There is always someone who influences our passions, and even though many important people have influenced me, Grandmother was the one who inspired my love for baking. It all started with a simple Cake Walk at the Community Church building one Christmas season.  Another woman and I ended up winning a Strawberry Cake, and my Grandmother asked me to let the woman have it. The following weekend, that kind woman brought me her version of a homemade Strawberry Cake. 

Grandmother was known for baking Coconut Cake and Red Velvet. I hovered around her, watching and waiting for the beaters and bowl. I loved the icing! I remember how happy cakes made everyone when they knew it was time for dessert. 

I asked Grandmother one time, when baking biscuits, why she put an indentation in the middle of the biscuit. She said, “Because my mama always did, and her mama always put an indentation.” There was always a story, and I would love to think I am keeping it alive by preserving her cakes and baking skills.