If you are new here, or perhaps have only come to know me or the blog in the past couple of years, this is likely the only capacity you’ve ever seen Sweet Miscellany. But, when I started this blog over six years ago, it was as a companion to my baking business of the same name. It was a small business with a sole owner and employee (ahem, ME) and the goal was to create treats for those that suffer from food allergies or cannot indulge in the typical dairy and gluten-laden baked goods. For three years I sold at my local farmers market up in Longview and via a shop on Etsy. It was a lot of hard work and late nights but oh so rewarding. One of my favorite moments was when a market customer told me her son loved Saturdays because it meant he could eat get his weekly cookie treat. He had so many food allergies that he couldn’t enjoy one elsewhere in our town. That moment was why I did what I did. That and the fact that I got tired of the sub-par crap passed off at gluten free and/or vegan baked goods.
When I moved back to Houston in 2014, I originally had the intent to bring that part of Sweet Miscellany with me. I was going to find a suitable farmers market and kitchen space to rent. But once I started settling in, everything seemed overwhelming. There were already so many people here doing what I did but on a much larger scale. It seemed as if I would get lost in the noise. I thought on it for weeks and ultimately decided to “retire”. I decided to take the portions I really loved about it and translate it elsewhere into recipe development and teaching. So I focused all of my effort into the blog, getting freelance work with a few publications, and working with yoga retreats and other events as a plant based chef. But every time I went to get rid of the supplies and equipment related with my baking business, something told me to wait and hold onto it. So there everything sat, hidden away but holding steady. Waiting.
Back in the damning heat of the late summer as I was visiting the farm I freelance for, the topic of their farmers market came up. And for whatever reason, I decided to give them my business card as a potential vendor. Apparently three years was what my body and mind needed. I decided I would officially re-launch the dormant business side of Sweet Miscellany because no matter how many other similar products there are on the market, there will never be anybody that does what I can do. I recognize that now but it wasn’t so apparent three years ago.
And so here we are. The reason I’ve been somewhat absent from the space the past couple of weeks is that I was busy preparing and baking for the official “come back” event. It was last Saturday out by the farm I work with. And although I didn’t sell as much as I would have liked to, it felt great to be back in that capacity. To pour my heart and soul into something and be able to pass that on to others. To connect. To interact. To share. I’m not yet sure what event I will do next but I am set up to make and deliver goods in the Houston area. I’ll be adding a “Products” tab to the blog menu soon in case anyone would like to peruse what I have thus far. And, I might even do some Black Friday deals so stay tuned. 😉
