Hello

For more than 20 years, I built a career around helping organizations in healthcare, mental health, and social justice tell their stories and make a difference. But along the way, my own personal ritual was happening quietly in the background: every holiday, every birthday, every moment worth celebrating — I was in the kitchen, cooking for those I loved. Whether I was stirring fudge or pouring toffee, cooking meals for family and friends or working up new recipes for my cooking classes, food was at the heart of what I did when I chose what I was doing with my time. 

 

So now, it's what I choose to do with all my time!

​

But first came job loss, major surgery, and the growing weight of a divided country. Like so many of us, I felt disheartened. When I was selected to participate in the Worcester Regional Food Hub's Launching Diverse Food Entrepreneurs program, I knew it was time to turn passion into purpose.

[Catch the video of me talking about Candied Optimism with the Worcester Chamber of Commerce on the Food Hub Homepage -- click the tile with the pot!] 

 

I started with the treats I'd been making for years, and a company was born.

 

 People would tell me:

• "I never liked fudge until I had yours."

• "Your toffee is the best I’ve ever had."

​​​

Candy became my gateway to bring optimism, joy and community to a world I think desperately needs it. Now, I'm adding Cooking With Optimism to the mix  (see what I did there?), and bringing the classes I've taught for years to the Worcester Regional Food Hub.

​

Candied Optimism and Cooking with Optimism are two expressions of the same belief: that optimism is nourishment.

Food is how we care for one another, how we gather, how we learn, and how we keep going.

 

Sometimes that nourishment looks like a piece of candy shared in community and kindness. Sometimes it looks like standing side by side in the kitchen, learning how to feed yourself and the people you love.

 

Because optimism needs fuel.  It needs joy. It needs confidence. It needs connection.

 

Through sweetness and skill, gifts and hands-on learning, Candied Optimism and Cooking with Optimism use food as a language of love, compassion, and togetherness — reminding us that when we’re well-fed in body and spirit, we’re stronger, kinder, and better able to show up for one another.

 

So this isn’t just a food company. It’s my personal act of hope — a way to spark connection, bring people together, and give back to causes that matter. Because we need more optimism and community in the world, and we need it now.

 

What Makes Candied Optimism Different

• Time-Honored Recipes: Decades of candy-making experience poured into every batch.

• Messages of Hope: Every order includes an uplifting sticker or card with a quote or action step to help spread optimism in the real world.

• Social Impact: 10% of profits go to social justice causes chosen with input from our community.

• Community-Driven: Backers help us choose charities and shape this movement from the ground up.

• Woman-Owned: Supporting economic independence and collaboration with other women- and minority-owned businesses.