HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2016-01-27, Page 1212 Huron Expositor • Wednesday, January 27, 2016
The Pink Flamingo Bakery goes Hollywood
Valerie Gillies
Postmedia Network
Erin Bolger, owner/opera-
tor of The Pink Flamingo
Bakery & Boutique in Bay-
field, is no stranger to either
baking or television. Her sig-
nature pink lemonade cup-
cakes won her a spot in the
upcoming televised baking
competition show "Sugar
Showdown':
Bolger grew up in Blyth,
graduated from Central
Huron Secondary School
then moved to Toronto to
study to become a makeup
artist. She landed a position
with City TV and with vari-
ous lifestyle shows where
she happily worked as a
makeup artist for 20 years.
Bolger explains that she
baked through this entire
time. "I would bake and feed
the crew. I baked when I was
stressed out, not necessarily
from work, but from dating."
Out of this emotional baking,
Bolger cobbled together her
first book which is a combi-
nation of her dating stories,
intermixed with recipes she
used to work her way
through the drama.
"The Happy Baker" was
born. Bolger dubbed both
her cookbook and herself The
Happy Baker. She is also very
interested in public relations
and does all of her own PR for
her cookbook in Canada. She
did take her book to Dragon's
Den six years ago and the
episode repeats every year.
Harlequin has since bought
out the rights to her book in
the United States and sells
copies through Amazon.com.
Bolger retains the Canadian
rights.
Enter Jason Crawford of
Brussels. After so many disap-
pointing years of disastrous
dating, Bolger met Crawford
in 2010. Bolger was trying to
figure out what her next step
would be, but was still doing
the makeup and going with
the flow. They have since mar-
ried, which brought Bolger
back to her home area, now
making her home in Brussels
with Crawford.
Both makeup and deco-
rating are creative and vis-
ual. It was a natural step to
begin baking in her new
home. Three years ago The
Pink Flamingo Bakery &
Boutique was opened in
Bayfield. After being in
Toronto for so many years,
Bolger admitted, "it was a
shock to my system being
storm -stayed when I first
moved." Due to the weather,
the retail outlet for the bak-
ery is opened when the snow
melts, generally around
Easter then closed for the
winter when the Christmas
orders are finished. In the off
season, Bolger continues to
fill orders on her own from
the bakery kitchen.
In the summer, the bakery
is busy enough that Bolger
hires employees, up to four
at the height of the tourist
season. Sharon Thompson
began working at The Pink
Flamingo Bakery this past
summer. Bolger had already
begun the process to win a
spot on the baking competi-
tion show "Sugar Show-
down" to showcase her busi-
ness. She received the call
during the bakery's busiest
time in the year to be at the
studio for the taping and to
bring an assistant. Bolger
had little time to prepare, so
asked her newest employee
within her second day on the
job, if she would assist her in
a televised baking competi-
tion. Thompson is generally
shy and was very nervous
about it, but agreed to help
out. Bolger laughs relating
this tale saying, Thompson
"even dyed her hair pink to
represent The Pink
Flamingo
As in all televised compe-
titions, neither Bolger nor
Thompson are allowed to
divulge details of the show or
results before it is aired. The
episode with Bolger and
Thompson will air Wednes-
day, February 3 at 9 p.m.
Watch for the full story in a
future edition of the Clinton
News Record.
Bolger is already working
on her second book, "now
that I am more focused,
having found someone rela-
tively normal." Bolger says
she is still emotional baking,
but the stressors are differ-
ent now. No longer are
dates the most stressful
thing. She finds running the
bakery, doing the actual
baking, writing and also
doing all of her own promo-
tional work, including on
various social media plat-
forms, makes it hard to fit
everything in. "Sometimes
you wish you could clone
yourself as the bakery is full
time. But you do the best
you can." She is certainly a
witty and creative force to
be watched.
Although the retail outlet
Breanne Stafford
Lexi Poelman (left) has worked at The Pink Flamingo Bakery & Boutique in Bayfield for three summers. Coworker Sharon Thompson
(right) became a member of the staff in 2015 and was asked on within her first two days of work if she would assist owner Erin Bolger
on a television cooking challenge show.
The signature flavour at The Pink Flamingo Bakery & Boutique in
Bayfield is Pink Lemonade. These pink lemonade cupcakes are
pictured with owner Erin Bolger's cookbook, "The Happy Baker: A
Dater's Guide to Emotional Baking". It is cupcakes that got Bolger
accepted into the televised baking competition "Sugar Showdown".
had been closed for winter,
Bolger announced, "We will
be opening on February 4
from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. the day
after the show airs (weather
permitting). We will have
cupcake flavours inspired by
our episode!"
Erin Bolger is the owner/operator of The Pink Flamingo Bakery
& Boutique in Bayfield. To her, baking was just as much a part of
her former career in television as being a makeup artist. Bolger
returned to the studio as a contestant in a baking competition.
You can contact Erin Bolger
through either of her websites
thepinkflamingobakery.com
or thehappybakerchick.com.
Bolger quips, "The web
domain the happy baker was
already taken, hence the
chick part"