In The News

Vermont Brownie Company vs. Bobby Flay

Tune in to the Food Network on Sunday, February 14 at 11:00pm (EST) to see the best thing to happen to Bobby Flay since red meat (the man is a master griller!). Vermont Brownie Company is honored that Bobby Flay chose us for a "Throwdown"! Make sure to watch and find out if our delicious gourmet brownies can stand up againt brownies baked by one of the most famous chefs in America.

We thank you for your continued support!

Katherine and Shawna

January 26, 2009, Burlington Free Press

Vermont Brownie Gives Back this Valentine's Day

Myra Mathis Flynn, Free Press correspondent

South Hero's Vermont Brownie Company is relatively new and is already up to some good deeds. The owners Shawna Lidsky and Katherine Hayward have partnered with Women Helping Battered Women to dole out some tasty treats. They are donating 10 percent of their Valentine's Day Box brownies to WHBW, all in the name of good will.

What does WHBW mean to you, and, in your opinion, to the community? WHBW supports women and children, the heart of our community. That's why the heart shaped brownie is significant, not just for Valentine's Day, but beyond. WHBW changes lives. We're hoping to do a bit of that as well with our brownies.

Do you see more partnerships in your future? This is a huge part of why we started the company. Brownies make people happy. If we can bake and sell brownies and give back to the community at the same time, then we've met our goal.

How has this partnership changed the way you feel about the community? We knew that as a brand new company we wouldn't have the resources or profits to simply donate a large sum of cash to an organization. That's what makes us so proud of this partnership. We can work hard and with the support of the community, hopefully write a nice size check to Women Helping Battered Women. We definitely want to thank the community for their support.

January 21-28, 2009

Good Food Side Dishes: Businesses put their ethics where their mouths are

By Suzanne Podhaizer

This Valentine’s Day, those treats you buy for your sweetheart could say something besides “I love you.” Until February 14, the Vermont Brownie Company is donating 10 percent of its proceeds from heart-shaped brownies to Women Helping Battered Women. “We were actually approached by them, and it’s an organization we feel strongly about supporting. Their theme for this fundraising is healthy relationships, and it’s centering around Valentine’s Day,” says co-owner Katherine Hayward.

Fans of Hayward’s business partner — Former Channel 3 sportscaster Shawna Lidsky, who was recently laid off during a spate of downsizing — will be happy to know she’s working in the brownie biz full-time. “It was unexpected, but the timing has worked out really well,” Hayward says. “We’ve been getting in more and more stores . . . We’re really busy.” Healthy Living, Natural Provisions and Sweet Clover Market now carry the sweets.

November 2008 - January 2009, Destination Vermont Magazine

December 2008, Champlain Business Journal

November 26, 2008, Burlington Free Press

March of Dimes fundraiser highlights work of local chefs

The March of Dimes has called upon the new Vermont Brownie Company to provide a sweet treat for the evening. “We thought ‘March of Dimes, perfect,’” said co-owner Shawna Lidsky. “A huge part of our mission statement is to select events throughout the year that make an impact on the community. They needed deserts and here we are.”

October 16, 2008, Burlington Free Press

By Melissa Pasanen

“Wow, are they brownies or fudge?” wrote Allison MacKenzie of Georgia about the new Vermont Brownie Company brownies. “I love that they clearly use the finest ingredients and don’t skimp a bit on the chunks of goodness in each little bite,” she continued.

WCAX sportscaster Shawna Lidsky and realtor Katherine Hayward teamed up to launch this new venture in early September. “We both enjoy baking and we were just looking to do something that can enhance our lives and other people’s lives,” Lidsky explained. “Anybody can make a brownie, but it’s amazing how bad a brownie can be.”

Their brownies, needless to say, are very good, made with as many Vermont-sourced ingredients as possible and in sophisticated flavors like espresso dulce de leche with Green Mountain Coffee Roasters espresso and white chocolate-raspberry with berries from the Charlotte Berry Farm. The maple toffee crunch variety sports big chips of toffee on top and the dark chocolate chevre made with Vermont goat cheese is like a cream cheese brownie only better. After many tests, Lidsky reports, the baking duo earned the professional “stamp of approval” from WCAX morning regulars, chef Curtiss Hemm of New England Culinary Institute and chef Robert Barral of Cafe Provence.

October 8, 2008, Seven Days

Sweet Stuff - Side Dishes: Brownies with a Local Twist

By Suzanne Podhaizer

Most area residents know Shawna Lidsky from her decade-long role as WCAX’s morning sports anchor. What they may not know is that the peppy brunette recently added a secondary gig to her resume, and it’s got more to do with sweet eats than track meets.

Lidsky — along with business partner Katherine Hayward, a real estate agent with RE/MAX North Professionals — owns the new Vermont Brownie Company. The women spend 25 to 30 hours a week mixing, tasting and wrapping their dense treats, made with Callebaut chocolate from the Belgian company’s plant in St. Albans. A slew of Vermont specialty products add variety. Lidsky created the basic brownie recipe, orders the ingredients and deals with the public, while Hayward focuses on managing the books and inventing innovative flavors.

They came up with the local brownie idea while palling around on New Year’s Day. “[We were] dreaming about the new year, and thinking that a business that was fun would be a great addition to our lives,” Lidsky recalls. Next, they did a little research. “We got to the computer, and nobody had done it.”

Why did they choose 2008 to begin a new venture? “There’s something about that 10-year mark where you still love what you do, but there’s more out there,” Lidsky muses. “And it’s a way to incorporate ourselves into the community a little more . . . there’s nothing better than bringing a tray of brownies to somebody.”