For the past two holiday seasons, I have had the fortune of having Helene Simpson and Desi Hayda come and help me navigate the massive amount of orders and successfully take excellent care of all of my customers. Desi has since become my full time bookkeeper and Helene is starting to help me more and more around the bakery. I thought it would be a neat idea to introduce them to you because, the plan is for them to take on more permanent roles as Sheer Ambrosia looks to expand our operations post holiday season.

I met the mother/daughter duo several years ago, through a cousin of theirs, whose children went to the same school as my kiddos. Our friendship grew over the course of the years because they are both very down to earth, kind, and humble. A couple of years ago, in conversation, they found out how busy my business was getting and they offered to help me over the holidays. I am very picky about anyone helping me in the kitchen, but instinctively, I knew they would be an asset.

Helene is the mother of 4 beautiful children and grandmother to eight. She is a native Utahn and she loves her family, her garden, cooking/baking, camping, and going to the casinos every once in a while. On Sunday mornings she hosts her brothers and sisters at her house and they have a grand time having their coffee and breakfast treats while they catch up from the week. Helene was a single mom for a lot of years and worked really hard to take care of her kids. She worked 12-hour shifts and never complained. Her attitude as a single lady has been exactly what I strive for. Even though she didn’t have a life partner for a long time, she never let that stop her from living a full life and being the architect of exactly what she wanted to build for herself. Partner or no partner, Helene loves life and lives it! She has hobbies and she gets out there and enjoys them. One of the first times she invited me to her home, she took me out back to her very impressive garden and showed me all of her vegetables, her compost, and all the other wonderful things she was growing out there. She definitely has a green thumb even though we basically live in a desert. She’s 70 years old and loves Post Malone and Imagine Dragons. She can joke and have fun while working hard in the kitchen. Helene doesn’t know this, but she is a real inspiration to me. Helene’s got me by 20 years, but you’d never know it. She has the energy of a 30 year old. I don’t know what I would have done without Helene these last couple of years. So much goes into making baklava. For example, the Cranberry Walnut Spice that everyone loves so much…well, someone has to wash and dry all of those cranberries and for the past two years, it’s been Helene. Thank you Helene for all the hard work you do for Sheer Ambrosia.

Then there’s Desirae! We call her Desi for short! Fun fact…Desi is Helene’s oldest child and the mother of Helene’s youngest grandchild. Desi is meticulous and super smart. She’s so helpful, a voice of reason, and someone that I can bounce ideas off of. She’s a wife and as stated earlier, the mother of one lucky 7 year old and two older step-children. Desi is devoted to her family but also makes time for herself too. She has always been an athlete and still plays women’s soccer and softball. Desi has her own bookkeeping company but isn’t afraid to jump in and help with whatever, never worrying about getting her hands dirty. One thing I really love about Desi is she asks for direction, but once she knows what I need, she gets the job done. If she needs to ask more questions, she’s not afraid to ask, but once she understands her assignment, she runs with it. Desi is a self-starter, humble, and takes the initiative. I am so excited to have her in Sheer Ambrosia’s corner. Together with her mom, Desi and Helene are a force!

There you have it…the second and third members of my baklava team. We’ve got you covered this Thanksgiving & Christmas season and beyond, so place your orders with the confidence in knowing that I have surrounded myself with not just competent helpers, but with friends that love me and Sheer Ambrosia and are committed to seeing the company grow.