Simple L ife By Jim Dodson

The Baker’s Assistant

How sweet it is

By Jim D oDsoN Not long ago, my wife, Wendy, joined 47 million foot soldiers of the Great Resignation by retiring early from her job as the longtime director of human resources for Sandhills Community College.

She loved her job at the college. It was f un and f ulfilling in almost ever y way.

But something more was missing — and revealed — when COV ID invaded all our lives.

Simply put, it was time to follow her heart and do something she’d envisioned doing even before I met her 25 years ago: to start her own gourmet, custom-baking company called Dessert du Jour.

News late last year that an innovative shared communit y kitchen for food entrepreneurs (called The Cit y K itch, based in Charlotte) was opening branches in Greensboro and R aleigh propelled her into action. She signed up for the first private kitchen studio and got to work preparing for her debut at a popular outdoor weekend market just before Christmas, selling out ever ything she baked in a couple hours. It was a promising start.

I should pause here and explain that Wendy is no novice or newcomer to the luxur y baking world. Even while masterf ully holding down a demanding career over the past two decades, she made stunning custom wedding cakes, luscious pies, artistic cookies and other baked delicacies for friends and neighbors.

As I say, she was already wowing customers in Syracuse, New York, when we met during one of my book tours in 1998, and she agreed to go on a formal first date that turned out to be, as I fondly think of it, baptism by baby wedding cakes.

To briefly review, on a brisk autumn evening af ter a seven-hour drive between my house in Maine and her home in Syracuse, I arrived just in time to find Wendy cheerf ully boxing up 75 miniature, exquisitely decorated wedding cakes for some demented daughter of a Syracuse corporate raider. “Oh, good,” she beamed, flushing adorably with a dollop of icing on her button nose, as I appeared. “Want to help me box these up and take them around the neighborhood for me?”

How could I ref use? Her neighbors, it seemed, had of fered space in their refrigerators and freezers until the cakes could be delivered to the wedding hall in the morning.

Truthf ully, I don’t recall much about being pressed into ser vice as an impromptu deliver y man. I just have this vague memor y of caref ully boxing up dozens of the beautif ul little cakes and bearing them all gussied up with elegant ribbons and bows to her lady pals around the cul-du-sac. “Oh,” one actually cooed as she looked me over. “You must be the new boyfriend from Maine. Caref ul you don’t put on 50 pounds. Wendy’s cakes are awesome.”

I gave her my best Joe Friday impersonation. “Never tasted ’em, ma’am. Just here to help out the baker lady.”

Happy to repor t, the baby wedding cakes made it safely to the wedding hall the next day without incident. T he g ratef ul baker lady even thoughtf ully saved one of the gorgeous little cakes for the tr ip home to Maine.

I’m embarrassed to say I never sampled it. Cake wasn’t my thing, probably because I grew up with a mama who annually made me a birthday cake from a Bett y Crocker box mix and store-bought frosting that tasted like chocolate-flavored sawdust with icing. I gave Wendy’s baby wedding cake to my children, who absolutely loved it.

Another issue emerged on my next visit to Syracuse, our critical second date. W hen I breezed into her kitchen with a bottle of her favorite wine before we went out to dinner, I found her putting the finishing touches on another masterpiece of the baker’s art.

Sit t ing ne arby on her k itchen c ounter, however, wa s a b e aut if u l w icker ba sket f u l l of p opc or n, my a l l-t ime f avor ite snack fo od. A s

she opene d t he w ine, I g r abb e d a big ha ndf u l of what I t hought wa s popcor n.

Her lovely face fell. It turned out to be a groom’s cake that only looked like a wicker basket f ull of popcorn.

Prof usely apologizing, as I licked the evidence of the crime of f my greedy fingers, figuring this might be our last date, I had something of a dessert awakening.

“Hey, this is really good. I don’t even like cake. W hat’s in this?”

To my relief, she laughed. “Only the finest Swiss white-chocolate, sour-cream cake with salted buttercream. But no worries. I can make another one prett y quick ly. L et’s just get Chinese takeout for dinner while I work.”

I’d never seen such composure under fire. R ight then and there I decided to propose to this remarkable woman and even confessed my sad histor y with Bett y Crocker, wondering if she would do the honor of becoming my wife and someday making me a birthday cake.

“Sure,” she said. “I’ll even make you a Bett y Crocker box cake if you want it.”

Talk about a selfless act of love! This was like inviting a Wine Spectator judge to enjoy a lovely bottle of Boone’s Farm’s Strawberr y Hill or L eRoy Neiman to do a doodle of a racehorse! She actually made me a box-mix cake, which I took one taste of and dumped in the garbage.

Fortunately, by the time our wedding rolled around two years later, Dame Wendy had schooled me up like a pastr y chef ’s apprentice, a culinar y awakening sealed by my first taste of her incredible old-fashioned caramel cake — which she now makes me ever y year for my birthday (along with a sour cherr y pie).

Not surprisingly, the spectacular cake she made for our outdoor wedding beneath a gilded September moon disappeared without a trace before I could even get a taste. Our greedy guests lef t nar y a morsel and even took home extra pieces stuf fed in their pockets.

Since that time, a long and steady stream of fabulous specialt y cakes, cookies, pies, scones, muf fins and the best cinnamon rolls ever made have flowed from her ovens to the tables of friends, family and customers from Maine to Carolina.

W hich is why the creation of Dessert du Jour is such a milestone for the love of my life. She’s never been happier, launching her little dream company at a time we’d all like to see in the rear view mirror as soon as possible. In the meantime, she shares her happiness with others, one gorgeous theme cookie or slice of roasted pecan-studded carrot cake at a time.

And for the moment at least, I have the honor and pleasure of still being her sole employee, the one who puts up the tent and tables at the street market and delivers the goods wherever I’m sent around town, a baker’s assistant happily paid in cake tops and lef tover cinnamon rolls.

I ask you, does life get any sweeter than that? PS

For more infor mation, visit thecit yk itch.com and desser tdujour.net.

Jim Do d son c an be re a ch e d at jwd auth or @g m ail.com.

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Drawing by Addyson Hennessy (Grade 5), Aberdeen Elementar y School

Chip Off the Old Masters

T he annual Young People’s Fine Ar ts Festival at the Camp bell House Galler ies, 482 E . Connecticut Ave., Souther n Pines, opens at 5 p.m. on Fr iday, March 4, highlighting the ar t work of st udents in g rades K- 8 in Moore Count y’s public, pr ivate, char ter and home schools. T he ar t will be judged and awards g iven at a special reception and award ceremony. For more infor mation call (910) 692-2787 or go to w w w.moorear t.org

Nobody Expects the Spanish Inquisition!

For the first time, the Metropolitan Opera presents the or ig inal five-act French version of Giuseppe Verdi ’s epic opera Don Carlos, the tale of doomed love among the royals, set against the backdrop of — you g uessed it — the Spanish Inquisition. T he per for mance streams at 12 noon on Sat urday, March 26, at the Sunr ise T heater, 250 N.W. Broad St., Souther n Pines. For additional infor mation call (910) 692-3611 or go to w w w. sunr isetheater.com.

Jazzing up the Great Room

Trombonist and composer Ryan Keberle has per for med with Mar ia Schneider and Wynton Marsalis; with Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake, and A licia Keys; with Pedro Giraudo and Ivan Lins. He’s even played in the house band for Saturday Night Live. On Wednesday, March 9, Keberle and his prog ressive moder n ja zz band Catharsis will be in the g reat room at Weymouth at 7 p.m. Doors open at 6. For more infor mation and tickets go to w w w.weymouthcenter.org.

Finger Lickin’ Good

Order a tast y spr ing time meal and suppor t the Given Memor ial Librar y at the same time on Tuesday, March 22. Elliott’s on Linden will be doing all the cook ing for you. Given to Go ticket sales beg in March 7 and close March 18. Dinner can be picked up at the librar y, 150 Cherokee Road, Pinehurst, bet ween 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. T he cost is $24 per meal. For info call (910) 295 -3642 or email g ivent uf ts@g mail.com.

Walk This Way

T he village of Pinehurst will hold its annual St. Patr ick ’s Day Parade on March 12 at 11 a.m., in or around Tuf ts Memor ial Park, 1 Village Green Dr ive, Pinehurst. So, OK, it’s not actually St. Patr ick ’s Day, but it is a weekend, and the ACC basketball tour nament finals won’t star t for a while, and there will be festive parade entr ies and plent y of Ir ish cheer, so why not get a jump on the celebration? For additional infor mation go to w w w.vopnc.org /events.

The Ultimate Tutu

T he Bolshoi Ballet streams its way onto the stage of the Sunr ise T heater, 250 N.W. Broad Street, Souther n Pines, on Sunday, March 6, with its per for mance of Swan L ake, P yotr Ilyich Tchaikovsk y’s iconic ballet — panned when it debuted in March of 1877 — about a pr incess t ur ned into a swan by an evil sorcerer. Sounds can’t-miss to us. For more infor mation call (910) 692-3611 or visit w w w.sunr isetheater.com.

Dig This

If you’re in the over 55 set, dress in your favor ite g reen thumb outfit and celebrate St. Patr ick ’s Day on T hursday, March 17, by tour ing some of Moore Count y’s most beautif ul gardens f rom 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Br ing your ow n transpor tation and munchies for a post-tour picnic at the Sandhills Hor ticult ural Gardens, 3395 A irpor t Road, Pinehurst. For more infor mation call (910) 692-7376.

Someone’s Idea of Fun

FirstHealth Fitness of Pinehurst will host a f ree 5K Fun Run on Sat urday, March 26, along the g reenway trails. T his is a timed event with staggered star ts in small g roups to maintain social distancing. Of course, if you really want to socially distance yourself, just go ver y, ver y slowly. For more infor mation and reg istration call (910) 715 -180 0.

Call me Crazy

T he Sandhills Reper tor y T heatre presents Always . . . Patsy Cline, a tr ibute to the legendar y countr y singer who died trag ically in a plane crash at the age of 30. T he show is based on a tr ue stor y about Cline’s f r iendship with a fan f rom Houston named L ouise Seger. Filled with dow n-home humor and classic t unes, opening night is March 4 at 7:30 p.m. at the Bradshaw Per for ming Ar ts Center, 3395 A ir por t Road, Pinehurst. Additional shows are March 5 and 6 at 2 p.m. For more infor mation go to w w w ticketmesandhills.com or w w w.sandhillsrep.org.

Jazz on the Grass

Shana Tucker and ChamberSoul will be per for ming outdoors at a ja zz br unch on Sunday, March 27, f rom 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Weymouth Center for the Ar ts and Humanities, 555 E . Connecticut Ave., Souther n Pines. For more information visit w w w.weymouthcenter.org.