Today we’d like to introduce you to Amber Garcia.
Hi Amber, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for sharing your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
In February 2020, my 2-year-old daughter was diagnosed with autism. She is nonverbal and has never started talking, so this did not surprise us. She had been in speech therapy since she was 18 months old. She was due to begin attending a school for autistic children in March 2020, where she would receive ABA therapy. She was due to be at school the same week COVID-19 was officially named a pandemic, and everything shut down – including her school. After a couple of months, her school started offering in-home therapy. A therapist worked with her in our home for about 7 hours daily, and I suddenly had much free time. I started decorating cookies to pass the time and to give me something to do during the day. Because we were in quarantine, we couldn’t go anywhere, and I needed somewhere to direct all the nervous energy I had about what was happening at the time. I dove into cookie decorating. After a few months, my husband suggested I start selling them, so I posted an ad on my neighborhood app. I started getting customers to pick up their cookies off my front porch. When things with COVID began to improve, and I felt comfortable attending outside events, I started doing pop-up markets. I slowly started getting more and more custom-order clients. Now, for 4 years, I have booked and am busy with custom orders. I have recently hired a part-time employee (my sister), and I am baking out of a commercial kitchen to keep up with demand. My next step is accepting wholesale clients like coffee shops and small retail stores.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I am very fortunate to have grown at my own pace because my family does not rely on the income from my business. What started as a hobby turned into an accidental business. When I was making cookies for fun, there was no stress, but when I decided to grow my business, things got a lot harder. My biggest challenge is balancing being a mom (of a special needs child, no less) and being a business owner. My husband travels a lot for work, so I can’t always count on him for childcare when I have events or a lot of work. Luckily, I’ve had help from my sister and a very supportive family that is always willing to step in when they can.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My whole business is custom-decorated royal icing cookies for all events and occasions. I can cookie anything for any theme. I specialize in very, very detailed work. I love to hand paint on a lot of my cookies. The time I put into my work and attention to detail sets me apart from other cooks. I like to think of my cookies as little works of art rather than just food served at a party. To me, it is a labor of love. I want to provide a product that is 100% custom that you cannot get anywhere else. If you want cookies, then go to the grocery store. But if you wish to have little handmade pieces of edible art explicitly made for special moments, then I’m your girl.
What matters most to you?
It matters that I am proud of every single cookie set that I give to my clients. My cookies are a luxury, and it is so important to me that I feel that my client is getting their money’s worth. My cookies are usually ordered to accompany a special event, and I want my work to make those special memories and celebrations even more memorable. Also, as an artist, my skills must be adequately represented with every custom order. I have spent countless hours honing my craft and spending a lot of time and energy on each order. I feel like that effort is wasted if I put out a product that I know could have been better executed.
Pricing:
- Custom orders start at $70/dozen with a 2 dozen minimum order requirement
Contact Info:
- Website: bluegoobakery.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/bluegoobakery
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100062091743747
Image Credits
The photo of me is by Jenna McElroy, and all the cookie photos were taken by myself.
