Walking into Kimberley Mulla’s kitchen in Telkwa, it looks like a scene out of a cooking show.
The colours are warm and vibrant, there is a pristine white bookshelf with methodically placed cookbooks and pottery, and there is the slight smell of indescribable sweetness in the air.
Mulla is the owner and operator of Kimberley’s Kitchen.
She makes a variety of artisan confections such as brittle and gourmet marshmallows in flavours such as vanilla bean, strawberry, peppermint, pumpkin spice, and a year-round favourite, chai.
Mulla hand-makes all treats with organic fair trade chocolate, vanilla beans, coffee and local ingredients.
“It feels nice to make something that’s a part of people’s lives in such a positive way. Adding something sweet and delightful to people’s every day is very meaningful and the actual crafting of it is a lot of fun,” she said.
Mulla started the business four years ago when she was on maternity leave in the Lower Mainland, and eventually settled with her family in Telkwa in 2011.
Over the years, she has experimented with many recipes before eventually perfecting the product she sells today.
“The marshmallows really took off because I embraced the ability to create seasonal marshmallows. My first season I probably produced 20 different flavours and from that point on set a dangerous precedent to constantly come up with new ideas,” she laughed.
Mulla has crafted and sold her sugary treats from a rented kitchen in the village and through her online store to people all around Canada.
Angela Souter has tried the marshmallows at events, but this was her first time buying a batch at the Smithers Farmers’ Market last weekend.
“We think they’re delicious, we love that they’re homemade,” said Souter, whose daughters each bought the peppermint and vanilla bean flavours.
Leanne Perry, a food blogger in Vancouver, has been a fan of Mulla’s marshmallows for years.
“They’re amazing. Marshmallows can be tricky to make sometimes, they turn out too light or too dense,” said Perry. “Once I tried them, it was like a whole new world. The flavours are amazing.”
Now, Mulla is looking for a larger space to make her marshmallows.
She recently launched a kickstarter campaign to build a certified commercial kitchen in the basement of her home.
Kickstarter campaigns are online funding platforms where anyone can donate to a cause.
Through the campaign, she hopes to raise $5,700 by Dec. 7.
Pledges will be used to purchase appliances and furnishings, and pay for trades people to renovate the space for the kitchen.
If all goes according to plan, construction will begin in January.
“In order to be able to ramp up production, I need to be able to work and have availability to a kitchen whenever I can work,” she said, adding that she would one day like to expand her business to a store-front.
For more information on the campaign, visit www.kimberleyskitchen.com.