Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Emily Stephens. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Emily, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?
Whenever a large shift happens in my life it usually starts as a daydream. Generally it starts small and feels farfetched. I keep returning to it over and over again until the pieces start to feel tangible. I started thinking about making cakes about three or so years ago and just couldn’t stop. That’s how I knew it would happen. Then I worked toward getting my skills to a place where I could feel comfortable offering product to the public. There are other bakers making beautiful cakes in Atlanta, but it didn’t feel like a fully saturated market to step into. The exciting thing about a creative endeavor is the uniqueness of each product. I can’t really make the same cake twice. It will depend on the produce I’m able to get, the flowers that are available, and the way my hand happens to squiggle the buttercream that day. For that reason, it will always feel special and worthwhile. I hope that it also feels that way to anyone who receives a cake.
Emily, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I have been in Atlanta for almost 10 years, and have been baking here for about the same amount of time. Pretty shortly after graduating from college I started working at Little Tart in Atlanta and have pretty much been there ever since. That is where I honed by baking skills, learned how to taste food, work efficiently in a kitchen, and was introduced to swiss meringue buttercream by a coworker. This whole time I was also making cakes at home for almost every celebration within my family and friends. Now I make cakes for my business, Starfish Bakes. I am mostly filling special orders for the moment but will also be doing some 4″ cake and pastry drops as I get past the busy holiday season. I am most proud of the flavor combinations and beautiful creations these cakes turn into. I still feel very much at the beginning of all the possibilities available and am so excited to see what’s next. I can’t wait to come up with more flavor pairings, keep learning and tasting, and fulfilling orders to be a part of my community’s celebrations.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
Around 2016 I was very into the instagram world of baking. I used to look at crumb shots of sourdough loaves and croissants as statements of perfection. I love the idea of something being perfect, which is partly why I love baking. It’s so exacting and through repetition you can hone your skills to understand the rules of how butter and flour want to interact. In 2017 I decided to leave Atlanta and travel to different bakeries in order to learn and widen my experience. I ended up at a bakery in Tasmania, Australia, and the people I met there changed my perspective about food forever. First and foremost, I learned that food is not meant to look perfect but to be delicious. This seems obvious, but oddly it’s not. In Paris I was served a croissant that was slightly lopsided, and I loved every bite. I think this experience reminded me of the intention of food, and the way I saw it when I was little eating the cookie dough my mom offered me. It is to be enjoyed. But the most important thing I learned there was the individuality of food and place. Each place and people has a long history with its food and fermentation. Bread shouldn’t look and taste the same everywhere, but we can try to learn our histories and work within our environment to make something delicious. I say this all while still loving instagram, but now I go there to be inspired by food I see being made all over the world.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
This is probably the opposite, but I would like to tell a story about how I tried to pivot but ended up doubling down instead. I think one of the hardest things about committing to a career wholeheartedly is the rejection of every other possibility. I spent many years trying to turn away from baking. I spent my first five years as a baker wondering if I even liked it, if I was actually any good, and if I would be happier with weekends off and a less intense job. I looked into other fields, all the while diving further into my career. Something during the pandemic changed my loyalty to baking. I can’t fully put my finger on it, but it almost felt like being sucked into a separate world that my boss, my coworkers, and I were actively creating. The kitchen camaraderie intensified, and our authority over our own lives in that kitchen became clear, all while juxtaposed against the uncertainty in the rest of our lives. Now that I am fully committed my mind is constantly caught up in the infinite ways to learn and grow within this field, and it was in that space that I was able to conceive of and follow through on having my own business.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://starfish-bakes.square.site/
- Instagram: @starfishbakes