This baker followed her mother into the kitchen

Editor’s Note: Temple Emanu-El will host an artisan’s fair–including those whose magic is in the kitchen– from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.,  Sunday, Nov. 1, at 6299 Capri Drive.  Here is a first-person story from one of the vendors. 

By Yael Aires

SAN DIEGO — I have always wanted to bake. Ever since I was a little girl, it was always about the kitchen, the smell of chicken soup, gefilte fish, and brisket. When I was about eight years old, I told my mother that I wanted to bake. But I was still a child and my mother wouldn’t let me use any electrical appliances so it all had to be done by hand! I started with scones and then slowly, as I watched my mother in the kitchen, I learned how to make everything that she loved to make…chicken soup, perogen, blintzes, tzimmes and kneidel.

I grew up in a small town outside Johannesburg called Germiston. It was the 1960’s and we had all the new modern conveniences like double ovens – what a thrill! My mother was the master of the house while my father was a chemist and so, while my father was at work, my mother was always preparing for something…a Shabbat dinner, a cocktail party, a dinner for friends and family. She was and continues to be an incredible cook and baker. Of course, my mother had help – both a maid and a houseman. But truth be told, while I always appreciate the help, I love to cook alone. I am at my best when it is just the ingredients, and a recipe book.

I loved watching my mother bake because she was always so passionately serious about being in the kitchen. It was fun, sure, but it was serious business too. Before cooking any meal, she always discussed everything with her best friend – my Auntie Sheila – who was always a great cook and baker. But, no matter how experienced my mother became or how delicious her food, she always reminded me that you can’t bake in a hurry! Patience and passion are a must.

As time goes by, it’s funny to think that certain things never change. I still worry that something isn’t going to work out but then it always does. I remember once, not so long ago, I had made a soup for Shabbat dinner and about an hour before guests were set to arrive, I smelled the soup and it had gone off! I couldn’t believe it. But my children, two of three were home at the time, still laugh about how I managed to make another soup in just a few minutes with the ingredients I had in the pantry. The kitchen teaches us life lessons I suppose…when things do go awry, which they will…slow down, take a step back and start again.

I love to read recipe books. While my mother says you can taste the passion in the food, I often find that my passion comes from the pictures I see and the inspiration of other cooks I know and admire. My daughter loves to tell the story of how my mother compiled a book of recipes as a wedding gift only to leave the bride with pages and pages of ingredients with no quantities listed and no directions either. My mother played with ingredients but playing comes with time and experience.

For any new homemaker, start slow and simple. Be proud of yourself. In fact, it took years of friends telling me to sell my biscotti before I took the jump.

In 2012 I decided to turn my lifelong love of baking into a business. I created My Private Pantry in 2012 and started selling Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti from my kosher kitchen. Today I bake 8 varieties of Biscotti and recently introduced YaYa’s Granola. Everything is hand made with love and no additives or preservatives are used – ever! My Private Pantry Biscotti and YaYa’s Granola are available gluten free. There are dairy free and nut free options available as well as a sugar free granola (no artificial sweetener). The Jewish Holidays are a particularly busy time for me as I offer a variety of desserts with many Parev/ Dairy free options. I also deliver my orders all over San Diego and customers love that service.

I love what I do because I love being in the kitchen. Ever since I was a child, it has been my happy place. Even now, decades after those first scones, I will wonder why I invited 30 people over for a dinner party but then, I’ll pull out a recipe book and all that passion comes rushing back. My customers keep me going. I am blessed with a lovely clientele who have always supported me from the very beginning. My customers are who I aim to please and every time they call with another compliment or another story of someone they know who tried my biscotti, I am filled with such pride and joy. At this point, three years later, the only real challenge I have is continuing to grow my client list and keep my ever-amazing husband out of my biscotti tins!

*
Yael Aires is the owner of My Private Pantry