On his new podcast Akimbo, Seth Godin talked about the idea of Wabi-Sabi. No, not the condiment wasabi used on sushi, Wabi-Sabi comes from Japanese sensibilities around the idea of “flawed beauty.” Wabi has many meanings like living, breathing and of nature. Sabi means rusted, withered or flawed.
You create something like a beautiful pottery bowl. It has the beauty of the rustic or nature, and it also has defects or flaws that give it some of its charms. A machine can make bowls more consistently round, yet a handmade bowl brings humanity and personality to the object.
This is the story of Wabi-Sabi and English Muffins.
Bringing Wabi-Sabi to Raleigh
My daughter Fanny told me about a new food company she was following on Instagram called Michael’s English Muffins. They had a store not too far away from my home in Raleigh. There was something familiar about a bakery business that specialized in making just one thing – muffins. No cookies, no pastries, no donuts, no bread, no brownies. Just English muffins.
The business my wife and I ran, Rachel’s Brownies, always embraced this idea of Wabi-Sabi. Each brownie had to be perfect, yet it also had to be homemade and imperfect.
And since my daughter Fanny won The Rachael Ray Great American Cookbook Competition with her English Muffin “tin foil breakfast surprise,” I had to explore a bakery focused on only making English muffins. Fanny (and her sister Sarah) and I have an emotional bond with English muffins, AKA the tin foil surprises and our daily morning trips to Ravenscroft School when they were little girls in school from in the 90’s.
Store bought English muffins are made to fit into bags perfectly. They meet a standard, length, width, and height. Big companies have to shave the imperfect and irregular out of the mass-produced products. Any imperfections and human touch are squeezed out making their products more ordinary and less special. Less Wabi-Sabi.
Michael Annabelle Comisar started a wholesale bakery business in Raleigh making a “donut-esque” English Muffin. She is embracing Wabi-Sabi through muffins.
Her father was a renowned chef and owner of a Cincinnati restaurant called The Maisonette. It was a classic, tableside service French restaurant that he ran for 40 years. About a year after his death, she opened up her bakery in part to honor her father, but in part to bring her food and design sensibilities into the world.
My first bite of her English muffin, fresh off the grilled reminded me of Seth’s podcast about Wabi-Sabi.
I wasn’t biting into a baked good; I was tasting the story filled with imperfections, humanity and a heartbeat. I was getting my #muffon as Annabelle likes to say. Watching and smelling the muffins baking on the grill reminded me how much I loved yeast and its fragrance.
Hot off the grill, this takes English muffins to a new level. I love the tangy and tartness of yeasty baked goods, especially when the story ferments inside and the outside has buttery grill marks.
Marketing and Wabi-Sabi
We create products that meet specifications, but often forget that when our marketing focuses on what we do, instead of why we do it – much is missed. As her business grows, I hope Annabelle never loses the handmade, imperfect crafting of each muffin. That’s what makes them special.
Whether you are marketing wine or widgets or yeasty baked goods, don’t forget to add the essential secret ingredient, a personal story that transports me along a journey. And don’t ignore the rough edges and rust along the side.
How does your brand embrace Wabi-Sabi?
Listen here to get Seth’s perspective on this topic and to learn more about this idea of Wabi-Sabi.
Visit Michaels English Muffins if you are in Raleigh or order online here. You can find them at stores but try them hot off the grill for an enhanced experience.
Growing a business requires yeasty marketing that can help you raise awareness. I can help. You can set up a time to chat using my calendar. The conversation is free and we can explore if working together makes sense. Or email me at jeffslater@themarketingsage.com or call me at 919 720 0995.
Photo courtesy of Michael’s English Muffins and HT to Seth for inspiration
