We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Chelsea a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Chelsea, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear the story of how you went from this being just an idea to making it into something real.

My bakes are very personal to me; they usually start with one ingredient that catches my eye, or is seasonal in my area. I then brainstorm and (occasionally) research flavor notes and pairings to see how I can best maximize the flavors I’ve chosen in a cohesive way. This part is easy because I’m lucky enough to have access to a lot of diverse, delicious foods. Next step is deciding what preparation would be best for the ingredients.
After I work on the idea, I pull out my little black notebook to write everything down then we go onto trials! I do trials as many times as it takes to get the perfect treat; jotting down notes along the way.

A great example of this would be my hot honeybun; a bodega favorite with a spicy little kick!
Once I had the idea, I researched the components of a honeybun, and adapted my base dough and icing recipes to create it. Honestly, I become quite obsessive once I have something new I want to try so I run a trial almost immediately. I usually run a second trial after a week or two so I don’t have access to too many sweet treats since I am addicted to sugar. The trick with a hot honeybun is finding the perfect balance of sweet and spicy, without it teetering on a slightly more savory edge so it took about four trials to get it right. I have a talent for combining flavors and creating the perfect product relatively easily, but the honeybun was one occasion that took several trials; once I perfected it, I had it available at markets and for orders right away.

Sometimes I’m lucky and a dish is exactly what I want it to be the first time around. For example, my autumnal “Tart to be Grateful For” is my perfect treat. It features a brown butter pâté sucreé crust, soy sauce caramel, cherry preserves, duck fat ganache, and fried sage. Once I did my first trial for this one, I knew it was ready for the world. I have it on my menu every Autumn!

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

When I was in the 2nd grade, we had an assignment about what we wanted to be when we grew up, I chose a baker. Fast-forward 18 years, I decided to pursue baking full-time!
I have a business degree from Baruch College, and worked in real estate development and personal training. As a generally very creative person, these fields were not for me, and baking is where I feel like I can express myself in delicious, creative ways. It’s how I can make both myself and others happy.
I am a self-taught baker who now specializes in fun, unique flavor pairings that are often influenced by my Caribbean heritage and the beautiful life I lived in New Orleans.
Some of these flavor pairings include:
– blood orange paired with absinthe, cinnamon, and clove
– butter-fried maduros paired with rhubarb, and chai spices
– tamarind paired with fig, dark chocolate, and pandan
– miso paired with dark chocolate, brown butter, and pomegranate…
the list goes on and on!
My business started off as Sticky Fingers Dough Company in 2020, and has now evolved into the more aptly named “Friday’s Child” because “Friday’s child is loving and giving.”

I love sharing my art with folks that are willing to step out of their comfort zone, and try something new. I love seeing people try my treats, and watching their eyes light up with big smiles spread across their faces. This is what makes baking so special to me; I’m able to connect with people thought my food that I put much love into.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Baking truly is my art.
The most rewarding thing about being a creative is when my work is well-received. I really enjoy coming up with bold, unexpected flavor combinations, and when people are interested in what I’m doing and enjoy my work, it makes me feel motivated to keep following my path. It reassures me that I’m moving in the right direction.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

One thing I have struggled with in the past, and still sometimes struggle with, is the notion that wealth defines success.
This was a big one for me because I am a part of my family’s first American generation. My family is from Guyana, and my parents worked extremely hard growing up to ensure that we had a good life, and went to good schools to make good money/be successful as adults. I grew up believing that going with a safe, stable job is what you need to do in order to be successful because in that, my parents’ hard work didn’t go to waste. It meant that all the times they were not able to be there for my siblings and myself, because of their jobs, was worth it in the end.
You never want to let your parents down after all they’ve sacrificed for you, but that safe, corporate world was not for me. The field I was working in felt soulless, and I absolutely could not continue the work. This is when I knew I had to break out of the mentality that I needed a corporate job in order to be successful. I started to stray from that path and got into the more creative field of personal training, then eventually, baking full-time. I know baking and personal training don’t exactly go hand-in-hand, but I digress.
My parents fully support my decision and are very proud of me, but I sometimes still struggle with that thought of “they did all that just for you to choose to be a baker.”
I always try to remember that being successful isn’t about money, it’s about being who or what you want in life, and achieving your personal goals; it’s all very subjective.

And to my parents: I love you, mom and dad. Thank you for everything!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.hotplate.com/fridayschild
• Instagram: @fridayschild.nola

Image Credits

Chelsea Nauratan-Burgos/Friday’s Child