Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Natalie Grubb. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Natalie , thanks for joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

Cooking and baking, as an artist, has always been another creative outlet for me. I want my food to not only taste good but be visually pleasing. I started baking box mixes when I was young and would divvy the cakes up with decoration. As I got older I became more interested in baking from scratch as I am a home cook too. I was fortunate enough to grow up in a neighbourhood of multiple cultures and used to trade my cakes and baked goods for tamales and briyani! I became more serious about my business once i became disabled and suddenly found myself with a lot of free time to put into crafts, cooking, art and whatever else I could find to pass 10 months I have waited for disability determination. I am a cancer survivor and whilst I’ve been in remission for 15 years I am riddled with chronic illnesses from the treatment itself. Baking and cooking help deal with depression and anxiety I face in life. It’s a wonderful positive coping skill and creative outlet. The giving aspect of sharing food has always brought me joy and I love to see people enjoying the food I make! Its the best part!

Natalie , 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?

What makes my baked goods unique is that I bake from the home and the heart but also enjoy balancing opposing flavours and add some spice from my Jamaican roots. An example of that is my delicious sweet and spicy white chocolate habenero cookie. Being someone who lives with chronic illness diabetes is one of them so I do have to be careful with my tasting, however that was what aspired my neighbouring trades. I also make a Jamaican black cake that includes over proof rum and macerated fruit.

Natalie’s Cupcakery is just that, Natalie, me and my cupcakes. I serve other baked good such as muffins, full cakes, donuts, and cookies. Coming soon..Pies! Everything is first and foremost baked from the home and the heart which is my brand and slogan printed on the back of my business card.Its important to have a product you enjoy and believe in and when i see eyes get wide, hear “mmm” and see smiles I know I did good.

What sets me apart from others is that as I mentioned before this is a passion for me and a way to bring joy to others so I do bake and provide very very discounted priced goods to women’s shelters, hospitals and those grieving as well as other people and institutions.

what I am most proud of is my expansion and flight of ideas and product! I am currently in the best creative space to build new recipes and flavour combinations.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

As a cancer survivor another ailment I have is arthritis, I takes a lot of hand work to bake and I bake and endure a bit of physical pain to alleviate mental anguish, its relaxing and always puts me back to a better mood.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

the initial investment as a baker I receiving baking supplies for Christmas from my lovely boyfriend,. I was working a lot and wanted to get back into my hobbies and under the tree was cupcake pans, a hand mixer, mixing bowls, piping bags ans measuring spoons. The ingredients came from my pocket until I perfected my recipes. My first client was a co worker. I had brought cupcakes to my department to promote and share, from that act, I resulted in sale of an order of a dozen in another flavour.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @nat.alies_cupcakery

Image Credits
Natalie Grubb, Jacob Kimberg