A new twist on pretzels
After years of making chocolate-covered, caramel-dipped pretzels for family gatherings, Christine Smith realized she might have a business venture on her hands. It took a couple years of planning, but Smith is finally off and running.
Her DipSticks Gourmet Pretzels are now available on the Internet at www.dipstickspretzels.com and at the following Fort Wayne locations: The 1860 House, Old Crown Coffee Roasters and The Anchor Room Book Store.
Her basic variety - the one she has made for family and friends for the past 15 years - is called the Plain Jane. But Smith offers more than 30 gourmet flavors, including turtle, toffee, coffee bean, eggnog, lemon meringue pie, pecan pie and toasted coconut.
The S'more pretzel, for example, is made with marshmallows, chocolate and graham crackers. The Harvest pretzel has red hots, peanuts and candy corn and is topped with milk chocolate and sprinkled with mapleleaf confetti.
Each pretzel is individually wrapped in cellophane and will stay fresh in an air-tight container up to two weeks; an 8-inch rod sells for $2.95, a 4-inch is $1.95. Gift packaging is also available.
Smith is currently renting kitchen space from Gourmet Breads & Sweets at 2461 Hobson Road to create her products. She hopes to expand to more retail outlets soon, and if things go well, perhaps open her own bakery/cafe.
But she isn't going to rush into anything.
"I'm hoping people like them at this point," she says of the pretzels. "I have a tendency to think too big, and I'm just going to enjoy the success I'm having."
This is the second time Smith has tried her hand at entrepreneurship; the first was a homemade dog biscuit business called Lucky Dog Cafe.
Although that venture was ultimately unsuccessful, it was a good experience that taught her some valuable lessons about how to run a business, she says.
And Smith hasn't completely given up on gourmet doggie treats: She'd like to find a way to combine the two pursuits.
I guess it just goes to show: You can teach an old baker new tricks.
