Cooking with Love

I have always been inspired by Mom. She was an amazing lady. I am proud to be carrying on her artistry in my baking and dessert-making. She planted the seed of love for the kitchen in my heart at a very early age. I have been inspired to cook and bake because I experienced so much love with my mother in the kitchen. I spent time as a young woman cooking and improving my baking skills, dreaming that somehow, someday, she would come back and spend a holiday with me—if only my dishes could become as delicious as hers. That didn’t bring her back, but it did give me the inspiration of continuing her legacy.

This also made me realize that I can help people with my culinary skills, which is very inspirational for me. We all want to do something to help others—and this is something I can do. I love to cook. I feel closest to my mom when I’m in the kitchen. And I love to cook with others—sharing, teaching, and enjoying the miraculousness that is to be found in the everyday and mundane routines of mealtime … and the treasures found in sharing food prepared in love.

She continues to be my inspiration to this day. I was able to open my own online bakery/ministry called The Sweet Life Bakery (in Spanish, Lavida Dulce Bakery) in her honor, and as a means of carrying her legacy forward. I’ve been working so that I can  teach others of my love (and hers) for the kitchen