It is so embarassing to realize how much time has gone by without posting on this blog, but it's been a very busy few months and this will be an attempt to catch up.
Early August found me headed to Michigan to spend a weekend with my 5 sisters; sister Beth's partner, Dorrie, who is like a sister to me; mom, daughter. aka Honey Girl, and Kennedy, my granddaughter. It was a blast and the photo below is my favorite from the entire weekend. My two youngest sisters, Suzy (laughing), and Maggie with her. It was heartwarming to be with all of these people who inspire and put up with me.
Suzy and Maggie
Me and granddaughter, Kennedy
From there I traveled with Honey Girl to her home in Indiana where I met up with Mr. Man and we watched over Kennedy and Jake while my daughter and son-in-law traveled to Seattle on a business trip. There is a reason young people have babies....oh my goodness! We were exhausted for weeks after those 5 days, but boy did we have fun with the grandchildren!
Jake and I baked a cake and cookies and like all kids he wanted to lick the spatula when I was finished mixing.
Between the traveling I've been baking cakes and still attending culinary school. Below is a Sweet 16 cake I baked for the daughter of a girlfriend.
And I'm getting more practice baking wedding cakes......
and Groom's cakes.
They are very rewarding, exhausting, frustrating and exciting, all at the same time. Tomorrow will be a tasting for yet another future bride and that wedding is in a few weeks.
Professionally, it's been a very up and down time for me between school, existing business and my desire to grow and succeed in the world of baking / pastry. I have built one business but that started 18 years ago and for some reason I felt no worries, no anxiety, no fear at all doing it. This time is different. This time I am walking away from a career and from hundreds of people who know me as one type of business person to start fresh. Start anew. Start over. All by my choice.
And it's scary.
And thrilling.
And exciting.
And fascinating.
All at once.
Gulp!
My new baking business will have a new name.
Zenzero.
Pronounced, Sen-Sero. It's Italian for 'ginger' ... a nod to my Italian heritage and to my grandpa Clervi who taught me how to bake bread..
I hope to make him proud.
In a short while I'll have a new website and I already have a new logo, thanks to my dear friend, Andrea Levendusky, with The Organic Bird. She created the logo below for me.
Be on the lookout for more news from Zenzero. I think I've been avoiding my blog because I'm a little scared. So bear with me as I move forward in a new direction.
