Tracy Dempsey creates great flavors from traditional desserts with seasonal ingredients. Her Original Bacon Pecan Brittle became legendary when she worked at Cowboy Ciao, one of many restaurants owned by Spaghetti Western Productions. (The company launched several well-known restaurants in Scottsdale, including Cowboy Ciao, Sea Saw, Kazimierz World Wine Bar, and Digestif.) In 2009, she left Spaghetti Western Productions in order to branch out on her own, starting up Tracy Dempsey Originals. TDO now provides sweet and savory delights to some of the best restaurants in the Valley, including Crudo, Citizen Public House, Avalon, and The House at Secret Gardens. Her confections and baked goods can also be found in stores, including The Urban Grocery, Farm Kitchen, Dos Cabezas Winery, Changing Hands Bookstore, The Cheese Shop in Healdsburg and Next Coffee Bar. chances are you may have tried one of Tracy’s delicious desserts.

     She also created a line of packaged boutique treats, with specialties such as the Bacon Breakfast Cookie, the Original Bacon Pecan Brittle, and the Lemon or Orange Lavender shortbreads.

     She was nominated for the 2011 Arizona Culinary Hall of Fame Pastry Chef Extraordinaire at the Scottsdale Culinary Festival. Her whimsical sense of style mixed with her solid integrity and a cheerful willingness to help others makes her a darling in the Arizona chef category.

     As a member of Local First Arizona, she works hard to incorporate ingredients from local companies including Rainbow Valley Cheese, Fossil Creek Creamery, Carol’s Delectables, Maya’s Farm, and the Queen Creek Olive Mill. Her products are available in many area restaurants. Products are also listed online, and available with a quick phone call or email.

www.tracydempseyoriginals.com

info@tracydempseyoriginals.com

602-376-3021

FB: Tracy Dempsey Originals

Twitter: @tdempc

For many people social media is just a way to share a lot of meaningless information online. However, it can be a very useful marketing tool. Social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, allow a company to share information with the public for free. Not only does it not cost anything, but with a little effort, social media can pinpoint the market share you are interested in reaching.

Recently, Superstition Farm in Mesa, AZ decided to provide a SuperFarmers Market on Thursday nights. This unique idea involved a combination of a farmers market on an actual farm with a chance to feed and pet the animals, and go for a pony ride or hayride.  The plan was to have the first night be a soft opening, followed by a media night the following week, and then the big Grand Opening. Superstition Farm posted information on their Facebook page, and encouraged all the vendors who would be at the market to do the same.

298 people clicked the “like” button, so the good folks at SuperFarm optimistically printed out 300 invoice slips.

Needless to say, some of the vendors were somewhat skeptical that enough people would know about the event and show up.

The place was packed for the soft open. Many vendors sold out. The invoice slips were quickly gone and there was a line for the register. This is the kind of social media any company wants. By the time the Grand Opening rolled around, the SuperFarm was rocking. 

All because of social media. Don’t underestimate the power.

Search Engine Optimization or SEO is how a search engine evaluates the information on your website to determine how to list it in a search engine such as Google, Yahoo, or Bing. The search engine looks for different keywords and phrases and sort your website accordingly. In addition, tags and photographs play into the mix.

These days a large number of business is done on the web. Even if a company doesn’t participate in actual commerce on the web, consumers will learn about your service or product online. They may evaluate your website. They may run a search to see what kinds of experience others have had with your company. They may even check out your competitors. That’s why the words that you use really matter.

Each time you update your blog on your website, you give the search engines more material in order to place your website in the search engines with greater accuracy which, in turn, leads to a higher liklihood that the consumer will be a good match for buying your product or service.

So update those blogs. Use your keywords and phrases. Use tags. Use photographs. Get your business done!

Throughout the last few years, the writing business has changed dramatically.  As the Internet and Social Media play a stronger role in communications, the time arrived for Sparkin Productions to adjust the sails. My love for food and the farmers, ranchers, and artisans who create it has led me to work with them to promote their businesses so that they can focus on what they do best. I have a great appreciation for the men and women who bring their goods to the farmers markets every week so they can discuss their growing methods, fair treatment of animals, and product development with the consumers. With few exceptions, I have found them to be hard-working people with integrity and hearts of gold. These are the people I hope to represent as this venture moves forward.