Local couple starts gourmet brownie company
Nicki & Jim Parker get creative with Heaven Squared Brownie Co.
Heaven Squared Brownie Co. owner and baker Nicki Parker holds a plate of her brownies.
Nicki and Jim Parker found Paso Robles to be the perfect place for them to both retire from their first careers and to open their new business, Heaven Squared Brownie Co. The reason they said they landed in the area from San Diego was for the area’s beauty and climate as well as its foodie culture.
Nicki, who worked in the medical field until her recent retirement, said she’s been baking for more than 20 years. She started baking her brownies to help out her friend, a caterer. That led to her making her baked goodies for parties and other events.
“They’re not your mother’s brownies,” Nick said. “What makes them special is they’re incredibly creative. They’re really pretty too.”
Not only do some of the brownies include nuts, fruit and more chocolate, but some are made with coffee, wine, beer, spirits, bacon, goat cheese, olive oil and herbs and spices. Currently, Nicki said the company offers 24 different kinds of brownies, but she adds about one to the list of offerings each month. In addition to some of the brownies being made with wine and beer, the brownies are also paired with wine and beer. All of Heaven Squared Brownie Co.’s orders are custom-made and are only available directly from the Parkers.
The Parkers take full advantage of incorporating local products and ingredients into their brownies. “Paso Robles and the Central Coast produce so many incredibly fresh and delicious farm and dairy products,” Nicki said. “We’re so happy to be able to use them and we look forward to being active members of this wonderful community.”
Jim describes the brownies as artisan, hand-crafted baked goods that will please choco-holics, foodies and everyone who enjoys being happy. The couple officially opened in September and are getting ready to have samples of their brownies at the Garagiste Festival and the Vina Robles third annual Chocolate Festival, both held on Nov. 8. Nicki said that she will be at one event and Jim at the other. The company does not have a storefront so it relies on word-of-mouth and people actually tasting the brownies.
“Brownies are such fun to make,” Nicki said. “I love to see the big smile on someone’s face when they first taste our brownies. Most of my life has been spent as a medical professional making people healthy. I want to spend the next chapter of my life making people happy with Heaven Squared Brownies.”
For more information about Heaven Squared Brownie Co., go to www.heavensquaredbrownieco.com or call (805) 610-9695.
