Dessert at My Place
I have always enjoyed baking. It might be a birthday cake for my daughter, cupcakes for my husband's class or a fruit tart for a neighbor. I truly never thought of it as anything beyond that. It wasn't until I was invited to participate in our favorite charity, Young Life of Louisville's Munch Madness event, in March 2010 that I took the leap and took my baking beyond my family and friends. I chose to do an Italian-themed entry and our table was called, Buon Appetito. With That's Amore! playing in the background. My Italian Cream Cake won us Best Overall at the event. In fact, it was Dawne Gee's favorite, an anchor from Louisville's WAVE 3 news. Betsy was so elated to win! She cheered Mom on! The wheels started turning....
My daughter, Betsy, loves the Food Network. I usually don't tune in but during a workout at the gym, Tyler Florence's show was on and he caught my eye. I was convinced he looked just like my husband, Peter, and so Tyler became a part of my daily routine. I initially just watched for fun but then started trying his recipes. He had quickly become my favorite celebrity chef. Our family took a last minute trip to San Francisco in 2010 for my birthday in July and we actually met him while dining at his new restaurant! Not only did we meet him, but he was gracious enough to spend a good amount of time at our table posing for pictures and answering stupid "star" questions that we were scrambling to ask to keep him from walking away. After having the birthday dinner of a lifetime, I decided to write him a thank you when we got back and bake him some of my ginger molasses cookies. Betsy even painted him a picture that went along in the package. Two days later the phone rang. Peter answered. It was Tyler! He was calling our house!! Once again, he was gracious and thanked Peter for our gift. He said Betsy's picture was hanging in his office AND after explaining that his staff had quickly devoured the cookies, he asked that I send him my recipe for them! His flattery inspired me....
In August of that year, Betsy and I joined my parents on a long, long car trip all of the way to Nova Scotia for my Grammy Edna's 90th birthday. She is the best and most proficient baker I have ever known. I decided she was the test. I would bake my ginger molasses cookies and take them along for the Smith family to try. I had never dared put my baking against Grammy's. Who would? She can still have 10 pies made from scratch by 9am. After a little prodding she tried one. It was a hit again! I was given approval by my wonderful grandmother and master baker. My confidence was building....
That Fall I started baking for a few birthday parties and Peter was so supportive of a kitchen often dusted in flour and test batches going in the trash. At one point, he said he couldn't eat one more sample or he wouldn't be able to fit into his clothes! He came up with a catchy name and helped me make a beautiful brochure and website as I checked out countless cookbooks from the library and studied how to make elegant final touches on my cakes.
It's been so much fun! I've been baking every day. Now I am thinking two or three cakes a day is no big deal. We hosted a dessert cocktail party in November of 2010 so everyone could have a taste. I've even traveled with cakes on the plane to Jacksonville for my family to try. Peter often leaves for work with a cake and an address on a sticky note. He can now deliver a cake without a blemish! Thank you to all of you who have tasted, supported and ordered. Baking cakes has simply become my passion.
We relocated to The East Bay Area of San Francisco in 2011 where Peter accepted a faculty position at St. Mary's College of California. I was excited to start Dessert at My Place at our new home in Lafayette. To celebrate our move to California, we took Betsy on her first night as a California resident to Tyler Florence's restaurant in the city, Wayfare Tavern, where this baking adventure was inspired by his flattery. To my BIG, HUGE surprise, he pairs freshly baked cookies with an order of coffee and that night ours were my ginger molasses cookies! Tyler came out from the kitchen just to say hello to us. I couldn't believe they now sometimes serve cookies just like the ones he requested my recipe for last summer!! In fact, when we saw Tyler that night, he actually referred to the cookies and my recipe as "killer." I have pictured the cookies to the right that we were served that night after our meal. He even kept the coating of turbinado sugar! Not a bad way to kick off business in our new city!
The East Bay area has been a wonderful place for my business to grow. In 2012, I entered my dark chocolate salted caramel brownie in a tasting event in Lafayette and was honored to win a first place medal. My dark chocolate cake has quickly become a customer favorite. I never dreamed in an area with plenty of bakeries that my desserts would be a hit. I think it's the Southern touch that sets mine apart. The foodies in Berkeley have been some of my best customers. I have been blessed to have a cottage bakery bursting at the seams!
In 2016, a unique position became available in Mt. Diablo Unified School District where I could return to work as an inclusion specialist helping children with special needs succeed in the general education classroom. Fighting for children's rights and helping them succeed is my other lifelong passion along with baking. I couldn't pass up this amazing opportunity.
I am still baking today when I can fit it in my work schedule. I follow the school calendar so my availability often depends on that. I cannot promise it's a yes but send me an email and we can see if it works!
Maybe one day somehow these two passions will come together???
