Daily Inspiration: Meet Kimberly Marks-ball

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kimberly Marks-ball

Hi Kimberly, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Culinary arts wasn’t my first career choice—I actually started out in political science, working in small government and focusing on elections. But I always had a passion for baking and making cakes, so I started a small baking side hustle and eventually felt inspired to pursue a degree in culinary arts. At the time, I was raising three kids and knew that working in a restaurant wouldn’t be the right fit, so I sought out other culinary paths. While in culinary school, I landed a nutrition education job at Eastern Market in Detroit and quickly realized how much I loved combining cooking, baking, and teaching. When the pandemic hit, I had to shift gears and started teaching kids’ culinary classes online, which was both a challenge and a joy. Around that time, my culinary school mentor connected me with Zaman International, and after learning about the organization’s mission, I knew it was where I belonged. Now, I have the privilege of teaching and empowering incredible women as we create delicious food in our café and bake cookies in Rising Hope Bakery. On a personal note, I’m also wrapping up the political science Bachelor’s degree I started over 20 years ago at Central Michigan University to deepen my understanding of the policies that impact my students. And on top of it all, I’m now an adjunct faculty member in the culinary department at a local community college. Cooking, baking, teaching, and learning are still my greatest passions!

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Oh my goodness, so many struggles on the way. It took me so long to figure out what I wanted to do. When started my career, I actually had to put everything on hold when I had my first son, Zeddy. I was in college with about a year left when I had him and I was also working part time. I decided to pause school to focus on raising him with my husband (who was also in college) and work. When Ephraim, my second baby arrived, the cost of putting them both in daycare became a huge barrier. At that time I was working for an environmental engineering company and the entirety of my check went to daycare costs. I decided to become a full time parent.

During that time, we had one more baby boy, Rowan, and I started my cake side hustle. I cannot tell how many cake fails I had! When the kids were all old enough to be in school and we had stability for our littlest to go to daycare, I went back to my roots and started working in elections for local city government. I loved working elections so much and felt reignited, but I burned out by 2016. Going back to school for culinary was scary and hard as I was significantly older than most of the other students. I often felt out of place and had my share of kitchen debacles, but I found my place.

Navigating Covid-19 was a struggle. I had found the job I loved and lost it due to pandemic. People around me were getting sick, I struggled with depression due to the pandemic, my boys struggled with virtual school. I even ended up getting long Covid which has led to me now having asthma. I am just now getting back to running 5ks. It is just now feeling like we are recovering from that time. I am grateful that my boys are thriving again.

It was for sure a bumpy road, but it all led me to this amazing job, cooking and baking with incredible women.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
At Zaman, I have the privilege of working with an incredible group of women, and our mission is to break the cycle of poverty through job opportunities in the culinary and baking arts. Every Wednesday, we open our café to the public for lunch, and we also run Rising Hope Bakery, where we’re constantly experimenting with new recipes and sell a line of cookies inspired by our clients. What really sets us apart is how much we focus on empowering women through hands-on learning and real-world experience. I’m especially proud of how our program has grown—not only have we expanded into new bakery products and catering, but the personal growth of our students is truly inspiring. One story that really stands out is Israa, one of my first students. She started as a shy ESL student, eager to learn, and over the course of a year, became my apprentice. She was later hired as our kitchen assistant, and now, she’s co-teaching with me! Her journey is a perfect example of the transformation we aim to inspire, and she motivates me every single day. What I specialize in—and what I’m known for—is combining cooking, baking, and teaching in a way that empowers women to believe in their own potential. I’m incredibly proud of the impact we’ve had, and the best part is seeing our students gain the confidence to pursue their dreams.

Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
I hope to expand and grow this program even more. In 2025, I will introduce a stand alone baking curriculum. Not only will the students be able to to take a cooking classes and become ServSafe certified, but they will also have the opportunity to go through a baking class and refine their own products. Having this skillset will make it easier for women with childcare and transporation barriers to run their own business at home.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://risinghopebakery.com
• Instagram: @risinghopebakery