What was left of our Smith Island Cake after serving (Jan. 1, 2010)When my family went home to Maryland, where my husband and I both grew up, for the holidays we were served the same cake at two different family gatherings.

Well, not the same exact cake, but a Smith Island Cake, one was a 9 incher and the other was a 12 incher.  Both were magnificently delicious.  The first family gathering was on Christmas Day at my in-laws house, the second at my grandfather's birthday party.  It was at the birthday party that I asked my stepmom, Mandy, about the story behind how she found out about the cake. Seriously, I'd never heard of these cakes before and now...they're showing up twice in our short visit home?

I'd heard about Smith Island back in my tweens when I met two sisters close to my age that lived there.  A small island in the Chesapeake Bay, you can only get there by ferry and their economy has always primarily been driven by the crabbing industry.  Because of new policies regarding crabbing (and yes, being a native Marylander I have crabbed and picked a few myself, thank you very much), some of islanders started to worry about being able to stay.

Until now.  Now there's hope in a layer cake...the Smith Island Cake...and Maryland's State Dessert.  And clearly, because it seemed like everywhere we turned last week, the Smith Island Baking Co. is a word-of-mouth sensation.  Seems like everywhere we turned last week, there was a Smith Island Cake on the family dining room table. 

The man behind the business?  Not a Smith Island native, but with family connections to the Eastern Shore, Brian Murphy, a former commodities trader turned investment firm founder, is responsible.  And it sounds like he's another conscious capitalist.  I first read about conscious capitalists in the Fast Company article about Whole Foods CEO John Mackey and the principles that guide him in running his business.

It's hearing more and more about conscious capitalism success stories that make me think that we're about to see a major shift in the way companies do business.  And if the "aughts" or the "ohs" or whatever we're calling the first 10 years of the 21st century we're the "look at me!" decade: reality shows, (ahem) high profile bloggers, and anyone seeking fifteen minutes fame - then my hope upon hope is that this next decade will be the "conscious" decade. 

Yes.  The conscious decade, where we make our decisions based on adhering to high ethical standards, the impact on our environment, sustainability, the health and prosperity of our communities, and how our business contributes to the great good.

Brian Murphy of the Smith Island Baking Co. is a great example of this and I hope what Brian stands for, smart investments that benefit the great good, in this case - an island that is a strong and vibrant thread in the fabric of Maryland's past, present, and we can say confidently now - future.

Oh yeah, and Brian's also a fellow alumnus of the University of Maryland at College Park, in fact, we're both class of 1999. 

And yes, my last name happens to be Smith, but as far as I know, there is no relation to anyone that lives on the island or any connection to the baking company.