Grief first led me to the kitchen, though I never expected it to shape my future. When I was sixteen, a winter night changed everything. A house fire took my parents and grandfather in moments, leaving me standing barefoot in the snow with nothing but borrowed clothes and shock. The home, the photos, the keepsakes—all gone. I moved into a community shelter for displaced youth, grateful for a bed but numb inside. My only surviving relative offered sympathy but little support, and I quickly learned I was on my own. During the day, I focused on school, determined to build a future. At night, when the dorm grew quiet, I wandered into the shared kitchen, searching for something that made me feel steady again.
That’s where baking found me. With donated ingredients and secondhand tools, I began making pies—apple, blueberry, cherry—rolling dough on scratched counters and timing the oven carefully. What started as a distraction became a purpose. I boxed the pies and quietly delivered them to a nearby hospice and homeless shelter, never leaving my name. I didn’t want recognition; I just needed to place my love somewhere safe. The warmth of baking eased my grief, and imagining someone finding comfort in a slice gave meaning to days that once felt empty. Even when others questioned why I spent my limited funds on strangers, I kept going. In those quiet hours, kneading dough by hand, I felt close to the family I’d lost and to a future I hoped still existed.