Black Not Bitter

Listing Information:

After posing for a photographer friend's coffee table series, he tasked me with making a Black Velvet Cheesecake to go along side his creation- The Velvet Painting series. His coffee table book collection was an ode to the natural beauty of BLACK women's bodies inspired by the old school velvet paintings of the 70's. I created a small variety of deep chocolate to Black desserts, slowly working my way towards the BLACK cheesecake. Then, I discovered of the most beautiful shade of Black while on my first real ocean dive in Hawaii. Mesmerized by the Black velvety sea urchins, I became obsessed with creating the Black Velvet Cheesecake! Shortly after that dive, I successfully created an amazing Black Velvet Cheesecake- the best deep dark chocolate you've ever had! With the handful of Black desserts in my arsenal, I always thought it would be cool to do something Noir for Black History month, using the tagline, "Just because it's Black, doesn't mean it's bitter!". Fast forward to almost a decade later and I finally saw the Black Not Bitter vision I needed to manifest...and thus was born, CRUSH NOIR'S BLACK BOX! A playful and classy spin on Black, with the intentions of inspiring creativity and connection through food, art & music. The idea of painting brown skin excited me! As a Black women, I safely speak for myself and many others that we often don't get the option to paint our own skin in artwork like this. I wanted to create that opportunity and also find striking images outside of what one would expect to see on a cookie. When I decorate cookies, I have a total sense of pride and accomplishment. Along with the social dynamic, I wanted to create the opportunity to share that accomplished feeling of having crafted a beautiful cookie, in a very real way. Everyone is creative, whether you use it or not- yes, YOU! Valuing and actively participating in creativity or play has it's importance well past our formative years, that is often times downplayed. Taking the time to create some white noise in our lives helps strengthen our connection with ourselves, others and the non-physical world; which is always about helping us create the best version of ourselves. In experiencing The Black Box, it is our hope that you tap into that connection and create a more little magic in your life! ​