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Backstage: Inside Scoop

The Inside Scoop will provide a behind the scenes look at CivicFest.  You will find articles about CivicFest Marketplace vendors and interviews with CivicFest professionals.

Marcelita’s Cookies
By Sara Glesne

One of the booths in CivicFest’s Marketplace features a unique blend of Mexican and Minnesotan cultures and flavors. Minneapolis-based Marcelita’s Cookies is the creation of  husband and wife team Juan and Marcelita Ramirez. Their gourmet Hispanic cookie recipe resulted from a combination of Juan’s upbringing in the port city of Veracruz, Mexico, and Marcelita’s experience growing up in a Mexican-American family in the Minneapolis area.

Marcelita’s Cookies literally started from scratch. “I never thought I was going to be in the cookie business, never in my wildest dreams,” said Juan Ramirez. After compliments from friends about Marcelita’s homemade cookies and hours of research at the James J. Hill Library in St. Paul, Juan and Marcelita began selling their first boxes of Hispanic gourmet cookies. Since starting, the family-owned business has expanded to nationwide shipping.

The couple won’t sacrifice quality for quantity though.  “Almost all businesses want to grow and get as big as they can,” said Juan Ramirez. “We want to grow the business, but to us, it is more important to get better as opposed to get bigger…. We want to be the best Hispanic gourmet cookie we can be.”

The Ramirezes look forward to having their own space at CivicFest. “It gives us a chance to expand our products and reach out to a nationwide potential audience,” said Juan Ramirez.  Come sample their gourmet Hispanic cookies at the CivicFest Marketplace.

Sources:
http://www.marcelitascookies.com/

http://meda.net/

Susan Jones Designs
By Rachel Skytta

Susan Jones’ boldly colored and textured jewelry will be among the vendors featured at the 60,000-square-foot CivicFest Marketplace.  Jones incorporates her own experiences and perspectives into her work. Her love of nature, flowers and all things oceanic are present in her designs.

Jones has handcrafted unique jewelry for 14 years.  In 2006, Jones quit her corporate job to focus all her time on jewelry making. Jones wants everyone to realize all the hard work that goes into every individual piece of jewelry she makes. Every bead is different and handcrafted by melting colored glass rods in an oxygen- and propane-fueled torch. Jones studied this technique, called “lampworking,” under Stephanie Sersich and Dustin Tabor.

Jones loves two major things about her job: combining colors and textures to create something so unique, and seeing people smile when they spot a particular bead that “speaks to them.”  Catch Jones’ colorful creations on display at the CivicFest Marketplace.

Source & Contact Info:
Susan Jones