dec 2012Pledge $1,000 or more
2 backers
Private Dinner party catered at our Pacific Grove location for up to 15 people with delicious organic food and drink made by the Happy Girls. YUM!
Estimated delivery: Dec 2012Pledge $1,200 or more
1 backer
Unlimited Happy Girl Kitchen workshops for a year starting from the date of your first workshop PLUS "special HGK tricks in the kitchen" booklet that we have created just for kickstarter backers. Includes tricks and tips for making jams, pickles and tomato preserves. BECOME A PRO!
Estimated delivery: Nov 2012Pledge $1,200 or more
1 backer
Private workshop for up to 10 people anywhere within 120 miles of our kitchen in Pacific Grove. A great party for you and your friends. Includes each person taking home 1 jar of each of the 3 recipes we create together. Everyone will get other special Kickstarter treatment including the special booklet!
Estimated delivery: Nov 2012Pledge $2,100 or more
0 backers
Private workshop for up to 20 people anywhere in the nation given by owner, Jordan Champagne, on topic of your choice. This is a chance for you to throw a Happy Girl Workshop party in your town and special booklet and other Kickstarter treatment included! (This price is not including travel expenses).
Estimated delivery: Jan 2013
