Coronavirus, crusaders and cakes!

I'm really not much of a planner but I had the first part of 2020 all mapped out and buttoned down! I would be working on international leadership development and an exclusive hotel opening with Edwardian Hotels in London, teaching semester of strategic change in the Executive MBA at the University of St Thomas and continuing my private and volunteer practice helping people to thrive and flourish in life and at work...

...then just like for you, along came Corona.

Almost overnight everything in my world slowed down, paused, postponed or got pushed back, and rather than being feverishly busy as anticipated, I was completely becalmed.

Calm is good for me. I'm an introvert and love nothing more than a really good think. Amidst this sea of calm, I realized I was in a rare and privileged place; all around me people were being furloughed, laid off, and working from home whilst simultaneously providing teaching assistance for their children and care for their communities. For many life was, and still is, really hard. But not for me, so how could I help?

I watched on LinkedIn where it seemed that all of a sudden we were barraged by a whole bunch of overwhelmingly well meaning advice from every side. Do this, don't do that, set a schedule, be positive, let it all hang out, wear makeup to work everyday, etc etc Arggggggh! It wore me out just reading it and reminded me a bit of the law given in the Old Testament, all good things and completely unattainable.

About this time I remember bumping into a quote from Theodore Roosevelt's autobiography "Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." Have you ever been stalked by a quote or a saying? It happens to me fairly often and typically heralds a period where I need to learn something new or go deeper.

One thing I knew for sure was this just didn't feel like a time for me to focus on my business, my clients had all postponed and we'd wished each other well and promised to keep in touch. So if not that, then what?

Growing up in the UK, my Mum had always baked each Friday afternoon for the week ahead, my brother Paul and I helped from an early age and as a family we still love to try new recipes. As a teenager in the time of 'Jane Asher's Cakes' I volunteered to make cakes for every occasion and whilst at hotel management school I managed to steer my kitchen electives towards pastry and spent almost 6 months working in the pastry sections of local hotels. In my late teens I'd toyed with the idea of starting a business 'The Cake Crusader: For times when only a baked superhero will do!' on the first page of my baking recipe book I scribbled down the logo of a birthday cake superhero complete with cape and candles, and it's still there to this day!

As Teddy's quote circled in my mind I kept coming back to baking, at first it struck me as a little absurd and my inner gremlin gave me a good dressing down "Seriously Alison, at this time when the world is in chaos, and you want to bake??" But I really did, and I really do.

So after consulting with valued friends on 20th March 2020 I launched 'The Cake Crusader's Corona Stand' on my facebook page and it looks like this...

1. Think about someone you love locally who’s making a significant difference during this time and for whom a cake would be a real day brightener. 

2. Message me, tell me their story and what their favorite cake is. I’ll let you know if and when I could bake and we can chat about other logistical details.

3. I’ll bake their cake and pray for them, and you, along the way.

4. When the cake is done I’ll call you to arrange pickup time, then just before you arrive I’ll pop it in the Cake Crusaders Cunning Cake Cave AKA a big blue sanitized cooler outside my door.

5. You come and collect the cake, put it your own tin or container and leave an ingredient that my baking cupboard needs (I’ll let you know what this might be for example a bag of flour, eggs, chocolate chips or something else) to replenish my larder.

6. You deliver the cake to your loved one ????

Since March 20th I've had the opportunity to bake 22 cakes for people in the twin cities who are going through unimaginable hardship. Their stories are of strength, courage, resilience and incredible love and it's a humbling thing to be able to make their day even a bit brighter.

I'm not much of a planner and I couldn't have planned this any better had I tried.

Peace, Love and Baked Goods to you all xox