We were lucky to catch up with Natasha & Silesia Moss recently and have shared our conversation below.

Natasha & Silesia, appreciate you joining us today. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

I have been baking since I was a little girl. I remember spending weekends with my maternal grandmother, Ruby, and learning how to bake. As I grew older, for some reason, the desire to bake started to fade. Then one day, a coworker asked me to bake a cake for our unit holiday party. Next thing you know, people started asking to buy cakes, cupcakes, cookies. It wasn’t until 2020, that I discussed the idea of opening a bakery with my oldest daughter and co-owner, Silesia. We took the necessary steps to register our business, Batter From Scratch Bakery, as a home-based bakery. Silesia came across a post on social media about a local pop-up. So, we paid the vendor fee, and began baking. We baked an over abundance of cakes and cookies. Needless to say, we did not sell much and were a little discouraged. But, we were determined to keep pressing on. Pop-up after pop-up and getting our name out there paid off. Now, we have repeat customers and are sustaining. Our next goal is to acquire a location, which will give us the ability to bake more varieties of baked desserts. – Natasha

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My mother started baking at a young age. She learned most of our recipes, including our bestselling “Southern Style” Vanilla Pound Cake, from her maternal grandmother. Back in North Carolina, friends and family would constantly ask her to make the pound cake for them. Even if they knew the recipe! “It just doesn’t taste the same” is what everyone would say. I became interested in cake decorating after my best friend convinced me to work at the bakery department in the local grocery store. In the beginning, the hardest part was definitely writing on the cakes. When we moved to Maryland, we decided to officially start our business. Starting a business during the pandemic was a struggle; however, attending various events around Maryland and repeat clients have helped keep us motivated. We bake cakes, cupcakes, pies, brownies, cookies, and cheesecakes. Everything is made from scratch. From the pie crusts to the fillings. All orders are made either the night before or the morning of pickup or delivery. – Silesia

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

We have attended quite a few pop-up events to network and get our name out there. Many times people have approached us and remembered a past pop-up they attended and bought goods from us. We think that word of mouth networking has worked to our advantage. Social media platforms have helped to get our business noticed and allowed for people to contact us for orders. Also, because of our presence at pop-up events, we have been asked to vend a several others. Some of which are out of state. – Natasha

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

Originally, when I graduated High School, I wanted to be a Psychiatrist. The human mind has always fascinated me. I also enjoyed drawing or creating things in my spare time. I started college the same year I graduated and eventually it became too much. I had to take a break. It was during that break that I started working at the bakery and fell in love with cake decorating. Even though we did have set ways to decorate the cakes, our manager let us create our own designs sometimes. It was pure joy seeing the happy looks on customers’ faces when they picked up their orders. Eventually I went to work as a supervisor for a restaurant delivery service. When my mom reached out about starting the business, I was excited to start doing something I loved again. Nothing is better than making something beautiful for others to enjoy. Especially if they can eat it too. – Silesia

Contact Info:

• Website: www.batterfromscratchbakery.com
• Instagram: @batter.from.scratch.bakery
• Facebook: Batter From Scratch Bakery