Recipe For SuccessCheesecake maven gives destitute women a second chance.
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By all accounts, Twainland Cheesecake Co. is no ordinary eatery.Consider the owner,?2-year-old Lynn Carr, who went fromhomelessness to entrepreneurial success. Even heremployees break the mold--most are high school dropoutsand welfare moms. But perhaps what sets her business apart most isan enduring commitment to the impoverished women of her Hannibal,Missouri, community.
"Cheesecake is just a product; what we're really in isthe people-growing business," says Carr, who employs 10 womenand has helped three others learn and move on to other jobs.
They bake--sometimes as many as 200 cheesecakes per week, in anyone of the 116 varieties Carr has perfected. And it's obviousthere's more to Twainland than just desserts; think more alongthe lines of persistent encouragement. In the back kitchen,TV monitors blare inspirational messages from suchmotivational speakers as Brian Tracy and Zig Ziglar. Andas part of an employment agreement, two of her workers dedicatepart of each day to studying for their GEDs--and get paid forit, too.
