Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Amber Tomlin. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Amber, thanks for joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?
At Bebe’s Bake Shoppe we are a committed team of talented individuals who use locally sourced ingredients to produce high quality products including scratch made cookies, fillings, icings, and cookie cakes. Meeting customer expectations is our prime objective, and exceeding customer expectations is where we have our hearts set.
You only get one chance to make a good first impression. At our cookie café we strive for excellence in not only the looks of our products, but also in the taste. All of our recipes are tested for months before being debuted to the public, and all custom orders are sent sketches that are approved before production can begin. We never want to become the place that gets inspirations photos and upon pickup you receive a nightmare waiting to go viral. Choosing us to be apart of your special occasion is an honor and we will always strive to meet the needs of our customers.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Hey readers, I’m Amber, the owner of Bebe’s Bake Shoppe, Florissant’s first cookie café’. You know that phrase, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade”? Well, let’s just say I was handed a lot of lemons before I got here. Let’s go back a little to the year 2016. I had just enrolled in the Baking and Pastry Arts program at Forest Park Community College. To help keep my skills fresh as I was learning them, I applied to work at a few cafes around town. Now I didn’t expect to go in learning all of the secret recipes, or even standing behind the counter doing the most artistic jobs but the last thing expected was to be put on dishes, trash, and counting the stock in a walk in freezer for an entire shift. I hung in there a few months with the promise that I’d be taught cookie decorating “soon” but after four months of spending my shifts in the freezer, I quickly exited that position. Shortly afterwards, I accepted another position as a baker at a local cookie shop. Here I actually learned a few basics to cookie decorating, and when I finally graduated in 2018, I started to make cookies for my kids’ birthday parties and I’d accept small orders for friends and family. When my boss found out, she asked me to sign a non compete disclosure stating that as long as I worked there I would not make any cookies outside of work, but would instead refer all custom orders to their café. My only issue with this is that I wasn’t allowed to decorate at this café. I was only allowed to cut out cookies and prep the icing for them. When asked if I could begin to decorate, I was told there wasn’t a need for another decorator at that time. Frustrated because I’m being told that I can’t decorate outside of work to keep my job, and there is no need for me to decorate at my job, I decided to bet on myself. I took a leap of faith and resigned from my position. I practiced decorating cookies day and night. I gave cookies away for free just so I could get the basics mastered so by the time I was challenged with an order outside of family I’d feel ready. Just as I got to where I felt comfortable, covid arrived on the scene and shut down so much for so many in the culinary industry. With social distancing in play so many parties and events were cancelled, I got slightly worried, but also being a woman of faith I quickly reminded myself of my favorite Bible verse: 2 Timothy 1:7. What should have been one of the most critical times for a business, actually turned into one of the most abundant ones for us. Birthday parades became popular and individual personalized treats, such as cookies became an instant crowd favorite. With the growing popularity of custom cookies, and my newly developed skillset, I decided it was time to open a storefront. Location was extremely important to me. Being a Florissant resident, I noticed there were no cookie shops local to us. Whenever we wanted cookies we always had to get on the highway and drive a minimum of 20 mins for cookies. Realizing that needed to change, we started looking for spaces to lease and the rest as they say is history!
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
To build an audience on social media I had to first understand that I’m marketing food, and we as humans first eat with our eyes. I quickly understood that pictures on my phone would pick up shadows and not always offer the best lighting. I decided to take a beginner photography class to learn the basics of flat lay photography to present the best photos to our audience without the cost of hiring a photographer each time I needed to shoot new menu items. Specializing in custom work and showcasing it on popular platforms really helped us to grow and expand quickly.
How do you keep your team’s morale high?
Its important to remember why you sought out a team and chose not to run a business alone. Running a business is a STEEP learning curve, and truthfully I’m still learning today, especially today. We are employee owned and operated. Each day I am performing the same jobs I ask my team to do. I treat everyone with respect, dignity, and I am open to sharing all the knowledge I have acquired over the years. I’m at a place now where I understand no matter how long I’m in business I can’t serve every single person. If there is ever an opportunity where I can help someone else reach their goals, I will do so to the very best of my ability. There’s enough room in this industry for us all. I can’t do the job I love without my team so I am always sure to thank them each day for their help, listen to their concerns and needs, and do the best I can to let them know they are valued and appreciated.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.bebesbakeshoppe.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/bebesbakeshoppellc
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/bebesbakeshoppellc
Image Credits
Nico Church Amber Tomlin