| I would love to take a moment to introduce you to the women who make Sheer Ambrosia what it is.
For many years, it was just me. From 2008 until 2020, I handled every single aspect of this business myself — baking, packaging, marketing, bookkeeping, deliveries — all of it. I was running Sheer Ambrosia out of my home under the Department of Agriculture and Food’s Cottage Food Program — fully licensed, fully committed, and fully exhausted.
Then came 2020.
After my first appearance on Marketplace, the business grew beyond what I could manage alone. That Christmas season, Desi walked into my life — and into Sheer Ambrosia. She and her mom, Helene, became my very first employee/helpers.
Desi is not a baker — she is the best packager I have ever seen. And I say that with pride because I taught her the packaging process myself. I am a perfectionist about presentation. Every fold, every ribbon, every placement matters. Packaging is part of the experience. It reflects our standard.
Desi learned — and she learned well.
She is humble. She is teachable. She listens. She pays attention. She gets it.
What began as me showing her how I wanted things done has transformed into her mastering it with excellence. No one wraps, boxes, and prepares orders with more care and consistency. She protects the standard fiercely because she understands it deeply.
She is the mother of one very lucky little boy — the most committed mother. Fully dedicated. All in. She is also the wife of one of my biggest supporters. But truthfully? He wouldn’t be such a supporter if he hadn’t learned that loyalty from his wife.
Over the years, Desi has become my ride or die. My best friend. My confidant. She will work until 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning if that’s what it takes to get the job done. She is a beast — just like me. We are one and the same in our work ethic. She is fiercely protective of Sheer Ambrosia and of me in a no-nonsense kind of way. Her commitment is unwavering.
There is something sacred about someone who believes in you when you are still building.
Then there is Haneen.
I hired Haneen in October after my previous helper left in September. She is the mother of three beautiful daughters — one in middle school, one in elementary school, and one busy toddler at home. She and her husband came here from Iraq in search of a better life for their family.
Haneen and I spend our days laughing and teaching each other our languages. She is always worried she hasn’t said something quite right in English. I gently correct her because she wants to learn — but I constantly remind her that she speaks far better English than I do Arabic. (I don’t speak any Arabic at all, so she is clearly winning.)
She brings warmth, humility, and quiet strength into our kitchen every single day.
Iqbal joined Sheer Ambrosia thanks to Haneen. She is also a mother of three — two sons and a daughter — and is also from Iraq. Her oldest son was married over Christmas, and she somehow managed to host a beautiful wedding while continuing to show up and give her all at Sheer Ambrosia.
Iqbal is joy personified. She greets me with hugs. She brings me food. She smiles constantly. Her kindness fills the bakery.
And then there is Patricee.
Patricee is the proud mother of three grown sons — all in their 30s — and is now enjoying her empty-nester season. She is always smiling, speaks like a seasoned news reporter, and absolutely loves Sheer Ambrosia baklava. Truly loves it.
She never goes anywhere without slipping someone my business card.
She has season tickets to University of Utah football and the Utah Jazz. She is a social butterfly and, without question, the baklava ambassador of all ambassadors.
When Nordstrom invited me to do my very first in-store pop-up in June of 2025, I immediately called Patricee to help. Since then, she has become my go-to support for pop-ups and was one of my main team members at the holiday kiosk.
During the hectic holiday season, when some customers were pushy or entitled, Patricee handled every interaction with grace and patience. Thank goodness for her. She can sell baklava to anyone — even people who have never heard of it (and it turns out, there are quite a few of those here in Utah).
Her enthusiasm for Sheer Ambrosia matches my own. Wherever we go, she’s there — business cards in hand, smiling proudly.
And then there’s me.
A single mother. A dreamer. A passionate baker/foodie.
My children mean everything to me. I started Sheer Ambrosia after my divorce when I needed to find joy again — not just for myself, but so I could show my children what resilience looks like. I needed to pick myself up. I needed to move forward. I needed to reinvent myself — for them and for me.
I’m a Southern girl from North Carolina who learned to make baklava from a Greek family I worked for in high school and college. I fall in love with a culture through its food first, then music, then dance...in that order. I believe food should be beautiful. I love hosting dinner parties and loving on my guests with the food I make. I love wrapping pretty packages. I show love through what comes out of my kitchen.
I started this bakery from my home in 2008. Sometimes it was my main job. Sometimes it was a side hustle while I worked other jobs to provide. And in 2023, after years of refining 15 treasured recipes and raising my two children, I built a commercial kitchen and bakery so we could take Sheer Ambrosia national.
This is a female-led enterprise.
It is powered by mothers. Immigrants. Empty-nesters. Dreamers. Fighters. Women who show up. Women who work hard. Women who care deeply.
When you place an order, you are supporting all of us.
Thank you for believing in this dream. Thank you for supporting this female enterprise as we take our creations across the country. |
