By Lorna Oppedisano | Photography by Alexis Emm<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n Life is full of surprises.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have one idea for yourself,\u201dTeresa Martini mused as she peered through oversized sunglasses.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought I would be an organic farmer or travel the world or whatever free-spirited, crazy thing I thought I was going to do,\u201d she continued, her long dreadlocks shifting on her back as she tilted her head in reflection. \u201cAnd I just have to trust when God or the universe or whatever you want to call it points you in a direction.\u201d<\/p>\n If someone had told a young Tere (pronounced \u201ctree\u201d) that years later, she\u2019d have two kids, be food and bakery manager at Recess Coffee & Roastery, participate in Syracuse Fashion Week and have spent years as a doula \u2014 and those are just a few of her adventures \u2014 she\u2019d have said they\u2019re crazy.<\/p>\n But it\u2019s all about trusting in the process, Tere explained. You just \u201ctrust and go,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n When the Syracuse native ventured off to college, Tere attended Paul Smith\u2019s College in the Adirondacks. Although the school is widely known for the culinary arts, Tere had an interest in environmental science and earned a bachelor\u2019s degree in forestry \u2014 a beginning that eventually led her to running two kitchens.<\/p>\n After finishing the last two years of undergrad at SUNY ESF, Tere worked for the Department of Agriculture near Batavia. But she soon felt a calling to move to Vermont, where she had her first encounter in the food industry, serving and bartending at a farm-totable restaurant.<\/p>\n Though she wasn\u2019t professionally trained, Tere\u2019s heart lies in the farm-to-table movement. She grew up in the kitchen with her Italian great-aunts and grandmother. Family centered around food, she explained. So an underlying passion and knack for cooking and baking is no surprise.<\/p>\n \u201cI was always a gourmet chef at home,\u201d Tere said.<\/p>\n After about three years in Vermont, she returned to the Syracuse area. Then, about two years ago, Tere heard Recess was looking for a kitchen manager to oversee a small food menu.<\/p>\n Tere started working about 10 to 15 hours a week for the local roastery. In the time since, the position has evolved into a full-time job. With a few parameters in place, Tere was given carte blanche to expand the menu, she said. She\u2019s learned a lot, and Recess\u2019 food offerings have grown exponentially, she explained.<\/p>\n \u201cI really want to have what we offer \u2014 in terms of food and baked goods \u2014 to be gourmet, but really accessible food for everybody,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n While they do offer traditional options \u2014 some of which are her grandmother\u2019s recipes \u2014 Tere\u2019s also branched out to innovative items with unique flavors. Recess has worked with nearby farms,\u00a0and also collaborated with small local businesses, such as The Speach Family Candy Shoppe and Arctic Island.<\/p>\n Along with running the kitchens at Recess and caring for her two young children, Tere is also involved with Syracuse Fashion Week.<\/p>\n In the event\u2019s first year, hair stylist Shannon Fleming asked Tere to hula hoop for entertainment. When Tere met with executive director Lisa Marie Butler, a question was posed to her: \u201cHey, how about you model?\u201d<\/p>\n Like her part at Recess, as time progressed, Tere\u2019s involvement with Syracuse Fashion Week evolved. This year, she was the program cover model. It\u2019s particularly exciting because with her dreadlocks, body shape and overall look, Tere\u2019s not a traditional model, she explained.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd that\u2019s what\u2019s really cool about fashion week, too \u2014 it\u2019s inclusive,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n There\u2019s a common theme through most of Tere\u2019s endeavors: the power of women.<\/p>\n After giving birth to her own children, who are now 5 and 6 years old, she felt drawn to work with other women in birth, and became a certified doula through Doula Trainings International. For about three years, she helped coach women through their experiences.<\/p>\n \u201cI really fell in love with women and their strength and their power and how they can transform,\u201d Tere said.<\/p>\n From that, she began hosting women\u2019s circles. The groups would discuss everything from birth to trauma to transformation. Women don\u2019t always step into their own power, Tere said, explaining that\u2019s something she wants to help people address.<\/p>\n While she hasn\u2019t hosted a women\u2019s circle in a while, that empowerment factor still sits on her mind. About two years ago, Tere began taking master\u2019s classes at Oswego for psychology, and still toys with the idea of earning a master\u2019s degree in social work or mental health therapy. She\u2019d like to be a \u201cconduit of transformation for people,\u201d Tere explained.<\/p>\n In all she does \u2014 wherever that trusted process takes her \u2014 her children are her motivation, Tere said, and people are her inspiration.<\/p>\n \u201cHumans inspire me,\u201d Tere said. \u201cWe\u2019re living in some really tough times, but throughout all of that, I just look and I see beautiful people everywhere doing amazing things.\u201d SWM <\/em><\/p>\n Recess Coffee & Roastery is located at 110 Montgomery St., Syracuse, and 110 Harvard Place, Syracuse. Visit recesscoffee.com<\/a> or facebook.com\/ Recesscoffee<\/a> for more information.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Tere of Transformation By Lorna Oppedisano | Photography by Alexis Emm Life is full of surprises. \u201cYou have one idea for yourself,\u201dTeresa Martini mused as she peered through oversized sunglasses. \u201cI thought I would be an organic farmer or travel the world or whatever free-spirited, crazy thing I thought I was going to do,\u201d she…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":878,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[99],"tags":[156,264,157,263,133,285,262,286],"class_list":["post-861","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","tag-alexis-emm","tag-food-wine-edition","tag-inspire","tag-july-2017","tag-lorna-oppedisano","tag-recess-coffee-roastery","tag-syracuse-woman-magazine","tag-teresa-martini"],"gutentor_comment":0,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Inspire-tere_0717.jpg?fit=5200%2C3472&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1985,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=1985","url_meta":{"origin":861,"position":0},"title":"Jenniffer Benedetto","author":"Staff","date":"August 2, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Teaching Education Appreciation By Lorna Oppedisano | Photography by Alexis Emm\u00a0 \u201cEveryone has a story and everybody has gifts. That\u2019s how I try to teach,\u201d Syracuse City School District teacher Jenniffer Benedetto said. \u201cI educate and inspire with that mindset, with love and determination.\u201d Jenniffer didn\u2019t always dream of being\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Featured"","block_context":{"text":"Featured","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?cat=99"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/SWM-AUG-Alexis-Emm-Photo-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C795&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/SWM-AUG-Alexis-Emm-Photo-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C795&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/SWM-AUG-Alexis-Emm-Photo-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C795&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/SWM-AUG-Alexis-Emm-Photo-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C795&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/SWM-AUG-Alexis-Emm-Photo-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C795&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1595,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=1595","url_meta":{"origin":861,"position":1},"title":"Linda Lovig","author":"Staff","date":"March 1, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"The Birth of Syracuse Midwives By Lorna Oppedisano | Photography by Alexis Emm\u00a0 When Syracuse native Linda Lovig moved with her family to Flagstaff, Ariz., she wanted to do something for her community, and decided to get certified as an EMT. One piece of her coursework was to observe a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Features"","block_context":{"text":"Features","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?cat=101"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/AEP-SWM-MARCH-8.jpg?fit=1200%2C870&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/AEP-SWM-MARCH-8.jpg?fit=1200%2C870&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/AEP-SWM-MARCH-8.jpg?fit=1200%2C870&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/AEP-SWM-MARCH-8.jpg?fit=1200%2C870&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/AEP-SWM-MARCH-8.jpg?fit=1200%2C870&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":962,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=962","url_meta":{"origin":861,"position":2},"title":"Purpose Farm","author":"Staff","date":"July 28, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Living with a Purpose By Lorna Oppedisano | Photography by Alexis Emm \u201cMy earliest memory in life is riding a rocking horse nonstop. My parents could not get me off of that thing for years,\u201d said Sandra Seabrook, the president and founder of Purpose Farm. It\u2019s fitting that Sandra now\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Featured"","block_context":{"text":"Featured","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?cat=99"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/SWM-AUG-Alexis-Emm-Photograffi-3.jpg?fit=1200%2C808&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/SWM-AUG-Alexis-Emm-Photograffi-3.jpg?fit=1200%2C808&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/SWM-AUG-Alexis-Emm-Photograffi-3.jpg?fit=1200%2C808&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/SWM-AUG-Alexis-Emm-Photograffi-3.jpg?fit=1200%2C808&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/SWM-AUG-Alexis-Emm-Photograffi-3.jpg?fit=1200%2C808&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1095,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=1095","url_meta":{"origin":861,"position":3},"title":"Cheryl Heller","author":"Staff","date":"September 29, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Seeking the Silver Lining By Lorna Oppedisano | Photography by Alexis Emm The tale of local business owner and four-time cancer survivor Cheryl Heller\u2019s battles with the disease starts out like many other busy women\u2019s stories. \u201cI was concentrating on so many other parts of my life at that point,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Featured"","block_context":{"text":"Featured","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?cat=99"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Alexis-Emm-Photo-Syracuse-Headshot-Photographers-4.jpg?fit=1200%2C793&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Alexis-Emm-Photo-Syracuse-Headshot-Photographers-4.jpg?fit=1200%2C793&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Alexis-Emm-Photo-Syracuse-Headshot-Photographers-4.jpg?fit=1200%2C793&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Alexis-Emm-Photo-Syracuse-Headshot-Photographers-4.jpg?fit=1200%2C793&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Alexis-Emm-Photo-Syracuse-Headshot-Photographers-4.jpg?fit=1200%2C793&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1164,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=1164","url_meta":{"origin":861,"position":4},"title":"Venecia DeRoose","author":"Staff","date":"October 27, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Peering to Solid Ground\u00a0 By Lorna Oppedisano | Photography by Alexis Emm When Venecia DeRoose left the United States Navy, she knew she wanted to help veterans. The following year, shortly after Veterans Day in 2014, she joined the team at Clear Path for Veterans as a peer mentor. Now,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Featured"","block_context":{"text":"Featured","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?cat=99"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/AEP-SWM-NOV-2-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C805&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/AEP-SWM-NOV-2-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C805&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/AEP-SWM-NOV-2-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C805&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/AEP-SWM-NOV-2-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C805&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/AEP-SWM-NOV-2-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C805&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1907,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=1907","url_meta":{"origin":861,"position":5},"title":"Clara Cedeno","author":"Staff","date":"June 29, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Finding Yourself with Food\u00a0 By Lorna Oppedisano | Photography by Alexis Emm\u00a0 \u201cI never see anything that I do as a waste of time,\u201d Clara Cedeno said, \u201cbecause once you start seeing things as a waste of time, you start having all these regrets.\u201d You can learn something from every\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Featured"","block_context":{"text":"Featured","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?cat=99"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/SWM-MAG-5-11-18-Alexis-Emm-Photo-6.jpg?fit=1200%2C802&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/SWM-MAG-5-11-18-Alexis-Emm-Photo-6.jpg?fit=1200%2C802&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/SWM-MAG-5-11-18-Alexis-Emm-Photo-6.jpg?fit=1200%2C802&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/SWM-MAG-5-11-18-Alexis-Emm-Photo-6.jpg?fit=1200%2C802&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/SWM-MAG-5-11-18-Alexis-Emm-Photo-6.jpg?fit=1200%2C802&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/861","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=861"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/861\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":862,"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/861\/revisions\/862"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/878"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=861"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=861"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=861"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}