Beard Papa's

The daughter of a dentist, Kara Haspel Lind took a drastically different path in 2006 when she opened her first cupcake shop in the Marina. Now with multiple stores and a mobile cupcake van, Kara’s Cupcakes is a sweet San Francisco institution. That doesn’t mean that Kara is set in her ways, however. Recently, she expanded her offerings to include something a little bigger: 6- and 9-inch cakes. The cakes are available in all of the signature cupcake flavors, as well as two cake-only variants. We spoke with Kara about exploring new edible territory, plus her favorite places to eat before dessert. GROUPON: So what made you decide to venture into the cake space? And can you tell us a little more about the cakes themselves? KARA HASPEL LIND: Cupcakes are a mini celebration (even if you’re just celebrating that you finished lunch!), and we wanted to offer guests options for the larger celebratory moments in their life. We’re keeping it special by having two cake-only flavors: Paradise and Chocolate Eclipse. The Paradise cake is made with organic bananas and passionfruit-curd filling. It’s covered in cream-cheese frosting, then sprinkled with fresh toasted coconut. The Chocolate Eclipse cake is a chocolate cake filled with Italian meringue marshmallow, covered in rich chocolate ganache frosting. All of the new cakes are ready-made daily and by custom order, which requires 24 hours notice. G: Sounds delicious! You have a well-established brand when it comes to cupcakes in San Francisco. Besides the new cakes, what else differentiates Kara’s from other bakeries? KHL: Our sweet treats are baked daily (sometimes hourly!) in small batches, so guests are enjoying their cupcakes a few hours, if not a few minutes, out of the oven. Community is also an important focal point for our cupcakes. We like to use local ingredients that are sustainable and organic. G: What sorts of local ingredients? KHL: Take our seasonal strawberry cupcake, for example. We use Yerena Farms organic strawberries in that. Poli Yerena, a Bay Area small farmer, created his own business with his family and his strawberries are to die for. They make a delicious strawberry cream. Our salt comes right from the bay—from the red salt ponds you see when flying to and from SFO. [We also use] Giusto’s flour, Petaluma farm-fresh pullet eggs … These are all conscious decisions to make a difference in our community, which is extremely important to us. G: Speaking of the community, can you tell us some of your favorite places to go when you aren’t eating dessert? KHL: For coffee, the new Peet’s on Chestnut Street. For breakfast, Gott’s egg sandwich. And for lunch or dinner, Padrecito in Cole Valley … delish and fresh! This interview has been condensed and edited. Photos courtesy of Kara’s Cupcakes.

Ooey-gooey salty goodness. Salted caramel, like bacon, will not die as a food trend.  This buttery confection keeps chefs, bakers and dessert makers inspired to try new creations.  If this is good news to you, then here are a few spots to get your salted caramel fix in San Francisco. Salted caramel bread pudding from Schulzies Bread pudding served like ice cream? That's Schulzies. Located in Hayes Valley this unique shop opened by fourth generation San Francisco native Sarah Shulz, serves bread pudding in a cone.  It fits since she serves it cold, an interesting twist on the classic.  And while all her flavors are delicious (there are 108 of them, although only about a dozen served daily), if you are a salted caramel fan you'll love the salted caramel sutra. Milk chocolate pot de creme from RN74 So you might be asking where is the salted caramel?  Trust me, its there.  If you order the milk chocolate pot de creme on Michael Mina's RN74 menu it comes with cocoa nibs, salted toffee, and salted caramel whipped cream.  The combination is so delectable that you'll wonder why they don't just change the name.  The crunch and saltiness of the toffee mixed with the caramel whip cream is perfect with the chocolate pudding; it doesn't come off as cloyingly sweet.  Perfect with a glass of red wine. Salted caramel ice cream from Bi-Rite We rarely see heat waves in San Francisco, so we've just gotten use to eating ice cream even when its chilly.  The biggest decision to make is where.  Bi-Rite Creamery? Mitchell's? Or Humphry Slocombe?  When it comes to salted caramel, it's easy.  Bi-Rite is the only one that carries it. In fact this spot is often attributed to creating the salted caramel craze in the first place. You have plenty of time to dream about their sweet cream and smoky caramel while you wait in the really long line to get in! Caramel de Sel Donut from Dynamo Donut The sweet of the fluffy dough combined with the slightly chewy of the caramel glaze by itself would be sufficient, but then you get a hint of a citrus zing from fresh orange zest and nutmeg.  That's pretty complex for a donut. BONUS: It's worth seeking out these next two food truck treats.  Find them at Off the Grid or SOMA Streat Food Park or any of their other regular haunts around the city. Salted caramel creme brulee from The Crème Brûlée Cart These tasty little custard treats already have caramelized sugar on top, but when you add a little sea salt, wowza, that makes all the difference! Salted caramel mochi from Simply Mochi Sweet and salty goodness wrapped in a glutinous rice rice cake. Unless you are eating a truffle, this is the purest form of eating salted caramel.  The mochi casing is the perfect wrap, its taste so subtle that you get the full salted caramel experience. It looks like salted caramel is here to stay and San Franciscan are the ones that benefit from the craftiness and experimentation of the city's best kitchens.

San Francisco has always been synonymous with chocolate, from iconic Ghirardelli Square to Scharffen Berger’s gourmet bars. The chocolate scene has grown tremendously in the last few years, and there are more local chocolatiers and chocolate makers in the city than ever. From handmade chocolate bars to perfectly decorated bonbons, the variety of chocolate available is deliciously tempting.  Below are my picks for some of the most delectable chocolate in the city. Recchiuti Confections  Pictured above For chocolate aficionados, Michael Recchiuti is a don’t-miss. His meticulously crafted confections and inventive flavors like star anise, sesame nougat, and rose caramel, have made him one of San Francisco’s premier chocolatiers. The best place to sample his signature burnt caramel chocolates is his flagship shop at the Ferry Building. If you’re in the Potrero Hill neighborhood, stop by the Little Nib outlet, which has the bonus of being a couple doors down from Chocolate Lab, Rechiuti’s sweet and savory café. At Chocolate Lab, Recchiuti returns to his restaurant roots; customers can sample his desserts, including a modern update on carrot cake with milk chocolate mousse and white chocolate frosting, and a burnt caramel ice cream sundae topped with hazelnuts, almonds, peanut butter pearls, and marshmallows. Charles Chocolates Charles Siegel is a longtime veteran of the San Francisco chocolate scene. After opening his original shop in Emeryville, where he sold his signature peanut butterflies and triple chocolate hazelnuts, Siegel has moved to San Francisco. His new store in the Mission offers all his classic bonbons like his tea-infused chocolates, and his housemade hot chocolate, along with his newly expanded line of chocolate bars – don’t miss the toffee coffee bar. Charles Chocolates also serves pastries and afternoon tea service, best enjoyed on the sunny outdoor patio (it’s dog-friendly as well). They also offer tours of their kitchen, where visitors can see how those beautiful chocolates are made. Dandelion Chocolate Dandelion Chocolate is a true small-batch artisan chocolate maker dedicated to capturing the unique nuances of every bag of cacao beans in their intensely flavorful bars. Every bar is noted with the cacao’s country of origin, as well as tasting notes. The lofty, industrial-chic café in the Mission is ideal for sampling their bars, or housemade pastries with a cup of drinking chocolate – also made in house, of course. Dandelion Chocolate offers tours of their kitchen and classes as well for those interested in learning more about where cacao come from and how quality chocolate is made. TCHO TCHO has the distinction of being San Francisco’s first bean-to-bar chocolate maker.  In their sleek factory/retail shop on the Embarcadero, visitors can see the equipment that turns cacao beans into chocolate bars, learn about the chocolate-making process, and sample TCHO’s range of chocolates.  TCHO’s chocolates are identified by their flavor profile, so customers can choose from “nutty”, “bright”, ”chocolatey” or “fruity”, along with TCHO’s new milk chocolates.