Audio Recording Cheryl Nobles Sherman, Felix Sherman, Sr., and Felix Sherman, Jr. interview conducted by Laura Marcus Green, 2015-04-01

Title

• Cheryl Nobles Sherman, Felix Sherman, Sr., and Felix Sherman, Jr. interview conducted by Laura Marcus Green, 2015-04-01

Summary

• Three members of the Sherman family--Cheryl Nobles Sherman, Felix Sherman, Sr., and Felix Sherman, Jr.--talk about their business, The Ambrosia Bakery. When Felix, Sr. lost his job, he jokingly told his wife that he had been supporting her for 25 years, now it was her turn. Cheryl had learned to decorate cakes and was making cakes as a hobby for family and friends. Earlier, when the family had relocated from New Orleans to Houma, Louisiana, she began working for a small retail baker. All of these factors led to the establishment of The Ambrosia Bakery, which the Shermans opened in 1993 in a small space with one employee. In the early days, their marketing was all by word-of-mouth, as they couldn't afford to advertise. Since then, the business has blossomed into an 8,250 square-foot space with some 65 employees. During the interview, the Shermans talk about the specialty cakes for which they are known, many of which come from Cheryl's mother's recipes. The family belongs to two national professional baking organizations, through which they have received valuable mentoring, and through which they also teach and share their knowledge with others. In addition to Felix, Jr., two other sons work at the bakery: David Sherman is Human Relations manager, and Michael Sherman, a computer engineer, occasionally helps out. The Ambrosia Bakery specializes in weddings, delivering cakes as far as New Orleans and Houma. Felix, Jr. is the main delivery person, and Cheryl and Felix, Sr. also help when there are multiple weddings over a given weekend. The number and location of weddings per weekend determine how many wedding customers they can take on at a time. Because it is a delicate operation requiring special care, the family are the only ones who deliver wedding cakes, ensuring that the cakes arrive in good shape. The Shermans attribute their success to hard work, dedication, and determination, as well as love, sweat, and tears. They express their gratitude to the customers who have supported them over the years. The Ambrosia Bakery provided Governor Bobby Jindal's wedding cake (before he was governor of Louisiana) and inauguration and birthday cakes for Governor Mike Foster. The interview contains some great narratives, highlighting the Shermans' relationships with customers and their pride in their work. The interview took place in the wedding consultation room within the bakery.

Names

• Sherman, Cheryl Nobles, interviewee
• Sherman, Felix, 1944- interviewee
• Sherman, Felix, 1966- interviewee
• Green, Laura Marcus, interviewer
• Occupational Folklife Project, sponsor

Created / Published

• 2015-04-01

Headings

• -  Sherman, Cheryl Nobles--Interviews
• -  Sherman, Felix,--1944---Interviews
• -  Sherman, Felix,--1966---Interviews
• -  Bakers--Louisiana--Interviews
• -  Bakeries--Louisiana--Baton Rouge
• -  Storytelling
• -  Technical education
• -  Baked products industry
• -  Vocational education
• -  Work and family
• -  Work ethic
• -  Work-life balance
• -  Workmanship
• -  Employees--Relocation
• -  Employees--Training of
• -  Employment re-entry
• -  Family-owned business enterprises
• -  Hours of labor
• -  Job stress
• -  Mentoring
• -  Non-formal education
• -  Occupational retraining
• -  Quality of products
• -  Blue collar workers
• -  Shift systems
• -  Small business
• -  Merchants--Louisiana--Baton Rouge--Interviews
• -  Business enterprises--Louisiana--Baton Rouge
• -  Baton Rouge (La.)--Social life and customs
• -  Baton Rouge (La.)--Commerce

Genre

• Sound recordings
• Digital photographs--Color--2010-2020
• Interviews
• Oral histories
• Personal narratives

Notes

• -  Recorded at The Ambrosia Bakery, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, April 1, 2015.
• -  Fieldnotes on this project, which includes field research on bakeries, cakes, and St. Joseph's Altar traditions, milliners, and hat wearing traditions were also submitted with interview afc2014023_01961.
• -  Baton Rouge Small Businesses and Trades: Archie Green Fellows Project, 2014-2015 (AFC 2014/023: 02260) American Folklife Center, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
• -  To honor the memory of Archie Green (1917-2009), a fellowship program was established at the American Folklife Center in 2010. Archie Green Fellowships support new research in the contemporary culture and traditions of American workers.
• -  In English.

Medium

• 1 sound recording (01:00:52) : digital, sound, wav
• 14 photographs : digital, jpg, color
• 1 manuscript : pdf, text file

Source Collection

• Baton Rouge Small Businesses and Trades: Archie Green Fellows Project, 2014-2015 AFC 2014/023: 02260

Repository

• Library of Congress American Folklife Center, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington, DC USA 20540 to 4610 https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/folklife.home

Digital Id

• https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/afc2014023.afc2014023_02260_sr01
• afc2014023.afc2014023_02260_ph
• afc2014023.afc2014023_02260_ms04

Library of Congress Control Number

• 2020655630

Rights Advisory

• Duplication of collection materials may be governed by copyright and other restrictions.

Access Advisory

• Collection is open for research. To request materials, please contact the Folklife Reading Room at https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/folklife.contact

Online Format

• image
• audio
• pdf

LCCN Permalink

• https://lccn.loc.gov/2020655630

Additional Metadata Formats

• MARCXML Record
• MODS Record
• Dublin Core Record

IIIF Presentation Manifest

• Manifest (JSON/LD)