Sweet essence - Indulge, enjoy and savour

 Krysta Anderson, Lifestyle Reporter

There is nothing like something sweet to entice the taste palate of all those food lovers at heart. For Kayla Evans, food has always been a passion so it was only natural that she followed suit in the world of culinary art.

In this week's Sweet Treat Corner Series, Food visited the home of Evans to find out a little bit more about her love for food, which manifested itself in her business, Essence of Hazel.

She began expressing her passion for food in high school, and it took her on scholastic pursuits to higher heights, walking away from the University of Technology with a degree in Food Service Management. "It wasn't so much about the baking; I was always interested in the nutritional value of food, and loved fruits," the young food enthusiast pointed out.

After working in the corporate world, selling sweet treats to fellow co-workers, she decided to embark on the entrepreneurial aspect of food. "Growing up, seeing your mom working for people, and then going through the cycle of working for people as well, learning first-hand that the world is ungrateful, I decided to go out on my own."

Making this choice, she said, produced obstacles such as maintenance and upkeep. To make money, investing in the right tools had to be done. "To help me speed things up, I treated myself to a KitchenAid, the best decision I have ever made." She also still had a lot to learn, and this is where YouTube came in.

MOTHER FIGURE

Motivated by her mother, who would have been helping her during her busiest of seasons, she taps into her strength, while she is away, knowing that she has to hold down the fort and set a good example for her brother, who lives with her. She dedicated her business to Hazellyn Foster of Frankfield, Clarendon,

who was like a mother to her.

While Essence of Hazel dabbles in pastry, its main focus is edible arrangements. For our viewing pleasure, she created her special cheesecake overnight and dressed it in rich red, pure white, with droplets of chocolate brown. She whipped up chocolate cupcakes in a matter of minutes, made her icing from scratch and demonstrated the use of fondant as an innovative topping, as well as her delectable smoothie medley.

Here's how to make the delectable EoH smoothie at home.

EoH Smoothie Medley

Prep Ingredients

1/4 cup pineapple

1/4 cup cantaloupe

1/4 cup papaya

1/4 cup honeydew

Dice and freeze all fruits before beginning the smoothie process

Smoothie Ingredients

2 whole strawberries (frozen)

1/2 banana (frozen)

1/2 cup water

1 tsp granulated sugar (optional)

directions

1) Add all ingredients and blend for 30 seconds. Remove blender jug and shake to ensure even mixing. Blend well until smooth.

2) To upgrade your nutritional status add:

1/8 cup oats

1/8 cup milk

1/8 tsp cinnamon powder

1/8 tsp vanilla

3) Turn it up a notch by adding 1 tbsp rum cream (to taste)

Yields approx 12oz cup. Double all ingredients to make two servings or 24 oz.

Serve with a straw to limit the contact of the fruit acidity to teeth. That way you can 'Indulge, Enjoy and Savour'.

krysta.anderson@gleanerjm.com