Cub Scout fund-raiser leads to bakeware business


Debra Hale-Shelton For AP Weekly Features CONWAY, Ark. (AP) Would-be proteges of Donald Trump famously start by selling lemonade. For Bette LaPlante, the success-seeding commodity was cookie sheets made in her garage by Cub Scouts and their mothers trying to raise money for a trip to St. Louis. The year was 1995, and the Scouts, including LaPlantes son Danny, sold the bakeware, made from scrap-aluminum blanks at her husband Brooks business. We would clip and round the corners of each sheet using a hand-powered press and then stick each end into another wooden press that would bend the two ends into handles, LaPlante recalls in The Doughmakers Cookbook, which she and her sister, Diane Cuvelier, published earlier this year (ReganBooks $24.95). What surprised us was that 110 boys ended up selling 3,000 cookie sheets, said LaPlante, interviewed recently by telephone. The sheets, sold for $4 each or two for $7 and three for $10, helped finance the youngsters trip to St. Louis where they saw a Cardinals game and visited the Gateway Arch. By her own admission, LaPlante had no idea at the time just what a great idea her husband had come up with when he suggested the bakeware fund-raiser. Now, she knows. People started calling, saying they loved these cookie sheets and wanted more, Cuvelier recalled, at an interview during a promotional stop at a kitchenware store in central Arkansas. So, in 1996 the sisters began marketing the bakeware to other non-profit organizations who also wanted to raise money. They sold the kitchenware at craft festivals, state fairs and other special events. Things took off like gangbusters, says Cuvelier. Our sales the first year were $80,000. By the third year we had almost reached $1 million in sales. Today, LaPlante and Cuvelier, who live in Terre Haute, Ind., are co-owners of the company they founded, Doughmakers Gourmet Bakeware, which produces bakeware with a textured, pebble-like surface. The original Boy Scout cookie sheets were a thinner gauge of aluminum than what were using today and were a different texture; they were bumpier, LaPlante said. The factory no longer is in LaPlantes two-car garage. Its now in a custom-built 50,000-square-foot building in Terre Haute. A covered, columned, wrap-around porch spans the front of the building, which includes a test kitchen. When the sisters began marketing the cookie sheets, they made the bakeware themselves, first in the garage and later in a 400-square-foot rented room in a factory. I clipped and bent during the daylight hours, while Diane pulled the night shift, LaPlante writes. Working this way, we produced 300 to 400 pans daily. LaPlante didnt get paid for 1 1/2 years; Cuvelier, for a year. A single mother of two who already was struggling to feed my kids and pay for day care, Cuvelier also worked at a Red Lobster restaurant and a Chinese restaurant to make ends meet. In October 1997, the sisters hired their first employee. Now the company has a staff of 40, and Doughmakers bakeware is sold in more than 2,000 stores in North America and at more than 45 trade shows each year. Doughmakers also does the private-label bakeware for Southern Living at Home, an Alabama-based direct-sales company. And the sisters arent just selling cookie sheets these days. Their product line has expanded to include pizza pans, biscuit sheets, cake pans, jellyroll pans, pie pans, muffin and loaf pans. The sisters cookbook, written with author Sam Stall of Indianapolis, features more than 125 recipes ranging from pecan tassies to cranberry almond bread, and from Gorgonzola, walnut, pear and prosciutto pizza to jamberry pie. The book is far more than a recipe collection. In fact, the first 74 pages are devoted to family and business memories, from the sisters upbringing to the story of how their business came about, how they promoted it, and how it grew. They also mention some of their early mistakes, such as the time they took wares to a show in Indianapolis. We were so inexperienced, we didnt even take a dolly to haul around our bakeware, Cuvelier writes. That was a serious mistake, because a box full of baking sheets is heavy especially when you try to hustle it through a crowded convention center while wearing heels. Doughmakers original niche was selling cookie sheets at conventions organized by such groups as PTAs, Lions Clubs, cheerleaders and soccer teams. That market was amazingly lucrative because, besides the bakeware the organizations bought to resell, thousands of people attending the conventions also bought bakeware to take home. So, its not surprising the company still does 60 to 75 shows and fairs a year. Oh, and the name Doughmakers? It comes from the idea of making dough, aka money, for fund-raisers. LaPlante said the following recipe for Grandma Minnies Date Nut Cake is probably her favorite in the book. When I was growing up and we would travel to my grandmothers house, she would always have this cake on her kitchen counter, she recalls. I loved that cake. Grandma Minnies Date Nut Cake For the cake: 1 cup dates, quartered 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 cup boiling water 7 tablespoons butter, softened 3 tablespoons oil 1 egg 1 cup sugar 1 cup chopped walnuts 1 1/2 cups flour For the frosting: 8 ounces cream cheese, softened 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 3 cups confectioners sugar Milk Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease and flour a 9-inch square cake pan. Place the dates in a medium bowl. Sprinkle with the baking soda, and pour the boiling water over them. Let stand until cool. In a separate medium bowl, combine 3 tablespoons of butter, the oil, egg and sugar. Stir in the undrained dates and walnuts. Fold in the flour. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. To prepare the frosting: Use an electric mixer to combine the cream cheese, the 4 remaining tablespoons of butter, vanilla and confectioners sugar. Use the milk to thin the frosting to the desired consistency. The recipe makes one 9-inch square cake. (Recipe from The Doughmakers Cookbook by Bette LaPlante and Diane Cuvelier, ReganBooks $24.95.) Grandma Klusmeiers Strawberry Shortcake is a local classic from the now-defunct Klusmeiers Restaurant in Linton, Ind., the sisters say. Grandma Klusmeiers Strawberry Shortcake 1 1/2 quarts fresh strawberries, sliced 2 cups sugar 2 cups self-rising flour 2/3 cup solid vegetable shortening 2/3 cup milk 1/4 pound (1 stick) butter, melted Whipped cream (optional) Preheat the oven to 450 F. In a large bowl, blend together the strawberries and sugar. Set aside. The berries and the juice will be the topping for the shortcake. To make the shortcake: In a large bowl, sift the flour and then cut in the shortening until the particles are the size of rice. Add the milk all at once, and mix it in lightly and quickly with a fork. When the dough begins to hold together, knead it lightly. Pat into two thin rounds about 8 inches across. Bake the shortcakes on an ungreased 10-by-14-inch baking sheet (The authors suggest their companys biscuit sheet.) until golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. To serve, split the layers apart, put on a serving dish, and drizzle with the melted butter. Spoon the strawberries and juice generously on each layer and stack them. Serve warm with whipped cream, if desired. Makes 6 servings. (Recipe from The Doughmakers Cookbook by Bette LaPlante and Diane Cuvelier, ReganBooks $24.95.) The authors say the following recipe for Grilled Chicken and Sun-Dried Tomato Pizza is a good way to slip vegetables into a pizza night meal. Grilled Chicken and Sun-Dried Tomato Pizza 1 recipe for Quick-Rise Pizza Dough (recipe follows) 2 teaspoons olive oil 7 ounces prepared or store-bought pizza sauce 1 1/2 to 2 cups shredded or grated mozzarella cheese 6 ounces grilled chicken breast strips (precooked strips from the grocers frozen-meat section are OK) 4 whole sun-dried tomatoes, sliced 6 ounces white button-cap mushrooms, sliced 1 cup tightly packed chopped spinach leaves, stems removed 1 avocado, peeled, pitted and sliced in strips 8 to 10 fresh basil leaves, chopped Oregano to taste Preheat the oven to 500 F. Prepare the dough as directed. Brush a 15-inch pizza pan with the oil. Shape the dough and place it in the pan. Spread a light layer of pizza sauce on the dough. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on the dough. Over this arrange chicken strips (thawed if frozen), sun-dried tomatoes and mushrooms. Top with the spinach, avocado and basil. Finish with a sprinkling of oregano. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the toppings reach desired doneness. Makes one 15-inch pizza. William Wagnon, Doughmakers vice president of marketing, says he and his wife tested the following recipe for Quick-Rise Pizza Dough. My wife called for pizza delivery, and as soon as she hung up the phone, I started on this pizza dough. By the time she had handed over the $15 plus a tip for a pepperoni pizza, I was taking a homemade masterpiece out of the oven, he writes. Quick-Rise Pizza Dough 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting if necessary 1/4-ounce package (2 1/4 teaspoons) rapid-rise yeast 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt 1 1/2 cups very warm water (115 F) 2 tablespoons olive oil Place the flour, yeast and salt in a food processor fitted with a metal blade and pulse to blend. With the machine running, slowly pour the water into the processor, then turn the machine off. Add the oil and pulse briefly to mix it in. Turn the dough out onto a work surface, and knead for about 15 strokes. The dough should be a little sticky but workable. Divide the dough into the desired number of pieces. Form each piece into a ball that is roughly round or a domed disk. At this point you may: Allow the dough to rest for 10 to 20 minutes while you prepare the toppings and make the pizza right away. Put 1 teaspoon of oil in a gallon-sized zippered plastic bag. Press on the outside of the bag to evenly coat with oil. Put the dough in the bag and store for a day in the refrigerator. (The dough will continue to rise in the refrigerator, and this will give more flavor to the pizza.) Cover the dough tightly with plastic wrap and freeze for about 2 weeks. Remove from the freezer at least 45 minutes before using it. This recipe makes enough dough for four 7 1/2-inch mini pizzas, two 12-inch thin-crust pizzas or one 15-inch thicker-crust pizza. (Recipe from The Doughmakers Cookbook by Bette LaPlante and Diane Cuvelier, ReganBooks $24.95.)

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