"Would you consider???"

That was the subject heading of the email I sent to my friend and neighbor Lisa back on January 10, 2006.

I'm sure she wasn't surprised to get an email from me. Over the last nine years or so, we've been emailing each other pretty regularly, discussing everything from playdates (our kids are the same age) to technology (me: Blackberry, she: Treo). In any case, the subject of this message was a little bit different:

"Since it looks like The Amazing Race will have to wait for us for two years, would you consider . . ."

And then I suggested to her the idea of opening a small, neighborhood bakery on Ventura Boulevard in Studio City. Perhaps the idea sounded a little crazy to her at the time -- as it certainly may seem nuts to you, the reader. The thing is, over the course of our relationship, Lisa and I have taken on a lot of challenges together. We've raised happy kids, set up campsites in the cold and dark, walked a marathon and a half to raise money for breast cancer research and played together on a very fierce women's soccer team, among others. These experiences, combined with our general stick-to-it-iveness had led us to consider ourselves prime candidates for the CBS reality show "The Amazing Race." Typical of our thinking, we planned not only to make it on to the show, but to be the first all-female team to win. That is, until a little hitch in our plans (Lisa's husband's employer makes her ineligible as a contestant for the next couple of years) put us on this new and interesting path.

"Okay," I wrote, "It's not like bungee jumping or drinking pig's blood (past Amazing Race requirements) but it would be fun and interesting to say the least!"

Lisa agreed.

And so, a year later, we're on the brink of a bungee jump of an entirely different sort. In December, we'll be opening Big Sugar Bakeshop, a warm and inviting neighborhood spot offering extraordinary, handcrafted desserts, a beautiful array of gift items and a healthy helping of Studio City hospitality. We'll be using the skills we've honed separately -- unparalleled business acumen (me) and old-fashioned baking know-how (Lisa) -- along with the cooperative nature and vision we share, to bring you a great new place to enjoy a fudge brownie, choose a sweet end to your next dinner party or find the perfect gift for a cherished friend.

We look forward to sharing Big Sugar Bakeshop with you.