My story begins in the beautiful Virgin Islands of St. Croix, a vacation spot to many, but a home of many wonderful memories for me.  Growing up in St. Croix, my mother recalls that at a very early age I connected to the fruitful spirit of our island culture and community.  As a small child, I remember watching “Papi” (my granddad) pick homegrown breadfruit, coconut, mango and avocado from the trees in our backyard.  I became fascinated with the idea of sharing our fruit and vegetables with everyone in the community and would set up a stand in our front yard to sell it. Papi would always say that I was a tough little business lady, but one who loved to connect with people in my own special way.