Birdie's Something Chocolate Serving Decadent Ganache
If you’ve ever had Birdie’s Something Chocolate, you’ve experienced something much more than a serving of chocolate ganache. Birdie’s Something Chocolate is a multi-layered decadent dessert made from a family recipe passed down over three generations.
The chocolate is named after co-owner Birdie Sheridan, who has been a foodie her entire life. For 20 years she worked as a food stylist while also employed with the Oakland Press, writing a food column and interviewing celebrity chefs like Alton Brown. Birdie’s son and business partner, Andy Sheridan, followed in his mother’s footsteps and has chosen a career in food. He graduated from Schoolcraft College Culinary Arts Program in Livonia, where he currently works as a chef when he’s not preparing ganache.
The idea for creating a ganache business had been a longtime dream for Birdie and Andy. “The original recipe is from my mom, she would make it all the time,” says Birdie. “And when Andy was a child, I would make it for him.”
Andy recalls waking up in the early hours of the morning to his mom pounding out chocolate in the kitchen. It was his favorite thing she made for him growing up. As Andy got older he began making the ganache himself. Following decades of praise from family and friends, in 2013 the duo decided to pursue a business venture together. The business started small, but has since expanded and now can be found at more than five farmers’ markets around southeast Michigan every week.
The two have re-created their family ganache recipe so often that it isn’t even written down. They explain that the only thing that has changed is the chocolate that’s used. While the recipe is a secret, the Sheridans aren’t shy about the ingredients.
“We use all Michigan companies for the chocolate, fruit and everything else,” says Birdie. Most recently they sourced a 72 percent dark cacao chocolate from Mindo Chocolate Makers based out of Dexter. Mindo is run by Barbara Wilson and Jose Meza, who own a cacao farm in Quito, Ecuador.
At the markets, the ganache is placed on a foundation of crushed shortbread, followed by a layer of fresh fruit, topped with homemade whipped cream and orange zest. Outside of the markets, the ganache is sold in small containers along with the fresh fruit and crushed shortbread for customers to assemble by themselves. Says Andy, “It’s an experience that we provide for our customers.”
For the future, Birdie’s Something Chocolate has plans to start making their own sauce from raspberries they currently source from a local berry farm. “And we’re looking to get into stores in the area,” says Andy. The duo also works with several local nonprofit organizations, most recently donating time and product to an Alzheimer’s charity.
“The best thing about this business is that I get to spend time with my mom,” says Andy. “It’s the most rewarding thing and I just couldn’t be more grateful.”
Birdie’s Something Chocolate can be found at farmers’ markets in southeast Michigan: Wednesday through Sunday in Northville, Troy, Royal Oak, Farmington, Ann Arbor, Rochester and Birmingham, and at Eastern Market in Detroit. Follow them on Facebook for updates.
