Today we’d like to introduce you to Ann Marie Baird.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I suppose it all really started with my love of cooking. At 8 years old, I had already decided that I was going to be a chef.
By 18 years old and thanks to my amazing parents and Estelle, my best friend in high school, who came to our small town as a French Foreign Exchange Student.
It was she that first brought France to the forefront of our family discussions and the next thing I knew, I was leaving the small-town life, finding myself on a flight with my Mom to Paris, France to live and attend Le Cordon Bleu School of Cooking.
After a couple of weeks of touring around with my Mom, it was time for her to return home and leave me in pursuit of my dream to be a Chef! Paris… what can I say… it was an amazing experience. Estelle’s family found me a small studio apartment to rent, owned by the Hotel Bonaparte, in the 6th arrondissement, right next to the beautiful Saint Sulpice. I went to school full-time so I was finished up in about two and a half years.
I met my daughter, Kayla’s father, and came home with a degree in French Cuisine and a baby on the way. I was determined to make sure that my parent’s money was well spent and that a child would not interfere in a long-awaited career in the culinary industry. Her father and I opened a French Bistro, he too was a Le Cordon Bleu graduate and so we embarked on a very eye-opening experience at 21 & 25 years old.
Her father and I did not stay together… and with the help of my parents… again… and my amazing friend Samantha (whom I met in Paris one evening after we ran into each other in the lobby of the Hotel Bonaparte; where we discovered Pascal, the daytime desk man and Pierre, the night time desk man, had been keeping us a secret form one another. And why you might ask?
Because as soon we met we were inseparable and left behind Pierre & Pascal to experience Paris as two young American Girls… and those stories I will save for another article… Samantha lived in LA so I headed to Los Angeles to find a job. It was in LA that I got a real taste of what I was actually up against. Females in a male-dominated culinary workforce… and a single Mom to boot?
I quickly realized that if I were to even be considered for a job, I needed to ditch the makeup for steel-toed Combat Boots, pull back my hair into a tight bun, and keep the Mom part of my life to myself. My Chef Career was amazing, hard work, stressful, fulfilling, sometimes dramatic, sometimes magic, gratifying at times, and thankless at others. I would not have changed a thing! Silently I hit personal milestones without fanfare.
First female chef, hired as the Pantry Chef at the renowned Jonathan Club. First Female Chef hired at the famous Beverly Hills Hotel, Assistant Chef Garde Manger promoted to Chef Garde Manger. First Female Chef at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, where I held a number of Chef Titles over the years, from Chef Tournant to Room Chef & Chef Garde Manger to Assistant Banquet Chef.
Now almost 20 years into my chef life, I changed careers; ironically not really by choice… or was it? It was more of what I thought at the time was a devastating blow and betrayal of all the hard work and sacrifices I had to make to get to a point where I would be named Banquet Chef… a title that up till then no women had achieved that status in Las Vegas.
It was important because in the chef world the next move up would be Executive Sous Chef & then Executive Chef. It’s where every chef is striving to be. That particular day, I found myself a single Mom, of now two amazing kids, my daughter of course, and now my son Dawson and still having to keep the Mom world to myself and I had just been simply overlooked. I can still remember how I felt that day.
Thankfully someone had an eye on me and I have Rich to thank for the next move in my career. He introduced me to the world of Caesars Palace Convention Management. So I traded my Chef Toque Blanche & those steel-toed Combat Boots for High Heels and a wardrobe of colorful suits! I was a Girl Again! I was a Mom Again! And I was being paid a whole lot more for a lot less stress!
Don’t get me wrong, there was stress and long hours, but there was no more union to deal with and no more employees to manage. I was able to take what I knew as a Chef and apply it to my new job. This job evolved over the years and I eventually became a Senior Catering Manager, where I was handling all sorts of exciting events, from Destination Weddings & Fundraising Events to Bon Appetite, Epicurean, Movie Filming & Casino Parties.
It was during this phase of my career that I met the Love of my Life! I have Reina, my then boss to thank for that as she deemed herself a “matchmaker” and while I was very skeptical, and a bit humiliated that after years of picking the wrong one, it took my boss to find me the right one!
Craig and I became inseparable. I knew from the minute I met him he really was “the One”. We both worked a lot and with both of us in the event industry, and Kayla & Dawson getting older and the housing industry crashing where we both went from $340K homes to our neighbors having basically the same house that was now worth $130K… it was time for a change.
So it was inevitable that we would decide to move and open an event company. After deciding to strategic default on our beautiful homes, we packed up two houses worth of furniture, two kids, three cars, two dogs & a cat and made the cross-country drive to our new destination of Irmo, South Carolina with my Dad!
We did not just throw a dart at a map, contrary to popular belief. we actually settled in Irmo, as it was where Craig had a family. We moved into an old house in Ballentine and I hit the ground running. It was there that Carolina Event Services ~ Event Design & Decor was born! I worked the business full-time and we quickly became one of the Midlands “go-to” decor companies for weddings, much to our surprise.
I think we both thought we were going to be primarily designing for corporate events, and while we still did, it was really those big southern weddings that took our company by storm, winning us many accolades from the Knot & Wedding Wire. I have my amazing Brides & Grooms to thank for our success and for trusting in me to have the freedom to create for them.
It was through this creative outlet that I was able to apply my career as a chef and as an event manager. For 10 years, we produced beautiful events that to this day am very proud and honored to have been a part of. But with time comes age and with that said, climbing trees to hang chandeliers, hauling decor up and down stairs, and having to set up and break down the same day was starting to take its toll. Then Covid came along, but Covid did not affect us in the way people may think. It was really a reflection time for me specifically.
Craig & I had been talking about phasing out of the event world and focusing more on something less stressful, less demanding, and even more creative. Neither of the kids was interested in the event business, Kayla already had her Salon and Dawson was ready to move on to bigger and better things and find his way to a career. So I really had to make a decision to move on, and it was one that I did not take lightly.
At the time I had already been dappling in Flora & Fauna, developing products such as soaps, oils, and scrubs, making crafts, and taking part in vendor shows just prior to Covid. So Craig & I made the decision to silently stop the event business and I dove full-time into Flora & Fauna. I chose Soda City Marketplace as my permanent home every Saturday, with my Mom by my side and with an end goal in mind.
The end goal was to open a brick & mortar with my daughter where she could have her own private salon studio and I could have my little shop to sell “all the things”. And here we are… full circle… about 5 years later, Flora & Fauna Marketplace was born.
We still can be found at Soda City Market every Saturday and every Tuesday thru Saturday at my “Happy Place” our cute little shop in Lexington on Sunset Boulevard!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I don’t think there is ever really a smooth road when it comes to business and careers. With all the career paths that I have chosen and evolved into, I believe I managed the struggles to the best that I could at the time, as I mentioned before. What I did not mention was how involved starting Flora & Fauna Marketplace was.
I think back now to October of 2021 and remember writing in my carefully worded business plan to the property manager, that we would rent the building, update a few things and be ready to open shop by the Christmas Holiday! He must have thought that was quite funny…
I even remember him telling us that we would need to keep on zoning and have patience. I literally had no idea why he would say that… until now. Over the next several months there was a lot of…” okay we got the zoning paperwork filled out”, Zoning… “have you spoken to Landscaping?” Nope… Okay, Landscaping permits resolved. Landscaping: “Okay have you spoken to SCDOT?” Nope!
Oh and remember we are in the holiday season now so offices are closed for days at a time… and so it went on from there each day waiting, each day something new to file. After finally having all our ducks in a row we were able to have our final inspection! “We failed!” What! We made some very quick corrections over that weekend and called for another “Final Inspection”.
We passed! Our first official opening day was on April 5th,2022. That’s right… six months later. There were frustrations, a lot of waiting and checking emails for any messages of hopefully moving forward. But here we are today… all the trials and tribulations behind us and couldn’t be happier.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Flora & Fauna Marketplace?
“A Feel-Good Brand For A Happier Lifestyle” that’s our Motto and we do live by it. Flora & Fauna Marketplace is a unique environment of creative and like-minded family, all bringing something to the table from personal experiences in food, travel, careers, and creative styles. It’s always fun to see what each day will bring.
We strive to create items and sell products that make our customers smile and help improve their quality of life. It may be from a simple pair of earrings or the smell of one of our body oils or even just a great conversation. I want people to come to the shop and feel comfortable, to enjoy the quality of the products that we sell, and know that they can come here and find a little something for everyone young & old.
As the creator of Flora & Fauna Marketplace I wanted to bring together all of the best parts of my personal experiences together as a Chef & Event Designer… from that small-town girl to the evolving woman from the big cities of Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Paris France and of course, as a Mom, a Wife, a Daughter and I am proud that I have stayed true to that when I select what we are planning to make next or what vender we want to partner with.
We are likely best known for our Bath & Body Products, Whimsical Earrings & My Mom’s Beautiful Suncatchers from all our Saturday’s Soda City Market, but now with the Shop, we are able to offer so many more wonderful products that we have been wanting to add like fantastic pantry food items, high fragrance candles.
With my Dad’s Amazing Birdhouses, my Brother in Laws Stunning Live Edge Furniture, and my Daughter’s creative and fun artwork, Greeting Cards, clothing, and totes, we eventually plan to expand to the outdoors and offer more for the Garden and Kitchen.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
Thinking back I remember my parent’s giant garden!
We grew everything from zucchini to asparagus, popcorn & Loofahs. I grew up in the Agricultural Heart of California so fresh fruit & produce were always available. We ate Turkey Eggs, my Mom made her own yogurt and we would pick wild blackberries to flavor it. My popsicles were frozen wedges of Cantaloupe on a stick!
We were not rich monetarily but took advantage of what the great outdoors offered us… canoeing in the river, fishing, camping, hiking, cross country skiing, living on a farm and riding horses, and swimming in the pond. It was a simpler time and I truly believe it lead me to be prepared for the world today.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.floraandfaunasc.com
- Instagram: @floraandfaunasc
- Facebook: @floraandfaunamarketplace
Image Credits
Kayla Delorie & Ann Marie Baird
