Tuesday at the Table

I'm preempting the planned Table post for today after an impromptu discussion about last week's post. Apparently, son isn't the only one with very fond memories of my time at the bakery. Standing around after church Sunday, my post came up in conversation, and I heard from . . .

a godchild who also remembered standing at that bakery window as a little girl, hoping for a fresh-baked cookie . . .

a friend who back in the day asked so many questions about how my days went in a commercial bakery that I got permission for her to join me and we baked one whole day together . . .

and daughter dear, who couldn't understand why I hadn't shared about my interview for the bakery job. So as the story goes . . .

There came a time years ago where hubby and I were struggling financially, and we decided I really needed to find a part-time job. I remember my friend Pam was over one day, and tears rolling down my cheeks, I was looking through the job ads, reading them outloud to her. I came across one that advertised for a part-time baker in a trendy little bakery near our home. Pam said, "You could do that." So with her encouragement, I called, and the owner answered and told me more about the open position. I said I was interested in applying, to which she shockingly replied, "Bring me a pie. A berry pie." Now truth be told, I had never made a berry pie, and surprisingly, I was bold enough to ask her, "how about a cheesecake or a layer cake?" (Things I was much more comfortable baking!) "No," she insisted. "A berry pie."

Talk about stressful! But I gave it a shot. That next morning, I pulled my orange Betty Crocker cookbook off the shelf, settled on page 323, and baked my first lattice-crust blueberry pie, which I hand-carried to Jerilyn Brusseau later that afternoon. And believe it or not, we stood at the bakery bench, she sliced a piece and took a taste or two, then quizzed me on the ingredients and my experience as a home baker. Not long after, I walked away with a start date and a smile.

Thus began my 8-year professional baking career, which at the time was a blessing in more ways than one. And through those years, Jerilyn mentored me to 'bake with love', an adage my family and friends have heard me repeat time and again, and an emotion that just doesn't go away.

Besides that Marionberry Pie I mentioned last week, there were many more baked goodies that our customers came clamoring for, and luckily, I was able to find recipes for a couple online to share with you today: Cinnamon Rolls and Marionberry Cobbler, both Brusseau's classics.

This is random, but you might be interested to know that Jerilyn was the recipe developer behind Cinnabon. So it's a bit ironic that the giveaway winner of this last week's link-up is Julianne of Quilting with Calicos, who is a cinnamon roll baker herself! Congrats, Julianne - I'll be emailing you! And thanks to all of you for sharing from your table!