All about Coco Bakes

Baking is in my DNA. 

I grew up in a house that smelled like a bakery.  The Santa Monica Wednesday Farmers Market was a ritual, browsing the stalls, getting to know and talking to the farmers, bringing them cookies.  I learned to bake at my mom's side, often using her very first and only Kitchen Aid Mixer.  That mixer was a staple of my childhood, turning it on and off, cracking eggs and adding ingredients and best of all, licking the blades.  My brother, sister and I rolled the leftover pie crust dough and made our own creations and were so proud of our treats.   I lived for moments in the kitchen.  We traveled, often renting houses on holiday so we could get to know the  farmers market and cook like a local.  It was always about the "amazing" tomatoes or eggplant or lettuce.....always seeking something new and delicious.  Food became a huge part of my independence as a teen.  Before I could drive, I would bike through the city to  See's Candies and Pane Fresco and other destinations, most all of them with food as a goal.  My friends and I would gather and eat or drink or just shop for candy and baked goods.  And I continued to bake and watch my mom and aunt and godmother in their kitchens, watching them make magic.