We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Mallorey Bradford. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Mallorey below.
Hi Mallorey, thanks for joining us today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?
I do work full time as a home baker/confectionary artist and am also the breadwinner for our house of 6 :)
It wasn’t always successful though, in the beginning it was just a hobby – something that I started doing as a supplemental income for while I was working in a dental office. And then I got let go when the company merged with another (right before thanksgiving and the holidays) so I decided to push my “hobby” a little harder. It grew into what you see today in just 8 years! And it took off much faster than I ever could have anticipated, but I did work as a bartender on the side as well until it became my full time job.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Baking is not only my job, but also my obsession. With over 14 years professional culinary experience, I am
living my dream of designing and bringing to life
beautiful (and delicious) works of art
in the form of
cakes, cookies, mini desserts, and all kinds of
delectable treats.
Other than being a custom dessert designer, I am a proud
mom/bonus mom of 4 amazing kids and a loving spouse.
Focusing on the health of my family as well as yours;
have conciously decided to use only All Natural & Organic
ingredients in my recipes in order to achieve the best
quality and taste for my customers!
My love for baking started at a young age with my Great
Grandma Hiller.
I remember being 5 years old and crowding
into her tiny kitchen with all of my cousins to see what
amazing sweet things she had displayed. She always had so
many different treats on display that they took up the
entire counter top! Being from Germany, our entire family
thrived on the sweets that Grandma Hiller made.
Over the years, my family and I have recreated her secret
recipes to share with our friends as well as created new
ones
and now I’m bringing them to you!
But be warned, this isn’t your
grandma’s bakery.
I
cuss a little, drink a little, have a little bit
of an opinion, see the world through an abstract
artist’s eye with an “extra” personality – and I let
it all flow through my edible artwork
From 2007 to today, I have worked under many different
Chef’s that have taught, sculpted, and inspired me to be
where I am now.
Master Chef Lisa Amoriello gave me my first real taste of
the culinary arts in the classroom at Savvy’s Bistro.
There, she shared many secrets of the trade as well as
her extreme passion for the art of baking. Since then,
she has been a real life hero for me in so many ways and
I still look to her as a role model.
Todd Bush, the owner of Oliver’s Fine Foods in Mansfield,
took me under his wing at the young age of 18. Todd saw
potential in me as a young chef and decided to take a
risk with hiring someone straight out of high school.
may have been young, but I had a passion for the work!
I
thrived on perfecting the desserts and loved catering
events. I owe it to him for my desire to one day own my
own dessert shoppe!
I
even took a position as the bakery consultant, teaching
the culinary class at Dubiski High School for a year.
After recieving the knowledge and experience needed to
create mouthwatering desserts, my passion for baking only
grew as the years went by. It became impossible to ignore
my calling for designing gorgeous and exquisite desserts
any longer.
Thus, Sweet Things Bakery was created in my home kitchen
October of 2014 and thrives today with a rebrand coming in October of 2022
as The Beached Bakehouse
THIS IS MY BIO :)
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding thing about being an artist is that I have the opportunity to express myself in a unique way and connect with people in the process while also helping hundreds (if not thousands) of people celebrate huge and special days in their lives.
How did you build your audience on social media?
Building social media can be hard, but if you follow the trends and go against the grain at the same time (like putting curse words on cookies lol) you can snag people’s attention and they’re more likely to share it with others.
Also, don’t be afraid to promote yourself! Introduce yourself to anyone and everyone and find a way to talk about what you do. Don’t be obnoxious about it though – just genuine lol
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.sweetthingsdfw.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/sweetthingsdfw
- Facebook: Facebook.com/sweetthingsdfw
Image Credits
Elizabeth Davis Photography (headshot)