Humble Beginnings
Several years ago I was working at a start-up tech company where overtime was a daily requirement.
As such, my colleagues and I didn't have much time for socializing and company morale was low.
When I learned that my colleague's birthday was approaching, I wanted to surprise her with a homemade cake. I was not a skilled baker, in fact I was really quite bad at it but I was determined. The cake I made was very simple but it came out great. Folks around the company left their desks to mingle, eat and celebrate.
That first cake lead to another and soon my inbox started to fill with "My birthday is coming up soon" emails. Management didn't want me to stop baking and even paid me extra to cover baking expenses! Some weeks I'd bake four or five separate desserts, sometimes even two a day. My baking became a part-time job and I learned a ton.
The Blog
One of my coworkers (and biggest fans) left the company and she suggested that I start a blog so that she could keep tabs on what I was making. At the time I wasn't even sure what a blog was but decided to give it a try. Never in my wildest imagination did I ever thing anyone outside of friends and family would read it. Boy was I ever wrong. :)
I named this blog after a scene from one of my favorite movies of all time, Stranger Than Fiction. In the scene, Mr. Crick (Will Ferrell) brings Miss. Pascal (Maggie Gyllenhaal) a tray full of flours because he's smitten with her. When he says "I brought you flours" and she doesn't speak for a moment, I always melt. That look on her face, her inability to say anything...sigh! It makes me smile from ear to ear.
Although many years has passed since I worked at that start-up, I still enjoy baking for folks on their birthdays, to help celebrate big events in their lives or for no particular reason at all. One of my very favorite things to do is the bake a dessert from someone's past, something they haven't had since their were little. Food memories are linked to very powerful emotions and almost always conjure up memories of happy times and special people. I love tapping into that.
Me
As for me, I still work on the interwebs and make my living as a professional computer geek. I live in Seattle, Washington and I love spending time with my family. I also love cooking, corny jokes and swooning over good sheets. I have a weakness for fonts, flowers, colorful things and sunny days.
Thank you so much for stopping by!
Julia
As such, my colleagues and I didn't have much time for socializing and company morale was low.
When I learned that my colleague's birthday was approaching, I wanted to surprise her with a homemade cake. I was not a skilled baker, in fact I was really quite bad at it but I was determined. The cake I made was very simple but it came out great. Folks around the company left their desks to mingle, eat and celebrate.
That first cake lead to another and soon my inbox started to fill with "My birthday is coming up soon" emails. Management didn't want me to stop baking and even paid me extra to cover baking expenses! Some weeks I'd bake four or five separate desserts, sometimes even two a day. My baking became a part-time job and I learned a ton.
The Blog
One of my coworkers (and biggest fans) left the company and she suggested that I start a blog so that she could keep tabs on what I was making. At the time I wasn't even sure what a blog was but decided to give it a try. Never in my wildest imagination did I ever thing anyone outside of friends and family would read it. Boy was I ever wrong. :)
Although many years has passed since I worked at that start-up, I still enjoy baking for folks on their birthdays, to help celebrate big events in their lives or for no particular reason at all. One of my very favorite things to do is the bake a dessert from someone's past, something they haven't had since their were little. Food memories are linked to very powerful emotions and almost always conjure up memories of happy times and special people. I love tapping into that.
Me
Thank you so much for stopping by!
Julia
