Gabriel’s Desserts
Posted by Chris Arpante on Well Fed on the Town.
Have you heard of Gabriel’s Desserts? Its owner, Johnnie Gabriel, is the cousin of everyone’s favorite southern mom Paula Deen. The bakery’s reputation is quite something around here and people rave about it. Popular in my area, I imagine their popularity soared even farther after the mention on Paula’s show. And, there’s do doubt about the family connection with both Paula’s and her hubby (Captain Mike’s) products are available for sale immediately upon entering.
My first experience with Gabriel’s Desserts was last year. Unfortunately, I was not impressed. I went with a friend who was ordering an expensive cake and she asked me to come since I am have some knowledge of cakes. In brief, I thought the woman we spoke with about the cake order was standoff-ish and somewhat blew off my questions. And, although we were giddy at first with the prospect that the bakery might be able to accommodate my friend’s lofty idea after looking through the portfolio books, the bakery’s execution of the Superdome cake was anticlimactic. When the cake was delivered to the function hall, my thoughts immediately went to… a corset. I didn’t say anything, though, because I know that the cake cost several hundred dollars and there was not much that could be done at that point. However, I did feel if the cake designer couldn’t translate the customer’s ideas so that it looks realistic and edible, wouldn’t it have been appropriate to have discussions with the customer and make possible suggestions? I would think so, but I am not a cake designer.
Not completely convinced, one time still wasn’t enough for me to write Gabriel’s Desserts off. I decided to give the bakery another try and stopped in again recently; this time with an open mind. Not just about desserts, Gabriel’s Desserts’ menu includes breakfast/lunch/dinner items including eggs sandwiches, soups and salads. While those items can be important, my interest was only in the dessert case.
Upon entering, I was surprised that I was not greeted by either of the two employees stocking “to go” items by the front door, or the counter service until I walked right up to the case. The prices? They weren’t much higher than other bakeries with the average price for a 10-in layer cake, like a Red Velvet Cake, was $35. But, the cake’s overall appearances knocked me for a loop. They looked like any home cook could make (no offense to the home cook, since I am one). While that very well might be the idea, I feel that for a $35 cake, I want it to look like they took some time to make straight lines and put on the finishing touches.
The individual desserts were pretty and looked inviting. It was too bad, though, that the counter girl couldn’t tell me what was on the unmarked tray. Asking someone else who worked there didn’t seem to occur to her, either. The cookies were big and not priced too crazy. However, there wasn’t a “by a dozen” discounted price. Buying a dozen, with individual prices, would have cost me almost $20. Not for simple chocolate chip cookies, no way, no how. Instead, I ended up buying a chocolate cream dessert, a Georgia Tech football-shaped cookie, and two “Go Dawgs” bone-shaped cookies, and spent almost $15.00. I asked for separate bags since each item was going to a different person. She placed all the cookies in a bag and folded in one additional bag. Hmmmm….okay. Frustrated, I went to the other side of the counter and asked another girl for the correct number of bags.
Overall, too many red flags for me, particularly when it came to the service and professionalism. And for that, I don’t think I will go back. I rather go to Whole Foods and get something from their bakery, or drive into the city and hit one of the bakeries there. But, I still adore you, Paula!
