We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Shauna Hinchen-Joyal. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Shauna below.

Hi Shauna, thanks for joining us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

Both of my parents loved community and bringing people together for small and large gatherings. My mother could make anyone feel special and celebrated. As an artist and gallery owner, she mentored many young artists and gave them an opportunity to show their work and be celebrated at joyous art openings. She and my father hosted dinner parties of all sizes, family reunions, and holiday dinners where everyone was welcome.

In a time when I think many of us feel disconnected, my mission is to help people have easy gatherings where they can celebrate life’s big and small moments. I also strive to give each client an individualized event by working with them to offer pastries, coffee drinks and that are meaningful to them and reflect their celebration. The isolation and lack of human connection during the pandemic, reminded me how important gathering with friends and family is to all of us.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My mother is a mixed media artist and both my grandmother and brother are painters. As a child I loved working with my hands and was encouraged to experiment with paints, clay, sculpture and baking. A number of years after college, I decided to go back to school and study baking and pastry arts at Johnson and Wales University. Between my studies and Johnson and Wales and my various chef mentors throughout the years, I have been able to hone my baking to be able to offer a variety of pastries including French macarons, unique cakes, tarts, cookies and breakfast pastries. I also enjoy teaching baking classes and helping individuals tap into their own creative side through baking and cake decorating.

When working with a client, I aim to make their event personalized by working with them to come up with a pastry menu that reflects their favorite desserts and coffee drinks. For instance, when working with couples getting married, I always ask if there is a favorite childhood dessert that they might want included in their menu. I also try in add small touches to the presentation of the desserts and the decor in the lounge in front of the camper. Last year, I worked with a couple getting married on Friday the 13th by making tarot designs to go on each cupcake, creating a chai cookie that reflected their favorite drink and designing a menu with fun and spooky names for all their desserts.

If a client doesn’t have a huge budget or is hosting a gathering at home, we can bring in our mobile dessert and espresso bar to give their gathering some unique and memorable moments. I think we are one the only dessert and espresso bars in New England that offer this level of creativity and individualize approach.

Lastly, as a small business in the Boston area, I try in support other small businesses by buying my coffee beans from a local roastery (Atomic Coffee), my ice cream from a small producer (Melt Ice Cream) and my tea from MEM Tea in Boston. I value being a part of the local small business and non-profit community and am always looking for ways to support and partner with them. Every year since I opened Blue Bird, I have donated the espresso bar and all the pastries to our local food pantry volunteer appreciation party. I also donate coffee and pastry parties for local non-profits as auction items.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Learning to get my story across on social meeting has been a learning experience for me. I aim to give clients a glimpse into some of the preparation I do for each event and at times the creative journey. I also want people to get a taste of the joy our guests feel when gathering together to celebrate with friends and family.

As for advice for those just starting out, I recommend being authentic and don’t just follow what others are doing on social media. Tell your story!

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

The best source of new clients for us comes from community. As a newer business I have had to do a good amount of cold calling to get to know others in the weddings and events business. I have also met a great deal of people through our local wedding professionals group. We also try in be a part of local community events and markets as a way to get our name out there.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://bluebirdmobiledessertbar.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bluebirdmobiledessertbar?igsh=MTZqcWF4cnh3ODZpeg==
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Bluebirdmobiledessertbar/

Image Credits
Elyse Bartkus of Solsearch Photography Heather Marcus Shauna Hinchen-Joyal