Rhonda Dales does her baking in her Clermont home by herself. However, her granddaughter, Aaliyah, can often be found helping grandma any way she can. Dales’ love of baking has allowed her to help her family in many ways, including helping her daughter, Heather Rosenthal, through nursing school.
Making Christmas a little sweeter
Megan Mohlis
Contributing Writer
As the holidays creep closer, a mad rush of present-buying and festivity-planning can leave many without time to spend in the kitchen. While holiday baking is almost always in the plans, it can be easily forgotten during the busy schedules that surround the Christmas season. That is where Rhonda Dales, “the cookie and candy lady,” has found her niche.
Growing up, Dales would watch her stepgrandmother, Grace Durnan, bake hundreds of sugar cookies for all the families of her 19 kids. Seeing the tables and tables of cookies, Rhonda aspired to one day make cookies just like her stepgrandmother had done. However, it wasn’t until later in life that baking at this extreme level would begin.
Sixteen years ago Dales, who is also the city clerk of Elgin, started to bake and frost sugar cookies for her friends to enjoy. One of these friends approached her and asked if she would be interested in doing a craft show, bringing some cookies to sell and seeing how it went. Doing quite well at the show, she decided to offer her talents to those who didn’t have the time to bake during the holidays.