Self-taught baker Ashley Huston is opening her own shop in Philadelphia, PA. For Huston, it all started as a child. She was interested in tinkering with recipes that were as simple as a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, she told CBS News. “I would try to change things up and recreate things,” she shared with the outlet. In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Huston decided to open a micro bakery as a side hustle. According to her company website, she offers a variety of cakes, including flavors like red velvet, cookie butter, chai-spiced carrot cake, and unique options such as matcha cake paired with strawberry lavender jam, matcha custard, and condensed milk buttercream. She also sells cookies, cinnamon rolls, brownies, and savory pastries. Her creations have even won her Philadelphia Magazine’s 2024 Best of Philly baker — not to mention she caught the attention of the legendary Patti LaBelle. Huston had the honor of making the cake for LaBelle’s 80th birthday. “We decided on...

The Braxton sisters have been entertaining audiences for nearly 40 years. But what most people don’t know is, in the beginning, they weren’t commercially successful. In 1990, the Braxton sisters — as a collective — were signed to Arista Records, CheatSheet reports. Their first single barely cracked the Top 100 on the Billboard R&B singles list, and according to The Los Angeles Times, it was difficult to market the group because there was such a difference in their ages. Toni Braxton then became the breakout star as a solo artist. She signed to  L.A. Reid and Babyface’s LaFace Records. Toni later became an R&B superstar who sold millions of records worldwide. “We did a showcase in L.A. and [LaFace Records co-founder Kenneth] ‘Babyface’ [Edmonds] signed me,” Toni Braxton said, according to The Los Angeles Times. “They’d just signed TLC so they weren’t looking for another girl group, and my sisters said, ‘You sign with Babyface and then you come and help us.'” She continued: “What a...