Women & Business Profile: Terina J. Hicks, MPM

Terina J. Hicks, MPM
Cobblerworld LLC Owner & Chief Baker Officer; A Widow’s Journey, Founder

In 2014, when Terina J. Hicks learned she was going to be laid off, she reached back to something her mother taught her as a teenager: baking.

Every holiday, Hicks said, her mother would make “amazing” peach cobblers. Out of those memories, Hicks created CobblerWorld, where she is also the head baker. “I know what I want, and I go for it,” she says.

CobblerWorld took off only six months after it opened. Hicks makes a range of nostalgic, as well as unique, confections from key lime pie and banana pudding to blueberry lemon bundts and sweet potato gobs. The latter two are on the shelves of three Giant Eagle Market District stores (Robinson, Waterworks and Centre Avenue).

Hicks grew up in Pittsburgh’s Garfield neighborhood and has called Swissvale her home for the past 25 years. She values her education, which includes a Master of Public Management from Carnegie Mellon University. Her continuing education comes from fellow business owners as well as input and ideas from her team. In turn, Hicks loves “building up other business owners, especially women.” She advises prioritizing passion over chasing money, viewing failure as a means of discovery and striving for excellence instead of perfection. “Practice always respect, integrity and character,” she says.

With her eye on someday becoming a national brand, Hicks has spread her reach across the Pittsburgh region. Her partnerships include Levy Restaurant/David L. Lawrence Convention Center and Millie’s Homemade Ice Cream. She also works with individuals to feed those who are food insecure.

Hicks’s accomplishments haven’t gone unnoticed. She’s twice been named as one of the 50 Women of Excellence by the New Pittsburgh Courier, among other accolades.

Hard work and acclaim, however, don’t protect people from tragedy. In May 2025, Hicks lost her husband of 22 years. She couldn’t fathom what life would look like without him. Then she realized she had the opportunity to feed souls as well as bodies. From her grief, Hicks created A Widow’s Journey, a not-for-profit that will foster connection between widows and support their healing. Hicks will host its first retreat in April and launch a podcast shortly after.