Chaja Cake (Revisited) and Empanadas, for my First Clients..Menu Malbec!



Last Wednesday, May 11th, was the day when my "should-I-say" Catering Co was born, Menu Malbec. The first thing I did was to pay a visit to my "prospective clients"...the Embassy of Argentina, in Paris. I was welcomed, and all the people there showed an interest in my project, promising to hire me as soon as there was an opportunity. I walked back home (Paris is spoiling us with an unusually sunny month of May!) As I was opening the door, my telephone rang... "Allô?", I said..and a lady with perfect accent of Spanish from the Rio de la Plata, identified herself as somebody from the Uruguayan Embassy. 


Et oui! News travels fast!! mainly between neighboring countries....so here I am, petrified, thinking that my first business cooking challenge is not for Mr & Mrs Jones, but for an Ambassador!!! 


They never ordered cake, but I decided to offer these mini-cakes as a gift for my first-ever clients...And, believe it or not, one of my most faithful blog-readers is a lady from Spain, who never leaves a comment in my blog, because she writes to me through my mail-address.
I don't know when she mentioned the Chaja cake, as THE cake from Uruguay...! I admit I "googled" it because I ignored its existence....
And just like that, first clients from Uruguay...Chaja! Now, this revisited version only keeps the ingredients of Chaja: layers of sponge cake, meringue, Chantilly cream, strawberries or peaches....The original looks like this.


If you want to take a peek at what Menu Malbec has to offer, go here...Sorry, I know, it's in French, but there are plenty of photographs and nice music!
I would really appreciate a comment (if you feel like it) in Malbec's home page...Your opinion will be important for my future clients..Thanks!!



You already have my recipe for empanadas here...and my Chaja will belong to my professional "secret file" (sorry about that!) but to decrypt it, I can tell you that instead of using meringues broken into pieces, I  thought little meringues..."made to order" would give the perfect professional finish...Take a look! 


Comments

Unknown said…
WOW Cristina, these look AMAZING!! Would love to order some for a party this weekend!
Both dishes look and sounds utterly amazing! I'm glad things are going so well for you. :)
Wow, congrats! That is awesome. Those cakes and empanadas look to die for. A pity you are not in my town...

Cheers,

Rosa
Anonymous said…
My!My!My! Another surprise ! You cannot but succeed with such perfect and appetizing beauties. Once again, I'm totally impressed.
All the best of luck !

Y.K.W.
Good idea to always give a little gift to your clients. I always do. The chaja cake is a work of art. thank god you make your own version. Loved the empanadas and as alwyas I love your work.
bcommebon said…
Bravo Cristina, je suis heureuse pour vous… les cartes et étiquettes rendent très bien… ;-)
Unknown said…
I am so happy for you. YOu are going to be the most amazing caterer, already you are working for an ambassador! Amazing!!! You are going to pull it off beautifully, I know it.
*kisses* HH
Miriam said…
Guau, Cristina! Te deseo la mejor de las suertes con tu negocio de catering! Si todo tiene un aspecto tan magnífico como lo que nos enseñas, será un éxito sin duda!
Katie said…
Congratulations! The food looks fabulous. Best of luck with your new endeavor. :)
FOODalogue said…
Very excited for you. ThebMenu Malbec logo looks great.
How exciting! What a great start to your business.
Julia said…
Congratulations! I started reading the blog almost by change a few weeks ago, and I love everything you do. I'm an Argentinian, too, and I love cooking as well -though I don't have the courage to start my own business, and that is why I really admire what you did. I particularly like your photographs... ¡Un aplauso para Cristina!
Love,
Julia
fromBAtoParis said…
@Julia

Gracias Julia!! Bienvenida a mi blog! Me encanta cuando me escriben desde Argentina!
Un beso grande!
Felicidades Cristina!!!!!

You will no doubt have amazing success - you're already off to a brilliant start!!!!
Fran said…
So wonderful. I love love love the box of empanadas. Congratulations and I wish the best of everything for your new venture!!
Roadtrek Girl said…
Cristina, I am so happy for you -you will be the most sought after caterer in Paris-I have no doubt !
Cristina, these look just wonderful! Thank you for sharing. You have a beautiful blog and I'm so glad to have found it! :) I'll be coming back soon.
felicitaciones cristina! tanto las empanadas como los chaja se ven buenisimos, asi q supongo q la embajada estara mas q satisfecha
Annie said…
Cristina te deseo el mejor de los éxitos con tu empresa de catering y segurísimo lo vas a tener porque hacés cosas maravillosas.
Hace muy poco que descubrí tu blog y me encantó es un placer venir a visitarte.
Un abrazo
Claudia said…
Do you Fed-Ex? I've only catered once - for my parents 40th. While it was lovely - these cakes are just stunners! And empanadas never looked so welcoming.
Aldy said…
Cris, Congrats x 1000! Una belleza, desde ya todo el exito en este nuevo emprendimiento-Que desde ya se ve 100% asegurado :) Todo se ve super organizado y con el toque tan particular que te caracteriza en tus presentaciones.Bravo!

Abrazotes,

Aldy.
fromBAtoParis said…
@Annie

Bienvenida, y muchas gracias por la visita!! Creo que sos la primera de Chile!!
Mjosé said…
Enhorabuena Cristina! Espero que te vaya genial con el catering. Cuéntanos todo , este proyecto lo estamos viviendo desde los inicios y seguro que todos los que te seguimos estamos emocionados viendo como te va.
Besos
fromBAtoParis said…
@MaJosé

Muchas gracias!! Los tendré al tanto, con las buenas y con las malas...con los momentos de "qué genia" mas los momentos de "soy un fracaso" Prometido!
sippitysup said…
Malbec, mais oui! GREG
Anonymous said…
Hola Cristina siempre miro tu blog pero es la primera ves que te escribo. Soy Argentina pero vivo en Inglaterra. La torta y las empanadas se ven deliciosas y la presentacion es hermosa y delicada. Felicitaciones. Andrea.
fromBAtoParis said…
@Andrea

Bienvenida al blog, y muchas gracias por tu comentario!
Un beso,
Cristina
Magic of Spice said…
Congratulations Cristina...so fantastic! Those little cakes are gorgeous and a wonderful gift for your fist clients :)
Gaby said…
Hola Cristina, comente en tu website pero no podia dejar de comentar aca tambien!
Estaba medio desesperator por mirar el menu, y la verdad que esta super! super!
Fue siempre mi sueño hacer algo que ver con la cocina pero jamas me anime..y vos lo estas haciendo, por eso te admiro mucho y estoy haciendo mucha fuerza por vos, para que encuentres la tenacidad y la fuerza de darle siempre para adelante. Suerte!!
Barbara said…
Congratulations and good luck, Cristina! and yes, the music is lovely and the presentation elegant.
How lovely your first client is an ambassador!! You're going to be a smash hit.
Unknown said…
Wow! Cristina, Congratulations! This is terrific news and both the cake and empanadas look amazing! Beautifully done! What a fantastic start to your new chapter. Cheers!
Anonymous said…
Many, Many congratulations on your new venture! Your desserts look spectacular! I know you will be very successful and that your clients will be thrilled. If you ever need some extra GF help, let me know and I'll share some recipes with you! xoxo
fromBAtoParis said…
@jennifer

Thank you Jennifer!! I will
Unknown said…
Hi Cristina, I can't believe this is my third time to your blog in the past few days and each time I was interrupted before I could leave a comment, sometimes life just gets in the way of my enjoyment;-) And enjoyment is what I am feeling when I read about your Chaja cake, first clients and the menu Malbec you've created, I'm so proud of you and your accomplishments;-) I am very happy for your success and I wish I was closer because I would love to order from your menu!
Lori Lynn said…
YAY for you Cristina! I wish you all the best! Love your business cards and packaging. I have no doubt you will be a super success!
LL

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