Hey everyone! I’m Barb Berube, owner and baker of Bebe’s Bakes. Welcome to my blog! I guess it's best to start at the beginning and share my story and how cookies found me. But first, let me introduce you to me and my family.
My husband David and I have been married for 35 years. We met at college in Farmingdale, NY. I remember skipping classes for three days to sit in his car and just talk about everything under the sun. On the third day, I came home and my mother asked how my day was. My response to her was…”Great, I met my husband today!” Not joking! What a life we have had. We lived all over the world, due to him being in the Air Force, raised three children, and now have three grandchildren (all boys), and have settled in South Carolina. We are blessed indeed.
Before moving to SC, we lived in North Carolina. I was a teacher and David owned his own business. In 2015, we made the decision to sell his business and move to South Carolina to be closer to my parents. Two of our adult children still lived in NC, and our youngest was working and traveling for her profession. We fell in love with SC, because we would bring our kids down all the time to visit my parents, so this was a natural move for all involved. David started his business’s down here. My son joined us in our company and he and his wife moved to SC. My eldest daughter was still in NC with our grands and visited often.
Little did we know where God was taking us on this new journey. I would see some cookie videos and tutorials come across my social media feed, not like it is now, but some, and I was mesmerized. It always seemed to calm me, kind of like background fan noise. Lol. I put in the back of my mind that I would try sometime, always watching it, never doing it. Then our world got rocked! In 2017, my eldest daughter was about to have our third grandchild and my mom was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. To say it was a whirlwind was an understatement. On October 8th, of that year, David and I went to see my parents and was told of her diagnosis. On October 9th I remember having to travel to NC to be there for my daughter and the birth of our grandson, then traveling back home on the 10th to go to my mothers doctor appointment. I became my mothers caregiver as this was difficult for my dad, and she passed away 15 days later. The grief I felt was something I have never experienced in my life and I kind of got lost and retreated in my mind. Benign alert, but not present. Having to process what the last month has brought…Emersuable grief and joy all at the same time.
Enter in the cookie videos. I would play them just to be able to think. I would watch them to find joy and peace. As I watched I would remember myself as a little girl, standing on the kitchen chair next to my grandmother helping her make her famous coffee cake, or when I was in high school I would bake cakes for friends who were going through hard times and hoping it would bring joy and happiness to them. So this time, I baked for myself. To feel again. I baked to be happy again. Cookies fed my soul and brought me back from the darkness. Cookies helped me heal my deep grief.
I was working at a school in the Special Ed department. Valentine’s day was coming up and I thought I would just bring in some heart cookies for the kids as a little treat. I looked at every heart cookie tutorial I could find on youtube. I had cookie stuff everywhere, I didn’t know what I was doing, but I knew the kids would be happy…at least I hoped they would be happy. I brought them in, had the kids close their eyes, I placed the cookies (all wrapped pretty) in front of them, told them to open their eyes….and they went crazy!!! Even before they tasted it. Their joy, and happiness was a lightning bolt to my heart. I knew I had to do this. Right then and there I learned the power of a cookie. How it changed their day, how it changed my day. Cookies healed my grief to find my passion.
Bebe’s Bakes was born that day (in my heart) and I kept following the call. I retired from teaching and now I'm the proud owner of a small little bakery business offering gourmet (my secret recipe) custom decorated cookies in our community. I expanded my business to teach others how to decorate cookies, I give private cookie lessons, and mentor other women who own small businesses. When I look back on the last couple of years at Bebe’s cookie journey, there are two things that are the philosophy of my business. First….Never underestimate the Power of a cookie! Second, you can change the world…One cookie at a time.