Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Raven Gates. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Raven, appreciate you joining us today. Can you tell us a bit about who your hero is and the influence they’ve had on you?

Many of the incredible women in my life are my heroes! I would not be the woman I am without them. My great-grandmother was the first in our family to be an entrepreneur by owning three successful dry cleaners in Compton. My grandmother is the best! She was my first best friend. She would cook and bake for every major holiday for the entire family. She would bake at least ten cheesecakes per holiday. She tried to teach and get me in the kitchen, but I always tried to get out of it. I wanted no part of that. Ironic right? Especially since my cheesecakes are her cheesecake recipe. My mother has consistently demonstrated what hustle was supposed to look like. She worked hard to provide for our family but was an entrepreneur at heart. It was astonishing seeing her be both one who performed a nine to five and then an entreupeur who chased her dreams too. My closest friends are who I aspire to be as well. Their level of passion, patience, kindness, understanding, strength, and more push me to be the best version of myself. Being the best version of myself allows me to show up as the best version of myself for my business.

Raven, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am the bakestress of Made By Yub. I bake homemade desserts but specializing in cheesecakes!

When I stumbled into baking, I was an undergrad in college. I was working in nonprofit doing work around empowering and supporting victims and survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. During my second to last year, I also started to get sick and traveled home to find out I had chronic pain and fatigue. I was told my first dream of being a lawyer was no longer an option. However, an old friend had asked me out to have cheesecake. I did not have the guts to tell her I didn’t like cheesecake, but I went with it, and it turns out cheesecake is not that bad. The next day I wanted another slice but did not want to pay for another piece. Thankfully, I had heard my grandmother made the best cheesecake, so I called her and asked for her recipe; the rest is history. Yet my want to help victims and survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault never faded. So a good friend told me to combine my passion. So my goal is to open a bakery and hire victims and survivors to help them regain their control and assist them in going from surviving to thriving.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

When I first started Made By Yub, I thought entering the Veg Fest baking competition near me would be an excellent idea. My brother is vegan, and I just wanted to bake a tasty treat he would enjoy and maybe impress the judges. Unfortunately, chronic pain and chronic fatigue were not in my favor the morning of. I wanted my Pumpkin dessert to be fresh and perfect! However, I was having one of the worst flare-ups that morning. I don’t remember much from that morning, but crying to my family about how much pain I was in and that I should not go. Yet, they knew how much I wanted to enter and to try. I pushed through and got these cupcakes done. The RELIEF of dropping them off at the judging table was like winning first place for me. I could barely walk from the pain at that point, but my family got me through. We had a great day at Veg Fest (doing as much as my body allowed), but I was ready to go home early. However, I had to see this competition through, and my family drove me there. We stayed for the results, and I took home first place in their Pumpkin category that year. All the pain and tears were worth it. It showed me that baking was more than my pain; it was my therapy. In my baking, I find the resilience to push through every doubt and overcome them.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

There are a couple of podcasts that have impacted my entrepreneurial thinking. My favorites include Baking it Down (baking focused). Earn Your Leisure, Social Proof, and Financial Feminist. The Youtube Rabbit Hole is my go-to; Entrepreneurs Tik Tok is great for creativity and connecting. Most importantly, I get the most resources from other incredible vendors. I have met remarkable and talented vendors (With Love from Scratch, LK Jewelers, Salt and Pine, Sensory Wonder, Vintage Renewals, Tocumbo Ice Cream, Kraken Wash, and more), and I have learned so much from them. That community is something that is unmatched!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.madebyyub.com
• Instagram: @madebyyub
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MadeByYub1/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/made-by-yub-costa-mesa

Image Credits
Adrienne Credo Jenilee Remigio Saquillo