56th annual Hina Matsuri (Doll and Cultural Festival) March 7 and 8, 2026 Free admission at Simpson United Methodist Church
With a name like The Enchanted Oven, you know this bakery must bake fairy-tale love into its creations. For Valentine’s Day, you can expect heart-shaped cookies and cakes from owner and baker Maki Stephens. At her Broomfield bakery near Flatirons Mall—where she proudly honors her Japanese culture—she is also planning a special cake for the lovers’ celebration. She hopes it will inspire love around the world – dare we say “world peace?” Her Valentine’s Day cake, which needs to be preordered, will be a showcase of cakes that represent six different countries. “I’ve made many cakes, not just Japanese cakes,” she says, noting that she gets the wildest requests and is “too stupid to say no.” Some of those cakes were completely new to her, requiring research, comparing recipes, and experimenting before she went with her gut. Along the way, she discovered cakes from around the world, which inspired her Valentine’s Day vision. She’ll bake six cakes and cut them into six slices, then reassemble them into one global cake. The slices include Sans Rival (“without rival” in French), a cake from the Philippines that was one of the first unusual requests she baked, which is made with five layers of cashew meringue, each separated by rich French buttercream. Other slices include Esterházy Torta from Hungary, Opera Cake from France, Dubai-style Chocolate from the UAE, Black Forest from Germany, and representing Stephens’ Japanese roots—a Jiggly Cheesecake with apricot glaze.
Have you ever thought about hosting an exchange student? There are so many benefits to having an international student stay in your home. This article shares a few of those rewards, along with some program options to help you get started. A Childhood Shaped by the World Growing up, my family hosted a total of seven exchange students for periods ranging from a couple of weeks to an entire year. Four were from Japan (as I was learning Japanese), two were from France (as my sister was learning French), and one was from Brazil. Not only did they have a great experience learning American culture, but my family got to see the world through their eyes. I was only seven when we hosted our first student, and it was my first glimpse into life in a different country. I remember how many everyday things were brand new to them. One host sister from Japan had never seen high schoolers wearing nail polish because it wasn’t allowed at her school. She also came from a household with an arranged marriage and found it fascinating that people here could choose who they wanted to date. Another student had never seen snow and reacted like a little kid playing in a fresh snowfall. These moments taught me early on that people grow up with different perspectives—and that is a beautiful thing. Passing the Tradition to the Next Generation Now that I have a family of my own, I continue to see hosting as a beneficial experience for my children. Our first hosting experience together was with Colorado Asian Culture and Education Network’s (CACEN) American Cultural Study Tour and Exchange Program with students from Kunming, China. Two boys stayed with us for a few days, which was a perfect way to get my kids acclimated to having someone new in the house. Since then, our home has been a revolving door of international friendship. We have hosted: An older Japanese gentleman through 4H International Exchange A Chinese teacher with a high school exchange program A Filipino woman with WorldDenver Currently, a Chinese student in his junior year of high school via ABC Hosting Each time, my kids have embraced them as family. We’ve taken our guests to iconic Colorado spots like Red Rocks, Garden of the Gods, Carbondale, Crested Butte, and Telluride. There is something magical about watching your children interact with an “international sibling” and hearing them ask innocent questions to learn about the world.