Pastry Chef Heather Davis
Bigger and Better in Texas
The truth is EVERYTHING is bigger and better in Texas. The vast lands, Texas hair and food portions all support this notion. The same can be said of the sizes of families too. My mom and dad were raised in families of twelve and ten respectively. Growing up on a farm nestled near the Texas Hill Country, my mother harvested purple-hulled peas, squash, watermelons and the family favorite, dewberries. My grandmother raised baby chicks while my grandfather managed cattle, turkeys and pigs too. These childhood experiences influenced my mother as she demonstrated an affinity to cooking. As one can image, the meals and portions for a family of twelve were as big as Texas!
Cultivating Culinary Skills
In the early 60s, mom left the family farm to enroll in the culinary arts program at Texas Southern University in nearby Houston. Mom consumed every facet of her coursework becoming knowledgable and perfecting her skills. While attending college, mom and dad married and the two started a family. Mom's masterful culinary skills transferred easily to our family kitchen. Our daily meals consisted of collard greens, pot roast with carrots and potatoes, and of course dessert. My earliest recollections of dessert include lemon meringue pie, apple pie, dewberry cobbler, peach cobbler and sugar cookies-all made from scratch. As one can imagine, mom's culinary talent nourished her children and influenced the next generation of culinary artists right in her home.
As a little girl, I quickly learned that mom's holiday menu was a bit more elaborate than the usual after-school meal. Juneteeth celebrations, Christmas and my personal favorite, Thanksgiving presented an opportunity to showcase mom's best dishes. Her Thanksgiving menu offered a rich display of traditional trimmings but homemade yeast rolls, sweet potato pie, pecan pie and pound cake emerged as crowd favorites. Mom was just as much of a baker as she was a cook. Her sincerity and hardwork influenced me. I marveled at her persistence, attention to detail and intent to prepare every dish from scratch. As I grew tall enough to work along with her, mom invited me into her culinary world and I eagerly accepted the invitation.
As a family member of seven, quality time with mom presented a few challenges with her attention divided between dad and my siblings. So brief moments together made a lasting impression. We tackled a basic pastry recipe, chocolate chip pecan cookies, always adding pecans as many Texans do. We gathered our supplies and ingredients. With a hand mixer almost too large for my little hands to manage, we blended butter, eggs and vanilla, then flour, chocolate chips and pecans. As the cookie mix bonded together so did our relationship too. Mom planted a seed that continued to grow throughout my life.
A Traditional Career Path
I chose a traditional career path and enrolled in both fashion design and fashion merchandising programs. However a burning desire to bake remained in my heart. Upon completing an internship with Neiman Marcus department stores I entered a fast-track program to become a certified elementary school teacher. These years were the most fulfilling work of my young adulthood. Located in the museum district, my school was situated a few miles away from downtown Houston where I taught second graders. The days were rich with activity and I knew that I had discovered my life's mission, content with retiring as an educator and eventually as a school counselor. Yet I continued to bake. To celebrate a colleague or honor a person's memory I baked pecan pralines, lemon bars or mom's chocolate chip cookies to express my sympathy. Popularity began to spread as my colleagues learned of my hidden talent. They encouraged me to draft a menu and along with pricing too and I managed to grow a customer base. After nine years in the field I walked away to start a business.
Baking Enthusiast Meets Entrepreneur
Baking requires full concentration and attention. As an introverted person, quiet and calming activities suit my nature. However, I soon learned that my behavior would stifle my business and it could never thrive in a quiet kitchen. I knew that I needed coaching and enlisted the help of my sister. My sister's involvement came at a critical time. I enjoyed creating new recipes and perfecting old ones but I needed to engage with and connect to new customers to sell more pastries. The two of us attended local events that welcomed vendors to showcase their products and services. We started small and soon began to attend events throughout the Houston and Louisiana area, sampling the lemon bars at church events, family reunions and fundraisers. Our biggest break came when we were presented an opportunity to sample our lemon bars with Nordstrom Department Stores. Over the years, we developed partnerships with university coffeeshops, cafes, and restaurants throughout the Houston area and we now ship nationwide. To this day I consult with mom, soliciting her expert opinion regarding my recipes. The heart and soul of my mother is in each cake, cookie, pie and dessert bar sold to our clients. Our baking philosophy never changed from the methods mom taught me, bake for others like they are members of the family.
