I got a very early start in the kitchen.  Ever since I can remember, I’ve been fascinated by kitchen objects, so it won’t surprise you that I can remember making hot dogs and box mac n’ cheese when I was 8.  I was 10 when I made my first cake, a carrot cake I made from fresh carrots that my brothers helped me harvest right out of the yard.  That first cake was so successful, I never stopped baking and cooking!  Delicious food runs on both sides of the family.  My father taught me what he learned as a chef at Walt Disney World, and I learned a lot of delicious family-style dishes from my mom and grandmothers.  I developed a very deep first love for desserts, pastries, and breads, although I never shied away from any type of cooking.  I opened Edward’s Gourmet Confections and Fine Coffees with my husband Eric in 2019 after spending several years in a hospitality and business career.  We started in our small kitchen with only two sheet pans, and made brownies, cinnamon rolls, and lemon bars to sell at the markets.  The city of Orlando has been very good to us, supporting us through all our growth and changes.  They received my first big hit creation, the Citrus-Glazed Croissant Doughnut with open arms, which eventually led to us receiving several mentions in the local newspaper, The Orlando Sentinel, and on social media.  In 2021, we received runner-up for the Best Doughnut category in the annual Foodie Awards.  I spend a huge amount of time writing, I write everything from random thoughts, to theories, poetry, music, recipes and formulas, ratios and correlations.  My biggest realization to date has to do with how much our physical, mental, and emotional health is influenced by what we put into our bodies.  My intuition has kept me from enjoying foods that contain potentially harmful ingredients without conscience.  But to keep in touch with reality (anyone can go overboard!), I like to remind myself “everything in moderation.”  Unless, of course, you happen to need to avoid gluten.  In that case, staying totally clear of gluten helps your body maintain itself with less stress, discomfort, and in some cases, damage.  Eric and I needed to take some time off from baking to work on our health, but I took lots of notes, and wrote many new recipes along with completely reworking my business model and reintroducing our brand as a 100% gluten-free brand.  We are right on the cusp of a more exciting world, and we will make food more healthy and exciting right along with it.