Today we’d like to introduce you to Karla Estrada.
Hi Karla, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My life in baking began at a very early age. Growing up in El Paso, TX, my Mexican household was full of music, culture, and opportunities for creativity. Some of the most memorable included time to explore and play with food. I remember being little, dancing and humming to the vibrations, holding the mixer while helping make a family birthday cake. I was always excited to help cut and form our Easter Bunny cake, placing each piece of candy in the perfect spot. Of all the traditions experienced, I am most fond of those centered around the winter holiday. Hosting family and friends for annual Christmas cookie baking and decorating for Santa, building our family gingerbread house, rolling the cold dough for deliciously Nutty Lunitas in my little hands, all these memories are so fresh in my mind. They are traditions I am actively working on passing on to the little humans in my life. I have been so privileged to be born into a family that hones in on traditions and has kept so many alive from childhood into adulthood. My favorite has to be our Gingerbread House Decorating Competition. I miss having my Ita and Ito (grandmother and grandfather) as special judges, who, most years, announced my team as the winners. Family fostered a love of baking. It is a love that has been present in me for as long as I can remember. They are always loving and supportive and are amazed by all my creations, even the laughable ones made at the very start. I left El Paso in 2012 and have lived in Austin ever since. As a student at UT Austin, I enjoyed baking for friends and classmates, some of whom were my first clients.
After graduation, an apprenticeship at Better Bites bakery soon followed. There, I learned how to bake gluten-free, vegan treats and picked up some new decorating techniques, quickly working my way up to a position as a decorator. I began teaching shortly after that and found myself baking more and more for the families I taught in East Austin. I officially started baking under “Beautiful Bees” in 2020, at the height of the pandemic, and LLC’d in 2022. In those two years, I sold every weekend, rain or shine, at SFC Farmers Market in DT Austin and in many Frida Friday markets throughout the city. I have added baking and decorating classes and parties to my list of services, utilizing my expertise in baking, project management, and my love and experience teaching and working with children. I aim to inspire the youth in our community to become empowered by working with food in a fun, creative, safe, and educational way.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been smooth?
Nothing in life has ever come easy for me. I have always worked hard to overcome challenges. The biggest is second-guessing whether or not I could invest in myself to do creative work full-time. It is scary for many families of color for their children to pursue something creative rather than something safe. For that reason, I decided to go to college and studied at the University of Texas at Austin and picked a safe major so I would always be guaranteed a job. While that proved true, financial insecurity was still a factor in my daily life, yet the creativity of baking continued to call my name. It was dangerous to invest in materials because that could mean a basic need wouldn’t be met. Over the last 10 years, I have been lucky to have a support system that has continued to push and encourage me toward my biggest potential, leaving behind all the fears and anxieties to pursue my passion for baking and decorating.
We’ve been impressed with Beautiful Bee’s – The Conscious Baking Co, but for folks who might need to be more familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Beautiful Bees came to be because of my passion for baking, educating, and protecting nature. I specialize in baking with real ingredients sourced locally or naturally. Additionally, I strive for my business to be the least waste-producing possible, utilizing compostable or recyclable packing and local organic ingredients from informed shopping. It is always cool to take care of the environment and preserve what we have, being conscious about what we put into our bodies and giving back to the world.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
The biggest support is shopping small! As a Local, Latina-Owned Business, community support means everything! While yes, it may be cheaper to shop for a cake at your local grocery store, I can guarantee nobody will care more about you, your event, or your cake than me, not to mention all those preservatives and artificial ingredients. I work one-on-one with every client to ensure they are satisfied 100% of the time. Working with Beautiful Bees allows your specifications to be met and exceed your expectations. Book a party, reserve that date, order online, email, text, or look at my website & social media.
Contact Info:
- Website: beautifulbeesbakery.com
- Instagram: @beautifulbees_bakery
- Facebook: beautifulbeesbakery
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karla-a-estrada/
Image Credits
Ashley Simpson
