MORE INFORMATION
Sinful Squares:
www.sinfulsquares.com
HOMEMADE SUGGESTIONS
HOMEmade is a monthly feature that focuses on foods that are made here in the Granite State.
What do you think we need to highlight? Send your suggestions to Telegraph correspondent Annette Gallagher at annettegallagher@gmail.com.
By ANNETTE GALLAGHER Correspondent
Sometimes, indulgence is a must. When that impossible-to-ignore craving hits, Sinful Squares’ 10 varieties of decadent chocolate brownies offer plenty of tempting options to satisfy it.
Sinful Squares founder Amy Rodman, of Brookline, has always loved to cook and bake; like so many great small food companies, Sinful Squares started as a hobby, then a part-time business and finally a full-time endeavor.
Although the business was founded less than a year ago, Rodman has been baking since high school.
“I went to school for hospitality management at UMass Amherst, and although I knew I did not want to enter the restaurant world, I thoroughly enjoyed the mandatory cooking classes I had to take to graduate,” she said. “My love of cooking and baking stayed with me though my life, and I do it for my family and friends.”
Like many others this year, she lost her job, giving her more time to get the idea going.
“I began bringing brownies to work events and to friends’ homes,” Rodman said. “I received many compliments and comments, like, ‘You should sell these.’ I sat on that idea for years until last October, when I just said to myself, ‘Why not?’ I began as a side business while working full time. After losing my job in January, I turned more of my focus to Sinful Squares while job searching.”
Sinful Squares’ selection includes caramel, peppermint, Sinfully Simple, Somewhat Simple (loaded with walnuts), raspberry, cashew caramel, coconut almond, peanut butter, M&M and chipotle, but Rodman is always on the lookout for new flavor ideas.
“I try to offer something for everyone, young and old. When trying new varieties, I usually set forth with an idea in mind and often have to tweak it over several batches – which means lots of tasting,” she said.
“Sometimes, the outcome is perfect for my family, though not perfect for packaging, selling and shipping, so I try again. Sometimes I research other recipes online to get an idea of what other people out there are doing, then of course, I modify that to meet my own method and recipe.”
Rodman said there are some new things she wants to try to launch this fall, but “I do not plan to offer so many varieties that people get confused or overwhelmed when looking through the list,” she said. “There could come a time when an existing variety may come off the list because it is no longer selling well and newer varieties will be added from time to time. I feel it is important to offer what the customers want, including a little for everyone out there, but also what I can bake while maintaining quality.”
Right now, caramel is her best-selling flavor, “hands down,” Rodman said, but that she also personally loves the chipotle flavor, which is sweet and spicy.
Although she is looking to get her all-natural, handmade brownies into area markets, the main place to get Sinful Squares is online at www.sinfulsquares.com.
Rodman will also be selling Sinful Squares at the Brookline Farmers Market on the Brookline Ball Field from 3-6 p.m. Tuesdays through the end of October, and she will be a vendor at the Milford Pumpkin Festival on Oct. 10-11.
