I grew up in a small southern town in a large southern family with a typical southern matriarch as its heart and soul. My grandmother was named "Pandora Rogers Kallie", or "Duda" as the many grandkids, great grandkids and great-great grandkids managed to call her. Of all the fond memories of her singing, funny sayings and hilarious stories, I enjoyed her cooking the most! My grandmother was a star in the kitchen! She would fix the sides and desserts for my grandfather's BBQ business (Ralph Kallie, Sr.). She left a legacy of legendary cooks in our family. I lived in London, UK for over four years. I used to bake the cakes my grandmother taught me (plus some savvy new ones) for my coworkers' birthday parties. Word of the consistent quality and taste of the cakes got out and it led to me weekly supplying sweets for several high-end coffee shops. On the day I rushed my first sample cakes to my first vendor, my grandmother passed on. The shop owner sliced pieces and handed them to each customer seated in the coffee shop. They adored the them! In fact, they told the owner that if my cakes were there, they would come back often! When he shook my hand and asked the name of my company, without hesitation I said, "Pandora's". A couple of months ago, my cousin, Christina, was having a birthday party and I made my Signature Italian Cream Cake, just like grandma used to make. Using my grandmother's bowl, in fact. Everyone who tasted the cake loved it. I got several orders for that particular cake and others from that event. You can already see where this is going. And so, "Pandora's of London", was born.
