We recently connected with Erica Bentson and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Erica, thanks for joining us today. Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?
I owned a bakery in Portland, OR for 14 years and when I sold it in 2018, I was tired. I took some time off, thinking I would pursue another line of work, yet still in the hospitality industry. I eventually took a position as a Pastry Chef for a retirement home and it was there, believe it or not, I found my passion for baking again. Everything was made from scratch and the residents were so appreciative for the work we did. I had a lot of fun and it was so nice not having to take work home with me every night. I went on to a few other positions after that, most notably as Pastry Chef at a Facebook Data Center. I loved that for a long time and they took great care of us during Covid. But after my time there, I wanted to get back into the smaller bakery scene and went to work with a couple of independently owned bakeries. I never minded working for someone else when it was a corporation, I had great experiences with them. But when I went back to my roots, that’s when I started not liking working for someone else. With these experiences, I have found I like it better when I can call it mine.
Erica, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
My passion for baking and cake decorating started in my teens when I took a Wilton Cake Decorating class. I started like so many do, making cakes for friends and family birthday parties. After high school, I knew a 4 year degree wasn’t for me, so I went to culinary school in Portland. Back then in the 1990’s, they didn’t have degrees dedicated to just baking and pastry so I had to do the whole culinary arts program, including Butcher Shop and Dining Room. But once I had my baking class, I knew I had found my niche. Every job I’ve had since then has been baking related.
I have been fortunate enough to have worked with great chefs and leaders that respected the field. 99% of the products we make are made from scratch and that will never change. The only thing we don’t make from scratch are our tart shells and that is only because I have sourced a high quality version. You will never find a cake mix box or bucket of icing at Whisk and Paddle and I am immensely proud that our customers can count on that. Our repeat customers have come to know they will receive not only a delicious, fresh baked item, but one that is beautifully decorated as well.
Let’s move on to buying businesses – can you talk to us about your experience with business acquisitions?
When I moved to Arizona in 2022, I had every intention of working for someone else, perhaps at a resort or other bakery. But after a short stint at a local bakery, I knew I wanted to get back to being a business owner. I searched on the internet and found a bakery for sale in Gilbert. The original owner was wanting to retire and had built up an amazing clientele of venues all across the East Valley. I was hesitant to get back into wedding cakes as I had burned myself out at my previous bakery in Portland. But I knew I was making the right decision.
I waited several months after taking ownership to revamp anything, not wanting to scare clients and venues away. But since the original bakery was named after the previous owner, I didn’t see any point in continuing that name so we slowly rebranded into Whisk and Paddle Bakeshop.
Have you ever had to pivot?
At my previous bakery in Portland, I had started by building up a clientele for wedding cakes. Working from the ground up and building relationships with fellow vendors and venues, I eventually got burned out. I had a staff to help with the baking and some decorating, however I did the majority of the decorating and all of the delivering, which is the stressful part. After several years of having that be my focus, I started pursuing wholesale clients. As the wholesale grew, I eventually stopped doing wedding cakes altogether. I was fortunate enough to land some high profile wholesale accounts like the Nordstrom Cafes all throughout the Portland Metro area, as well as other notable local accounts.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.whiskandpaddleaz.com
- Instagram: @whiskandpaddle_az
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whiskandpaddle.az
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erica-bentson-50340332/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/whisk-and-paddle-bakeshop
Image Credits
Danielle Applebach Photography