EDMONDS—Edmonds-based Haven + Crumb founder, and shortbread cookie baker, Jennifer Tripp, is headed to Scotland on November 21 to compete for the title of World Shortbread Champion. Ahead of that competition, however, she plans to test her competition recipes on Edmonds residents.
Tomorrow, Wednesday, October 21, Tripp will be handing out boxes of her competitive shortbread cookies at ChurchKey Pub in downtown Edmonds, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Tripp traces her roots back to Scotland and has been to the country three-times prior to this upcoming November. The last time she was there was three years ago for her, and her husband’s, 20th anniversary. They brought their children with them for a British Isle tour with a long weekend in Edinburgh and “had a blast” showing them around, she informed the Lynnwood Times.
“We went to the oldest pub in Edinburgh, and my son loved the boisterousness. There were a lot of old football fans there and he just loved the culture and the vibe there,” said Tripp. “It was a fun atmosphere for them to get their first taste of Scotland.”
Though Tripp grew up in the Seattle area she said she was raised appreciating Scottish culture, going to the Highland Games and eating Scottish food.
Over the last four years Tripp has been homeschooling her kids but when they went to college she decided to “pivot” into something that was fun and interesting, while also making money to support her family and parents.
She explored a few options but found herself continuing to return to baking. Over the years Tripp had been experimenting, and refining, a shortbread recipe and, upon the encouragement of her husband and a relative down in California (who works in the food and wine industry), she was inspired to open a shop in Edmonds.
“I thought why don’t I do this? Why do I keep searching for something else? So I ended up getting really focused and doing more concerted recipe testing, we tested over two dozen butters in particular and we certainly found the right butter,” said Tripp.
To further perfect her recipe, she headed down to Napa for a weeklong ‘Baking Bootcamp’ at the Culinary Institute of America.
“They made it so much fun and gave us a lot of great feedback on how we prepare things, even just the process of how we measure ingredients and handle things. I think that gave me a lot more confidence, and a lot to take back home to Edmonds and integrate into my process,” said Tripp. “It taught me how amazing, and how scientific, bakers truly are.”
Haven + Crumb just opened this past summer and has been met with positive reviews from Edmonds residents. What sets her shortbread apart from other bakeries in the area is its flavor and consistency, she said.
“The flavor and texture itself, from what I’ve tasted in the area, is completely different. I think lots of people have had the crispy variety, which is excellent to dunk, but there might not be a lot of flavor to it and I certainly focus on taking just these few basic ingredients for shortbread and finding the best way to combine them and bake them into just the most luscious bite,” said Tripp. “You got the salty, you got the sweet, you’ve got this slight crumble and caramelization but it’s just this nice thick bite that has a lot of flavor to it, instead of the flavor being an after thought. It’s just like biting into a warm hug.”
Tripp sold out of her shortbread during her first ever event last July, at Edmonds’ Porch Fest. Those who miss the opportunity to try her shortbread at ChurchKey Pub tomorrow can catch Tripp selling shortbread at the Edmonds Holiday Market on November 7.
“Edmonds has been a great place to start my home bakery business. It’s just been welcomed and embraced by the people and a lot of businesses who have invited me to do popup shops in their businesses,” said Tripp. “But most of all it’s just supposed to be fun.”
At tomorrow’s event at ChurchKey Pub, attendees can come enjoy some good Scottish food, a pint, and pickup a tasting box of Tripp’s shortbread (in her traditional pink box) while casting their vote for their favorite flavor – out of “Sunny Lemon”, “Lemon Rosemary”, and “Lavendar Bloom”. The tasting box is free of charge but are available on a ‘while supplies last’ basis.
“The point is just to have a good time and to see which flavors people like in Edmonds,” said Tripp.
At the end of summer Tripp’s husband stumbled upon the World Shortbread Championships in Scotland and encouraged her to enter. Since then, Tripp has been busy baking over 1,000 shortbread cookies to take with her on a plane (not wanting to risk customs confiscating raw ingredients or having to figure out a foreign oven under the pressure of a competitive setting).
The competition is separated into three different categories (amateur, professional, and young baker) and graded by a panel of judges. Participants are required to enter a traditional recipe (consisting of just flour, fat, and sweeter) and also have the option of submitting a specialist recipe where anything goes. The Judge panel includes former Great British Bake Off contestant turned cook Nicky Laceby, Content Director for Food and Lifestyles Christine Faughlin, Sales and Marketing Director at Carr Flour Mills, and Founder of Bad Girl Bakery Jeni Iannetta.
Tripp’s trip to Scotland will be mostly all business, she said, with little to no time to do anything else other than compete.
Win or lose, Jennifer plans to return with fresh inspiration and new flavor ideas to share with her hometown.
Author: Kienan Briscoe
