- Holidays often bring people together around food. What does the Fourth of July mean to you personally, and are there any traditions you look forward to each year?
Fourth of July to me is about gratitude and reflection. By having time to gather around with family and friends it is also an opportunity to reflect and appreciate the sacrifices that were made by so many people along the way, including our military and first responders.
I love spending time with my family any chance I can get, and the Fourth of July is a chance to do so. My favorite tradition that I look forward to each year is getting to watch fireworks! The community is also one of my favorite parts of the holiday, when everyone gets together to celebrate something bigger than themselves.
- Your Fourth of July cake is both beautiful and meaningful. What inspired you to create it, and why was it important to share it with residents at a homeless shelter in the Central Florida area?
Fourth of July has always been a time for me that is centered around family, community and celebrating our freedom. July Fourth is a time that brings us all together as Americans, no matter what our backgrounds are. When I designed the cake, which I printed on my Icing Images BIG BLUE XL printer, I wanted to capture the heart of what the Fourth is all about, which is about first honoring our freedom with the American Flag. Since this year is the milestone 250th celebration, I felt that it was important to add that into the design as that is something we should all feel incredibly proud to celebrate, especially honoring those who came before us to ensure we can live in the greatest country in the world.
Sharing treats is and will always be important to me and will be a pillar of my company. Holidays in general or even the time leading up to them can be especially difficult for people that are facing challenges. If something like a cake can bring a smile, create a special memory, or simply just remind someone that they are seen and that their community cares about them, then it is always worth doing. I believe that if we all do our part to share sweetness, the world will be a better place.
Through your business, The Cake Girl, you’ve found a way to combine creativity with giving back. What role do you think kindness and community service play in your work, and what do you hope people take away from gestures like donating a cake to a local shelter?
Giving back and serving others is at the heart of what we do as a company each and every day. I feel that a business should be more than just a place that sells a product or service, it should be a place that makes a positive impact on the people and community around you.
Over the years we have had the opportunity and honor to support military, first responders, families in need, foster children, local nonprofits and community events. The experiences that we have at each one of these places are all so unique and all so special in their own ways, I feel that we get just as much joy as the people that we are impacting.
We have a weekly initiative that we call “Random Acts of Sweetness”, and we believe that even the smallest act of sweetness can make a huge difference. I hope that people take away the fact that any act of kindness, or sweetness as we call it, can help someone and make a difference in their life. Sometimes the simplest gestures and actions are those which make the greatest impact. My hope is that more people reach out and do something nice for someone else, we could all find ourselves on the opposite end of that gesture at anytime.
