Today we’d like to introduce you to Cindy Flannery-villarreal
Hi Cindy, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
This is the story that I have posted on our website:
Our story
My father, Kenneth Charles “KC” Flannery, was my biggest fan. He taught me to believe in myself and to chase my dreams. He believed in an honest day’s work and was a man of faith, integrity and honor. He was generous and kind. We lost him last year, and as a way to honor his memory, we started the Kenneth Charles Flannery Honor Scholarship, which will be awarded annually to a deserving student. A portion of our proceeds will help fund it. I hope I am making you proud, Dad. #likeaflannery
A little about the hashtag is that it is an ongoing joke- if you are stubborn, if you have some OCD tendencies, if you are a “stickler” for processes and rule-following and/or if you speak your mind in any given situation, well…you tend to have some “Flannery” qualities. Many members of the Flannery family use this hashtag. It makes me smile. It made my dad smile.
A little about how I started with baking, though is that I am really a home cook turned home baker. For me, food symbolizes family, fellowship and good times. Growing up in a Hispanic (my mother is of Mexican descent) and Irish (my father was of Irish descent) household, food was at the center of any gathering, and it wasn’t just any food. It was good, really good food and lots of it. Every holiday, every special occasion and well, any day of the week really, there is/was food, fun and fellowship. I’ve been hosting events for years, and when my son was in school, I’d cook for Booster Club events, track meets, weekly lunches, movie night…you name it. I was actually afraid of baking for many years because of the precision involved. Cooking for the masses didn’t worry me as much, because I never measured at dinner time. Baking, though? Whew! Now that scared me. I wasn’t exactly successful in chemistry in school (Art was my major), and so I decided to get out of my comfort zone and bake. What I learned was that it was very therapeutic and gave me an outlet for my creativity. I love bold flavors and bold colors. In fact, as look back at the baked goods that I have made over the years, I have to laugh. Most, if not all of my baked goods are chalk-full of bright, bold colors, overloaded with frosting, chocolate, fillings, flavor pairings, etc. Turns out, I’m not afraid to be bold #likeaflannery
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has not been an easy road, but one that is well worth the trials. I actually tried to start a business a few years ago by buying a food trailer. I kept my full-time corporate job and thought the food truck would be a great side business on the weekends. I couldn’t have been more wrong. I worked so hard to get food manager certified, to save money, to follow all the rules to get permitted, bought a truck to pull the food trailer and jumped right in. Turns out, it is ALOT of work and much more than a two-three person team can handle, especially when those other two team members also have full-time jobs. I remember telling my dad when I was going to start the food trailer business and even thought I know that deep down he was worried that I might be biting off more than I could chew (pardon the pun), he never said that and never discouraged me. Rather, he encouraged me to follow my dreams. He told me that I was smart and talented- that the food I so carefully and thoughtfully prepared was really good and that people would buy it. He typed up my menus. He bought me ticket counters, made my order tickets- all of it, and he did this while in end stage renal failure and battling cancer. Even though his illnesses prevented him from eating solid food, he still came to my events to support me. He was always helping me in any way he could. Well, we tried the food trailer business for over a year and had to close it, cutting our very steep losses. So, when my father passed, I took my love of all things food and started to try again-this time on a smaller scale and incorporating a charitable component. This time, my focus is on cupcakes and baked goods, and a portion of our proceeds will benefit a scholarship that I founded in my dad’s honor/memory: The Kenneth Charles Flannery Memorial scholarship. My dad believed in giving back & supporting worthwhile causes. This year, we decided that we would award a deserving student graduating from Sam Houston High School in Arlington, Texas. Not only is it a Title I school serving students who come from low socio-economic households, but it is also the school where my husband is the principal. Next year, we plan on awarding a deserving student from Bishop Amat High School in Baldwin Park, CA, which is where my father graduated.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
For my day job, I am a curriculum manager for an insurance company, which basically means my team designs, develops and implements training content on an organizational level in a variety of engaging ways.
If I think about what I am known for, I would say that my friends and family would say that I am known for hosting- whether it is for a holiday, a bridal shower, a birthday party or Sunday dinner, I love to host. My cousins appreciate that I take our mothers’ and grandmother’s recipes (that term, “recipe” is used lightly as I never saw my grandmother pull out a cookbook or recipe card. In fact, she would say to me: just a pinch of this or a little of that) and make Sunday dinner with them as eating those meals takes us all back to our childhood. I would say what sets me apart is that I am able to take those recipes and make them my own. I started adding homemade desserts to our gatherings several years ago, and that is a tradition that I have cultivated and enhanced over the years.
I am most proud of being a mom. Although my son is grown- he is 29 years old- being his mom has been the best part of my life. I love the fact that he is also a really good cook! We used to watch Chopped and the Food Network together- whenever he had a spare minute from running track and playing basketball- I think the competition thing really caught his attention- and to this day he makes homemade food with bold flavors as well. He is currently a doctoral candidate at Purdue University studying biomedical engineering. He was a track star and ran collegiately at Texas A & M & he is one of my very best supporters/advocates.
I am also proud of being a Hispanic-owned business. My husband and I grew up in towns where you didn’t see many Hispanic-owned businesses and/or didn’t see very many Hispanic individuals in leadership roles. He is actually the principal of Sam Houston High School in Arlington, Texas, working his way up the ranks over a very impressive 33 year career in education. I am proud of the role models that we are and the blessings that we have been given in order to achieve what we have.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
I think I have read hundreds of cookbooks, magazines, and Googled thousands of recipes over the years in my constant search for inspiration and ideas. I love reading as a general rule and being a life-long learner.
I think I’ve watched every single episode of the Barefoot Contessa (good food starts with good ingredients I can hear her say in my head) and some of my other frequently watched shows that have inspired me over the years are Giada at Home, the Pioneer Woman (she is a home cook after all!), Farmhouse Rules, The Kitchen, etc. More recently.
Generally in life, what really helps me do my best is to just follow that Golden Rule – treat others as you’d like to be treated. Devotionals are always helpful to bring peace of mind in a very hectic world, and really just to accept others and be empathetic to their experiences.
Pricing:
- $3.50 – $4.00 per cupcake
- $4,00 cookie packs
- $42-$48 per dozen cupcakes
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kcs-cupcakery.com/
- Instagram: kcs_cupcakery
- Facebook: KC’s Cupcakery (Fort Worth Texas)
Image Credits
N/a
