The Best Cake in the World, uh, in the Universe-Free

So....it's Sugar Bowl day!!! And in honor of all things "Sugah", I thought I would take this time to mention my beloved Ashley Macs.

How many times can I sing the praises of Ashley Macs Bakery? (this many)

As often as it takes to convince the world that at Ashley Macs you WILL find the worlds greatest dessert- Strawberry Cake.

It. Is. LOVE.

With icing on top.

(photo, Ashley Macs)

Ok, clearly, I am obsessed with the strawberry cake.

I do not have what you would call a sweet tooth. I will almost always take chips and dip -or better yet- a hunk of cheese-over something sweet. But I have a thing with strawberry cake.

Actally, I like to think of it more as a relationship.

It's love.

What more can anyone want?

A free slice?

Well, ok.

Ashley Macs is so certain that you will agree it is the best that right now they will convince you with one free slice of strawberry cake that is true love in this world.

Sweet heavenly bliss.

This article ran in the Birmingham News on December 19th

Read it, and learn what you have to do to get your free slice of cake.

Dishing with Ashley McMakin, owner of Ashley Mac's Catering
Posted by Lynn Grisard Fullman -- Birmingham News December 19, 2008 3:00 AM
Ashley Mac's Catering,

759 Shades Mountain Plaza, Bluff Park,

205-822-4142
and

3131 Bellwood Dr. (behind Starbucks and O'Carr's),

Cahaba Heights, 205-401-7321

News staff/Michelle Williams

Ashley McMakin, owner of Ashley Mac's Catering

Specialty: Home-style food with a gourmet twist -- plus incredible desserts.

What Sets This Business Apart From Others? The quality of our product and our commitment to exceptional customer service which generates comments like these: "I can't wait to eat your strawberry cake for every birthday for the rest of my life," "This is the best brownie I've ever eaten," "I would have licked my plate if I could have," "You and your entire team are so dependable and fun to work with and everything you create is always so delicious."
How Long Have You Been In Business?Since June 2007.

Explain The Business: The Bluff Park location is our original store which is a commercial kitchen and a storefront where we sell box lunches, frozen dinners, desserts and more and take orders for catering. There is no dine-in. Recently opened, our Cahaba Heights location is a pick-up store with a freezer full of frozen dinners and soups and a fridge of chicken salad, pimento cheese and cake slices. (You have to order the whole cakes and other stuff.) The new location was developed because we have a lot of clients who were driving all the way to Bluff Park from Mountain Brook and the 280 area, so this was a great way to service that side of town.
Honors: In The Birmingham News' "Birmingham's Best 2008" readers' poll, Ashley Mac's placed in the top five in five separate categories: Best Chef, Best Dessert, Best Take-Out, Best Pies and Best Bakery. Also, I was the featured chef for the March of Dimes' Signature Chefs event and was featured in an article, "Catering to Busy Lives," which ran on the front page of The Birmingham News Food Section in July '08.
What's New? We recently have introduced a line of reduced-fat menu items including shrimp and grits, Cajun fettuccini with shrimp and sausage, poppy-seed chicken, and white chicken chili - and there will be more to come in January. We also now ship our brownies and soon will be shipping our cakes and casseroles.
Job You'd Have If Not A Chef: I would be an anchor for the "Today Show" -- in my wildest dreams, that is.
Who Inspired Your Love For Cooking?My mom, Sandy King Deaton, is a fabulous cook and taught me all the basics when I was a kid. Food was always the central theme in any and every family get-together. I think I was 12 years old when I first read Southern Living. It is my wonderful husband, Andy McMakin, who inspired me to take my love of cooking to the professional level.
Your Mentor:Paula Deen. I have only briefly met her in person, but through her cookbooks and TV show, she is in my house and business every day.
Your First Cooking Memory: Sitting on the kitchen counter (and) cracking eggs for cookies when I was 4 years old.
Your Worst Cooking Disaster: When I first was married I was making homemade chicken fingers for my husband and I nearly burned down our condo from getting the oil too hot.
Restaurant-Related Thing You're Proudest Of: Having developed a wonderful staff who share our desire to continue to build Ashley Mac's into something special.
Favorite Food To Prepare: In general, people are usually cooks or bakers. People often ask me which I am, and I have to say both. It depends on what mood I am in. If I've had a long day and need to de-stress, I cook. I bake if I have a lot of energy -- and a sweet tooth.
Favorite Food To Eat: French fries.
What Would You Choose For Your Final Meal?Ashley Mac's strawberry cake and a tall glass of milk.
Favorite Food-Related Web Sites: www.southernliving.com and www.foodnetwork.com
Favorite Restaurant Other Than Your Own: Bottega Cafe in Southside.
Chef You Most Admire: Frank Stitt, a small-town guy making it big. I love it! And every one of his restaurants is to die for.
Favorite Spice: Cinnamon, particularly Mexican cinnamon from Penzeys Spices.
Favorite Herb: Basil, fresh.
Do You Cook At Home?If I'm lucky, two nights a week.
Kitchen Gadget You Couldn't Work Without: Food processor.
Most Disappointing Kitchen Gadget: Bake-Even Cake Strips. They wrap around cake pans to make the cake bake evenly (but) they don't work at all. So getting our cakes level is a company secret.
Food/Restaurant-Related Pet Peeve: Bad service, which is why at Ashley Mac's we make customer-service -- along with delicious food -- our highest priority.
Advice For Someone Outfitting A Kitchen: If you enjoy cooking, get top-of-the-line knives, gadgets and equipment; doing that is worth the extra money.
Worst Mistake Most Cooks Make: Always following a recipe exactly. A sign of a good cook is someone who constantly is tasting their creations and adding ingredients accordingly.
Advice For Pulling Off A Last-Minute Meal: Go through your fridge or pantry and find one or two things that can inspire a whole meal. For example, if you have some peppers and onions, just grab some chicken and make fajitas.
Your Best Cooking Tip: You don't need a lot of ingredients to make a delicious meal; simple is often much better.
Where Will You Be In 10 Years?A mom of three or four with a successful retail and Internet business line of Ashley Mac's.
Final Thoughts: Please come visit us in Bluff Park or Cahaba Heights and tell us that you read about us in the this article and and we'll give you a free slice of our famous strawberry cake.

(photo Leigh)

If you have not been to Ashley Mac's, you are really missing out. Besides the worlds-uh-universe's best cake, they also offers boxed lunches and to-go dinners that you can pick up at Ashley Mac's locations. Sweet.

For those that live out of town, I don't think the free slice of cake will apply unless you come by in person to claim it, but do check out the web site of Ashley Macs. They now offer shipping on their products!

And please tell them that you saw it on

Tales from Bloggeritaville.

Now,

Go! Eat Cake!

and finally....ROLL TIDE!