Comfort Traveled | Southern California

Anyone who has seen my car, or my closet, knows San Francisco Giants baseball is serious business around here. So much so that our wedding was SF Giants themed. Complete with custom baseball cookies, orange and black everywhere, and tables named for our favorite Giants: Mays, Bonds, Clark, Bumgarner, Kruk & Kuip. In July, when my husband encouraged me to take some much needed R&R, I couldn’t help but check the Giants schedule to see if Petco Park was on our away schedule. Rumor has it that Petco Park is the prettiest ballpark in MLB. Once the dates were locked in, I started planning what would become an epic adventure.

Somewhere along the way, my brain said, “If I’m driving to SoCal, maybe I can bring a bit of my bakery with me.” And that’s how, at 6am on Wednesday, July 29th, I found myself beginning a six day adventure in Lucy Pearl, my trusty Honda CRV. My mission was to spread some of my Bay Area baked comfort in the form of seven whole cakes, eleven Sweet Sampler Boxes and one mini Sweet Sampler. This mission included two trusted co-pilots: Lou, the Sea Lion, and Squirt, my trusty navigator of over a decade.

I made a relatively last minute audible earlier in the week. Instead of beginning my trip in LA and waiting until the weekend to get to San Diego, I drove to San Diego first, then made a few LA deliveries and ultimately crashed Wednesday night at my hotel in Hollywood. For freshness sake, I didn’t want my San Diego customers to wait until Saturday for cake! The drive started off uneventfully. I made one stop for gas and kept moving until I arrived in the 619. That is when my body temperature rose, my thigh muscle cramped, I cried and then began to rethink all of my life’s decisions. Praise be I had my percussion gun in my backpack, but I was a complete spectacle in the Jack in the Box parking lot with my right leg propped up on the door, me sprawled backwards in the car and my left arm digging the gun into my thigh meat. Countless cups of ice water later, I didn’t keep completely calm, but I could limp along. My first stop was a friend I hadn’t seen since before I left for Singapore. I wasn’t just excited, I was grateful.

In what seems like a lifetime ago, I met Javi when we worked at the Apple Store on 4th Street. Even when I jumped continents and roles, Javi kept in touch. He not only supported and encouraged me, but also asked me for guidance on his own journey. Like so many of my friendships, even when I haven’t had the physical space in people’s lives, it feels like time hasn’t skipped a beat when we reconnect. Hugging Javi was just as wonderful as I remembered, and hugging Bethany was delightful too. I’m a hugger, truly. Hugs help me stay connected and calm my nervous system. I will never forget feeling starved for them during Covid when I went back to work but still had to keep my distance. I digress. Those hugs helped soothe a part of my spirit I didn’t realize had gotten depleted.

In recent years, I’ve fallen further off the self-imposed grid I was already on. Whether it’s exhaustion or avoidance, it’s been easy to just stay within my limited bubble. Don’t get me wrong. I love people. I love my people. More specifically, I love when I am able to take care of people. When my people are taken care of, life is good. My Southern California trip was the perfect example of this. Most people would not have started an eight hour drive alone on two hours of sleep, a Celsius and a prayer. However, that’s my definition of a good time. Rolling out with my CRV and a playlist to feed my people.

There were too many highlights on my adventure to share them all. What I will share is that I was rightfully exhausted when I pulled up to valet. So much so that I left my bag by the car until he called me back, and then I gave him my car key without taking a valet ticket. When I got to the front desk and they asked for my valet ticket, I was like, “I didn’t get one. I told him I planned to check in and come right back. But I really hope he works here.” We all laughed, they confirmed he did, and I let them choose the sample flavors they wanted. I thanked him and told him, “I don’t have cash, but I have poundcake!” 😂 His coworkers were asking if there was any more, and of course there was just enough left for the four of us to taste a little sweetness.

I wouldn’t have thought it before I hit the road, but poundcake carried me further than cash ever could. Poundcake started the conversations and opened the door to so much more. Warmth, hospitality, laughs and genuine joy enveloped me and those at the hotel. It was a reminder of why I wanted to open this bakery. I want people to take a bite and not just enjoy it, but live in that moment of comfort. Even better, I love it when that bite takes them back to some of their fondest memories. To be a part of that is truly special. Food has a way of comforting us, and that is what I strive to do. To provide comfort. I had no idea that comfort could travel, but as I found out after 1,506.6 miles and countless smiles, everyone deserves a little comfort in their lives.

I’m grateful to everyone who not only supported me by buying cake, but also provided unexpected comfort when I needed it. Along the way, I was reminded of how the simplest things can have the greatest impact. I got to see Sorority sisters and friends I hadn’t connected with in years. Maybe they thought they were buying samplers and cakes, but in actuality, they were buying into me and my vision.

I left home thinking I was heading to a baseball game in San Diego while taking Cinnamon Charms Cakes on the road. I came home realizing I had taken comfort with me. It traveled in cake boxes and hugs. It showed up in hotel lobbies, parking lots, long overdue reunions and conversations with strangers. And somewhere along those 1,506.6 miles, some of that comfort found its way back to me.

A small bakery built out of passion and love.

This may have been our first Comfort Travels adventure, but it certainly won’t be our last. There are more tables to visit, more memories to make and plenty more cake to share. Because if this trip taught me anything, it’s that comfort travels. And everyone deserves a little comfort in their lives.

Until next time, save room for poundcake.

Sweetly,

Charmayne

A few memories from the road