08/19/2026
The Moment That Made Me Believe I Could Actually Do This 😉
A lot of people know that A Taste of Home Southern Belle Bakery started with me baking one loaf at a time once I got my cottage license. But there was actually a moment before that, planting a seed in my mind showing me that maybe I really could turn this love for baking into something more.
In April 2024, I entered a Cake-Off competition for a store celebrating their one-year anniversary,(Pause Coffee). It was an inclusive coffee shop that opened up a fun, exciting and positive event opened to anyone who loved to bake—professional, licensed bakers and home bakers alike.
I decided to enter my Hummingbird Cake…which is now my signature cake. 🥰
There were more than 20 cakes entered, and people came out, sampled the cakes, and cast their votes for who they thought should win.
And somehow, this home baker who wasn’t even licensed yet tied for 3rd place against a licensed GF professional baker.🥉
I was the only baker among the top three placements (well…four, because of our tie) who wasn’t licensed.
That moment meant SO much to me!
It wasn’t just about placing in a competition. It was the first time I had physical proof that something I had been doing simply because I loved it could actually stand beside people who were doing it professionally.
This picture was taken that day with some pretty amazing people, including a Channel 7 News anchor, an Omaha social influencer, and an Omaha Lancer player. And I remember thinking, Wow…maybe I’m really onto something here.
But I didn’t immediately start a bakery.
It actually took me another year to get out of my own head, think everything through, figure out what I wanted, and finally take that step toward becoming a licensed cottage baker.
That competition was the encouragement that got me thinking seriously about what was possible.
Then, in July 2025, I finally took the leap. ❤️
And now, looking back, I realize that the journey didn’t start when I got my license.
It started over 20+ years ago, being a SAHM, traveling with my now retired veteran husband of the Air Force aka “My biggest fan/supporter,” sharing my desserts with other military families in state and overseas. Then at this moment, one cake, one competition, a room full of people willing to taste what I made, and a little bit of validation for myself that said…
“Maybe I really can do this!”
And here I am. Still baking. Still learning. Still growing. Still dreaming. And so incredibly grateful that I finally believed in myself enough to begin. 🥹
Sometimes the sign you’re waiting for doesn’t tell you to start tomorrow.
But God simply plants a seed that turns into a decision of growth!🌱
A Taste of Home
Southern Belle Bakery 🍰
