Collectibles Issue 5

Tacos, Tuscany and on Taking Time Off

Eastern White Pine

Welcome to this month’s latest issue. I hope that you’re channeling the hopeful energy of spring and if not that’s okay because a lot of things don’t sprout until June. Aries season felt summiting a mountain and screaming with joy from the top. Then we shifted into what feels like a sleepy Taurus season. Maybe that’s what we need, a little breather before the longer days ahead this summer.

This piece covers a wide range of topics in a little bit more depth than usual because last month was so full to the brim. If I included everything I did in April, I should just be creating a full blown magazine! Still there are some special things left out I want to quickly touch on:

My podcast interview with Venus of the Mind.

Judging the Miss Kappa Alpha Psi Pageant as former Queen from 2018.

I started a new job as a Travel Advisor for Skye’s The Limit Vacations!

Now grab a drink, settle in and enjoy the collection. Open in browser for full piece.

Tacos & Gelato

It was a rare occasion for us to have a Saturday off and open to new adventures. Bright eyed and brushy tailed, we hopped over from Charlottesville to Richmond for the day. I was committed to trying the newer gelato place everyone proclaimed was the best around, Daverro Gelato Shop.

They were tucked away in a small shopping center. Kind of like how the favorite eye on the stove is the back left? That’s where they are. The friendly staff greeted and chatted with me, their warm beautifully juxtaposing to freezer full of delicious gelato in front of me. I chose pistachio and my husband chose ube tiramisu to indulge in.

Sitting at the little bistro table set outside the shop with my family, I had a spoonful of memories rush in. I was transported back to the pistachio gelato I had in Legnano, Italy 15 years ago as a high school exchange student. I felt like I knew a vegan gelato could be sensational but it hadn’t happen until that moment. We loved it so much we bought to-go containers of both flavors to enjoy at home during the week. If that’s not a testament to how great it is, I don’t know what to say other than go try for yourself!

We ended up lingering in Richmond longer than expected that day and grew too hungry to leave the city for home. I recalled also a new to us location that I only heard great things about too, Taco Vegana. Again, Richmond is just great at hospitality and the staff were delightful and engaging with our son. My husband had their special Mexican Pizza and I had an assortment of tacos with beans & rice.

I at first had said I’d share a bite of each taco with my husband but accidentally kept eating them whole… Our 3 year old who pretends to be a bean and rice connoisseur devoured mine while effortlessly watching monster trucks on one of their TVs. The pizza was so large and filling we had to bring it own for later which kept very well.

You know that saying “curiosity killed the cat?” The rest of it is “but satisfaction brought it back!” That was us debating on getting the tres leches cake. We thought we could take a bite then just head up with it in a to go container. I’m a little embarrassed to say we ate the whole thing in a couple minutes. As a baker, I rarely like other vegan cakes but that one did it for me! I will be ordering it every time no questions asked.

On Eating by Alicia Kennedy

In the last few years, the only books I’ve been drawn to have been memoirs written by lovers of food. I love reading about people’s lives I haven’t even researched that deeply into. Shoutout to my local library for carrying the best books always! I especially enjoy the ones by women of color like Tabitha Brown, Edna Lewis, and Vertamae Smart-Grosvenor.

I did not read No Meat Required but that’s how I was introduced to Alicia Kennedy . My best friend, favorite dinner date & true Renaissance woman Ivana exposed me to her work and I’ve been a loyal newsletter subscriber and workshop attendee ever since.

On Eating is one of those books that unraveled something in me. Not in a raw way that felt invasive. But in a way that made me think, how is she writing about my life without knowing me? From being born with an appetite that the family supported at no expense to doing ballet to the loss of a loved one to sentiments on portobello mushrooms to the connection with beans, I felt seen. Her writing, her storytelling is just so tangible and inclusive of you the reader. I was well fed each chapter along the way so it was easy to keep returning to it daily once the last chapter was fully digested. I was never left craving more like some writers will do to make you ravenous for the next chapter. It felt more like a week long stay in the comfort of her living room.

That said, consider ordering the book and subscribing to her newsletter. She’s also very cool and easy to talk to in real life!!!

You, Me & Tuscany

I think I will watch this film annually because it’s now my favorite romantic comedy ever. The cast was perfect and pace of the movie was my preferred speed. I am suspicious of where they got the inspiration for the movie because it was pretty much an exact adaptation of my own life. If you want specific details that I can 100% prove between the movie and me, let me know!!! Anyways, go support a Black love story that makes you gasp, laugh, cry and demand a sequel to as soon as possible.

Business is Blooming

Strawberry buttercream and matcha cake!

I made a return to the Farmers Market at IX in April. It was vibrant and just as welcoming as ever. Selling out every weekend was a nice bonus too. Outside of markets, I was creating so many custom orders left and right. There’s a LOT of April birthday people in this world. Soon is wedding and graduation season so my style of baking and artistry will shift for a little while. What I can say is that I am adding cinnamon rolls and pesto rolls to the permanent menu!

DC is Where the Women in Food Are

Fangirling over Toni after book signing!

This was my first year attending the annual Black Women in Food Summit led by Dine Diaspora. It was the space I’ve been needing to sink into. I hadn’t been in an all Black, all women space in a very long time so it felt especially safe and inviting. As an attendee, the event was very smooth in how it flowed and where to go. Each breakout session had some glimmers in them. The best session for me was the workshop on hosting by Amber Mayfield Hewett . The best talk was between THE Toni Tipton-Martin and Alex Hill. It genuinely brought me to tears and reaffirmed to me the importance of ethical and professional journalism. I do plan on attending annually and maybe brainstorming ideas of offering vegan centered workshops for the people!

Dedicated Immersion

The wonderful thing about being an entrepreneur is the flexibility I can create to work around my main role in life which is mothering my sweet boy. After a few weeks of me being more consumed in my work and working outside the home, my son expressed that he didn’t want me to do the market any more because he missed me. So that’s what I did, I took a break because he needed his mama to be there for him more. This doesn’t bother me because at different stages of life we need a loved one to be there for us more than others. I want him to always feel important and loved so I do make my life bend around my work. My work bends, breaks, wiggles and shape shifts around my life, especially his.

I do love being a mother first, everything else second. Nothing quite comes close to the feeling of spending a day fully immersed with your child and them saying “I love you mommy because you’re my best friend.” What would we have done to warrant such an exchange? We had breakfast dates at his little table with tablecloths and a tea light candle every morning. I taught him how to draw a smiley face. He joined me outside on the picnic blanket and pretended to be a bug in the sun. We took long walks together holding hands while I explained every bird and plant I could. We danced and sang everything we could in the living room daily. We simply were just with each other intentionally and that was the time we both needed.

I find it to be a gift to be immersed in a life I chose. He is also the gift that keeps on giving. With Mother’s Day coming up, I’m gently reminded that I’m simply passing down a positive mother child bond that those before me also cultivated generation after generation. It’s the best kind of love I’ve ever experienced and I refuse to be timid about sharing it. So thank you always for reading.

Challenge - Losing Momentum

Halfway through the month my family and I were confined to the house due to illness. I can’t tell you the kind of cootie bug my guys had but we all ended up suffering from seasonal allergies. That made us hit pause on all work, school and activities for about 10 days. Given that I was building momentum from February and finally hit my stride in April, it kind of crushed me to halt abruptly like that. I wasn’t burning out even, I just had to stop it all and drop into the role of full-time caregiver immediately. It’s been a few weeks and I’m rebuilding that momentum again because that’s what one must do to keep going and growing. I just wanted to share that it’s very real losing your rhythm to unforeseen circumstances but it’s okay, just get back out there.

Inspiration -

In the words of Tigger, “Ta ta for now!”

If you felt inspired by this piece, you can Buy Me a Coffee, order a dessert , consider upgrading your subscription to paid or simply share with someone special :)