Newsletter – July 27, 2022

Reminder: Baklava Is NOT Just A Christmas/Holiday Gift

Hello All,

I just had to reach out to you one more time before class starts in August as I adore communicating with you, my baklava family. First off, I wanted to clarify a few things:

1) I received a few emails from some of you asking if Sheer Ambrosia will be closed while I attend graduate school. Absolutely not! Sheer Ambrosia will be open for business during the entire time I will be attending the Masters in Business Creation program. It will definitely be a juggling act, but I am up for the challenge and will be managing my time wisely, making sure that I will have plenty of time to fill your orders. I have already hired extra help for the upcoming holiday season as well, so we are all set.

2) Baklava is not just for the holidays. Sheer Ambrosia makes the perfect year round gift. Not knocking flowers at all, who doesn’t love a beautiful bouquet of roses. However, if you want to send something unique, sophisticated, useful, and also very gorgeously packaged, why not support my small business and let me wow your recipient. Did you know that you can add a message to your gift?! Many of you already do, but for those that don’t know, in the “NOTES” section of the order form, you can tell me exactly what you want me to say on the gift tag and I’ll write it in elegant, handwritten penmanship.

3) I love making people feel special and I tell them just how special they are in the ‘Congratulations’ note I put in each box. I’ve updated that note as of last night. The old note was cute, but a little hard to read so I’ve updated it. Take a look at the new one below.

So just as a reminder, if you need to send a:

¨ Birthday gift

¨ Sympathy gift

¨ Get Well gift

¨ My wife just gave birth and the first thing she wants to eat afterward is your baklava gift (I just filled that order and it made me feel like a million dollars to have received that request.

¨ Thank you for the interview gift or any ‘thank you’ gift

¨ Hostess gift

¨ Wedding gift

¨ Anniversary gift

¨ Just Because gift

¨ I’m Sorry gift

¨ I Love You gift

Whatever the occasion, I will make it super special. And don’t forget, to sweeten the deal, your recipient will also receive a 4pc BONUS box of a different flavor to help you get pass the shipping fees that I wish I didn’t have to charge but currently can’t overlook because I’m not as big as AMAZON (not yet anyway…teehee).

NEW ‘Congratulations’ message that goes in each box of Sheer Ambrosia Baklava

Place an Order

Calendar For 2023 Is Under Construction

It’s that time of year again ladies and gents…time for me to start getting my ducks in a row for the 2023 baklava calendar. I acknowledge that I’m a little weird because I lay awake at night thinking about ideas for the calendar. Spoiler alert, I didn’t get to go to Greece this summer (more about that later) so my idea of showcasing my own landscape/oceanscape photography skills from Greece in next year’s calendar isn’t going to happen so I had to come up with another theme. Two years ago it was Baklava Through The Seasons, last year it was Baklava A Year Round Delight…this year’s theme will be…DRUM ROLL…sike…I’m not going to tell you yet! It’s a surprise, but I have a great idea. One little hint, this year, I’ll focus on the nitty gritty of it all.

I’ve decided that if I can afford them, I am going to use the same stylist and photographer as last year. They were amazing and so much fun to work with. I love putting together this calendar, it allows for my creative juices to flow and I get lovely photos to showcase my baklava. Stay tuned.

Update On Greece

Well, the long and the short of it is I didn’t get to go to Greece this summer. I kept trying to book a ticket and kept getting versions of, “we’re too busy to help you,” nonsense. I was bummed because usually when I get something in my head, I’m not happy until I follow through. I said I wanted to go and I was mentally prepared to make that happen but in the end, it just didn’t make sense. The airlines have been overbooked and under staffed. Pilots have been on strike. Hundreds of flights were being cancelled daily. People were being stranded in airports all over the world. I saw seas of lost luggage on the nightly news a few times and I just concluded, “this is the Universe telling me to just stay put.” It wasn’t meant to be and I’ve learned in life, whenever I try to force a square peg into a round hole, ie force a situation, it almost always turns out to be a disappointment. Besides, I need to be fresh for school in a few weeks and we all know that this type of vacation would have required a vacation from the vacation.

With that said, I think going after I graduate in May 2023 would be a fantastic time to venture out. I’ll have plenty of time to plan it, it won’t be as hot in May or early June as it would have been in late July, and I can’t think of a better reward to myself for completing the Masters program. Finally, the girl who makes Greek baklava will go to Greece some 30+ years after having learned how to make it. Sounds perfect!

The only thing that would make it more spectacular is (light bulb moment) if y’all came with me. I had a few of you (customers/now friends) express an interest in going with me after having read my last newsletter. I think it is a great idea so since I’m postponing things, I thought I would put it out there that if any more of you wanted to join us, let’s talk. How amazing and full circle would that be, the Baklava Lovers Group heading off to Greece to take in the sights, eat some of the most delicious food in the world and enjoy baklava, friendship, and fun.

Coming Next Month:

‘The History Of…’ Series

I double majored in History and Spanish in college. I have loved the Spanish language since I was a child and I have traveled to many Spanish-speaking countries to master and practice the language. It is one of my passions in this life. One of my other passions is history. I think that love started as a kid too. My parents took pride in having purchased my sisters and I a set of World Book encyclopedias and when we declared we were bored, they would always say, “Go get an encyclopedia and read about something and then come and tell us about it.” I loved to do that and I still do. Except now I “google” everything. My mind is constantly thinking about where stuff came from. I thought it would be a fun series to, every month, learn about the history of one of my baklava ingredients. So next month, let’s learn about CINNAMON. Where did it come from, who discovered it, and how did they know it wasn’t poisonous? I’ll find out all the interesting facts and report back.

My Heart Is Full Of Gratitude!

One last thing…

I just wanted to take a moment to thank you all for your orders, your kindness, your support, your friendship, your emails, and your enthusiasm for my baby – Sheer Ambrosia. This business is truly like one of my children. Leo and Sofia (my actual children) have left the nest and now it’s just my baklava and me. I can honestly say, I don’t know what would have become of me were it not for my business. It hasn’t been easy, in fact it’s been one of the most difficult undertakings of my life and although I love what I’m trying to do here, there have been times when I’ve said to myself, “Rita…what are you doing?! Just get a job and stop this whole weird baklava bakery notion. You’re educated and don’t need to work this much to make ends meet. You can find fulfilling work elsewhere and make deceit money for your family.” But then, I remember where I was 13 years ago when I started this business. I desperately needed to build something. I needed the challenge. I wanted to work for myself so I could raise my kids and be in control of my day and I wanted my business to be something I was passionate about.

School starts soon. I’ll get some fresh eyes on things and maybe this company will be the next Mrs. Fields…or maybe it won’t. Whatever happens, I’m still grateful to you all. Together we built something good. Let’s see if we can build something even better. Let’s see where it goes from here. Let’s see.