Hockessin shop offers doggone good birthday cakes
Patricia TaloricoWhen Gus and Hercules eat a birthday cake, it's a no-forks affair.
They get their faces right into the frosting and woof it down.
Don't scold their manners. These good boys are just being true to their nature. Dogs don't use utensils.
Chefs' Haven, a Hockessin shop that sells made-in-house breads and pastries and offers gourmet cheeses, charcuterie, coffee and demonstration cooking classes, has started to cater to canine customers.
Owner Mark Eastman said patrons can now order bone-shaped dog birthday cakes for $19.95 at the 1304 Old Lancaster Pike shop.
Ingredients in the cakes, made by canine baker Jody Kleinfelter, include peanut butter, carrots, sweet potato, honey, egg, grapeseed oil, whole wheat flour and vanilla. The frosting is peanut butter and yogurt.
Kleinfelter also makes baked goods for humans. Chefs' Haven sells her cakes, scones and sweets at the Hockessin store on the weekends.
The doggy cakes, which must be ordered ahead of time, can feed "a dog for a week," says Eastman.
Kleinfelter has been experimenting with the dog cakes for some time. Taste-testers are her own dogs, Gus and Hercules. Call the Chefs' Haven at 302-234-2040 for more information.
Providing treats for four-legged customers makes smart business sense.
The amount spent on pet food in 2018 is expected to reach $29.88 billion, according to a survey from the American Pet Products Association. It's a 2.7 percent growth from 2017.
Spending on dog food specifically makes up a majority of sales, according to the survey from the trade association serving the interests of the pet products industry.
Interest in high-end, premium pet food and treats is a key driver for increased spending in the pet food category.
While pastries for pups also can be found at area pet stores and online sites, GiggyBites Bakery & Marketplace at 100 Ridge Road in Olde Ridge Village, near Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, targets owners who want to buy their fur babies Scooby snacks.
The bakery has peanut butter pup cakes and liver muffins, but it also offers a "It's My Bone Package." It includes six individual bone cakes so that every dog gets his own treat.
The bakery has bone cakes available in small and large sizes.
Tail Bangers on Betts Pond Road in Millsboro also sells its all natural gourmet dog treats, including decorated dog birthday cookies and cakes, to a variety of area stores. They can be found at Concord Pets and Pet Valu. Go to www.tailbangers.com or call 877-725-2469.
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Contact Patricia Talorico at (302) 324-2861 or ptalorico@delawareonline.com and on Twitter @pattytalorico