August is Black Business Month—a time to recognize the creativity, perseverance, and contributions of Black-owned businesses. For Naomi & Pearl Apple Confections, it is also an opportunity to share the family history, professional experience, and determination behind the company I am building today.
A Name Rooted in Family
Naomi & Pearl is named in honor of two important women in my life: my grandmother, Naomi, from Virginia, and my mother, Annie Pearl, from North Carolina. The Fussell family migrated to Baltimore, Maryland, in 1940, where my mother met John. My siblings, Kim Marie and John Hamilton, and I were born in Baltimore.
My grandmother and my mother represent family, strength, tradition, and generations of women whose influence continues to shape my life and my business. Naomi & Pearl is a tribute to where I come from and a reminder that the desserts, we create today can become part of someone else’s cherished memories tomorrow.
A Lifelong Connection to Food and Celebrations
My interest in baking began in 1965, when my mother gave me an original Easy-Bake Oven. By the age of eight, I began preparing Saturday breakfast for my family. The menu included scrambled eggs, bacon, pancakes, grits, and biscuits, while my father sat nearby reading the newspaper and making sure I did not burn down the apartment.
Food was not my only early interest. I also loved bringing people together.
During high school, I became known for planning house parties and celebrations. That natural interest eventually grew into a professional career in event planning and convention management in Washington, DC, and Baltimore. At the age of 40, with encouragement from my sister, who was a chef, I enrolled in culinary college. In 2002, I graduated with degrees in Food and Beverage Management and Hotel, Restaurant and Innkeeping Management.
I later became the chef and event planner for my own catering company and operated a 125-seat banquet facility that hosted weddings, anniversaries, corporate seminars, dinners, and other special events. That experience taught me that food is only one part of a successful celebration. Presentation, organization, service, and attention to detail matter just as much.
How Naomi & Pearl Began
The idea that eventually became Naomi & Pearl started unexpectedly. In 2018, while preparing to audition for producers of Shark Tank, I began developing a line of candy apples. After the audition, I continued experimenting and created seven varieties of chocolate chip cookies. Those cookies opened the door to more ideas, more products, and eventually the founding of Naomi & Pearl Apple Confections. Today, Naomi & Pearl specializes in custom image cookies, corporate dessert gifts, event desserts, and nostalgic artisan cookies.
Using direct-to-food printing technology, we can place logos, photographs, artwork, and meaningful messages directly onto cookies. This allows our customers to create desserts that feel personal, professional, and connected to the occasion.
Our custom cookies are especially well suited for:
ü Corporate meetings, conferences, and branded gifts
ü Weddings, birthdays, and family celebrations
ü School, nonprofit, publishing, and community events
Building the Next Chapter
Naomi & Pearl has continued to grow through economic changes, the COVID-19 pandemic, changing locations, and the everyday realities of building a small food business. This year marks an important new chapter as we expand our operations in Virginia.
Naomi & Pearl is a licensed and insured food manufacturing company. Our desserts are produced in a licensed commercial food facility. We are strengthening our production systems, developing new collections, expanding our corporate services, and building relationships throughout Virginia, Maryland, Washington, DC, and across the country.
Why Black Business Month Matters
Supporting a Black-owned business can mean placing an order, recommending the company, sharing its work, writing a review, or including it in corporate and event purchasing decisions. Each of those actions helps a small business gain visibility, reach new customers, and continue building for the future. I am proud to be building a Black woman-owned business rooted in family history, professional experience, creativity, and resilience.
Thank you to every customer, friend, family member, organization, and supporter who has encouraged Naomi Pearl, shared our work, or trusted us to be part of an important occasion. Your support helps us continue the story.
There are three in particular:
Joan
Lynne
Terry
With gratitude, Avis