It was super sweet to get to know
two incredible artisan food vendors; Burke's Maple Farm and The Baklava Lady.
You will want to stop by and sample some of their sweet and delicious
artisan treats at Arts on
the Square!
First Up, Lisa of Burke's Maple Farm
Hi Lisa!
Tell us a little about your
company and what inspired you to start it.
We are blessed to own 200
beautiful acres of land. My husband, a farmer at heart, wanted to use the
land we have for livestock. I wasn't keen on the idea, so he went to
the woods to pout and realized we had acres of maple trees. He knew I grew up
with my grandfather making maple syrup in southwestern New York, so since it
was in my family line, we decided to carry on the tradition of
"sugarin'." What started in 2001 as a hobby with 100 taps has grown
into a full-fledged maple farm with 1200 taps and the production of a full
kitchen of sweet maple products.
We sell mostly from our house and
local craft shows, church bazaars, and events; we also have several locations
that carry our maple syrup which can be found on our website under "sweet
merchants."
Our maple farm with God's own
sweet trees is located just north of Carbondale, near beautiful Crystal
Lake and minutes away from Elk Mountain Resort. We take pride in
maintaining the beautiful land we've been blessed with and are proud to carry
on the age-old tradition of hand-crafting maple syrup.
What is your favorite thing about
your job?
I love teaching people about
the health benefits of using maple syrup! It contains a host of vitamins
and minerals essential to healthy living. You can improve your health by
replacing your refined sugars with maple syrup or maple sugar.
What will you be featuring at the
Arts on the Square festival?
We will
have our pure maple syrup, maple glazed walnuts, pecans, &
almonds,
maple candy, maple cream, maple sugar, and some tasty maple baked goods.
Where can people find you
locally?
We can be found at our home [or
we will deliver] and at any of the "sweet merchants" listed on our
website. We also host a Maple Tour & Open House the third weekend in
March. All are welcome to see the process from tree to your table.
Is there any other information
you would like us to share/highlight about you or your business?
We are very excited to bring our
"art" to Scranton and invite everyone to visit our stand for a
delightful sample of our goodies!
Next up, Tina Profka a.k.a. The Baklava Lady!
Hi
Tina!
Tell us
a little about your company and what inspired you to start it.
I
really have only started this past fall. Throughout the years, I only made Baklava for Christmas. Though it is
delicious, it is also costly and time consuming. I would make cookie tins for
close friends and neighbors and include it with a few other homemade items. I
got tons of compliments, but you know how it is, you think maybe people are
just being nice, or its all the holiday cheer talking! But then a friend of
mine offered an empty spot at the Leesport Craft Fair and I threw some pastries
together and sold out both days! I never thought to make it on a regular basis
along with other desserts and sell them for a livelihood. It would be great if
this became something bigger someday!
How did
you learn to bake?
Like
all little kids, I remember watching everyone else bake while I got to be the
official taste tester! As I got older, I would just try my hand at things. I
learned a lot from my mother in law, and spent some time working at a bakery.
In college I studied Graphic design, so creating things with my hands is a part
of me. And I love to cook and bake; this is the perfect marriage of both. Its
makes me happy when I see people enjoying the things I've made.
What
will you be featuring at the Arts on the Square festival?
My
signature dessert is Baklava; most
people recognize the name and have tasted it. My focus for this festival are
Greek pastries which include: Kourambiedies, Finikia, and Koulourikia. Though I
do create other traditional desserts for other venues.
What is
your most popular baked good?
That
varies depending on the time of year. Baklava
is always a favorite, but during the fall pumpkin rolls and cookies are the
stars! Traditional goodies like T.D.F. Brownies (To Die For), and Chocolate
Chip Pecan sell all the time as well.
Where
can people find you locally?
You can
find me on FaceBook at The Baklava Lady. I am also doing a lot of craft shows
this year, and on off weekends I visit the Garden Drive In located in
Nanticoke. And I always post where I'll be heading on facebook!
Follow Burke’s Maple Farm:
Location: 1313 Crystal Lake Rd,
Carbondale PA 18407
Website: burkesmaplefarm.com
Facebook: burkesmaplefarm
Follow
The Baklava Lady:
Location: Scranton, PA
Website: thebaklavalady13.freewebsite.
Facebook: The Baklava
Lady
Follow
Arts on the Square & ScrantonMade:
Facebook: Arts on the Square and ScrantonMade
Instagram: @scrantonmade_blog
Pinterest: ScrantonMade
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