Ice cream, macarons, and cookies, oh my! This new year is already starting to look a bit sweeter with the release of the newest Give and Partake book, the Dessert Book. The Dessert Book offers sweet deals throughout Kansas City that you won't want to miss.
If you are unfamiliar with these books and what Give and Partake is, let me tell you about it. Give and Partake was created to give people the opportunity to discover Kansas City one restaurant at a time while also giving back to the community through philanthropy. Creator Ashley Judy came up with the idea for Give and Partake a few years ago and has donated over $27,000 to local charities from the profit collected from each purchased book. Each book has a different theme showcasing local restaurants and benefits different nonprofit organizations in the metro area.
"Supporting local is incredibly important to me —, especially now, Ashley said.! “I heard someone say once, that ‘you vote with the dollars you spend,’ and that resonated with me."
With restaurants closed for indoor dining in the early days of the pandemic, Ashley was quick to create the Give and ParTakeout Book. The restaurant industry was hit hard and supporting our local restaurants is more important than ever. While many restaurants’ dine-in seating has slowly reopened, many people are still opting for takeout to keep socially distant. This book offers 28 dine-in credits for a $10 value after purchasing an entrée for takeout at each restaurant. The partnering charity for the takeout book is Operation Breakthrough, an organization that provides an educational environment for children in poverty . When you use your book, you get a stamp to mark your visit. If you are like me, I love seeing how many stamps I can get before the book expires. The ParTakeout Book is still available to purchase and the offers expire in April 2021. Ashley hopes that by partnering with these restaurants, they’ll gain new loyal customers through the process.
Ashley’s newest book is the sweetest of them all!
"I was very pregnant when we decided to do this theme. Ashley said, “I think my process [for choosing themes] is that I follow the things I enjoy, or in the case of the Dessert Book, things I’m craving at the moment.". The Dessert Book offers deals at 15 different local shops. This time around, Ashley did things a little differently. Instead of partnering with one specific nonprofit for the Dessert Book, she partnered with ten! When you purchase your Dessert Book, you get to choose what nonprofit you want a portion of the proceeds to go towards. The nonprofits include Big Brothers Big Sisters, Ella's Hope, Havesters, KC Kansas Angels, KC Pet Project, Operations Breakthrough, Teach for America, Pete's Garden, Superhero Yoga, and University Academy Foundation.
When I heard the newest book was desserts, my sweet tooth was jumping for joy. One of the shops featured in the Dessert Book is Dolce Bakery located in The Village. The deal at Dolce Bakery is buy any cookie, cupcake or cinnamon roll and get the second for free. As I walked into Dolce bakery I was instantly mesmerized by the case showing all of the delicious treats. How was I ever going to decide what to get? Realizing I was reading each description multiple times and others were waiting for me to order, I decided on a cinnamon roll. It was 7 A.M. afterall, a cinnamon roll seemed most fitting for a breakfast treat. I showed my Dessert Book coupon to the woman helping me and she put the second cinnamon roll into a separate box. I made my way to work slightly speeding with excitement to eat my breakfast.
As I got to my office, I surprised my co-worker with the second cinnamon roll and she was overjoyed. We simultaneously opened our boxes to inhale the delicious smell of cinnamon and icing that was lightly drizzled on top. We socially distant cheers to our breakfast and took our first bite, then our second, until I looked down to find an empty box staring back at me. The cinnamon melted in my mouth and the roll itself was so moist, you could tell it was freshly baked. I almost wished I had saved the second cinnamon roll for myself, then I remembered the Dessert Book can be used multiple times. Licking my fingers to savor every last taste, then quickly washing my hands and using hand-sanitizer before touching anything in my office. Though the cinnamon roll had a short life, I spent the rest of the day talking and thinking about it. You know something is delicious when you tell anyone who will listen to you describe the joy you feel as each bite hits your taste buds.
Using the Give and Partake books is a great way to support local businesses that continue to struggle in these unpredictable times. We deserve to indulge in our sweet cravings during 2021, and what better way to enjoy something sweet while knowing your money is going towards the community. Whether you are craving ice cream, cookies, French macarons, or even Korean shaved ice cream, the Dessert Book offers it all. Unlike past books, you can use your Dessert book offers multiple times through December 2021. That means you can keep going back over and over again while still getting to use your Dessert Book coupon. That is an extra sweet deal. These books set out to accomplish a very important mission:, love and support your community. By purchasing this book, you are helping support our city and the hard-working restaurant and shop owners that fuel it. Be adventurous and try places you have never been to or maybe have never even heard of before. Buy the Dessert book for yourself or a loved one to start exploring the sugary side of Kansas City.