ROCKY RIVER, Ohio — Ever heard of the saying, "Moms can do it all?" That's absolutely the case with mother and educator, Jill Valente, or Rocky River.
She was a preschool teacher for six years, while moonlighting as an extraordinary baker. But, when the pandemic hit, she went from the classroom to the kitchen -- full-time.
When most schools were closed, Jill's baking went into overtime: Cakes, cookies and sweets for any occasion.
It wasn't her plan to retire from teaching so early, but COVID-19 changed that.
Her business, Scratch Bakery, took off while her kids were participating in remote school.
Jill says the community support allowed her to take baking out of her house, to the next level.
"So once the pandemic hit and that started growing, I realized, 'Oh, I could probably make this work,'" Jill told us. "The community and the word of mouth has been my biggest promoter. I don't have a website. All I do is post on Facebook and Instagram and it's just been word of mouth and it's been amazing."
Jill says one day, she'd love to have a small storefront, but for now, you can follow Scratch Bakery on Facebook and Instagram.
"Right now this is perfect. Being able to bake out of my home and be here and be busy, but also be with the family," Jill told us.