Cmani's Delights

Hello and welcome to the web home of Cmani's Delights! I am "Madam CJ" in homage to the visionary entrepreneur, and I am a self-taught cook in love with learning and obsessed with quality, flavor and presentation.

 

I started cooking for others in the 1990's. Today I specialize in an array of ethnic dishes for communities of all sizes but as a child, I never thought about cooking. My Grandmother Margaret always gave me cookbooks to read and I never opened any of them until the day I needed some guidance on how to making Chicken Cacciatore. 

 

Grandma Margaret had given me the entire set of Women's Day Global cookbooks so I cracked open the Italian volume and the rest was "her"story. Over the years I began experimenting with foods I never tasted growing up.

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My passion for the art of food preparation grew and I eventually participated in the NYC Department of Health Food Protection Certificate Program. The day I received my certification I was so happy! I was one step closer to sharing what I had been working on for my loved ones with my community . By then I had already crafted and refined countless original recipes. The only step left was acquiring a vendor's permit.

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It was an intense process with many hurdles and started to become a big headache, but I didn't give up! I decided to work on my writing skills and focus on getting my first book published instead.

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 I am proud to say I am now a self-published author of original children's stories! And this is also how Cmani's Delights became "official". I needed $10,000.00 to get my book published, I did not have any funds like that for my book project, so I decided to self publish "The Rainbow Child" a story about over coming discrimination and finding love and acceptance in a world that has rejected you.

 

In the 1990's I decided to register Cmani's Delights with the State of New York and sell food to raise money for my book. I became fixated on learning how to cook professionally, so I applied for a few cooking schools, but they were all too expensive.

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I then decided to attend New York City Technical College, for the Hospitality Management program.  I was required to take all remedial classes my first year, so my major coursework was put on hold. I became very impatient and decided to teach myself to become a great cook. 

 

Prior to this revelation my first event that I catered for was my own 29th birthday party, I didn't have a clue about my future as a cook back then!  I learned how to make my specialty crab cakes only because the family had a fish fry party but due to the rain no one came. I was stuck at home with a whole Bushel of Blue Crabs.

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My Sister Kym and I decided to try and make some crab cakes. I seasoned the crab meat as if I was making salmon cakes and decided to call them Kimmi Krab Kakes, in honor of my sister. They came out, a perfect combo of crispy soft and delicious!

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I have a unique style and love creating original dishes or a putting new spin on traditional prepared dishes. Instead of plain deviled eggs, Cmani's prepares Shrimp or Parmesan Turkey-Bacon Deviled Eggs. 

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Over the years my cooking skills have improved by watching and work alongside great chefs and cooks in various kitchens all over New York state and along the East Coast. Since the 1990s I have received a catering gigs "here and there" but nothing was ever steady. Still striving for a guarantee income and self sufficiency, I decided to work on getting a small take out location in 2017 where I can sell some items from my menu and offer more extensive catering options.

 

Stay tuned and reach out if you want to support that initiative.

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Thank you so much for supporting the visions of a single mother, steadfast in her goal to interrupt a cycle of dreams deferred and create the life that her gifts and talents call for. A life that heals and holds and nourishes myself and others. Others I may never meet but who I am forever connected to. 

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I am still watching my journey unfold and I am so grateful to all those who support and walk alongside me on this path. 

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Visit the Catering Section of this website to discover ways we can mutually support one another's goals.

 

Hire Cmani's Delights online or via telephone today. We will work together to offer an array of foods, flavors and experiences that are delectable, nourishing and memorable for countless years to come.  

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