Lipscomb alumna builds bread business in Dominica
Chris Pepple |
Sometimes life takes unusual twists and turns. You can be on a career path that matches your education and your talents, and then find yourself in another part of the world in a career you would have never imagined. That’s exactly what happened in Ashley Warren Pearman’s (’04) life.
Ashley met her husband Ryan (’04) while both were studying at Lipscomb. He attended Lipscomb from fifth grade through college, majoring in management and minoring in marketing before realizing he wanted to become a doctor. He then took prerequisite science classes allowing him to apply to medical school. After graduation, Ashley, originally from Middleton, Tenn., worked as an auditor at Frasier, Dean & Howard, PLLC, for three years.
The twist came when Ryan was accepted into medical school at Ross University for the fall 2007 semester. Ryan will complete his first four semesters at the Dominica campus, and then complete his studies in Miami. Dominica is known as the “Nature Island of the Caribbean.” It is twenty-nine miles long and sixteen miles wide. Although Dominica is in the Caribbean, it is not considered a resort island. Its culture is a meld of Carib Indian, French, British, American and African influences.
“When we first got here I wasn’t sure how we were going to survive. My first experience at the local grocery was awful. It was not much bigger than our apartment and it was not air-conditioned. I couldn’t find anything on my list. It took me a while to figure out that grocery shopping was going to become something that took an entire day. I would take a van full of people to Roseau (capital city, about an hour drive) and grocery shop there. It was definitely a hassle, but I had no other choice. Needless to say, the first word that I used to describe Dominica was complicated. Nothing was simple. We cook using a propane tank and when it runs out of gas it is a hassle to replace it. I have had to wait three days for a new propane tank,” said Ashley.
“Dominica is a very small island and is one of the top scuba diving places in the world. The interior of the island is mostly thick rain forest. Although the natural part of Dominica is beautiful, the part man has built is not. There’s just so much poverty. It rains often here, and if it rains a lot they turn off all the water. That is one of the things I have had the most trouble dealing with … no running water. We have about 20 gallons of water stored up right now just in case a big storm comes through at night and we wake up to no water. We have heard that electricity here costs more than anywhere else in the world. I don’t know if it’s true, but I believe it! Running the air conditioner costs a fortune, but it is way too hot to be able to sleep without it. I would say we spend about $400 - $450 a month for electricity and we only have a one bedroom apartment. Dominica has the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen. Ryan and I love to watch them whenever we can. We are definitely looking forward to moving back to the U.S., but will take with us many wonderful memories from Dominica. I would kind of describe living in Dominica like spending a summer at camp. It’s hot, dirty, and the food’s not great, but the people you meet make the experience wonderful.”
Her challenging and often unsuccessful grocery trips led Ashley to an unusual career move. Through the Ross University Christian Fellowship, Ashley met Andrea Morgan from Columbus, Ohio. She and Andrea became friends, exploring the island together and traveling in search of groceries. Since the bread from the local store was not what the Morgans and the Pearmans preferred, Andrea began making her own bread and shared some with Ashley. Soon Ashley made her own bread. As the news spread among Ross University families, bread requests began coming in to both Andrea and Ashley. Ashley, who had never cooked before marriage and who had never made bread, soon found herself working as a partner in a bread-baking business called Daily Bread.
“The bread that we were able to buy at the local store was not good, and sometimes there wasn't any at all. Andrea made bread and gave a loaf to Ryan and me. It was fabulous, so I got the recipe from her and started making bread for our lunches. I'm not sure how it happened, but a few of our friends tried the bread and commented that they would pay us to bake some for them. We just thought we would give it a shot and see if people were interested in buying bread from us. We immediately became so busy that we couldn't always fill all of the orders we received. Our initial goal/motivation was to find something to occupy our time and make a little money in the meantime. Since this is a third-world country, there are just not any jobs for us to have,” said Ashley.
The pair searched online for recipes and modified many according to the ingredients they could locate on the island. Their most popular breads are white, wheat, focaccia, banana and honey oat. They have also expanded their business to include cake baking for birthdays and anniversaries. They have added cookies and cupcakes to their menu as well. They have also published a small cookbook. They travel to the Ross University campus twice a week and set up a table to deliver the breads customers have pre-ordered. They try to bring along extras for the last-minute customer.
Though the Pearmans have faced many challenges on the island, they find their time in Dominica very rewarding. “Moving to Dominica has been the best thing for our spiritual lives. For the first time in our lives, we had to learn to completely rely on God. We found ourselves thousands of miles from home and from anything that was familiar. We felt very alone when we first moved here and God just drew us very close to Him. Since we arrived here last fall, God has used us in many ways. Ryan is one of the student leaders of Ross Christian Fellowship, which is a large group of Christian students (and their families) who gather together every Sunday and Wednesday to worship. I have been a part of a women's Bible study group the entire time we have been here and have been the leader of the group for five months now,” said Ashley.
“Living here has also given me the time and opportunity to volunteer at local schools. I was able to use our blog to raise money for school supplies for the children here. My mother and I shipped tons of school supplies down here using the money people sent as a result of a request on my blog. Being surrounded by such horrible poverty had been a real eye-opener. Ryan and I now realize how truly blessed we are and how truly little we need. While the people here may not have much, they are some of the happiest people we have ever seen. God also opened a door for me to be able to join Elizabeth Kittrell Williams (’05) and her husband Doug Williams (‘05, ’07) on a mission trip they led to St. Martin in April. They both teach at Greater Atlanta Christian School and I was able to be a part of their mission work on that island. When we started praying for God to lead us to a medical school for Ryan we definitely were not hoping He was going to lead us so far from our family and friends, but we know, without a doubt, that God brought us to Dominica because the experience we have had here will affect us in a positive way for the rest of our lives.”
Perfect cornbread 1 cup sifted flour
Recipe from Ashley Pearman and Andrea Morgan, Dominica
1/4 cup white sugar
4 t. baking powder
3/4 t. salt
1 cup yellow cornmeal
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 cup shortening or butter
1 can cream-style corn
1. Sift flour with sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir in cornmeal. Add eggs, milk and shortening. Beat just until smooth, being sure not to over mix.
2. Add cream-style corn. Pour into greased 9x9x2-inch pan. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.