Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ashley Wong. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Ashley , thanks for joining us today. Covid has brought about so many changes – has your business model changed?
We all remember how scary 2020 was when we were all introduced to COVID-19. The world shut down and restaurants were going out of business. They tried to survive, but a lot of them didn’t know what to do or how to pivot. In the beginning, I was one of those businesses that didn’t know how I was going to move forward and what I was going to do. Fortunately, I had been working with a food business consultant for the past year who guided me through this scary time. When they first announced that COVID was here in the United States, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do. Do I stay open? Do I close? This had never happened before. I ended up closing for 2 weeks to come up with a game plan. My business consultant reached out to me in the perfect time and told me this is not the time for YOU to close. You see, my brand is about bringing joy and comfort. I had been so used to bringing the feeling of comfort through my celebration cakes and cookies that I was unsure of how I could deliver that same feeling through simple baked goods. So, we came up with a game plan and pivoted.
My new business plan became bringing comfort in a time of distress. I already had cinnamon rolls, fresh baked cookies, and turnovers on my menu, but instead of it being as a side item, we made them the star of the show. “Order cinnamon rolls, fresh baked cookies, and turnovers to take and bake. Make your house smell like a bakery, bringing you back to a nostalgic time of comfort.” We didn’t know how this would go, but we knew this would be a great way to bring people joy again.
We made the announcement and business took off. We built it up and ended up starting to sell them a week earlier than planned. We offered delivery service and curbside pick up. People really enjoyed what we were doing and at one point, they stopped ordering our take and bake and started to order them fresh for delivery. People reached out and told us how happy it made them and their families. Some people even surprised family and friends with our comforting sweets.
After about 4 months into the pandemic, we were back to making cakes and cookies just in smaller batches. People still wanted to celebrate because even though we were going through this difficult time, birthdays were celebrated just a little bit more. With people losing loved ones, we all wanted to cherish every bit of time we had with them, we wanted to remember these milestones like there was no tomorrow. Being a part of celebrations always meant a lot to me, but during this time, I was able to see how much it impacted people in such a positive way.
I was very fortunate that I was able to pivot and get through a time that will be looked back on and remembered in history. It taught me that anything can happen, and how you choose to pivot will be a matter that could make or break your business. It has taught me to be confident, knowing if I ever have to pivot again, how important it is to think outside the box to not only keep customers coming back, but to continuously bring them joy and comfort.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
For those of you who don’t know who I am, my name is Ashley Wong. I am a wife, a mother of 2, an animal lover, horror fan, and have a passion for baking. My love for baking began like most people, during my childhood. When I was a kid, we would go and visit family in southern California. When visiting my Nana, we would spend a lot of time in the kitchen. I loved watching her cook and bake. I began to learn how to bake making cinnamon rolls, 7-up cake, turnovers, and so much more. I started learning to make family recipes and by 12 years old had mastered some of them.
My first food service job was at the age of 16 at the infamous In-N-Out Burger in Fremont, Ca when it became a new location. I competed against 500 people and was 1 of 56 that ended up getting hired. There, I learned the importance of customer service, multitasking, leading and upholding quality standards efficiently. After working my way up to a cook, I decided to go to culinary school in San Francisco, Ca at the Le Cordon Bleu where I attended the culinary program for 15 months. There I learned stocks, butchery, catering, baking, food science, sanitation safety, management and more. I truly enjoyed it and thrived like never before. After graduating culinary school with high honors, I worked at Paula Le Duc Fine Catering, one of Bay Area’s top catering companies where I did many private events with high profile clients. I learned how to build a kitchen anywhere, how to break one down, how to plate and serve up to 1k plated courses and how to run a successful catering event. From there my passion for baking was still strong and I finally applied to Michelin star restaurant, The Madera at the Sandhill Rosewood Hotel in Palo Alto and got the job. I worked under Olympic pastry chef Mellisa Root and learned molecular gastronomy in pastries, mousses, curds, custards, and all complexities of the art of pastries. I worked on the line for 2 years baking early in the morning and finishing my shift plating up desserts. After gaining the experience needed, I moved onto corporate where I had a more set schedule at Oracle in Redwood Shores in 2014. While a]’t Oracle, I was in charge of the Conference Center where 1 other baker and myself prepped, planned, and executed 600 desserts a day with a seasonal rotating menu. After a few years in the Conference Center, I moved over to the main bakery and learned how to make breads such as croissants, focaccia, and dinner rolls, then learned how to decorate cakes. In March of 2018 after having my second child I decided it would be best to quit my job and take a leap of faith. In July of 2018 Ashley Wong Sweets was established.
Just 3 months into business I began picking up corporate events, and word of mouth got out. With my past experience, taking on large orders while upholding standards came easy to me. After being in business for 3 years, I was approached by Food Network to be a competitor on Season 7 of Food Network’s Halloween Baking Championship. I did multiple interviews with different executive producers and did a final round where I made a plated dessert and a cake while being timed and then presented it. A few days later, I found out I was selected and within days, I flew across country and started filming. While being on Food Network was something I never thought I’d do, it was one of the best experiences of my life. I made lifelong friends, stepped way out of my comfort zone, and trusted myself in a way I never had before. I ended up leaving the show being the top 5 with just 1 episode left!
Since being in business for myself, I have been a part of so many celebrations such as weddings, graduations, baby/bridal/engagement showers as well as events for Microsoft, Facebook, Intuit, cookie decorating classes and more. Being based in Silicon Valley has allowed me to serve so many tech companies and offer our delicious sweets. Being a part of so many special celebrations has allowed me to solve the problem of finding a local trusted baker who not only makes delicious and beautiful desserts, but also who makes my customers feel appreciated, listened to, and special. I believe this has set me a part by taking the time to really get to know my customers and be transparent with them. It also allows me to bring them the same comfort my Nana gave to me with her baked goods. Our cookie decorating classes have become very popular within the Bay Area. At first, it became mainly offered at offices for team building and holidays, but our clients have enjoyed it so much that we have had request to do it more frequently. We just recently found a location in the city of Fremont that will allow us to not only do cookie decorating classes, but baking and pastry programs and the potential to offer so much more fun engaging classes.
The main thing that I am proud of is not allowing fear to hold me back. As a business owner, we are constantly doing things out of our comfort zone and to continue to do that can be quite intimidating, but I have never allowed it to hold me back. Something I want my potential clients to know is that we value being a part of all of their celebrations because we only get these times once. We put so much love into all of our baking and want to make everyone’s special celebration one they can look back on with fond memories. Our brand is all about making special moments memorable and with all the love and details we put on our cakes, cookies, and dessert bars, it keeps customers coming back. We’ve been a part of weddings, to helping couples celebrate their baby showers, to celebrating their kid’s first birthday and beyond. We get the pleasure in not just being a part of 1 celebration, but watching families grow and helping them celebrate the ones they love most.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Last September of 2022, I lost the first person I was close to. It was right before the holidays. My grandfather was sick with COPD and was in his last stage of life. I was fortunately able to see him before he passed and talked with him for a long time, but once I left, I knew that was going to be the time I was going to see him alive. Right before he passed, I lost my baker who needed to quit due to personal reasons. I was getting ready to head into the busiest time of year and I was also planning his funeral. I had signed up for a business class that I paid for a few months before and it felt impossible to move forward with everything.
My class started the day after his memorial and was 10 weeks long. I didn’t know know how I was going to do all of this, but I knew he would have encouraged me to. You see, my Papa was one of my biggest supporters. We were very close. I would talk to him almost everyday and he always encouraged me to go after my dreams. He would tell me life happens, but we can’t stop living because of it. I remember him telling me before he got really sick that he knew I was going to do great things and he wished he could see what they would be. He told me that when he passed, to not be sad because he had a great life, and to keep doing all the things I’m doing. His biggest advice that stayed with me though was never let fear hold you back. He would say be scared, but move forward. His words stayed with me as I’d head into the holidays without him.
I pushed through Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas with record breaking sales while also attending my business class. I had made more than I did the previous year and even surpassed my annual goal. After the holidays, I was able to take a month off to rest and recover.
Losing someone so close and dear to me was one of the hardest things I’d gone through. I was somehow able to stay resilient through it all. We don’t know what life will throw at us, and some things feel impossible to get through, but I think of how much my Papa loved me and how I always made him proud. He may not be here to see me do great things, but I know he’s watching down on me cheering me on.
What’s been the best source of new clients for you?
The best source of new clients for me has been word of mouth and social media. When I first started my business my family would help by bringing desserts I made to work and church. From there, family friends would start to order and then they would tell their friends and it became a domino effect. I started getting request from businesses as clients would recommend me to their jobs such as Intuit, Facebook, Kaiser, Google and more. I did my first pitch to Microsoft where I brought in samples and shared my story of how Ashley Wong Sweets began. Through this, I have gained many accounts and have also been invited to be a part of large corporate events. A huge event I had the pleasure of being a part of was the Microsoft Growth Conference, where all the Microsoft accounts in the Bay Area attended. We made 1k custom cookies and 1500 cake pops with a booth set up for everyone to come and grab our sweets. Within a few hours, we had sold everything.
Our word of mouth has gotten so big that we get requests up to 6 months in advance on order since they know we fill up fast. With social media, we love to tag our customers as we work on their orders. This allows them to share it on their stories and share their excitement as well. Our customers also tag us during and after their events. This is something we love to share because it shows the joy we bring through our desserts.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ashleywongsweets.com
- Instagram: @ashleywongsweets
- Facebook: Ashley Wong Sweets, LLC
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/
Image Credits
first picture credited by Food Network