CBS News contributor David Begnaud finds the heart in every story. This week marks the conclusion of “Dear David” month, with July dedicated to viewer-submitted stories.
Blind baker achieves dream with restaurant owner’s support
A 28-year-old legally blind baker is turning his childhood dream into reality with help from a local restaurant owner who saw talent before disability.
Chris Lomax, who lost his sight at age 5 after brain tumor surgery, begins each workday like any dessert chef — gathering ingredients and putting on gloves. The difference is that his recipe cards are in Braille.
“When I woke up from the surgery, I opened my eyes and I said, ‘Mom, where are you?'” Lomax said. “And I was so in distress because my whole life, she was always the face that was comfort. And so the fact that I couldn’t see her was, you know, terrifying.”
Despite his disability, Lomax maintained a clear vision for his future, telling his first-grade teacher he would open a bakery in Hornell someday. However, that dream dimmed when potential employers focused on his blindness rather than his abilities.
“There’s laws protecting blind people from being discriminated, but there’s not. Cause people can easily say, ‘Uh, you just don’t fit the position.’ Even though they mean you’re blind, you can’t do this job,” Lomax said.
Restaurant owner Joe Huang-Racalto changed that trajectory when his establishment needed a baker and Lomax needed an opportunity.
“We decided to give him the job and Chris was overwhelmed,” Huang-Racalto said. “I said, ‘Look, it, we’re in this together now. Whatever challenges you have in your life, let us know because we’ll try and plow through ’em and remove those obstacles.’ He was overwhelmed by that because no one ever did any favors for him.”
Since Lomax started, Huang-Racalto says the desserts are flying off the shelves. The partnership has evolved into a new business model where Lomax receives 100% of profits from his grab-and-go station within the restaurant.
“It costs us literally nothing more to have Chris come in and use the infrastructure of the restaurant to start his own business,” Huang-Racalto said. “We’re just giving him the foundation to do what he does best and what he does best is baking.”
For Lomax, the arrangement represents progress toward his ultimate goal.
“This opportunity being one step closer is so exciting. The fact that I could own my own bakery one day is just exciting and just a blessing,” he said.
Photojournalist creates community connection through lens
Jake Bacon may be known locally as “the Salty Scotsman,” but the English-born photojournalist has spent more than 30 years making Arizona home while serving his adopted community.
Born in Singapore to English parents, Bacon experienced a nomadic childhood that took him around the world.
“By the time I was 11, my mom had immigrated from England to Australia and back twice,” Bacon said.
After settling in Arizona, Bacon became a father and grandfather while documenting life in Flagstaff for the Arizona Daily Sun newspaper.
“When you are a photojournalist at the community newspaper, 90% of the people that you see are really happy to see you,” Bacon said. “Even at times of triumph or sorrow, um, you form connections really quickly. And I see my career as a journalist as a way to serve my community. But then all my hobbies serve my community too.”
One such hobby involved tracking down London-style telephone booths through social media and transforming them into literacy projects, a way to plant a piece of his heritage in Flagstaff.
“So the tiny library project started, um, because I was missing home,” Bacon said.
Bacon spent eight months restoring the booths, which now sit outside his home filled with hundreds of donated books.
“There are people there day and night,” he said. “It’s amazing. It brings out the best in people.”
For Bacon, photography served as just the starting point for deeper community connections.
“Often we don’t know what we’re looking for until it finds us and I was looking for a community to call home,” he said.
Memphis dancing duo finds new purpose in retirement
Two Memphis women in their 60s and 70s have discovered that retirement doesn’t mean slowing down — it means heating up the dance floor.
Dianne Huff, 66, and 73-year-old Roxie Jones make up the Hickory Hill Sizzlers, a dance duo that earned third place at the Delta State Fair last September with their fiery performances.
The partnership began when Jones approached Huff with a proposal that would change both their retirements.
“I was hesitant on it, and she said, ‘If you do the music, I’ll do the teaching.’ So it was no question then,” Huff said.
While dancing wasn’t part of their original retirement plans, the activity has given both women renewed purpose and joy.
“I’m just enjoying life,” Jones said. “Whatever age you are, you can just come and have fun. Just enjoy life. That’s the most important thing.”
David Begnaud loves uncovering the heart of every story and will continue to do so, highlighting everyday heroes and proving that there is good news in the news with his exclusive “CBS Mornings” series, “Beg-Knows America.” Every Monday, get ready for moments that will make you smile or even shed a tear. Do you have a story about an ordinary person doing something extraordinary for someone else? Email David and his team at DearDavid@cbsnews.com
