breadcrumbs: Helping Hands!

Throughout my life, I have crossed paths with people who have given me a helping hand. Each has left breadcrumbs and taught me so much about being a chef and making a way for yourself. I believe that most people are genuinely good and the ones that I have met along my path have been so eager to help me learn and grow.

I have told you about my family, but I haven't told you about all of the people not related to me who have treated me like nothing less than family. Now I should probably warn you that I am a very socialble person so I talk to everyone which helps me form relationships. What can I say? Its probably just my southern hospitality.

In 2012, I met Mrs.Sandra Tallant. Mrs Tallant teaches private cooking classes in Washington, DC and I was fortunate to take one as a 16th birthday present from my cousin. Mrs. Tallant taught me how to make bread. It was my very first time making bread and it was an amazing experience to watch the bread grow (proof). I felt this was a milestone in my learning because bread and the science behind making it will be a fundamental element of my pastry education. While there are many different breads that require different techniques, this experience allowed me to make something I'd never made. No pun intended, but this was a significant breadcrumb for my career. Not only was the experience rewarding, but also the bread was so good! Perfectly crusty on the outside yet soft inside. And, as the universe would have it, I was asked to make bread during the National SkillsUSA competition. Because of this experience with Mrs. Tallant, I felt comfortable practicing breads at home and then competing against other students.

After visiting my cousin for my 16th birthday, I wanted to return to Washington, DC to work during the summer. Terra spoke with my mom and I was allowed to begin working in Washington that following June. I have returned each summer and worked with various culinary-based programs and organizations. This has been an invaluable opportunity to gather more breadcrumbs and broaden my horizons.

While in Washington during my first summer, I met another key contributor to my life, Pastry Chef Tanya Logan. In the picture below, she and her husband are posing for another scholarship that I was applying for sponsored by DoSomething.org and Sprint to discourage texting and driving. Tanya and her husband have been very supportive of all my scholarships and will do anything to help just like many of the mentors in my life. Outside of her support for my scholarship efforts, Tanya has taught me so much during the two years we have known each other. I must say that her teaching has helped me learn a great deal about running a baking business. One of the most important things that she taught me when we first met was baking math and science. Having her one-on-one instruction as I help her prepare her orders allows me to get insight into how each ingredient plays a role in the things we make!

One recipe that Tanya will not share is her lemon pound cake. This is an ongoing joke for us but I do understand that it is a family recipe that has been kept discreet for many years. I highlight it here because it's absolutely the best lemon pound cake I have tasted. The lemon flavor is so prominent yet perfectly balanced with that sweetness of a well-made pound cake. If you're ever in this area (or even if you're not), order a lemon pound cake from Soul Cakes by Tanya and I promise you won't be disappointed.

Within this post I also provide a logo for Brainfood, a summer program that I participated in for two consecutive summers in Washington, DC. During my first summer, I just learned basic kitchen skills but this was a critical starting point to give me more training and help me grow from a home-based cook to a future chef. For example, the knife skills I learned at Brainfood have helped me to be more safe and efficient in preparing my dishes. During my second summer with Brainfood, I was given an opportunity to operate a CSA with several other students. We were responsible for tending the garden, harvesting produce, marketing, strategic planning and distributing the produce boxes to customers. We even used some of the ingredients to prepare food to provide to the customers! One of my favorite items was the homemade pizza dough we made to provide to clients. The dough was frozen and we provided detailed instructions for how to make pizza using the other produce provided in the box. However, the students were allowed to make pizza to eat after our work was done for the day at it was amazing! The crust was perfectly crisp on the outside yet chewy and slightly sweet. Brainfood is a wonderful program that teaches kids about sustainable foods and cooking healthy and this breadcrumb of my life has been a significant experience.

In the final picture, I am standing beside an alum from the CIA! Ashley Soto is the executive pastry chef at my job, Farmers Fishers Bakers. I met her last summer and began working for her to learn how to better myself and my craft. Working in such a popular Washington, DC restaurant, I have learned so many things just by watching and listening to people around me. Lucky for me, the management at the restaurant have allowed me to gain industry experience and shadowing opportunities in just about each area of the business. Most days, I am a Pastry Cook but I also have been able to learn aspects of hosting, serving and and being "Future Manager."