09/07/2026
Still taking this one in.
On Friday evening, Sheer Ambrosia Bakery was honored with the 2026 Most Impactful Afro Business of the Year Award at the Afro Utah Awards, presented by the GK Folks Foundation.
I AM DEEPLY GRATEFUL.
I don’t know who nominated Sheer Ambrosia for this recognition, but whoever you are, thank you. Thank you for seeing us and believing that the work we’re doing matters.
To my dear friend Gloria Mensah, Executive Director of GK Folks Foundation, thank you for the incredible work you do to uplift and celebrate our community. Friday night was beautiful, and it was an honor to celebrate alongside so many remarkable recipients. Congratulations to every 2026 Afro Utah Award winner.
One of the most meaningful parts of the evening was having my son, Leonardo Magalde, there beside me. He has had a front-row seat to this entrepreneurial journey, including the wonderful moments and the really hard ones. Having him there to witness his mom receive this recognition meant more than I can say.
This award is especially meaningful to me because of one word engraved on it: IMPACTFUL.
Sheer Ambrosia has always been about more than baklava. We’re working hard to make extraordinary baklava/granola and build a sustainable business, but we’re also trying to build a legacy.
Building something from the ground up is hard. There are days when I’m tired, days when I question myself, and days when the dream feels heavier than it did when I first dreamed it. But I keep showing up. My little team keeps showing up. And we keep believing that this little bakery in Salt Lake City can become something truly special.
Every once in a while, something happens that reminds you to keep going. Friday night was one of those moments for me.
Today is Monday. Labor Day. While much of the country is enjoying a well-earned day off, I’m at the bakery working. And after Friday night, somehow the work feels a little different.
This award fueled me.
So today I’m doing exactly that: laboring for the dream. Layer by layer. Box by box. Customer by customer.
And I also want to thank the Utah Black Chamber for the support, encouragement and opportunities they have given me and Sheer Ambrosia along this journey. Entrepreneurship can feel incredibly lonely sometimes, and having organizations and people in your corner who genuinely want to see you succeed matters more than they probably realize.
To GK Folks Foundation, the Afro Utah Awards, Gloria Mensah, the Utah Black Chamber, whoever nominated us, and every person who has bought a box, shared our story, opened a door, said our name in a room I wasn’t in, or believed in what Sheer Ambrosia could become, thank you.
We’re building a legacy. And we’re not finished yet.
In fact, I think we’re just getting started.
