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

Larissa, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

My name is Larissa McGowan & my business name is Wake & Cake. I have been doing custom cakes and pastries professionally for 5 almost 6 years. My mission is not just to be successful but to create a space of peace for myself & allow myself a path to truly be happy .

Larissa, 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?

Baking is something I always took interest in but I never thought that I would form such a deep passion for it. In highschool I battled with my mental health tremendously, I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to be but I did know that I wanted to be far away from what I was used to and I chose culinary school! Almost instantly I fell in love with being in the kitchen everyday & learning the technicalities of being a chef! The more I saw my own skill the more I knew that this was what I was meant to do!

Wake & Cake is not just cakes and cupcakes, I provide any style pastry or dessert you request and I dedicate my time to making sure I get everything just right and I believe that that sets me apart because I strive to reach outside the box and be creative! I try not to replicate anyone else and I try my best to be as original as possible!

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I think the most defining moment for me that illustrates my resilience is me going back to culinary school and receiving my degree after having to drop out Fall 2015 after a suicide attempt. When I first came back home from college I was so discouraged and felt like I had failed myself for having such a weak moment. But a year after dropping out I decided to re enroll and finish my journey & 9 months later I walked across the stage with my degree in culinary arts.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I created my business in 2017 and from 2017 to the end of 2018 I was only getting 1 cake order every few months until Atlanta Rapper, Peewee Longway took interest in a Patron bottle cake that I shared via social media and the cake went semi-viral! From there my clientele began to steadily grow at a fast rate! 2019 business picked up so much that I was able to go completely self employed by the start of 2020! Ever since then I have been able to do multiple cakes for high end clientele such as the 85 South Show, YSL Unfoonk, and also a grand opening cake for Jazmine Cheaves.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://shop.bakesy.app/b/wake-cake-llc
• Instagram: @wakeandcakellc
• Facebook: Wake & Cake