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Clara Hanson was no stranger to sacrifice. As a mother of 13, many of whom she raised on her own, she spent years working behind a cash register, trying to stretch a modest income.

But when the pay cheque couldn't stretch far enough, she turned to the heat of the oven and the wisdom of her mother's hands.

"I've been baking from childhood," Hanson shared. "My mother was one of the finest Jamaican bakers. She cooked for a school back in the day and most of what I know, she taught me." Hanson also told THE STAR that when life got hard, those lessons in the kitchen become her lifeline and allowed her to send her children to school and keep a roof over their heads.

"It (the pay from her regular job) just wasn't enough. So in the evenings, I would bake and bring things to sell at work like potato pudding, banana bread, even blue draws," she recalled.

"I always say baking helped me raise my children. Even when I was working, I'd bake in the evenings to support the household. Back then, their father wasn't around much. It was just me trying to make sure they had what they needed," she added.

She also explained that she baked products that stood out, not just because it helped her family, but because of their nostalgic flavours, and love for baking.

"I once had my partner say, 'All you want to do is bake. You wouldn't even cook food, you just want to bake, bake, bake!'" she laughed.

"But it's true. There's something special about making something that others enjoy and tell you how much they love the taste. It gives you immeasurable joy inside," she added.

In 2016, Hanson left her job and decided to start Red's and Jenny's Pastries. According to her, the biggest sellers are the potato and bread puddings, as well as the gizzadas. The business is now a family affair because her 25-year-old daughter, a nursing student at Distinction College, helps with the production side, grating coconut, sieving flour and prepping ingredients. However, not all her children are involved full-time.

"The challenges of being a boss is keeping your workers satisfied and comfortable to the task they are given, also ensuring that the stock are always present and the bills are paid on time," she said. Among her major challenges is to deal with the losses of the business and money management and also to keep the customer satisfied, ensuring that production are well done.

Now 50, Clara's youngest child is just 13, but she is still fully locked into her craft, because baking isn't just how she makes a living, it's how she finds peace. Although there are still tough days, Hanson said she's learnt to work with the seasons, knowing exactly when to scale up production to meet the demand at churches, schools, and special events.

"Sometimes the money slow, but mi just watch the time and know what to make and when because everything has a season, and yuh haffi seize it," she said.