Vol. 19, No. 14, 1997
When It Comes to Making Scones,
They Put on a Jolly Good Show
By Andrea Siedsma
Scones, scones, everywhere scones.
There are blueberry scones, chocolate chip, raisin, cherry almond, and even pumpkin vanilla scones.
A scone is a British pastry – a
cross between an American biscuit and a muffin – and it has made its way across
the
“It’s just on the brink of
popularity like the bagel,” said Rachel Shein, co-owner of London Sisters, Inc.
(aka Baked in the Sun), a Carlsbad-based scone maker.
“About five years ago you couldn’t even get a bagel in the
That vision of the scone’s
popularity was first seen by two women from
The two began with a small store in
“The ladies had done an absolutely great job,” said Shein, who, with her fiancé Steve Pilarski, bought the company last year. “We looked at the business and said there’s a lot of opportunity here.
We’re trying to use the strengths of the company we bought. One of those strengths is the recipes are phenomenal.”
So phenomenal that the company’s sales have jumped nearly 30 percent in a year, Shein said.
London Sisters distributes scones
under the brand name House of Tudor to coffeehouses, delis, schools,
supermarkets and restaurants throughout
This month, the firm will introduce its scones to Costco under the name Rachel’s Coffee House Gourmet.
And, boy, just wait until late summer. The House of Tudor carries the firm’s most outrageous scone for a back-to-school special: peanut butter chocolate chip.
“What we’ve done with all the different flavors is we’ve sort of Americanized it,” Shein said.
London Sisters’ 27 employees also bake muffins, cookies, cinnamon rolls, shortbread and brownies.