We recently connected with Daniella Steinmetz and have shared our conversation below.

Daniella , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

The biggest risk for us was honestly just opening the bakery at all. We had just moved to Oklahoma from the Northeast and were still surrounded by unpacked boxes, trying to get settled. On top of that, the move had drained us, financially and emotionally, so the idea of starting a business right then felt a little crazy.

But the biggest risk wasn’t really just the money; it was believing in myself enough to do it. I’ve always loved baking, but after years of being told not to take the compliments too seriously, my confidence was pretty low. It took a lot of encouragement from my friend Sam and my husband before I finally decided to take the leap. Once I did, it was scary, but it also felt right, like I was finally giving myself a chance.

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.

I’ve loved being in the kitchen for as long as I can remember. My Nonna Libby was the heart of our family meals, and she brought me into the kitchen before I could even see over the counter. She didn’t bake much (her passion was cooking) but she’s the one who sparked my curiosity. She’d let me watch, ask questions, and learn by doing, always reminding me that the best cooks learn at the elbow, not from a recipe card.
My love for baking though, was something I discovered on my own. My mom baked boxed cakes and made her incredible apple pie every fall after apple picking, though that recipe was a closely guarded secret. When I was finally allowed to help measure ingredients for the cake mix, I felt like I’d been trusted with something special. That moment planted the seed.

By eleven, I was mixing and measuring on my own. By twelve, I was sliding pans into the oven and checking them with a toothpick. At fourteen, I learned you could make a cake from scratch, and that changed everything. I saved my lunch money until I could buy a kids’ cookbook and read it cover to cover. This was before YouTube tutorials or endless blogs existed, so everything I did was trial and error, pure guesswork and instinct. My first homemade cake vanished within a day, thanks to my brother Michael and his wrestling team. It was my first real success, and it gave me the confidence to keep experimenting.

Baking became my language of love and creativity. In college, it was how I relaxed; when I met my husband, Ryan, it was how I showed I cared; he will tell you it was how he knew he was in love with me. My brother Michael and his then-girlfriend (now wife), Janelle, gave me my first KitchenAid mixer for Christmas in 2014; a big, red, beautiful Professional 5 Plus. Michael told me, “Don’t hold back, just go for it.” He’s the logical one in the family, and when I doubted myself, he reminded me that the odds of everyone just being nice were pretty slim, so maybe I really was good at this. That encouragement meant everything. From that point on, I baked almost every weekend (cookies, bread, cakes) and brought batches to work just to share.

Then, years later, I hit a wall I never expected. After a lifetime of stomach pain, hives, and strange reactions, I was diagnosed with a milk allergy, specifically to the casein protein. A few months later, my oldest son was diagnosed with the same allergy. Suddenly, the thing that brought me joy felt impossible. No milk? No butter? How could I keep baking?

But giving up wasn’t an option. Watching my 5 year old son sit at birthday parties without cake broke my heart. So I started experimenting again; swapping ingredients, testing plant-based milks and butters, and learning through more trial and error. I wanted him to have the same joyful moments every other kid did. When he finally got to eat a cupcake that tasted just like everyone else’s, his smile said it all. That was the turning point. I realized this was bigger than just baking.

When we moved to Oklahoma, I never planned on starting a bakery. We were still unpacking boxes, emotionally and financially drained, when my friend Sam started encouraging me to take my baking seriously. I thought she was out of her mind. I didn’t think I was good enough, and the idea of starting a business terrified me. But Sam believed in me completely. She researched home-based bakery laws, tested recipes with me, encouraged me to try new ones, and kept reminding me that I could do this. She was relentless in the best way possible. The kind of friend who refuses to let you talk yourself out of your own potential.

The biggest risk wasn’t financial, it was believing in myself, taking that leap, deciding I was enough, and daring to try. With Sam’s strong encouragement, Ryan’s loving support, and a lot of late-night courage, D’s Magical Bakery was born.

Today, I specialize in dairy-free baking, and I’ve expanded to include vegan, gluten-free, dye-free, and low-sugar desserts. I know what it’s like to search for something safe, affordable, and delicious and come up empty-handed, so I make sure no one feels left out at the table.

And because I’m Italian at heart, I had to bring a piece of home into my work. Cannoli, biscotti, Italian cookies, all made with love and a touch of nostalgia. The cannoli shells are dairy-free, and while I’m still chasing the perfect ricotta substitute for the filling, they’ve become a crowd favorite at every event.

What I’m most proud of isn’t just the recipes, it’s the people. The families who tell me they have struggled to find options close to home they can afford, the grateful parents of the kids who light up when they realize they can have cake again, and the friends who’ve become family through this little bakery.

D’s Magical Bakery isn’t just about sweets. It’s about resilience, belonging, and finding joy again, one batch at a time. That’s the magic behind everything I bake.

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

The biggest lesson I had to unlearn was believing I didn’t have any real skill, value, or worth. I can tell you the exact method of birth control that failed to prevent my conception. By the time I was seven, I knew that story by heart. I didn’t understand the weight of it back then, but as I got older, I realized how deeply it shaped how I saw myself. It planted this idea that I wasn’t supposed to be here, that maybe I was just “lucky” to exist, not valuable in my own right.
It didn’t help that whenever I cooked or baked, I was told things like, “Maybe people are just being nice, so take their compliments with a grain of salt,” or, “Just make one small dessert, we want everything to turn out okay.” So I grew up thinking my efforts were cute, not capable. The last holiday I spent with my family (just my mom, my husband, and a friend and her family) my husband and I cooked everything ourselves. When my friend asked to take home leftovers, I was stunned. For the first time, I realized maybe I really could do something well.

My friend Sam will tell you that back then, I was stuck in my own head. We first met when she was my mentor as a travel agent, and she spent as much time building my confidence as teaching me the job. By that point, I had already moved away from my family, though I stayed close to my brother Michael. My in-laws wouldn’t use me as a travel agent, and I was constantly told my parenting and marriage weren’t good enough. It took years of therapy, a lot of encouragement from Sam, and the unwavering support of my husband Ryan before I began to see my own worth.

Unlearning that old belief, that I wasn’t good enough, was my biggest hurdle, and sometimes it still is. But I’ve realized that people can be cruel not because you lack value, but because you have something they don’t. You see things differently, or you choose a path that’s better for you and your family, and that can make others uncomfortable. The truth is, you don’t have to listen to those voices. You can believe in your own skills, chase what you love, and grow from it.

Getting out of my own head was a challenge. But as my brother Michael once said, “If so many people love something you make, what are the odds they’re all just being polite?” Statistically speaking, he had a point. So I started to believe the good voices over the bad ones.

That’s what I had to unlearn, that I wasn’t enough. And in its place, I learned something much better: that I have worth, that my work has value, and that everyone deserves to see their own light.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

The most effective way I’ve found to grow my business has been simply showing up, again and again. I started with local vendor events. We go to as many as our family schedule allows. Sometimes that means juggling around our boys’ needs or not applying for an event that runs too long, but we make it work.
We return to the same events month after month, and over time, people start to recognize us. They’ll smile and say, “Oh, I remember you from last time, I loved that!” That kind of recognition means the world. It’s not just about sales; it’s about building trust and connection in the community.

Social media has played a role too. We post updates, photos, and ask happy customers for reviews. But honestly, the biggest growth has come from word-of-mouth and kindness. My friend Sam, who’s been one of my biggest encouragers from the very beginning, always recommends me for custom orders. I’ve also built relationships with event coordinators who now reach out to invite me to their next market.

And the heart of it all? Customer service. I talk with everyone who stops by, whether they buy something or not. Sometimes they just need to chat, and I’m happy to listen. More often than not, they circle back later, or they send a friend.

Lately, people have started finding us through Google searches, which still feels surreal. The calls usually start with, “I found your bakery online, are you the local one who makes those cookies with this dietary restriction?” And yes, that’s me. Every bit of that visibility started with showing up to vendor events, sharing what I love, and treating every person who stops at my table like a neighbor.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.dsmagicakery.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dsmagicalbakery
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dsmagicalbakery
• Other: @dsmagicalbakery on TikTok

Image Credits

All of these photos were taken by myself and my husband on our personal phones.