RECIPE
A Social Mission That’s Baked In Seven years ago, Crary—who was Stoloff ’s In 2009, when a San Francisco Bay-area next-door neighbor in their first-year dorm at nonprofit working to break the cycle of poverty Oberlin—left a law practice to join him full was looking to unload its very unprofitable time in the rapidly growing business. Stoloff Rubicon Bakery operation, it sought advice says their mission to help the recently from Andrew Stoloff ’83, a former Wall Streeter incarcerated brought Crary, who began her who operated a nearby café. As an investment, career as a New York City public defender, full the bakery looked unpromising. It was losing money and employed the kinds of workers most circle. (And along for occasional quality control tests at the bakery are children Rose ’15 and other places wouldn’t hire: people with Matthew ’21. “Even our dog came from the addictions, homelessness, or criminal records. Lorain County animal shelter,” says Stoloff. The sale also had a catch: whoever bought the “Pretty strong Oberlin connection!”) bakery had to maintain its social mission. Rubicon’s recent growth follows two tracks: Despite the long shot, Stoloff found buyers: It’s expanding its zero-interest employee loan Andrew Stoloff and his wife, Leslie Crary ’83. program and expanding its market by The couple gave the bakery a second chance introducing more vegan products nationwide at success, and the bakery continues to give its to stores like Whole Foods, Kroger, and Target. employees second chances. It also supports So you can bake these delicious-looking Rubicon Programs through royalty payments for the name. Rubicon Bakers, as it is now called, cupcakes—or you can run out to the store and tell people you did. is a B Corporation—a new class of business For more information, including a handy entity legally required to consider the impact map of where to find Rubicon goods, visit of decisions on workers, customers, suppliers, rubiconbakers.com. community, and the environment.
Vegan Chocolate Blackout Cupcakes YIELD: 24 cupcakes PREP TIME: 15-20 minutes TOTAL TIME: 2 hours (including cooling)
CUPCAKE INGREDIENTS
1 cup granulated sugar 1 ¹/2 cups all-purpose flour
¹/2 cup cocoa powder ¹/3 cup canola oil 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp vanilla
¹/2 tsp sea salt 1 cup water 1 tsp white vinegar ICING INGREDIENTS
4 Tbsp vegan butter 1 Tbsp vanilla 3 3/4 cups powdered sugar 4-5 Tbsp non-dairy milk 4 Tbsp cocoa powder CUPCAKE DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Paddle sugar, oil, and salt together. In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients— flour, cocoa, and baking soda. Add dry ingredients to the sugar, oil, and salt, and mix. Add the vinegar, vanilla, and water to the batter and mix until combined. Portion batter into cupcake liners and fill until �/� full. Bake approximately 20 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool cupcakes completely before frosting. ICING DIRECTIONS
CL A R A RI CE
Paddle cocoa powder and powdered sugar together, then add vegan butter and vanilla and mix until combined. Add non-dairy milk in small amounts, only using enough to make it spreadable. When cupcakes are completely cooled, top fill and frost. OBERLIN ALUMNI MAGAZINE 2020 / SPRING/SUMMER
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