Dear God...I Just Want To Make A Difference....

God speaks to us all. Whether we choose to hear Him that's another story. Life as a Pastry Chef isn't always SWEET and everything I do isn't always related to pastries. Recently I started the She-ro Project. Its a movement for the Empowerment, Uplifting & Inspiration of ALL women.
I started the She-ro Awards Ceremony in March of 2006. It started out as a ceremony honoring business women who have helped other business women in their journey. 5 years later its taken a different turn. In 5 years so much has happened. In 5 years us women have not only lowered the bar but its been dropped on the ground and now being buried by all sorts of debris. The She-ro Awards Ceremony has now been turned into the She-ro Project. My goal is to enlist the help of other women and start the painstaking process of brushing away the debris. This will not happen overnight. We all know Rome wasn't built in a day. It took years to get where we are today and it may take years to rectify but it has to start somewhere.
God put this whole project in my spirit. I spent a great deal of time on the phone with BBF's talking about the state of the Woman today. I talked about how we disrespect ourselves and one another. This really has to stop. God said to me "Why not do something about it? You move and I will move everything to make sure this movement goes in the direction of CHANGE". I had my doubts. I said "God I am only 1 person. How?" God answered me and said "That's what your team is for". Well my team has been PHENOMENAL. The devil has tried to attack me and my movement but my faith did not and will not allow me to be shook or taken off course. I NEVER let go of GODS unchanging hand as I started the movement. I could write a book(I've already started) on how the attacks started the moment I set God's plan into action.

My goal is not to win any prize or receive accolades for what I am doing. My goal is to make a difference in at least I person's life. If I make a difference then my living would not have been in VAIN...

Seek Seek, Seek and You Shall Find

Sometimes in life we look so hard for things that we totally MISS them. Most times they are right before our eyes but in our search for them we overlook them, bypass them. Some are so close that it would BITE if it were any closer. In my line of business I am always doing research.ALWAYS. I try to educate myself as much as possible. The trends in the baking industry are ever changing and I have to stay on top of my game. Keep my ears to the streets. There are so many things to learn but sometimes getting money to take classes to learn these things can sometimes be challenging. I have send to send a HUGE 'THANK YOU" to God for allowing me to learn all the things that I wish to learn. For putting EVERYTHING in my path. With the internet there is a plethora of information at your fingertips. That is one of the reasons I constantly research my industry. Funny..I have been researching this particular technique for quite some time. A little over 1 year to be exact and then becoming frustrated but not giving up...BAM..There it was. Step by step illustration on how to execute this technique. I was about to buy the DVD for $40(plus shipping and handling)but there it was on the internet for FREE. It wasn't on the 1st page nor on the 2nd. I found it somewhere on page 7 or 8 via a Google search. I looked and BOOM there it was. God sees when you are persevering. He sees all your hard work and sacrifices. Never feel defeated and never, ever give up. Seek and you shall FIND INDEED....

ThIS Woman's Place...In The Kitchen

Back in the 1950's a woman's place was in the kitchen and at home with the children. Since then we have evolved and we can basically be what we want and where we want. I didn't choose to be in the kitchen but that is where God saw fit for me to be. How can I fight against that? LOL. To not use God given gifts is a sin and although I am not perfect and nor do I try to be, I definitely want to at least be obedient to utilizing the gifts that God has chosen just for me. One of them just happens to call for me to be in the kitchen. Do I feel like I have been taken back to the days of the kitchen being "THE" place for a woman to be?? No. Absolutely NOT.
Being in the kitchen creating the things I create gives me a tranquil feeling. I find it very therapeutic being in the kitchen. I hear nothing when I become engrossed in decorating my tasty creations. Everything outside of the kitchen becomes nonexistent. I go into a zone. I hear nothing and only see what I am creating. I don't like being interrupted by nothing and no one. I black out,wake up and coming to with a creation in front of me. That explains it in a nutshell.I am sure there are other artists go through the same or similar hypnotic like trance that I do. Every designer probably has their own ritual of how they begin creating. Cake art like any other form of art is interpreted differently by the person who is viewing the work.You may create something that you are not totally in love with and someone may be in complete awe of your work and vice versa. Never in a million years would I have guessed that my profession would be domestic related. What I can tell you is this WOMAN'S place is definitely in the kitchen......

When There's Nothing Left To Do.....

When you've had just about everything go terribly wrong and you felt like you did not have the strength to go and and continue that "Good Fight" just SMILE, take a deep breath and look up. As you ca see in my photo I am looking up. Not at the rolling pin but higher up where my help comes from. I have been going through like I sometimes do. This time the things were more painful, more disruptive and overall made me feel defeated. I had to remind myself that the closer I get to where God wants me to be the more I will be tested. It was like walking down the street on a warm sunny day feeling marvelous and then have someone trip you, watch you fall and then kick you while you are down on the ground.
I had to pick myself up, dust myself off, tend to my wounds and Pray. I know where my help comes from and who I belong to. I had to remind myself that if Jesus went through then I am not exempt. Did that lessen the blows? No. Did I make the wounds less painful? No. There was nothing left to do but pray and smile. I will not let the enemy think he has won. I come from a long line of fighters. I was born for this. Bred for this. So I plan to stay prayed up, stay the course and keep my head up because When There's Nothing Left To Do , the only thing you can do is pray and smile because God's got this...
This fight is not mine alone. I had to remember to get quiet and to go into deep prayer and let God heal me. Strengthen me. Refuel me. When There's Nothing Left To Do.....PRAY.....

Players Change but The Game Still Remains the SAME

This is a picture of my Mom and Me. I was 10 and this was taken at my 5th grade graduation. I would never forget that day. It was just my Mom & Myself the whole day doing the Mommy & Daughter thing. I am not that same person you see in the photo. Life's lessons, experiences and time has caused me to change both inside and out. Mentally, emotionally,spiritually and physically. I had an epiphany that caused me to write this Blog.
"The Players Will Change but The Game Will ALWAYS Remain The Same"
You may have had friends as a child but you and them are no longer close or no longer speak. We sometimes outgrow our childhood friends. Even in your walk as a entrepreneur you will have to change the players on your team. Your circle gets smaller but stronger.
Unfortunately you will not be able to take everyone with you on your journey. Be prepared to leave behind some family members, significant others and even close friends. As painful and cold as this may sound it has to be done. I, myself had to experience this this first hand. For every 2 people God removes he replaces them with 1 strong, faithful and loyal person. What's for you is for you. God clears a path for you. Its up to you to pave that path that God has cleared. God will make and clear a path but if you want that pathway to be smooth then it has to be paved. Paving is the work that you will have to do in your walk along this path. It's called WORK.
I have everything I need as a entrepreneur.My Grandmother & Mother equipped me with the proper tools to get the job done. God had put me in contact with the people who I need and who need me. My vision for my company has not changed. It probably has expanded some but it hasn't changed. The payers who were initially in place to help make that vision come alive has changed.I no longer feel bad or sad about the changes that are made in my walk. I take each one in stride and continue along my path. The path that has been cleared for me by God himself.

I Remember When

This is an picture of my Grandmother Annie Mae Moore. One of my greatest inspirations. I have so many memories of her. On October 19,2004, which happens to be 3 days before my B-Day she was called home to be with God. This was a tragic day for our family. She and I had so many things in common. We were both the oldest of 6 children to start. We used to talk about how our younger siblings got on our nerves. There are so may things I miss about her. How she used to have a scripture for ANY and EVERYTHING that ailed me. I loved how she used to sit in her bedroom and do crossword puzzles eating peanut chews. She brought them by the bagful. Every Thanksgiving we would all get together and watch The Color Purple and she would narrate almost the whole movie. I laugh thinking of all these things.It's important to have those "I remember when" moments in life and in your family. I push rewind and I go back to some of the special moments that she and I shared. I miss talking to her 4-5 times a day. I miss how she used to babysit my dog. The list goes on and on. You never know the time or the day when someone will leave this earth so cherish the moments. Be sure to create those "I remember when" moments with family and friends. Life is short and you never know that time or the date when you or they are scheduled to leave here.

I know my Grandmother is looking down from Heaven wondering why am I making such a fuss over her. Naming my company after her, making sure that as a family we never forget her and constantly keeping her memory and her legacy ALIVE.
Mommay(pronounced Mom-May our nick name for her) you were and are such an inspiration to me that there is no way I will ever let anyone in this family forget you. You are sorely missed and still loved. Sending you Love all the way to heaven.

Time To Push The Reset Button

This is a picture of my Mom. One of the STRONGEST women I know. She taught me how to be strong like her. So in this Blog I salute my Mom Asia Moore. I miss you Mommy.

As I write this Blog I am numb. I have had a very trying, challenging and difficult week. All these things just let me know how much closer I am to my DREAM. My building's elevator has been out now for a little over a week. Imagine going shopping for supplies and having to drag(literally) most of the things up 5 flights for an event your catering for 300 people. I could not possibly leave them in my car. So I did what I had to and made several trips up 5 flights of stairs. I then had to drag the things back down to go into the kitchen in Brooklyn. Did I cry about it? No. I just kept it moving without being upset or distressed.. Staying calm and staying focused on the matter at hand. I have learned is not focus on the problem but to focus on finding a solution but remaining calm throughout the ordeal is KEY. I am so used to going from 0-60 in 60 seconds
I use a lot of butter in making my cakes, icing and cheesecakes so I go to my suppliers to only find out that dairy has gone up tremendously. FOR REAL??? There is no time to cry over any of this. I just had to deal with it.
I GRIND so hard that I sometimes have to push the RESET BUTTON. That consists of me shutting down and doing nothing but relaxing. That entails me maybe going out of town. I sometimes have to leave my working environment in order to regroup and get a fresh start. I know when its time to push that button. My body gives me signs and I pay attention to them. I have to. What I do is physical and rather than have my body shut down on me I shut it down and press RESET.....