SAN BERNARDINO – Assemblymember Cheryl R. Brown (D-San Bernardino) is proud to recognize Mrs. Dorothy Pryor Rose, founder of Mommie Helen’s Bakery, as her Small Business person of the Year. Mrs. Pryor Rose will be acknowledged with an award during the annual California Small Business Day hosted by the California Small Business Association on Wednesday, June 10, in Sacramento.
Mrs. Pryor Rose’s business has been in the Inland Empire for nearly 15 years. Her menu consists of: Sweet potato pie, pecan pie, rose berry pie, peach cobbler, apple cobbler, lemon cake, 7-up cake, sock-it-to-me cake, red velvet cake, and a variety of cookies, all made from scratch.
Her cakes and pies are enjoyed by people around the world, especially by renowned celebrities. Her list of celebrity clientele include: Mariah Carey, Snoop Dogg, Stevie Wonder, NFL players Ronnie Lott and Willie Gault, NBA player Dr. J, and her regular customer, NBA legend Magic Johnson, to name a few. One of her most notable achievements include baking and serving 250 peach cobbler pies for the wedding of NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal and his wife Shaunie O’Neal. Additionally, every year, she participates in the annual Celebrity Golf Tournament hosted by NFL player Marcus Allen.
“Her passion, love and dedication to this community led me to select her as my Small Business person of the Year. Although other cities have tried to lure her away, she chose to stay here and bring a positive influence to our area. Despite adversity, she is a constant source of inspiration,” said Assemblymember Brown.
In 2000, Mrs. Pryor Rose established Mommie Helen’s Bakery in the city of Colton.
She credits her mother as her inspiration for starting her business.
“My mom’s baking inspired me. She was a very good cook,” said Mrs. Pryor Rose. “As I was praying to the Lord, as I regularly do, He instructed me to open up a bakery. I told him, I don’t know the first thing about running a bakery, but I trusted Him and He directed me.”
She said the most rewarding aspect of her job is witnessing the expressions on the faces of her customers. “Some of our clients are brought to tears when they taste the pies. They say it reminds them of the pies they enjoyed as youngsters. Many of them no longer have the experience of enjoying the cakes and pies made by their loved ones because they’ve passed on. It’s wonderful to know that people are satisfied with our products. We put a lot of love into our work,” said Mrs. Pryor-Rose.
Currently, she serves as a consultant to the business while her daughters, the second generation of family-owned business entrepreneurs, manage the bakery.
Mrs. Pryor Rose and her husband Bobbie currently reside in San Bernardino and have two children, Tedra and Tekesha.
For more information, contact Ashley Jones at .
Assemblymember Cheryl R. Brown represents the 47th Assembly District, which includes Colton, Fontana, Grand Terrace, Rialto, the southwest parts of San Bernardino, and the unincorporated communities of Bloomington and Muscoy.
Website of Assemblymember Cheryl R. Brown: http://www.asmdc.org/members/a47/
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