At the Rust Belt Market: Operation: Delicious

The offers a unique experience for patrons as well as vendors. The new art market is host to more than 60 artists every weekend. Each week, Ferndale Patch will feature one artist and get a closer view of what the heck they do.

Ferndale Patch: Who are you and what do you do?

Katy Oren: I'm Katy Oren, the owner of Operation: Delicious. I bring a smorgasbord of sweets to The Rust Belt Market a few weekends a month. Though the chocolate chip cookie bars sell the best, I like to make blueberry cookies, cookies with soy sauce frosting, Arnold Palmer bars, and s'mores pies. I love cooking, and all things cooking related - with the exception of scrubbing dishes.

Ferndale Patch: How did you get your start?

Oren: Before The Rust Belt Market opened I "liked" their Facebook page, because I wanted updates on this wonderful new thing that would soon be under a mile from my humble abode. There were updates for all sorts of artists and musicians, but one day there was something about "foodies." Then there was mention of this thing called the Michigan Cottage Food Law. As a longtime fan of all things food related, I was interested. I looked into it a bit and found that I could start a baking business from home and sell my merry morsels at The Rust Belt Market. The law has some very, very particular limitations. That was all I needed to know.

I made four versions of vegan chocolate cake and tried it out on friends. Then I made a plethora of scones and pawned them off on more friends, always asking which batches they liked the best and why. As long they were fed, no one really seemed to mind my ridiculous questions about moisture, texture, and/or contrasts of sweet and savory foods.

Ferndale Patch: What inspires you?

Oren: As a kid, I loved baking chocolate chip cookies with my mom. We always followed the directions on the back of the chocolate chips package, and used an enormous orange Tupperware bowl for mixing. Obviously, I thought we made the best cookies on the market. Even when it's midnight, the day before a busy Saturday at The Rust Belt Market, I still feel like a happy youngster when I'm mixing a final batch of dough. I'm ridiculously calm when I'm working. I think that feeling is part of my inspiration.

People get very attached to food and the memories that go along with making specific things. I'm often inspired by someone's enthusiastic description of something that was always served at a family holiday. After chatting up a customer about odd recipe combinations, I decided to try a curried pumpkin cookie. I'm working on a matzo 'n' toffee recipe that another customer told me about.

I also draw inspiration from the things that go on around me. Like Michigan's obsession with Bell's Oberon, served with a slice of orange. For the last few weeks, I've been serving Oberon 'N' Orange cookies. I didn't ask Bell's if I could use the name, so, if anyone asks, that cookie is named after Oberon, one of the five moons of Uranus (thank you, dictionary.com). 

Ferndale Patch: What is it about the Rust Belt that attracted you to it?

Oren: The Rust Belt Market has such a positive spirit to it. I watched that building sit vacant for years, wondering what could possibly move into it and bring people to the area. During the DIY Street Fair, a woman told me she hadn't been to Ferndale for 20 years. But after visiting, she was excited to bring her grandchildren to the Rust Belt Market, because she knew they would love it. That's a great compliment to everyone involved in the market.

Ferndale Patch: Tell us one thing about your work that would surprise us.

Oren: Though I'm cooking all the time, I don't have a garbage disposal, dishwasher, or food processor. I'm old fashioned, or thrifty -- take your pick.

Operation: Delicious will be at Rust Belt Market Saturday and Sunday, as well as next weekend. Follow these delicious creations on Facebook at: Facebook.com/Operation.Delicious.