For the love of food!
Growing up I absolutely loved to cook and bake. Something I have always hoped to pass down to my children. As well as something that I could do as a career! I cannot lie I tried school. I got into my dream school (Johnson & Wales!!- Go WILDCATS!) but I never truly caught onto the school part of it all. So I left and decided to go about it in my own way.
I decided to just bake for fun for a bit and give myself time to find my niche! I have taken to PINTEREST to come up with some ideas. I have found basic recipes that I have fallen in love with. Of course, I find ways to tweek them to make them my own. Different flavorings or a different chip flavor to change the genuine course of the food adventure!
I have yet to fully pinpoint it but in about November of 2022 I accidently created CJ BELLS. Yes I said accidentally and I am not kidding! I was going thru the forms on the IRS website to register a cottage bakery as a business. Filling them out. Debating but not truly sure. Toying with the idea if you will. When I got side tracked with a new task that has caught my attention. When I got back to the computer without even thinking I submitted said registration. At first I did not truly realize what I had done. Then that email dung my phone. I officially owned a cottage bakery! I HAD A GOVERNMENT RECOGNIZED BUSINESS!
Now at that point Josh was pretty unphased by my random ideas and everything of that nature. So when I told him I had accidentally created a legal business he wasn’t really too surprised. Now, not going to lie, I have not done much of anything with it. I had a successful order for a staff gathering! Just some fun, yummy cookies. But thats as much as I have done. I have no current full plan which is disappointing but with a few five star reviews (that I am so thankful for) I now have decided to try a few new things! Sugar cookies, macaroons, and smash cakes to name a few! Baking is a fairly newfound love of mine. The creations that can be brought to life and the pure joy of creating something so sweet yet comforting is amazing. But food. Just the pure bliss of cooking is my love language!
I will NEVER cook on a large scale. The stress and overwhelming sense of self conscious behavior that comes with it isn’t worth it to me. Yes some may argue that a great chef can cook in many climates but I for one cannot. I can cook. That I am undoubtly confident with. As a Chef I had once said ” a chef is one of the most self-centered human beings. They cook what they want, where they want, when they want. without question or doubt the best ones know when or who to share their passion with. Never let anyone kill the fire within yourself and always stay true to why you cook. and never bend from who you are.” With that being said I have learned that I can cook under pressure but it is not my best work. I am not proud of my cooking when its done on a scale too large for my liking. So I refuse to and I feel that I would be compromising my self-worth by doing so. I am not one of those chefs that can cook for just anyone. And not everyone has the privilege of eating my food. My love for cooking stems from a dark place. Something I am not proud of but am aware of- that’s a story for another entry. I am particular with who I cook for and what I choose to cook. But my family and close friends LOVE my cooking. Most have commented on the fact I should sell my food. Everything from Italian food to Chinese. I have done a few french dishes (mostly breakfast) and one polish dish- pierogies obviously!
I cannot wait to share my food journey with you all and I hope your ready to start cooking! Youtube channel coming soon!
