“I’ve never made that before, but I’m willing to try!”

When I first opened the bakery, and when Covid19 wasn’t a thing yet, I have to admit that I was overwhelmed. I’d worked in a restaurant my entire life, but baking is something altogether different. Baking is a science, adding a pinch more of something can alter the outcome of your pastry, so can a humid day when you’ve got croissants on the roster! Some of my earliest cake orders still put a smile on my face when I think about them. Calls would come in for cakes I’d never made before (some of them I’d never even heard of!). I remember giving my honest answer to the customer; that ‘I’d never made a rum cake, but I’m willing to try’, and leaving it up to them to place their order with me or look elsewhere. As nervous as I was, I was so appreciative, and still am, to those that trusted me. From Italian rum cakes, to Irish soda bread, to the very rich and savory Italian pizza Gaina during the Catholic Easter season, the list continues today, and as challenging as it is at times, it’s also an opportunity to try something new, and with that, become inspired!