Ever since I was old enough to hold a crayon I have been crafting.

From making projects in grade school, designing cards as a teen, to assembling collages as a young adult I’ve always had the desire to create items made uniquely for the special people in my life.

Over 35 years ago I first started watching and helping my grandmother cook and bake. As an adult I can certainly appreciate how she would let me “help” knowing how “help” from the young really works. My hope is that she got as much joy letting me “help” as I do from my own children, nieces, and nephews.

When I was old enough, she taught me the “right” way to roll out a crust, measure flour, and mix my ingredients. Being trusted with the secret recipes from the “family recipe box” was both exciting and daunting. The feeling of pleasure I felt when she would complement me was and still is immeasurable. Eventually she started asking me to make the “treats” and that’s when I discovered baking was the perfect conduit for my passion to create.

Gifting like creating has always given me great pleasure. The more personal the gift the better and it doesn’t get any more personal than creating a unique treat made exclusively for someone special. Creating something that makes people realize how special they are is a wonderful feeling for both the giver and receiver.

Now that I have my own children and realize the true importance of how “eating real food” can make such an amazing difference in mental and physical health a whole new creative journey has begun. Using clean, local ingredients is best the way I can be assured that my creations remain free of additives, preservatives, dyes, and genetically modified ingredients.

I continue to make all those “secret recipes” in the same old-fashioned way that I was taught but now I make them in my own kitchen with the best ingredients I can buy and/or create. The “family recipe box” will still be passed down someday, but with the added recipes of my own creations.

Darlene Sicard

Owner, D’s Lectables