News/Cupcakes Caterer's cupcakes meant to surprise sweethearts and taste buds

By John Farrell, Contributing Writer Published: 10:36 p.m., Friday, February 12, 2010

*Some Things Fishy Catering offers an assortment of tiny cupcakes in unexpected flavors. Photo: Carol Kaliff / The News-Times

 Every Valentine's Day, many women end up with the same heart-shaped box of chocolates -- the kind they got the year before, and in high school, and probably from their very first Valentine. This year, though, men can catch their sweetheart by surprise. Some Things Fishy Catering has come up with a line of truly unique bite-sized cupcakes. The Bethel-based catering company, started in 1991 by Michael Bick, specializes in high-quality meals and sweets. It has prepared dishes for celebrities and high-end events, Bick said. The cupcakes let you see sweets from an new angle. They look conventional, if small, but use flavors you would expect to have brought to you on a dinner plate, accompanied with silverware. "People will know the flavor, but it will be different because it has never been presented to them this way," said Tara Maguire, pastry chef at Some Things Fishy. The West African Princess is a peanut butter and chili flavored cupcake topped with a surprisingly sweet roasted tomato frosting. The frosting is often the overriding flavor of these pieces, including the Italian Stallion, a hazelnut-chocolate cupcake with balsamic frosting; the Tropical Fever, a banana cupcake with black sesame frosting; and the Bazaar, an exotic spice cupcake with hummus frosting. Not all of the offerings feature nonconventional flavors. The Cloud 9 is a white chocolate cupcake with hazelnut frosting; the sweet and refreshing Half and Half is a sweet tea cupcake with lemonade frosting; and the Yucatan is a

Fairfield County Food Examiner

Bio Earth Day dinner hosted by Chef Michael Bick in Danbury's Old Oak Restaurant

April 20, 10:43 AM Fairfield County Food Examiner James Cooper

This Pea gazpacho with shrimp jumble and pancetta crisp just before service

Michael Bick, Executive Chef at Some Things Fishy Catering joined with Joe Casimiro of the Old Oak Restaurant and Rocky Patel of Spirits 'n' Such to provide an excellent 5-course Earth Day Dinner Monday night.

Bick is a member of the Chef's Collaborative that advocates a sustainable food system using organic and locally grown food. In this case, the entire meal was made from organic and locally grown products.a sustainable food system using organic and locally grown food. In this case, the entire meal was made from organic and locally grown products. Speakers at the dinner included John Holbrook from Holbrook Farm, who Bick described as his "personal farmer."Speakers at the dinner included John Holbrook from Holbrook Farm, who Bick described as his "personal farmer." Other speakers include Alicia Ghio, whose web site The Natural Princess provides educational videos and recipes on sustainable foods and farming, and Emily Brooks from the Edibles Advocate Alliance, who offers consulting and support for grassroots, agricultural and socially innovative organizations.