We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jessica Niznik a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jessica, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Was there an experience or lesson you learned at a previous job that’s benefited your career afterwards?

When I was a teen, I took culinary in high school for two years. In the first year, we just did labs daily and learned about safety and sanitation mostly. In the second year, we were able to intern at various restaurants and hotels. This was one of the biggest learning experiences for me even to this day. I got hired at two of the businesses I interned for.

The first was a large upscale hotel chain. I worked in the bakery making recipes times ten which challenged my math skills. If you mess up a recipe that large you have a ton of waste and it happened once! One thing I had never known or thought of was how much food they didn’t make themselves. I had no idea that you could buy pre-made muffin batter and all you have to do is bake it. Everything from the icing to the cookies was pre-made. I also would help out in the kitchen where we prepped so many things like mass-produced enchiladas which again was so wild to me. Now I know all the little tricks kitchens use to get food out fast! I was in 12th grade and when they hired me, they had me working Saturday and Sunday, twelve-hour shifts. They scheduled me to work my entire Thanksgiving break and that was when I got my first taste of what the hospitality and food industry looked like. You work when everyone is off. This isn’t the life everyone can handle and at 16 I decided it was not for me.

After working at the hotel, I interned and then was hired at a very small bakery in Cibolo. Most of my takeaways from that were what not to do. The owner was very nice and I worked alone after school a lot of the time. I had to juggle baking and customers, so in a way, I saw what running a small business could be like, you do it all. Unfortunately, she underpriced all of her items and I think that was eventually why she went out of business. She had some amazing recipes but just couldn’t make a profit. She worked really long hours and would constantly talk about how she was losing money.

Almost 20 years later, I still am so grateful for both of those jobs and that our school offered such a valuable course.

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 am currently a wedding cake and cookie decorator. I grew up having a mom working in the same industry and teaching cake and cookie decorating classes. I never thought it was something I would peruse until taking Culinary Arts in high school. It still took a good ten years for me to take it seriously.

In 2014, after having my second son, I chose to try and do it part-time while also being a stay-at-home mom. Everyone I had ever made a cake for started spreading the word and ordering more and more. Within a year it was a full-time job. I was totally overworked and underpaid.

By 2017, I was making wedding cakes with confidence and working with some of the leading wedding planners in the industry. Now my main focus is the wedding industry. I love great design and getting to be a part of beautiful events large or small. I have been able to work with so many incredible vendors and venues throughout the years.

A few years back I was able to work with a bride who requested a surprise groom’s cake. The groom’s grandfather had already passed away but played a very important role in her soon-to-be husband’s life. She wanted me to make a “show pig” to look like one he and his grandfather raised. This was and will forever be a favorite. It was a giant cake and was very challenging but he was amazing and super realistic.

I am so happy with my business; I love creating and that is one thing I don’t think will ever change. I love the desserts so much that I am now opening a sister company which is an ice cream shop and bakery. We are hoping to open in a month or two.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Well, we all know that 2020 was a hard year. I had my 3rd son in December of 2019 which had me slow down my business intentionally since as a creator it is hard to have anyone help as it is my own “art”. So right when I started to go full swing with weddings again the world shut down. I had to learn to make an income without contact, so I started offering online cookie classes. It was not anything compared to my before but it was enough. It was a struggle to learn how to become more comfortable in front of the camera, but it was just another thing we all had to do.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Word of mouth will always be the best in my industry. I first started with a local photographer who did first birthday pictures, she was well-known in our community. I offered my services to her customers at a discount. Even though at the time I was working a lot for very little, it all worked out. She shared my work; I got amazing pictures and people were sharing my business with others. Photographers, wedding planners, venues, and event vendors have been such amazing assets for my business.

Contact Info:

• Website: frostedconfetti.com
• Instagram: frosted_confetti
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/frostedconfetti/
• Other: My new businesses website is Confettiandcreamtx.com

Image Credits
Country Grace Photography May Carlson Photography Ashley Medrano Photography Anna Wright Photography Snap Chic Photography Sarah Goss Photography Stacy Cabrera Photography