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To Bake or Not to Bake

The day was finally approaching when I would meet with a lady that, works directly with the high-risk girls that are coming out of juvenile hall and placed in a group home. When I arrived for our meeting, we sat and spoke about why she is doing what she is doing and how I may be able to help her by doing what I used to do for children, which was make, bake and decorate baked goods. She escorted me around to see the amenities in and around the property. There was a kitchen in place, but, it was rather small. I thought we can make it work. but, I will need to figure out how. As we sat down to speak which was near the front door, women were pulling up to volunteer because, they were getting ready for a fashion show in the juvenile hall. Then, suddenly a lady that I recognized walked through the door, I jumped up to give her a hug and we were both surprised to see each other there.  This lady was my co-pilot on our journey to Mexico for a high school mission trip.  Wow, what a small world, not even knowing her passion along our journey of 7 days.

Preparing

What do I do?  What am I supposed to do? Do I want to do ________?  What do I feel like I should do?

As I was preparing for my first upcoming event with these high-risk girls. I thought I should______.even though I am being prompted to__________He was prompting me to _________ yet, I pushed back.  I told my self its going to be all about spending time with these children versus showing them how to make, bake and decorate.  The high-risk girls that I was going to be spending time with for the first time are considered “high-risk” for abuse, sexual exploitation and sex-trafficking.  This particular organization helps restore lost dreams and over a course of several months inspire a sense of value and purpose for these high-risk girls.

Approaching the day of the event…

I  had to verify that I had all the baking and decorating supplies that would be required to carry out this hands on event.

What If

I started thinking about, what ‘if’ (which caused me to start rethinking making everything on site at the facility.  I called the lady at the organization on this particular Thursday to get a last head count and to see how much time we had to make, bake and decorate. I was told 1 ½ hours or longer if needed and around ten children. After the phone conversation, I took it upon myself to tell the event coordinator that I would bring the cookies baked instead for the children to decorate. So,  I moved forward and I  made the cookie dough, I even thought I will take the dough for the girls to cut out and we will bake the cookies on site, then I thought I will bake some of the cookies in advance, so they are cooled off that way they can decorate as the others baked in the oven. So, I decided I would bring the cookies baked and ready to decorate.  As I started mixing these ingredients, I thought, about how much time I was putting in, in advance.  Then, when the cookies were in the oven , they spread out from the cutout shape, where the cutout form wasn’t there.  So, I had to think fast, I used the cookie cutter again (when the cookies were warm), this left a frame around each cookie.  When the cookies cooled, I popped the inner cookie out.

On Thursday, I decided I would prep the icing without using the wet ingredients till right before it was time to go on Saturday. But, then I changed my mind and thought what if the icing does not turn out, I would need time to run to the store for more ingredients.  So, I made the icing on Friday night.

The Day Arrived

Finally, Saturday morning arrived; it was 8:30 am the time I need to get ready to leave for my bible study.  I decided to check my e-mail to see if I needed to bring my laptop and to make sure we were all meeting still.  Then, I saw an email from the event coordinator.  She said…

Good morning,  I’m saddened to say I received a call from the group-home staff that they had a crisis last night and have to cancel today. I’m frustrated that it’s such short notice. We’ve had very few cancellations in the past, and this seemed rather odd so I’m a little worried, but so sorry to do this to you. I know you’ve invested time and supplies and blocked this time month’s out. If there’s any chance we could reschedule not too far off in the near future, that would be great. And, if you have time to just sit and talk one of these days I’d love to have coffee and hear your heart for ministry. Again, I’m so sorry and so bummed:(

Due Diligence

After this email, I thought…but….I just did all this work…what am I to do with all these baked cookies and icing.  So, I thought this must not be what I am meant to do.  I responded to her rather quickly with… if things change I am open to do something tomorrow otherwise no worries at all. I’m off to a Bible study I will be in touch soon have an awesome day!

I’m sure it’s the devil knowing that the girls may be touched in a positive way.

Remaining Hopeful

So, I went to my bible study,one of the ladies at the bible study works in the children’s ministry so, I asked her if they could use the cookies, because after all I needed a back up plan and I did not want the cookies to go to waste.  The ladies from the bible study said just freeze everything. I said yeah, but, I was thinking this would be a great thing for the girls at the church to do. Although,  I did not want to interrupt their plan for the day so I e-mailed the church this was not leaving much time for them to respond.  I patiently waited at home, waiting for the 2nd service to end thinking I would hear back from them.  Yet, no response.  So, I attempted to put everything in the freezer.  But, then I paused and thought I should wait to see if maybe I am being impatient and reacting to quickly.  I then thought about how much my daughter would enjoy decorating cookies. My daughter and I decided to decorate the cookies, which she took most of them to school to pass out.

Lesson

The lesson I learned was to not alter what God prompted me to do! Did you notice all the ‘I’ statements versus the ‘Him’ statements?

Results

Then, Bam! (the answer is in my book that is in the works)

Cramers Bakery

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Our Family Bakery Operation

Here’s a snippet of some of the things I will discuss further in my book about our family bakery operation and our family life.

Our family bakery was open Mondays through Saturdays from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. The hours of operation changed one time per year.  We closed the bakery during the summer for family time, the annual two-week closure was important, considering the many hours that the entire family and non family members dedicated to the business.

My Fathers Presence

Growing up I missed my father presence (at home). He worked six to seven days a week (and) about 12 to 14 hours a day. We had to be super quiet during the day, so he could sleep, which was very hard to do.  I have learned no one appreciates or values the labor involved in a product when you make everything from scratch and you do not use equipment to do the work for you. My father’s feet, legs, hands were in pain all the time. My uncle had back injuries from heavy lifting too.

Customers

Our family bakery had dedicated daily customers, even if it was for a cheap cup of coffee.  We had a steady flow of repeat customers that lived locally.  A lot of our repeat customers where state workers.  The state workers would order in advance and then pick up their orders on their way to their office meeting. We also had customers that would travel from San Francisco and Reno that would come to purchase our baked goods. 

Cake Decorator

There was this precious lady by the name of Kim that would decorate cakes for all sorts of events from birthdays, graduations, anniversaries to weddings.  She produced some amazing cakes.  I enjoyed watching her make roses and decorate the children’s cakes.  It takes patience and perfection to achieve a masterpiece like hers.  

Patience

I often think about being patient as I live out my life daily.  If I ask God to slow my roll, I will be able to do things slow! Patience has always been a struggle for me because, I had so many responsibilities from a young age.

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Prophetic Word – 3rd follow-up

At my last hair appointment my friend asked me if I thought about baking ever again.  I said, no, but,I do miss the time I spent with the kids. My friend also brought up ways in doing my prior baking by doing it with battered women and children.  This conversation is another follow up to the prophetic word spoken to me.

Shared my limitations

I told her my limitations at the moment, she reminded there are lots of ways to make this happen; pursing grants, funding, etc.

Pondering

I know my idea had impacted many…

  • because, it was unique
  • because, the parents had no additional costs or messes
  • because, of the memories that were created
  • because, of the lesson learned
  • because, of the outcome
  • because, of the reward

Lord, direct me where you want me to go!

The Bakers Daughter

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When Did This Thought Come About?

It was in or around 2007 that I started thinking about owning my own business.  

What Type Of Business Should I Start, One That Caters To Children Of All Ages

I had no idea what direction I was going to go when it came to owning my own business, until something clicked. The click was only after I thought long and hard about what I had fond memories of from my childhood.  

Isn’t life all about creating memories?

I had to think long and hard about what I wanted to do and that others would want to do via my business idea.  

What peaked my interest?

If I were to think about my childhood and where I was most of the time and what I enjoyed doing at that time.  It would be when I went to work with my father.  During this time I would play among-st our cake decorations.  Dreaming about the Disney cake decoration and wishing I  was there in that scene.  I wanted to learn how to make all the background colors using an air brush machine.  I also enjoyed watching the cake decorators make up roses for the cakes.  The pedals of the roses seemed impossible to do and as much as I watched them perform their magic, I struggled with understanding how they did something artistic with icing. When I got older I attempted and struggled making roses.   The rose foundation was made with soft icing, and this soft icing base made it impossible for me to work on top of.  As I spun the ‘nail’ to make the rose pedal around the center base, I would look like a circle around the base of the nail.  Ugly!  Since, that time I have learned you must have a firm foundation for the pedals to rest on, which required a firmer icing. Much like our lives, we must have a firm foundation.

Decorating Cakescreation

I thought long and hard about owning and operating a bakery.  But, that is not the direction I wanted to go.   Because, there is too much labor and expense involved in all that.  Then, I thought what did I enjoy so much with my father?  I do know it was us spending time together.  There was so much hustle and bustle at the bakery.  During the holidays I loved seeing all the baked goods turn into a beautiful masterpiece to be sold. My most favorite items were the Easter bunny cakes; they were made with chocolate cake, filled with butter cream icing, covered in a chocolate hard coat, decorated to look like a cute bunny and they tasted ohhh so good and they looked adorable too, because, they had big floppy ears.  I also, enjoyed the Gingerbread Houses along with the large cookies with thick amounts of icing on them. 

Summing It All Up

It was the holidays, spending time together, learning something new. I ran with those memories and tested them at my daughter’s upcoming birthday. Let’s just say that my daughter was my guinea pig by doing a cupcake decorating birthday party.  

Let’s Go Shopping

I made a bunch of small investments; purchased a small convection oven to bake the cupcakes (it was too small).  I bought icing bags, tips and decorations.  

The Birthday Party

The birthday party was a hit, everyone loved the idea.

Seeking Out Bargains

I started looking for items that were for sale, most of my bakery supplies came from places going out of business.  During this time I used my income to purchase all my start-up items.  I bargained shopped…I bought thousands of dollars worth of stuff for barely anything.   

I applied for the necessary business license to own and operate my very own business, which was rather exciting and nerve-racking at the same time.  

Gotta Start Some Where

I started by doing my business out of my home which meant going to other people’s homes to teach the children how to make, bake and decorate.  

Location, Location, Location

I left one of the events thinking about how much I enjoyed giving these children the experience of getting in the kitchen and baking to their heart’s content.  Most of these children told me, my parents do not want me in the kitchen making a mess.  It broke my heart hearing this from their mouths. Children need to know how to function in the kitchen.  So, off I went with my mind full of ideas as I drove away. So, off I went making way for The Baker’s Daughter.  I was not thrilled with my first business location, when it came to the amenities I had to work with but, I made the best of it.  

The owners of the property wanted no food operation at this business location.  But, when I told them what I wanted to do, they supported me.  The owner’s became near and dear to my heart.  I was at this particular location for about two years. During this time our landlord spouse passed away from cancer.  After his passing their son took over for his father.  When our lease was about to expire, we started looking for another location. My spouse at the time found two great buildings and another wonderful family for landlords.  

Media

I had the honor of being on the local news three different times, two of the three times were at my first business location and the other time was at the news station.  A large local newspaper came out and took pictures and asked me a lot of questions about our family bakery business that we owned (Cramer’s Bakery) on Freeport Blvd, Sacramento, CA , the newspaper writer and photographer looked at some old bakery items including our family bakeries recipes. The large local newspaper ended up writing a large article in the local newspaper that ended up bringing me lots of business and requests to make some old recipes from our bakery, (this is another book that is in the works).  After the article was written, I received an email from an old lost friend because, her sister happened to read the article in the newspaper and asked my friend is this is the same Shonna?  My friend and I were friends in high school but, something bad happened that caused us to lose contact.  I will talk about this later.

Moved

The Baker’s Daughter new location was in Rancho Cordova, CA it was an amazing location.  I was slammed with more business because of the location and the facility.  Slammed meaning I was the sole owner and operator, I was working a full-time job, married, raising two children and going to college.  

Ages and stages

I had no age restrictions when it came to children, this was a children’s place, one party at a time place.  Children of all ages would celebrate their birthday, holiday festivities, school and homeschooling field trips.

They would learn how to make, bake and decorate from a third generation baker, or should I say the baker’s daughter. I taught the children by using everyday kitchen stuff because, I wanted the children to know they can do this in their own homes too.   

Imagination

When it came to the children decorating their own cake, I would tell them your imagination is your only limitation.  

I know this has been said by many, but, we don’t use our God-given imagination anymore.

 

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History

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A little by of history was that Cramer’s Bakery was once one of Sacramento city’s most popular Bakeries.  In 1972 my grandfather George Premock Sr. purchased Cramer’s Bakery on Freeport Boulevard. Cramer’s history included a major fire that took place in the business complex that caused the bakery to burn down along with other nearby businesses in the 1980s.

Offerings

As for Cramer’s offerings, “We made everything from scratch from a small item to a large item – cookies, cupcakes, scones, doughnuts, Danish, coffee cakes, pies, all kinds, breads, tea cakes, loaf cakes, cakes and wedding cakes.   The specialty items were the fruit basket cake, the fruit basket was made from a butter sponge we split two layers into four layer and filled in the layers with three different types of fruit , then, we covered the cake with freshly made whip cream.  

We were also known for our not to sweet butter cream icing and the beehive which was another specialty item.”

Hours of Operation

Cramer’s Bakery was open Mondays through Saturdays from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.  The schedule changed one time per year.  “We took two weeks off – closed the bakery during the summer for family time, the annual two-week closure was important, considering the many hours that the entire family and non family members dedicated to the business.  Growing up I missed my father presence (at home). He worked six to seven days a week (and) about 12 to 14 hours a day. We had to be super quiet during the day, so he could sleep, which was very hard to do.  I have learned no one appreciates or values the labor involved in a product when you make everything from scratch and you do not use equipment to do the work for you. My father’s feet, legs, hands were in pain all the time. My uncle had back injuries from heavy lifting too.  

Customer Loyalty

Cramer’s had dedicated daily customers, even if it was for a cheap cup of coffee. During the holidays we had two sets of numbers ranging from one to 100 people. The customers would have to take a number, go shopping elsewhere and return to pick up their pre-orders because the lines where out the door for last minute purchases.  We had people traveling from San Francisco, Reno, etc. to purchase our items.  A lot of our customers were state workers they would order for office meeting and events.  

Speed

I couldn’t believe my eyes, as a fruit basket cake was completed and placed in the showcase, it was purchased within seconds…my grandfather trained a man by the name of Mark to assemble this particular cake in record speed.  He spun the cake plate so fast, used the spatula ever so fast and completed this cake in less than 5 minutes to be sold for around $18.75 at the time and it was considered an 8” cake.  This man was the hardest and fastest worker when it came to assembling store front cakes.  

Cake Decorator

Then, there was this precious lady by the name of Kim that would decorate cakes for all sorts of events from birthdays, graduations, anniversaries to wedding.  She produced some amazing cakes.  I enjoyed watching her make roses and decorate the cake.  But, when it came to me decorating at Rosemont Bakery I was not proud of my work.  I think it takes patience and perfection to achieve a masterpiece.  I often think about this as I live out my life daily.  Why am I unable to do things slow I am able to do things slow, if I ask GOD to slow my roll.  Growing up having so many responsibilities at a young age and being the oldest I had to accomplish so much more for others versus myself.  

Grandfather’s Wishes

My grandfather told his sons prior to his passing, that no wives are allowed in this business!  My grandmother was the one that made the deposits at the bank each week.   My aunt Janet was needed for decorating cakes then she started working in the store front.  Then there was my mom she came in on Sunday’s along with us girls to help clean the store front.  My cousin George was led by my grandfather to master the whip cream showcase.  During this time my father brought me under his wing and started teaching me how to do his work.  Breads, Danish, cookies and the famous Beehive. So we could leave to open up another bakery.  The time finally came when my father had a heart to heart with his brother, this was a point that they stopped talking to one another.  So, my father had a friend realtor draw up paperwork to be bought out. 

Rosemont Bakery

My father James Premock left Cramer’s Bakery around 1990 to establish Rosemont Bakery at 9131 Kiefer Blvd.; we were between Watt Avenue and Bradshaw Road, in the Rosemont Plaza shopping center.  It took about a year to find a location, equipment, permits, etc.  When we finally opened Rosemont Bakery at the former site of New York Bagel Boys in 1991, I remember vividly people coming to the door, saying open, open, but, the county caused delays.  We had to tear out a non-functioning walk in freezer then, we had to have permits for a mop sink and partition walls, then, the floors caused more delays.  Every corner we turned we were hit with another delay.  Once we opened our doors, we had consistent customers.  Our business was doing great, the sales were increasing.  During this time just family and my boyfriend worked there.  The family consisted of my mom, my two sisters and at the time my boyfriend.  Later on we needed a cake decorator, clerk and a clean-up person.  

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In The Heat Of The Night

During the summertime the bakery would get blazing hot inside, unless the door was open in the back.  Well there was one night that my father left soon after my arrival.  I was working on the baked goods, getting them ready for the store front.  I was sweltering to death, so, knowing that my boyfriend would be arriving soon.  I opened up the back door of the bakery.  I resumed at the bakery bench, cutting pastries and placing them on the display case pans.  I went to the front of the bakery to load the trays into the showcases.  I would walk back and forth from the back to the front of the bakery.  Well one of the times that I walked to the back, I realized I saw a man’s face peeping behind the wall around.  I said, is there something I can help you with he wouldn’t say anything, I repeated myself one more time in a firmer voice.  He walked out from behind the wall and said ya give me your money.  I responded with what money he said the money you have here.  I said we are not open; the person that has the money is not here yet. (Even though the safe was in plain sight right behind me under the bench).   He said, well give me your purse.  I said, if you want my purse get it yourself, he asked me where is it? I said in the front of the store.  So, he said show me, so he grabbed me to walk to the front of the store, he grabbed the purse and me and when we walked back to the middle of the bakery. I thought, do I grab the gun that is farther away or grab the butcher knife off of the work bench. So, in seconds I had to make a decision, I decided I will run to the bench and grab the butcher knife (that I was using to cut the apple slices).  As I grabbed the knife, I swung my arm back then, I twisted my wrist around with a sweep towards his neck.  Then he grabbed my arm in the nick of time.  He grabbed me; we fought back and forth with the knife.  He threw me up against the bench, as my back hit the bench and bending that direction we continued to fight with the knife.  

Deut. 20:4  For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.