Meet Street Fair Merchant Caroline Joy!
In 2010 Caroline Joy brought her business to the Street Fair selling a variety of her Angel Breads. How did Caroline, who worked for most of her life as a commercial home builder doing design, financing and selling million-dollar homes in Los Angeles land in the Coachella Valley selling decadent deserts? I would love to tell you so read on!
While living and working in Los Angles Caroline loved to cook and regularly entertained her friends at her home. A standing tradition each Christmas was her gift of Apple Bread that she baked, wrapped, and placed under the tree for each of her friends. Every year she held a trim tree party, and her apple bread was popular, but she only made it once a year.
After 40 years working in Los Angeles, she moved to Palm Desert and worked in real estate until the market crashed in 2009. She needed a way to make money and believed if she made a business out of her hobby, she could be successful. Once a person tasted her bread and said, “This is heavenly,” and Angel Breads was born.
During 2020-2021 while the Street Fair was closed during the Covid pandemic, Caroline faced two challenges. How to make an income and beat cancer. She turned her baking facility into making meals that were delivered to shut-ins during the pandemic. Imagine how relieved those people were during a horrible time to receive a delivered home-cooked meal. While fighting her battle with cancer she kept busy doing what she loves and helping people at the same time.
Caroline is happy to be back at the Street Fair and has expanded her business now selling cookies, fudge and her famous Angel Breads and has hired a full-time baking assistant. Her business gives her peace of mind knowing she can support herself and loves the interaction with her customers.
Caroline says her one piece of advice to anyone is to be happy and do what you love. Her recipes are secret, but her cheerful outlook and resilience is not. She can now add cancer survivor to her list of accomplishments.