She goes on to tell about how she used to spend three months prior to her children’s birthdays talking about the parties she was planning for them. When her friends saw the cake she made for one of her daughter’s birthdays, they told she should open a bakery. After some thought, Full Moon Rising Bakery began out of the kitchen in her apartment, with her baking while her children slept. When she outgrew this, she rented kitchen space from a caterer, but soon outgrew that. She has recently moved to her own space, a storefront she heard about before it was common knowledge. The new location, once a tattoo parlor, needed some TLC and redecorating. She knew she wanted it to be bright and happy and has done a pretty good job achieving this.

The bottom section of walls in the main area, the one seen on entering the business, have been painted black. Heartbreaker Pink, a bold raspberry color, drips from the upper part of the walls. The color was chosen for two reasons. The first because it was the exact color she had been picturing and second because it has the same name as a Led Zeppelin song, a 1970s British rock group, a group whose music she dearly loves. When one walks into the bakery they feel like they have stepped up to a gigantic cupcake with bright pink frosting dripping over a black cupcake paper. Large rainbow-colored sprinkles have been painted on the “frosting.” This cupcake room has a diner vibe with several 33 1/3 RPM albums randomly hung on the walls.

“I didn’t use any filler records,” she says as she points out labels such as Creedence Clearwater Revival, Janis Joplin, Fleetwood Mac and John Lennon, along with Jefferson Starship, Rush and her beloved Led Zeppelin. “This is my baby. I’ve been dreaming of this place, but I don’t have the Led Zeppelin lyrics on the wall yet.”

A second room, where she will host birthday parties and teach cupcake decorating classes to children, is still in the process of being remodeled. When the work is completed, it will have the feel of a 1950s kitchen like the one she spent many hours in in her great-grandmother Mickey’s home, including enamel coated, metal-topped tables. She remembers spending many hours baking with the elderly woman, while standing on a stool with fold-up steps.

An angel food Sweet Sixteen Cake with macaroons, fruit, flowers and chocolate-dipped treats. Submitted photo

“She was the perfect great-grandmother. We shared a birthday and we were very close. I loved all of her knickknacks. She always sent an oatmeal box filled with cookies or a knickknack home with me. She wanted to feed everyone.”

“This is the happiest place on earth,” the owner says with a big smile, the only kind she knows how to give, as she refers to the silly, upbeat attitudes of the ladies in her employ. “It’s like Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory without the tricks. I get to do it with the people I love.”

She has hired her friends to come alongside her. Danielle Lacki is the head baker, Lily Grice is a baker and logistics coordinator and Autumn Echo is the social media manager and “the happy face behind the counter.”

“I couldn’t do a normal weekend without these girls,” says the bakery owner. “Our crew gets bigger if we have an event.”

With this she describes how very busy her bustling bakery has become.

Chocolate cake with chocolate ganache drip. Submitted photo

“We prefer a minimum of a week’s notice and preferably longer for orders. Weddings and large parties should order as soon as they set the date,” she says. “The more notice I am given, the more thought I can put into it. I have had to turn down a lot of orders this year, but it is awesome that everyone wants to use us.”

She describes the product that comes from Full Moon Rising as custom baked goods.

“Annie can do anything with a cake using frosting, any color, any flavor,” says Autumn. “We’re not taking the easy way out with fondant.”

“The flavor isn’t there with fondant,” says the decorator. “Our customers know they’re getting great quality baked goods that taste great and look beautiful.”

Although cupcakes and sugar cookies with royal frosting are her favorite things to create, she makes a wide array of unique and beautifully decorated items, including cakes with simple hombre frosting, naked cakes with the only frosting being between the layers or elaborately decorated cakes heaped with sweet confections such as cookies and candies or brightly colored fresh fruit. Pies, made with her Grandmother Natale’s crust recipe and pretzels drizzled with multiple sweet layers of candy are other offerings with bread coming soon. Anything can be made according to the ladies, including baby gender reveal baked goods, made with the customer’s ideas or those of the bakery.

“Including your Grandma’s cake if you give us the recipe. I can do anything. Every order is custom.”

If you want a special dessert with a wow effect, check out their Instagram photos, where you will find over the top decorating with brilliant colors and interesting combinations.

“We are the farthest from a traditional bakery,” says the bake shop owner while giggling. “A lot of sleepless nights went into this business.”

She is a go-getter who utilizes her talents and her facility to the max. Plans to have a limited fun lunch menu beginning early in 2019 are in the works, with Coke products and Yahoo chocolate drink being offered, but “the main focus will always be on baked goods.”

Adult cupcake decorating parties will be held at Forte Restaurant and The Beer Snob, opening soon in the Viking Temple Building. Full Moon Rising Bakery has partnered with the new Doubletree Hotel on Fourth Street, which will be opening in October and will be doing all of their baking for weddings and The Market Place located in the hotel lobby.

Representatives from Chautauqua Institution spoke with Ms. Latona during last year’s Lucy Fest about the possibility of participating in The Winter Village at CHQ on the Institution grounds. The weekend venture running from late November through late December was very successful.

The busy woman is a co-conspirator with Depressed Cake Shop, a community that promotes self-care through the power of creativity and to raise awareness and donations for mental health initiatives around the world. She hosted her first three-hour event recently which sold out in 30 minutes.

“I thought that was really awesome. We raised a lot of money for a great event. I love being a part of it.”

When she is not at the bakery she is with her seven-year old daughter, Sawyer and her five-year old son, Remington taking them to school, cooking meals for them and doing what other moms do with their children.

“They think they have the coolest mom because I drive a punch bug and own a bakery,” says the proud mother. “I love the thought of them loving this place. My life revolves around my kids and cupcakes.”

Celebrations always revolve around food for her Italian family.

“I’m not making food unless it’s for a lot of people,” the pastry chef says. She offers some of her favorite fall and winter recipes, such as Glazed Pumpkin Cookies, a tasty cookie recipe that contains raisins for added chewiness and nuts for crunch.

“I grew up baking these with my mom, Tammy Jensen. The Fruit Salad recipe is my Grandma Nancy Shattuck’s. It’s real easy to throw together and it’s real tasty. It’s not too sweet. We know it’s going to be at every holiday gathering. She doubles it because we all love it.”

Her Aunt Debbie Swanson brought back the Carbonara recipe after living in Italy, where she fully immersed herself.

Ms. Latona is the daughter of Lloyd Latona, who often stops in at the shop and will not leave without a cookie in hand.

Full Moon Rising Bakery is located at 320 Cherry St. in downtown Jamestown. At this time they are only open for orders. Like their Facebook page for the announcement of the Grand Opening after which their walk-in bakery hours will begin. Please call 969-0128 to please orders or to set up an appointment.

Grandma Nancy’s Fruit Salad

2 boxes vanilla tapioca pudding (not instant)

2 boxes vanilla pudding (instant)

2 cans pineapple tidbits

2 large cans mandarin oranges

4 bananas, sliced

Orange juice

Drain fruit, reserving juice. Add enough orange juice to make 4-6 cups of liquid. In a saucepan, combine pudding and liquid. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened. Add fruit and bananas. Refrigerate until served.

Pumpkin Cookies w/ Glaze

1 c sugar

1 c canned pumpkin

1/2 c shortening

1 T grated orange peel

2 c all-purpose* or whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 c raisins

1/2 c chopped nuts

*If using self-rising flour, omit baking powder, baking soda, and salt

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Mix sugar, pumpkin, shortening and orange peel. Stir in flour, baking powder, soda, cinnamon and salt. Stir in raisins and nuts. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake until light brown, 8-10 minutes. Immediately remove from cookie sheet; cool. Spread with glaze. Makes about 4 dozen.

Glaze

1/4 c margarine or butter

2 c powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1-2 T milk

Heat margarine in 1 1/2-quart saucepan over medium heat until delicate brown. Stir in powdered sugar and vanilla. Stir in milk until smooth.

Aunt Debbie’s Spaghetti Carbonara

8-10 slices bacon, cut into small pieces

2 eggs

8 oz grated parmesan cheese

4 T margarine

1 pt cream

1 lb spaghetti

Fry bacon, not too crisp. Dispose of 1/2 of the grease. Boil water for spaghetti. In a small bowl, mix the eggs and cheese and set aside. Add cream to the bacon, reduce heat, and simmer. Add spaghetti to the water once it begins boiling and cook according to package directions. Drain pasta, but do not rinse. Add the cheese and egg mixture, margarine and bacon-cream sauce to the pasta.

Hot Spiced Cider

8 c apple cider or apple juice

1/4 c packed brown sugar

6 inches of stick cinnamon

1 tsp whole allspice

1 tsp whole cloves

1 tsp shredded orange peel

8 thin orange wedges (optional)

8 whole cloves (optional)

In a large saucepan, combine cider and sugar. Place spices and orange peel in center of a double-thick 6-inch square of 100 percent cotton cheesecloth. Tie closed with a clean string. Add spice bag to the saucepan with cider mixture. Bring to boil; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. If desired, stud orange wedges with cloves. Remove spice bag and discard. Serve in mugs, with clove studded orange wedges as garnish, if desired.

Mama T’s Buffalo Chicken Wing Soup

3 c milk

2-10 oz cream of chicken soup

8 oz sour cream

3 c cooked chicken

1/4 -1/2 c red hot sauce

chopped carrots and/or celery (optional)

chili peppers (optional)

Put all ingredients in a crock pot and cook on low all day. Serve with sprinkled bleu cheese and a stick of celery.

Pecan Pie

Crust

1 1/4 c all-purpose flour

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 c cold unsalted butter, cubed

3-4 T whole buttermilk, chilled

Filling

3 large eggs, beaten

1 c firmly packed light brown sugar

3/4 c light corn syrup

1/2 c melted unsalted butter, room temp

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 c pecan halves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. For crust: in a medium bowl, stir together flour, sugar and salt. Using a pastry blender or 2 forks, cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Add buttermilk, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring to form a dough. Shape dough into a disk. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough 1/8 inch thick. Transfer to a 9-inch pie plate, pressing into bottom and up sides. Fold edges under and crimp as desired. For filling: in a medium bowl, stir together eggs, brown sugar, corn syrup, melted butter, salt and vanilla. Gently stir in pecans. Pour into prepared crust. Bake for 30 minutes. Cover loosely with foil, and bake until center is set, about 20 minutes more. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Serve.