Today we’d like to introduce you to Cassaundra Thompson.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I started baking when I was around 6 years old! My father introduced me to this baking world. I use to bake with him every single day. One of my favorite things to make with my father was Sweet Potato Pie. My oh my, that sweet potato pie was divine. To this day I can vividly taste the buttery crust and the sweet warm cinnamon and nutmeg filling. When I was growing up my family always taught me to pick a career in something that I loved to do. So I chose a career in baking. I decided to truly pursue baking in High School. My high school was huge, totaling around 2.500 children and almost every single person in that school knew that if you wanted cookies you would get the from Cassaundra the “Cookie Lady”. After high school, I decided to attend Johnson and Wales University for my culinary degree. At that time Johnson and Wales were ranked the number 2 school in the U.S to obtain a culinary degree. I was so excited to attend. There I learned how to make bread, chocolate, cakes, pies, macaroons, cookies and so much more.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
In my last year of high school, my father was on a bus when he had a stroke. I remember getting the call at my school and being terrified. My father was my hero and was always so strong. I never thought I would see the day when my father was no longer strong. But that was the first health scare of so many to come. My father was diagnosed with brain cancer and had multiple tumors growing in his brain. He had to undergo brain surgery to remove some of his tumors in order for him to function. The surgery was extremely risky and if not done correctly my father would become paralyzed or lose his memory. The surgery was a success and my father was back to normal for the most part. I then went off to college in Miami moving away from New York City where my family was. I was scared to leave my family behind due to my dad’s health concerns but I knew my dad would be so happy if I made my baking career successful so I took that leap. My father’s tumors continued to grow and in my second year of college, my mother was diagnosed with Lung Cancer. My mother use to work a block away from the Twin Towers in Manhattan and when they went down in 2001 my mother was exposed to the dust and debris from the towers. My mother made it home safely but was filled with debris from the towers and that debris exposure eventually turned into lung cancer. So at this point in my life, both my father and my mother were diagnosed with cancer and they both were a fighter!
In 2016 my husband and I welcomed our first child into the world. It was a joyous occasion, but like many moms, I suffered from postpartum depression. My pregnancy with my son was smooth sailing for the most part until the very last two months. One day I woke up with a cold and I decided to go to the doctor for this cold just because I was in my last trimester and I wanted to be prescribed something that was not going to harm the baby. Thank goodness I went to the doctor that day, when I got to the doctor they stated that it was a normal head cold and that it was going to eventually run its course. However, when they checked my blood pressure I was ranging a bit high and they were concerned. They wanted to keep me there for an hour or so to monitor me to see if it would go down. My pressure continued to spike and my last blood pressure reading was 198 over 100. That was extremely high for anybody and I was at risk to have a seizure. I was diagnosed with Preeclampsia and had to deliver my baby 8 weeks early in order to save both my and my son’s life. When my son was born he was 4 pounds and he had to stay in the NICU for a month. I was battling so much at that time. It felt like everything was hitting me at once.
My father had to undergo his second brain surgery in 2016 and he never fully recovered after that. He passed away the following year, in July 2017, and my mother shortly lost her battle with lung cancer a year after that in July 2018. My mother’s passing came as a shock. Though she was diagnosed with cancer she maneuvered through life as if she was not sick. Always focusing on me and my sister. Making sure that we were good. When I was hospitalized for my preeclampsia my husband called her to advise her what was going and my mother was on the next flight from New York City to California to be there for me. She was that mom, the mom who will do everything for her kids. Drop the entire world and make sure you are good before her. My mom declined fairly quickly within a two-month time frame my mother could no longer maneuver through with ease. She had lost so much weight and one point lost her memory. It happened so fast and no one was prepared to lose her. We were all still trying to recover from my father’s passing and before we made a full year after his passing she was gone.
I was suffering from Postpartum depression and grief all at the same time while trying to maneuver between being a wife and a new mom. It was extremely hard to get through day-to-day life and eventually I lost my passion for baking. The very first person who introduced me to this work of baking was gone and the women who made everything feel okay were gone as well. I was lost to say the very least.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m the owner of Confections of a Queen LLC. We specialize in delicious desserts! We have so many options on the menu ranging from cookies, cakes, and pasties. This year I have branched off into the teaching world and have decided to teach children baking class all summer long. I was extremely young when I started this passion and I know that so many kids aspire to be chefs one day as well. Our last couple of classes were filled to capacity and the smiles on the children’s faces melted my entire heart. They had so much fun and learned so much! I am extremely proud to have entered that space and have been able to teach kids my passion.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
In the next 5- 10 years I see Confections of a Queen having multiple bakeries across the United States. I also see us having multiple facilities where we offer cooking/baking classes to children and adults!
Pricing:
- Our summer classes are held every Monday until the end of August and they are $25.00 per child. The session is held at CT’s Creative Arts Space 1304 S Loop W, Houston, Texas 77054
Contact Info:
- Website: www.Confectionsofaqueen.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/confectionsofaqueenllc/
