Though her professional background is in education, baking has always been part of Cynthia Long-Raterron’s life and after finding herself drawn to cooking and baking during COVID-19 lockdowns, she decided to pursue her passions professionally.
“Baking is about preparing things for people who I love to enjoy,” Long-Raterron said. “I thought, ‘Life’s too short not to follow your dream,’ so that’s what I’m doing.”
Long-Raterron was an English and history teacher, taught all levels from preschool to graduate level, and taught in New York and France, where she spent 20 years and also taught international diplomacy, before returning to Rhode Island after retiring from teaching nine years ago.
Long-Raterron started her cooking career slowly, working as a prep cook at a local restaurant for about six months, which included baking, before opening her own business, Cynthia’s Cottage Kitchen, in September 2023.
Operating as a certified cottage food manufacturer, Long-Raterron says she makes and sells baked goods by herself from her home in Jamestown but is open to the idea of growing.
So far, Long-Raterron says she has focused on seasonal baking with items such as nut breads in the fall and Christmas cookies.
(Correction: An earlier version of this story had an incorrect spelling of Cynthia Long-Raterron's name.)