Early on Saturday mornings I would wake up to the smell of cinnamon and apples. I would come running down stairs, climb up on the stool and watch my grandmother cooking homemade applesauce. She saw my curious nature for being in the kitchen and took it upon herself to pass down the lessons that had been taught to her.

 

My great great-grandfather William Sidney Hawkes was a chef on the B & O railroad. He along with his wife Mary Viola Hawkes (my great great-grandmother) also owned a restaurant in Buffalo, NY. William taught his daughter Genevieve (my grandmother) everything he knew about cooking and baking. She in turn passed all she learned down to me.

 

I’ve been baking since I was 6. My grandmother would wake me up early on Saturday and Sunday mornings to teach me the ins and out around the kitchen. I immediately fell in love. She taught me what pans to use, how long to bake, when to check on things in the oven. The part I remember most is how she NEVER used measuring cups. She would put a dash of this, a scant of that in the batter. I said grandma how am I supposed to know how much that is. She took my tiny face into wrinkled hands and said someday you will. Well grandma was right! Sometimes I can still hear her talking me through things when I’m baking. The love she shared for baking was definitely passed down to me.

 

Baking has always been therapeutic for me . I LOVE BEING IN THE KITCHEN! I continued to bake for my family and friends and would sometimes take my baked goods into work. It was my co-workers who said I should sell my cakes. And that’s where it began. 

 

Grandma instilled in me the love for homemade baked goods. You would never find a store bought cake in her house. She used to say there is love in every bite when you make it with your hands. Now I want to bring my family history and the love I have for baking to you and your families.