Tell New England

Jelissa Lamboy is the founder of , a pop-up cake decorating experience in the Boston area, but serving all of New England. 

The Sugar Connection began in 2021 after a decision to pivot and start something fun in new after the 2020 year and all the changes in many industries, including her own.

Jelissa has been baking since she was young and has worked in the culinary industry for most of her life. Her business also offers custom baked goods and she makes all kinds of treats for any celebration. 

Her classes are a place to relax, decompress, have fun, meet new people, and do something positive in a world that consistently tests everyone’s mental health.

The Sugar Connection brings together Jelissa’s two loves: baking and community. It also was a way for her to gain her identity back - as a busy mother of two, teaching the classes brought back connection and self expression to her life as well as others. 

I hope you enjoy this episode and sign up for a class soon! 

Listen at the link in bio or wherever you get your podcasts!

Photo’s courtesy of
First image design by

Angela Stone is the Founder and Executive Director of , a community fueled donation center based out of Portland, Maine and serving all 16 counties.

Her background and previous career in Chicago was interior design. During the summer of 2018 and a move back to Maine, those who were being separated at the border for seeking legal asylum sparked something in Angela and led her to completely pivot from the design world, into a journey of supporting other mothers and their children, and helping the greater Maine community. 

In this episode you’ll hear the full story, but Maine Needs started out of Angela’s garage after she began a Facebook group in 2019 looking for donations to help local asylum seekers.

Now, Maine needs partners with over 125 organizations and welcomes over 3,000 volunteers a year to meet the basic material needs of over 36,000 people. This still includes immigrant families but also local Maine families, unhoused neighbors, people leaving incarceration and those seeking refuge from domestic violence. 

Angela shares a few stories from the early days of Maine needs, how she built up the organization, and where her motivation comes from. They recently moved into a new and larger space to better serve the community, and how much of a collaborative it truly is. I hope this episode inspires you to get out and help your own community and know that any contribution to those in need, big or small, is always beneficial.

I hope you enjoy this episode! Head to the link in bio or find it wherever you get your podcasts.

Photos courtesy of Maine Needs
First image design by

Lil Sickles is the owner of Standing Stone Wines in Winooski Vermont, : named for her indigenous heritage, the People of the Standing Stone.

It is a place that is a haven for the local community to enjoy affordable and organic or natural wines, a wide variety of music nights and events, or just to come and hang out. 

Lil has over 25 years of experience in the wine and hospitality industry, and has been a musician all her life. Now she blends the two and it has become so much more than she ever imagined. 

Together we talk about her gratitude to her community who rallied behind her when she had cancer treatment two times and how her furnishings for the space has all been donated by friends or people in the area. We also chat about how this time in her life is the most fun she has had and how happy it makes her to be able to offer up a location to bring people together. 

I hope you enjoy this episode and get up there to enjoy some wine or an event sometime! 

**Just a quick note that there were some issues with the audio of this episode. I’m not sure if my mic wasn’t working or what, but I apologize for the weird sound on my end.**

Listen at the link in our bio or wherever you get your podcasts!

Photos courtesy of
First image design by

If you live on the seacoast of New Hampshire, you may have heard of . They are a farm I have worked with and shopped at for several years. In our community, a farm like this is really important. Shopping at the farm store supports over 50 other local businesses and farms, as well as supports the pasture raised and grown products right on the property. There are also a variety of agritourism events including, music nights, art, workshops, and classes, all of which are family friendly and welcoming to everyone.

Nicole and Jeremiah Vernon started their farm 10 years ago while building a family and creating a place of positive and lasting impact in the area of New England we live in.

Together we talk about their journey into farming, touch upon the challenges of farming in New Hampshire, how to support your local farms, and what it has taken to get to the point they are at now.

Their message is clear, through the ups and downs, they love what they do, and they love bringing good food to the surrounding area, and we hope you stop in for a visit!

The farm still faces many challenges - we encourage you to follow and support them in any capacity! Link to their events and GoFundMe are in the show notes!

Link in our bio to listen to the episode or find it wherever you get your podcasts.

First slide design by
All photos by

Quontay Turner also known as “Q”, is a multi-talented creative and entrepreneur from Mattapan and the owner of , New England’s first Black Owned plant shop and community space.

She has over ten years of experience in community organizing, event management, recruiting, and facilitating conversations and trainings around diversity, equity, and inclusion.

From admissions recruitment, to becoming a baker, and running a viral online shop, she transitioned to starting her own plant shop In 2020 and found there was a huge demand for plants, knowledge on the care and keeping, but also folks looking for more community. The shop has since become a hub for workshops, events, and collaboration.

I hope you enjoy this episode and visit the shop in Norwood, MA!

Link in bio to listen or find it wherever you get your podcasts!

Photos courtesy of
First slide design by