The reason I love baking …

Hello –

My name is Tina and I am the founder of Be Sweet…a Collection of Confections. My life long love of baking has evolved into the creation of an in home “cottage” bakery, in Richmond, Virginia, where fresh, custom baked breads, cakes and pies are prepared.

Many times, I think back to my childhood and the wonderful memories I have of spending time with my “Granny”. She seemed to always be in her kitchen making something for someone. Granny was a wonderful cook and an absolutely fabulous baker. She always put a little bit of herself in everything she made. She loved to cook but more importantly, she loved to share what she had made with others. Her ideal Sunday was to have as many people as possible sitting around the lunch table after church.

Granny taught me almost everything I know about baking and she made sure I started my education at an early age. I can remember standing on a chair so that I could reach the countertop, and her pinching off a portion of the biscuit dough or pie crust she had just prepared so that I could make my own. These are wonderful memories I still think about today. I had my own miniature pans and would very promptly go about preparing little biscuits or pies or cakes. More times than I can count, she would give me explicit instructions in how to pat the dough, crimp the crust or as she would say, “beat up the batter”.

Granny and I truly had a special bond. We were much more than Grandmother and granddaughter, we were the best of buddies and we loved spending time together. When it came time to leave, she would always say to me, “Be Sweet”. That was her way of telling me to be good, stay safe, to do my best and that she loved and cared about me.

There’s not a time when I bake that I don’t think of my Granny. Every time I lay a pie crust in the pie dish, I feel as though she is there with me, guiding my fingers. Baking with Granny are memories that I will forever cherish and it is to her that I dedicate this collection of yummy sweets.

Be sweet ~

Tina