Today we’d like to introduce you to Heidi Parks.
Hi Heidi, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
So a little background, I started baking in 2012, about a year after I graduated, because my brother was having a holiday carnival at school and wanted so badly to participate! While I’m crafty, there was a myriad of craft vendors with goods but I didn’t see anyone with baked items – so we set forth on that. From that, BestBakes! Bakery was born. I’ve since attended from culinary school and have dived into the entire colorful world of food! Since graduating in 2016 I have worked producing meals from small families of two all the way up to a summer camp of ~300 children and staff.
In addition to this, I’ve made countless gorgeous wedding cakes, birthday cakes, and everything in between! I also managed a bakery for about five years and very recently stopped working there so I could work full time for myself, pursuing my dreams! That brings me to now – striving for each day to be better than the last!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
One of the biggest struggles I’ve faced has been a lack of custom orders due to COVID-19. My busiest months are usually February through August so when the quarantine whisked its way through Texas, my orders for custom cakes, especially my larger wedding cake orders, took a huge hit. They were diminished to basically no orders – naturally I had some ingredients that I purchased in anticipation of this busy season but nothing to do with them.
So, I started a group on my local neighborhood page where I would bake a different item each day and offer it up to my neighbors, contactless and free of charge. The group quickly grew and people started requesting their favorites- I ended up making over 100 types of treats! This of course led to people asking how they could purchase the items they enjoyed and led to the birth of my website www.bestbakesbakery.com, which features the most requested of those sweets.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My business falls under the umbrella of my name: Heidi Parks -> ChefHeidiParks + BestBakes! Bakery At ChefHeidiParks, we specialize in all things savory! From meal preparation, to seated dinner parties, to catering weddings. If it involves good food, we do it all. At BestBakes! Bakery, we specialize in all things sweet! From custom birthday cakes, to scratch made pastries, to tall tiered wedding cakes – you can bet we will work with you to make your cake dreams come true. My mission statement across the board is that I use my innovative mind to create original products using the highest quality of ingredients with a whole lot of love to make life sweeter, one bite at a time. I use organic, high quality sourced ingredients such as farm fresh eggs as well as locally sourced butter and high quality chocolate, to name a few ingredients. This is important to me because, although there are tons of bakeries, I don’t see any exclusively using the same high quality ingredients as me. I believe this makes me stand out – because you shouldn’t have to sacrifice the goodness of food just to enjoy your cake. This way you CAN have your cake, and eat it too. My baked items are now available for local delivery through Favor Delivery App! Here’s a code for free delivery! HP1CE2
What’s next?
My five year plan: * Expand my brand as a whole * Become a recognized name – at least in my sweet home of Austin, TX * I want to be a brand you can pick up at Central Market or H-E-B that you can take home and enjoy with your family * I stride toward getting a booth at the farmer’s market for ease of purchase of my product * Lastly, I hope to expand my bakery into other large Texan cities such as Dallas, Houston, and the like.
Pricing:
- 6” Signature Cakes start at $50
- 6 Texas Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies $18
- BestBakes! BestBites Box $20
Contact Info:
- Email: ChefHeidiParks
- Website: chef.heidiparks.com/Chef Heidi Parks: New Client Form
- Instagram: www.Instagram.com/BestBakes
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/BestBakes
- Twitter: www.Instagram.com/ChefHeidiParks
- Other: BestBakes Delivery 14199 Interstate 35 Pflugerville – Favor Delivery
Image Credits
Black Chef’s Coat Photograph: ccphotofactory_atx – Caity
