On November 13, 2020, New Voices Foundation announced the winners of the Shea-Moisture-Essence Magazine Power Tools Business Grant. Women of color entrepreneurs are the fastest-growing segment of entrepreneurs in the United States but they don’t enjoy the same access to capital and other resources as their male and female counterparts. In fact, businesses owned by African-American and Latina women receive less than one percent of all venture capital funding every year. New Voices Foundation has invested more than $1.4 million in non-dilutive capital and matched support dollars in companies owned by women of color, hosted nine $100,000 pitch competitions for 87 women of color entrepreneurs at EssenceFest, CES and other leading national and regional events, and provided hundreds of coaching and mentorship hours to these entrepreneurs.
New Voices Foundation, a 501(c)3 organization, is focused on providing flexible funding, learning and networking opportunities to these entrepreneurs via pitch competitions, mobile accelerators, coaching and mentoring, online masterclasses, and communications outreach via social media, newsletters and other channels.
In 2020, New Voices will provide up to 60 grants to women of color founders through pitch competitions. Each competition awards $100,000 in cash grants, ranging from $5,000 to $25,000, combined with coaching, mentoring and personalized business skills development post-competition. Additionally, the community of pitch competition winners remain connected and access networking and partnership opportunities through New Voices’ robust ecosystem, helping to further ensure the long term viability and sustainability of their enterprises.
To date, the Foundation has invested more than $1.4 million in non-dilutive capital and matched support dollars in companies owned by women of color, hosted nine-pitch competitions for 87 women at EssenceFest, CES, and other leading national and regional anchor events, provided hundreds of coaching and mentorship hours, and connected them to meaningful networking and partnership opportunities.
De L’or Cakery is proud to announce that founder and Cake Executive Officer, Kayisha Thompson is one of the grantees and participants selected to be a part of this wonderful program. What excites me about this program are the modules that were offered to use to study and complete throughout the process. I was able to identify other windows of opportunities to grow my brand awareness. This award comes with coaching/mentoring sessions from other women business owners in our field.
2020 has been a magical ride! Recently, my business was awarded with a Cheryl P Grant. This grant allowed us to purchase inventory to support us with our product launch. Who is Cheryl Polote? Nationally acclaimed best-selling author, transformational speaker, and success coach Cheryl Polote-Williamson has established multiple platforms dedicating her consulting practice to cultivate innovative business solutions, strategic marketing initiatives, and financial acumen for entrepreneurs. A global leader, Cheryl is the CEO and Founder of Williamson Media Group (WMG), LLC and Cheryl Polote Williamson, LLC where her knowledge and expertise is used as a conduit to affirm others in pursuit of their purpose. She has received several awards for her leadership capabilities to include the 2016 Female Success Factor Award, 2017 Indie Author Literary Trailblazer Award, Global Smashers Award, Who’s Who in Black Dallas Publishing, and the Chocolate Social for Best Online Community. Cheryl earned her undergraduate degree from Shaw University and has a heart for philanthropy as shown by her commitment to community engagement which hinges on local and nationwide partnerships with the NAACP, National Association of Women Business Owners, the Barak Obama Male Leadership Academy, and Martha’s House. Professional membership affiliations include Forbes Coaches Council, and Odyssey Media.
Cheryl is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., and the Mid-Cities Chapter of the Links Inc. She along with her husband Russell of 28 years are members of St. John Church Unleashed and currently reside in Flower Mound, Texas. They have 3 amazing children, Russell Jr., Lauren, and Courtney, as well as an adorable granddaughter Leah and grandson Russell III.
In her spare time, Cheryl enjoys traveling, reading, writing, serving others, as well as spending quality time with family and friends.
Thank you Cheryl for providing this opportunity to us small business owners.
Kayisha
This class is for kids ages 10-16 years old to build their confidence in the kitchen, create tantalizing sweets, and connect with other youth in a safe environment. After registration, a supply list will be emailed to the email address on file. Fa La La La over into the kitchen!
This week’s activity is going to be focused on cooking and baking from around the world. We are going to explore what other countries enjoy during the holidays. Parents feel free to join in on the reindeer games to assist with transferring items in and out of the oven. A few days after registration, you will receive a welcome packet detailing the ingredients needed throughout the week.
I am offering a PM class so that our friends on the West Coast and Mountain Time have an opportunity to participate. We will build your child’s confidence in the kitchen. Class time is a buffer based on class size. The price includes a Welcome Kit that will be shipped to your home for your new chef!
Class DATES December 28, 2020, to January 1, 2021 The class is from 2 pm to 5 pm EST/EDT. You can register here DelorCakery
Kayisha Thompson, 1 of 2300 to the Top 20 Kayisha Thompson, @joanns_stores 2020 Creative Minority Grant Winner.
Joann’s Fabric stores play a pivotal role in my current creative endeavor. In 2008, I relocated from New York City to Snellville, GA. As I was exploring my new world, I walked into a Joann’s Fabric Store. I did not know the store until that day. I saw a large sign advertising cake decorating classes. I enrolled in the basic cake decorating program and decided to complete the entire cake decorating series offered by Wilton Industries. My instructor, Tasha, invited me to become a Wilton Method Instructor. I walked in as an explorer and walked out as a Cake Designer.
De L’or Cakery Kitchen, a subsidiary program of De L’or Cakery Corporation, has a mission to build a more connected and confident community, cultivating young minds interested in Sugar Artistry. The objective of our program is to offer hands-on apprenticeships in Cake Decorating. I am partnering with a school in the South Bronx to teach their youth for a week baking and cake decorating in 2021. The youth will receive free baking and cake decorating kits.
Celebrate your wins, follow your dreams, and do not let others deter you!
Welcome to my blog! This tutorial is for my parents celebrating Halloween at home with their child/children and looking for a fun activity. As a former substitute teacher and Clinician, I understand how challenging this pandemic is for parents and their children.
Materials 1 Cake Box Mix 3 Jars of Supermarket Buttercream aka frosting 1-6 inch round 4-inch high cake pan One cake board One spatula or butter knife Green food coloring Wilton Candy Eyes (Joann’s Fabric Store or Michael’s Arts and Craft) Wilton Tip 1 M (Joann’s Fabric Store or Michael’s Arts and Craft)
Follow the directions on your cake box mix, and after you have baked your cake, allow it to completely cool before adding any buttercream to the cake. Use 1 1/2 of buttercream jars (Betty Crocker, Dunkin Hines, etc.) to fill and cover your cake. Microwave the leftover buttercream in 15-second increments to prevent burning. After thinning out your buttercream, add any food coloring of your choice, and thoroughly mix it out. A piping bag or a spoon spread around the cake edges, allowing the drip to form naturally. Pour a small amount of your remaining colored buttercream on top of your cake and smooth over with a spatula covering the top of your cake. Add some piped rosettes, candy eyes, and some sprinkles.
I have always been a strong advocate for women supporting women, especially when it comes to women in male-dominated industries. In broad terms, that might categorize me as a feminist However, if I am a feminist, then I am one with a twist. You see, I do not support many of these so-called female empowerment events. My observation is that many of the influencers hosting these events are Narcissists.
Narcissists and Feminism
Narcissists act confident and superior, but in reality, they are fragile and lack self-esteem. They have the ability to put out a false persona to get what they want, such as followers, attention, and gifts, but they truly do not care about you or your wellbeing. Overall, their goal is to be seen and take away as much focus from the women needing support so they can use that as a vehicle to further their careers. They pride themselves on finding business weaknesses and use it to garner opportunities for themselves, packaged as an aid for struggling female business owners.
My Firsthand Experience
I was assisting an influencer with her event not that long ago, but due to COVID-19, it was canceled. She pivoted her event, and it wasn’t until it was close to the date that I observed she started engaging on my social media accounts, most likely in an effort to re-enroll me into promoting her event. At this point, I made the conscious decision to engage in the necessary tasks to build my own business and did not help further her promotions. I’ve had my fair share of interactions with women who pretend that they care about the collective, but really just care about what they will wear for their next posting.
What Women Supporting Women Should Look Like
I am going to share with you what it looks like when women truly, sincerely, and authentically empower one another. During my tenure at a Residential Treatment Facility, I pitched the idea to my boss for us to host an event for the impressionable teenage girls on the campus. RTC was an educational facility for kids and teens in foster care needing a higher level of treatment in regards to mental health. Some were also referred by the PINS petition from Juvenile/Family Court, and others via CSE through the Department of Education.
I listened attentively as my colleagues shared their frustrations about the teenage girls’ sexual experiences, home life, and boredom on the weekends, which would result in criminal-like activities leading to a trip to downtown Brooklyn for central booking. For me, my role was to work with the campus male population. At the time, I was connected to an organization called the Teen Queen Experience (TQE), whose mission is to encourage and empower every young lady to live their very best life by providing the tools and foundation necessary for them to build a secure and positive future. We are committed to changing our community by working in the youth and expanding outward to parents, adults, and neighbors.
I reached out to my contact, shared my concerns, and the founder of TQE agreed to bring the event to the campus. I worked with the TQE for about four months, along with the solicited help of other staff. When the day arrived, staff found excuses not to be a part of the event, placing more strain on me. I informed TQE, and they told me that they recruited additional volunteers for the day.
On the day of the event, 6 students out of 24 registered students showed up. The leading cottage manager wasn’t allowing one of the cottages to attend unless they cleaned up the entire space. I walked into the cottage and assertively informed the cottage manager that they complained that there isn’t enough support for these kids on the weekend, and now that there is something, they are trying to keep the girls away. This is one of the reasons why the kids do not receive the services they need, staff limitations.
Eventually, the girls attended and experienced a wonderful day of engaging with female business owners, free giveaways, swag bags, and engaging in various topics. A few months later, I applied for an internal position in the same company and transferred from their Westchester county location to a Brooklyn site. Here I was able to, again, advocate for TQE to another cohort of girls, giving the organization access to a broader community. I had a connection to Hey There Beautiful Incorporated (HTB), a non-profit whose mission is to empower women and young girls to foster confidence and achieve success. Their vision is to provide support, connection, trust, inspiration, and cultivate leadership skills.
Though I am ardent in what I do, I was concerned about the youth we served in the summer, as this is the season when there is a spike in teens going AWOL. From running away, sex trafficking, rampant psychiatric hospitalizations, and criminal like activities, it feared me. I expressed my concern to the founder of HTB, who responded by offering to create a summer program for our youth. The following summer, HTB set up a summer camp program geared to kids ages 8-12, and a summer internship program for our teens. The program I worked in had a feature where foster parents could meet once a month for trainings and support over an agency-sponsored dinner that I organized.
After my tenure with that company, I was offered a Supervisor position for a well-known Domestic Violence program in New York City. During my time there, I was able to utilize my community resources and connect with Meredith Mallory of 500backpacks. Meredith Mallory donated 30 backpacks for the 2019 school year to kids in our shelter and a few other programs within the agency. In addition, an artist came to our Survivor Support Group and engaged our clients in beginners drawing as a means to a therapeutic end.
This is what women supporting women and their community looks like without looking for a kickback.
Final Thoughts
I am challenging each and every woman reading this to do something for another female business owner, someone you don’t know, and not look for anything in return. No damn social media shout outs and no “remember me” double-sided comments. Why am I asking this of you? Because “A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed” Proverbs 11:25.
Notice that I did not command or direct you to do something for someone else. I am challenging you, meaning you do not have to participate if you do not want to.
And, for God’s sake, if anyone is telling you that you must help certain people because you are blessed and should do so because you have a lot to offer, don’t be fooled. That is manipulation. When you listen to this and continue giving from an empty cup, you are going to burn yourself out. Helping others is great, but make sure your own cup is filled first. So, no, there are no obligations here. I am offering you to follow your heart to support someone that you are DRAWN to. Not because you have to.
Before you book a ticket to your next female empowerment event, look at the number of followers the host(s) have versus how many people they are following back. Look at their engagement too. Are they always dressed up in their posted photos? Are they publishing more selfies and content centered around them than the actual cause?
As a final note, seek authenticity, goal-driven, open-hearted influencers. Don’t be blinded by their perfect profile, smiles, and outfits. Dig deeper than that to see what their core values are, and if it is anything other than helping and supporting women like they proclaim, then leave them behind. You and women across the globe deserve much better than that.
I am SUPER excited to share that I will be serving up a Sugar Artistry curriculum to a cohort of middle school youth in Harlem, NY. The students are in for a BIG sugary treat! They are getting a full cup of yours truly! And just like bubblegum buttercream, I’m colorful, fancy, and full of flavor. Pop! We are going to have a great time on our journey.The purpose of my curriculum is to offer economically disadvantaged youth the opportunity to grow, thrive, and learn at no cost to them. Every week I will be volunteering to teach 15 students different aspects of sugar artistry for a year.My Facebook fundraiser has earned $670.00 and are still seeking an additional $330.00 to reach our goal of $1000 to support and serve our youth. Will you help support our youth by making a donation?
DELORCAKERYKITCHEN. The donations will be used towards purchasing piping bags, fondant, notebooks, aprons, spatulas, cake boards, cake drums, gel paste, paint brushes, extracts, confectioners’ sugar, butter, handheld mixers, mixing bowls, molds, small wilt on rolling pins, large rolling pins, edible paint, boxes, swag bags, and more.You are supporting our mission of building a more connected and confident community by cultivating young minds in the field of sugar artistry. In addition, your donation will powerfully provide our youth a supportive and loving environment where they will be accepted and appreciated, learn to embrace who they are, and tap into their talents. Thank you to our many sponsors for the outpouring of love and support. I had no idea how many people were inspired by my dream of giving back to the community through my passion for Sugar Artistry. This is going to be an amazing school year!
A few months ago I assisted another chef with her sugar masterpiece for the Salon Du Chocolat Fashion Show at the New York City Jacob Javits Convention Center. It smelled so good walking into the convention hall. There were chocolate cookies, chocolates, bonbons, candy melts, hot cocoa, and more everywhere. My favorite vendors were Beyond Chocolate & Mozart Chocolate Liqueur. This was a chocoholics dream come true. I was so happy to see my new found friend Ashton Pina on-site showcasing chocolate for Madecasse aka Beyond Good Chocolate. Ashton connected with me offering an opportunity to infuse our brands. I was so excited about this collaboration.
I’ve been setting you all up for the win! You will need the Dark Chocolate Ganache Recipe and the Persian Caramel recipe to bring this entire recipe together. It’s the ultimate sweet payoff!
Iran is formerly known as Persia, and the major language is known as Farsi. “Persian poetry is some of the most beautiful poetry in the world and the Persians cultivated four unique types of poetry; the “epic”, the “ghasideh” a purpose poem, the “masnavi” a narrative poem, and the “ghazal” a lyrical poem”.
Persian Desserts. The first thing that comes to my mind is a myriad of bold & alluring colors, nuts, the aromatics of saffron and rose water, honey, and pistachios. I decided to release my favorite rich dark brownie recipe infusing it with the taste of Persia. It’s so rich and nutty that it’s Beyond Good! I hope you enjoy it.
Materials
Tabletop or handheld mixer
Spatula
Mixing bowls
Beyond Good Vanilla
Beyond Good Vanilla Bean
Dark Chocolate Brownie Ingredients
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
1 ½ cups Dark Cocoa Powder
6 eggs
1 ½ cups All-Purpose Flour
1 tablespoon Beyond Good Vanilla
1 Beyond Good Vanilla Bean Pod
2 cups Beyond Good Chocolate Melts
½ tablespoon salt
Directions:
In a mixing bowl or using a handheld mixer, combine salt, sugar, and eggs beat on high. You want to beat this mixture for 2-3 minutes until its light and fluffy with peaks. Add the vanilla. Using a knife cut open the vanilla bean pod and scrape with a teaspoon. You can save your pod to make your own vanilla later on.
Slowly combine the cocoa powder and all purpose flower.
Add the melted butter
Garnish (optional):
Dark Chocolate ganache drizzled with my Persian Caramel Sauce
2 1/2 sticks unsalted plant-based butter room temperature (not too soft)
2 cups organic granulated sugar
3 large vegetarian fed eggs brought to room temperature (Wilcox eggs)
3 large egg yolks brought to room temperature or egg replacers
¾ cup Thai coconut milk
1 ½ cup of sweetened shredded coconut
1 tablespoon coconut flavored vanilla
Materials:
3-9-inch cake pans
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and position a rack in the center of the oven. I like to use Pam flour baking spray to coat my baking pans. Line each baking pan with round paper parchment to protect the bottom of your baked cake.
In a mixer, combine the butter, sugar and vanilla mixing on high slowly adding in each egg at a time and then all of the egg yolks. Mix on high until its light and fluffy.
In a separate bowl, mix the baking powder, salt, and all-purpose flour to aerate evenly. This step will allow the baking powder to evenly distribute throughout your mixture which contributes to an evenly baked cake.
Gently add in the dry mixture to the wet ingredients mixing with a paddle attachment and scraping down the sides of the bowl. Slowly add in the coconut milk and scrap down the sides of the bowl. Also, bring the mixer to a halt and scrap the bottom of the bowl. If you have mixture at the bottom of the bowl that did not incorporate you need to adjust your mixer settings.
Gently fold the shredded coconut into your mixture using a spatula. Do not use the mixture attachment. If you over mix you don’t want all of your shredded coconut at the bottom of your cake. Pour your mixture evenly into the three pans and bake.
I have an entire line of cookbooks and magazines. I’m a huge fan of Food & Wine. I thought to myself I bet a lot of people are seeking recipes not realizing that they have everything they need on their bookshelf and in their kitchen pantry to create tantalizing joy. If you don’t have an at-home library, that’s great this blog is your new library. Welcome!
I received the idea to explore Persian culture from a dream. I saw a beautiful floral rose background with my brownie on top with the perfect amount of caramel sauce, nuts, and dates. I have brand new Cardamon pods in my kitchen cabinet sitting there inquiring when am I going to use them. I decided that the day has to come to explore this spice.
Cardamon is a tricky spice. With the right infusion, it can be citrusy, minty, spicy, and/or highly fragrant. It pairs well with cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and ginger. In terms of health, Cardamom is good for digestive challenges.
Persian desserts are often topped with delicious dates, nuts, dried fruit, etc. This recipe has all of the sweet Persia in it! Have fun and enjoy the videos!
This recipe has been adapted from The Best of Food & Wine Vol. 14 with a few modifications.
In a medium saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer over moderately guilty. Remove from heat and add the tea and cardamom. Let steep for 30 minutes. Strain the cream through a fine-mesh sieve into a small saucepan. Keep warm over very low heat.
Wipe out the medium saucepan and add the sugar, corn syrup, the vanilla bean and seeds and 3 tablespoons of water. Insert a candy thermometer and simmer the mixture over moderately high heat until it reaches 292 degrees Fahrenheit, about 7 minutes. Reduce the heat and stir in the warm cream, the butter, and honey and cook over moderately low heat until the caramel reaches 220 degrees Fahrenheit, 1 to 2 minutes.
Remove the vanilla bean from the caramel and stir in the Rosewater. Transfer to a heat proof container and let cool slightly. I used a glass mason jar to cool and store the caramel sauce. Serve the caramel sauce over ice cream or a warm brownie.
