Cecelia Ryals has had more than her fair share of ups and downs. Having been the primary caregiver for her husband following his diagnosis with M.S. for numerous years, she subsequently faced a heartbreaking loss and the challenge of raising five children as a single mother. Despite the hardships, however, she found solace in her passion for baking.
“Baking is my sense of release of everything that is around me. I get in my zone,” Cecelia relates. She embarked on the journey of learning to bake cheesecakes to test her ability and explore her culinary skills. She mentions that her family loves cheesecakes, and when she began sharing them with her neighbors, they also loved them.
After losing her husband, Cecelia recalls receiving numerous messages from people requesting a cheesecake. Given their popularity and the encouragement from friends, many of whom recognized the potential, they suggested she turn her baking skills into a side business, especially considering she was now a single mother. Cecelia took those sincere suggestions to heart, and Ryals Sweets was born.
Cecelia operates Ryals Sweets through a Facebook page, providing customers the freedom to request any cheesecake flavor they crave. She embraces the challenge of personalization, enjoying the creative process of adding and subtracting flavors to make each creation uniquely her own. Cecelia takes a recipe and uses it as a starting point to craft her distinct culinary masterpieces. As she puts it, "It's all trial and error really. Just like any art is."
Rekindling her passion for baking has ignited Cecelia's imagination, setting it free to explore boundless possibilities. Her dreams extend to opening a coffee shop, envisioning a space where patrons can savor a diverse array of coffees from various cultures and countries, all while indulging in the decadence of her exquisite baked goods.
