TEMPLE, Texas — Blessing’s Restaurant and Bakery opened its doors in February, bringing a diverse menu and a faith-driven approach to the community. Owner Earnest “Clay” White designed the menu around flavors he enjoys while ensuring options for vegetarians, since he does not eat meat.

“When you go places and you don’t eat meat, you end up eating appetizers, which usually turns to be potatoes,” White said. “So as far as the diversity, it’s things that I like. I make the biscuits here, they’re from scratch, so we have sandwiches, we have the biscuits and gravy, you have your oatmeal and you have your avocado toast if you wanna, you know, like you say, have a different flavor you can get that here too.”

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Clay’s passion for food began at a young age, learning sweets from his grandmother Josephine and baking cakes with his aunt Sammy.

“As a child, you know, that’s a dream,” he said. “Growing up I used to make the desserts for Thanksgivings like pecan pie and German chocolate cake.”

In 2020, he attended the Escoffier School of Culinary Arts through an online program to expand his culinary knowledge.

“Based on how someone describes it to you, you can tell if it’s good or not and they have this uh they have a flavor wheel and the the mouth feel, you know, so it’s like how does it feel in your mouth when you bite into it,” White said.

The restaurant features a prayer wall where local patrons leave prayers and praises, which are read and prayed over weekly by staff and visiting pastors.

“Being of the faith, it’s a place where people can offer those prayers that they won’t tell people and it can get prayed over by,” White said. “People that follow Jesus Christ, you know, and then they can get healed, they can get blessings, they can get relief, so it came about we, we put it up and if you read some of them, it’s just amazing.”

White described the impact the wall has on visitors.

“Like each one is a story, you know, every, every week it’s prayed over by staff. Prayers and praises and it’s both up there. It’s real important. That’s the reason why it’s right here as soon as you come in, you know, you see it, you read it. It’s important because those that are following the faith at times feel like they’re alone. They feel like they can’t talk to anyone. They feel like people are gonna judge them and this is a non-judging place, you know, it’s come in as you are.”

Another initiative at Blessing’s is a Pay It Forward program that allows customers to cover meals for others in need.

“We’re in an area where there are homeless people,” White said. “I understand how life will chew you up at times and make you think less of yourself so if I could give somebody a burger and they have a moment of peace, then man so be it.”

White shared insight into his own journey, including his time in prison.

“Actually, I got saved before I went to prison. I just was a wayward son. I wanted to do things my way, didn’t really understand what the faith was about, right?” he said.

He also offered advice for young men facing similar challenges: Look at the crowd you are hanging out with and pay attention to the way you walk. People who don’t have anything to hide, stand tall.

White said a goal of his is to give hope to those who may be struggling or facing stigmas as former inmates.

“I want those people that are walking in the shoes that I walked in, you know, those that have been in prison are and they are having a hard time to see the hope.”

He frequently returns to speak to inmates about life after prison.

“It’s ministry, yeah, the baking and the cooking, you know, it’s a gift. It’s my therapy, so to speak, but it’s something that I can do,” White said. “We listen to the what I call the noise and the noise is other people you know it could be family, it could be people close to you, but if God is giving you a dream just listen to him and follow it because he’ll take you places that people can’t. I’m here not because of people, it’s because of God.”

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