Who tells your story?

The Cast of Beautiful: The Carole King Story.

As a patron of the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center in Charlotte, I have the opportunity to attend a Cast Party of my choice each year. One of my first was BEAUTIFUL…The Carole King Story. It was joyful occasion and someone who knew my BrooksCakes history brought up that I made the best Pancakes from scratch. The discussion turned to “when can I have some?” The Manager of the production came over and those in the conversation asked “when can we have some BrooksCakes?” The discussions led to how about Sunday before our last performance at 1pm? Sundays are a relaxed time when the cast and support comes casually to grab a muffin and cup of coffee before the 12:15 stage call for all. It was quickly a unanimous decision that a BrooksCakes Brunch would be the right touch to close the last performance.

Members of the Cast of Hamilton

When Hamilton came to Charlotte for its extended performance I attended the Opening Night celebration “The Room Where It Happened.” At the cast party after the show, several of the cast said I heard you cooked breakfast for one of the casts. We want you to do that for us. They got the manager and the decision was to do it on the Sunday two weeks out.

That Sunday morning everything was in order. I had the BrooksCakes made and ready; bacon had been cooked; and the BrooksGrits were finished and warming on the stove. I had used my office kitchen to make everything for the 60 or so cast, support staff, and stage hands. It was pouring rain, a tornado warning was issued, and I had to be there to setup at 10:30am in order to serve as cast came in from 11AM - 12:15PM. I left my office to go to my home loft in the same building.

I came back and had locked myself out of my office. I was manic with no key to get in and the emergency alternatives not answering. I pried the door hoping to move the lock and after a frustrating and heightened panic, I called a friend in the building and together we maneuvered our tools and collectively eventually opened the door. It was already 10:35AM and the rush was on to load the food and the serving equipment and get to the Blumenthal in tornado like winds and rain without keeping the Cast waiting. Fortunately, I learned that performers have their own schedule and a start time of 11AM meant nothing to them as they slowly dwindled in, ate, laughed, and raved about the food. Several opined they wished they could take some BrooksCakes (and BrooksGrits) with them. We did make arrangements to get BrooksCakes to them in their home location.

In these trying times, it is the words from Hamilton that speak to all of us….”who lives, who dies, who tells your story?” If I had more time, I would make more BooksCakes and BrooksGrits for all. I hope Brookscakes tells my story for many many years maybe even long after I am gone. “It is only matter of time!!”