Listening to Your Inner Goddess and Finding Your Way Back to the Source

BY CINDY VAN PELT

Life is sweet, with an emphasis on sweet. My name is Cindy and baking is quite literally my jam. Being in the kitchen creating and experimenting has always been such bliss for me. Finding the precise balance of time, temperature, texture and taste can definitely be challenging, but It is a joy like no other when those elements work together in creating the perfect bite. A cookie crafted with this formula and infused with love can make you feel like magic lies between your fingertips. It’s like my own mini version of Zen. It was a taste of that pure magic that made me who I am today.  

At first, my passion was just a hobby. I have worked in the restaurant industry for over 30 years but I was always in the front of the house with the guests. For a long time, I was known as the girl who you knew would be bringing dessert to the party or even just because it was Wednesday. This eventually led to special orders for birthdays, showers, even weddings. I started culinary school as my hobby quickly evolved into a business and The Sweetest Sin, A Bake Shop was born.

As my side business was gaining momentum my heart began aching to live a bit closer to my family. Although my soul knew I was a Cali girl by choice, I decided to give the bake shop a chance to thrive in Florida and be closer to my family. It was a difficult decision to leave and at the time I thought my feelings were less important than the chance to help take care of my family. Things were going well in Florida but I just wasn’t, well to be honest... happy. I knew I should’ve been. I mean I missed them so much the 12 years I was gone but something was still incomplete. My family and my bestie all approached me separately to say they could see my heart was still out west. I love and thank them immensely for having the courage to tell me to leave. I had only been in Florida a few short months but it felt like an eternity away from my previous life in California. As much joy as it brought me spending time with my family when I sat with my thoughts and listened to my breath it always seemed to remind me to find my way back home, back out west, back to Cali.  

“There it was again, my soul said. This is your truth, your happiness within”

I have been blessed with friends I undeniably call my Soul Sisters. One such friend was a chef and on a new path of her own opening her own cafe. We were chatting one day and she was telling me about her new venture. I remember that call so vividly. If you ever wanted to come back you can help me and run the baking program, she said. My heart fluttered with joy. There it was again, my soul said. This is your truth, your happiness within.  

That is how my path brought me both literally and spiritually back to the source. It has been a bit of a whirlwind since then. In the beginning baking at the cafe was purely a passion point for me. The reality of living back in the South Bay required me to find additional means to supplement my income. I was fortunate enough to find a position that kept me in the industry I loved but in a more lucrative capacity. I would bake starting at 5 am then go to my day job booking chefs and staff for industry events then most nights I’d go back and bake till the early hours only to wake up and do it all over again. I remember back to this time as putting in the work but always being mindful that I was truly building the blocks to create my dreams.  

My “day” job really took off and I was put in a position where I had to make a choice. I simply didn’t have enough time to keep both my baking position with the cafe and my corporate position with the company. There needed to be a choice as to which path I would take: the one which would keep me financially stable or the one which would make my soul sing. Needless to say, it was never a choice. I remember my boss at the time tempting me not to leave by offering me an absurd amount of money to stay and when I said no he increased the amount. When I still said no he did it again, little did he know there was no number to make me change my mind. I was choosing the path of the unknown, the path that reminded me to live in joy, no matter what the outcome, I was choosing me. I called my now business partner Chef Amber and said I’m all in.

Making the choice to listen to my inner goddess has been the biggest blessing. Our Hermosa Beach cafe is about to celebrate 10 years. I still get a daily dose of pure bliss when a guest compliments one of my treats or better yet when a kid with an allergy finally gets to have a cookie with ingredients she can actually eat. A longtime dream of mine has been to have a custom cake program, one that celebrates real and pure ingredients without sacrificing taste all while being accessible to those with dietary restrictions. I’m so excited that that too is soon about to launch. 

This last year has been unlike anything the restaurant and service industry has ever seen. I have daily gratitude to be one of the ones who were fortunate enough to keep our doors open as we have all seen so many small businesses that succumbed to the perils of the pandemic. We actually ended up opening our second location during covid. Our final inspections were approved just weeks before everything shut down. It was not the grand opening we had been envisioning for 2 years nor was it the way we ever dreamed it would be operating. And still I say we are so lucky to have been able to do it at all.  

We have a tremendous team and amazing guests that believe in what we are doing. I am so beyond proud and appreciative to be supported by two female warriors as business partners. In a male-dominated industry, it is rare to find a couple of women running the show. We work on our business relationship as part of our roles. We rely on open communication and the absolute requirement of speaking our own truth. The power of women lifting and celebrating other women is something that we embrace immensely. We are now about to celebrate our 1-year anniversary of our new Manhattan Beach location and were recently awarded best women-owned business. None of this would have been possible without the work we put in and the time we take not only to listen to one another but to respect that we each have a lane and it is at the crossroads of those lanes that our true victories rise. Now with each new day, with each new challenge, and with each new journey I remember to just trust, breathe and listen to my inner goddess.

ABOUT CINDY VAN PELT

Cindy Van Pelt is Pastry Chef and COO for The Source Café, with locations in Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach, CA. She received her MA in religious studies and her culinary credentials in baking. She specializes in alternative baking with an emphasis on gluten-free, vegan, and paleo options. The beach is her bliss and she currently resides in Redondo Beach, California. To try one of Cindy’s treats, visit The Source Café in either Hermosa Beach or Manhattan Beach, CA.

Connect with Cindy Van Pelt, Pastry Chef / COO, The Source Cafes, on Instagram @Cindy_Van_Pelt and @thesourcecafe