Baker and business owner Liz Hale shares how a skinny street dog named Rihanna helped her family weather empty‑nest syndrome, post‑COVID gut punches, and the grind of running Cake Fine Pastry and Plum Coffee Shop in Houston. Rescues, cake, grit, and a whole lot of cheese tax.

Connect with Cake Fine Pastry HERE.

Subscribe on Apple, Spotify and YouTube!

This season of Cruz through HTX is powered by Speke Podcasting. Have an idea for a show? Let's get a conversation started. Start HERE.

Key Takeaways

1. How a rescued “diaper dog” became the emotional glue of an empty‑nest household.

2. Street‑dog reality in Houston and why keeping Rihanna was a no‑brainer.

3. The post‑COVID beating independent bakeries took and why Liz refused to fold.

4. What customer obsession looks like when you’re literally getting tickets to deliver cakes.

5. Why being “meant” to own a business shows up most on the hardest days.

Support the show: https://cruzthroughhtx.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.