We were lucky to catch up with Rebekah Kamauu recently and have shared our conversation below.
Rebekah, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.
In December 2015, I discovered a newfound hobby and decorated my very first sugar cookie. It was a penguin, and I was completely smitten, not only with the adorable cookie I created but with the entire cookie decorating process—from the stirring, baking, creating, mixing colors, and the end result. It was a labor of love, but it was mine. At that time, I was a Project Manager for a Clinical Research Organization, as well as a mom of two under the age of 5. Within a month, my hobby quickly grew into a little business. I was taking custom cookie orders, as well as doing bulk holiday cookie sales. Between mommy-hood, my job, cookie sales, and the business of life, I was feeling overwhelmed trying to keep up with it all. I had an amazing job with an incredible company, yet, my cookies hobby was quickly turning into a passion of mine. The defining moment for me was when I shipped cookies to a store in NYC for them to pass out at their open house. I worked in a commercial kitchen and spent so much time and love on this particular order. My family and I flew to NYC to attend the open house, and the scene was a vibe. There was music blasting, a food truck on the corner, and people everywhere. As I took in the scene, my daughter looked up at me and said, “Mom, everyone is holding your cookies!” I looked closer, and she was right; everyone in the store had a cookie in their hands that she had seen me work so hard to create. I smiled down at her and said, “Love, you truly can be whatever you want to be in this life.” And it was at that moment I knew that this was more than a passion; this is what I wanted to do. I took the risk. I resigned from my position at the CRO and became a true stay-at-home mom, focused on building my small home bakery. I never looked back.
Today, my ever-growing bakery still provides custom-decorated cookies. I also teach cookie decorating classes, both public and private, and I’m building a space for virtual classes, as well as, I have cookie pre-mixes and pre-made royal icing on the market. You never know where life can take you, but if you ride the waves, put in the work, and follow your heart, your greatest risks become your greatest achievements.
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.
My name is Rebekah, and I’m the owner of a home bakery located in Orange County, California. I’m a single, mother of two amazing kids—they truly are my universe. In December 2015, I had an innate desire to learn something new. I never felt like I was a creative person, and yet I craved the idea of creating and exploring a new hobby. I saw a video of someone decorating a sugar cookie and thought, “That. I am going to learn how to do that,” and I did. I decorated my first cookie one late December evening, and I never turned back. One cookie led to my first custom order. A custom order led to Valentine’s cookies being sold in bulk. Cookie orders turned into more researching, learning, and reading everything I could get my hands on about decorated sugar cookies, and that turned into a small home business—my own bakery.
There is something uniquely beautiful and special about custom-decorated sugar cookies. They are a perfect addition to every occasion. I’m incredibly humbled to be asked to create sets for everything from birthday parties to weddings, graduations to cookies for sympathy or feel-better.
I also have the opportunity to teach what I love each month in public and private classes. I start every class design from scratch. I sketch the design, upload that into my 3-D printer and print custom cookie cutters. I bake the cookies and decorate. Once the decorating is complete, the cookies go to my photographer, and those photos promote the upcoming classes. I love hosting classes and watching the creativity of each attendee. From beginners to experts and everything in between, it’s such a fun experience to see my designs come to life.
I’m blessed by the support of my custom cookies and classes, my online store of cookie supplies, and virtual classes, I’m so grateful for the incredible support of my little bakery and big dreams.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
Social media is a great tool to get your work out for the world to see, but the important thing to note is the word “tool.” It’s often that one can get lost in comparison on social media. It was Theodore Roosevelt who said, “Comparison is the thief of joy,” and I truly believe if you are constantly focused on what other’s are posting, you will fall into the trap that your work isn’t “good enough” or “lacks the creativity” that you see from others. And to that thought process, I emphatically, wholeheartedly, and respectfully say, “STOP!” No more comparing, and start posting! And post EVERYTHING! Your work is incredible, unique, and special. Plus, social media algorithms are just that—an algorithm. The only way to get that algorithm on your side (so your work gets more views, likes, and shares) is to post photos and reels consistently.
I post once a day, around 6:00 am PST. I generally go back and forth between a still photo and a reel. I love to share everything from cookies and products to my family, workouts, and lifestyle. Still, the main point is to be consistent. Within three months of posting, my Instagram account started to grow. Within 6 months alone, I went from 12k followers to 22k, and the number grows each day. Utilize social media as an incredible tool, don’t compare, and always show off your amazingness!
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
When I started decorating sugar cookies, I learned everything from the ground up. I am a self-taught cookier, which means I learned everything from blog posts, YouTube videos, and even cookbooks. Still, there’s only so much you can learn from these sources and the rest you have to learn or fill in the gaps as you go. One area that I struggled with was royal icing. Royal icing is incredibly finicky. Each cookier have their own processes, as well as recipes, on how to make it as well as decorate with it. My icing was never consistent. Some days I would have a good batch, and some days it did not turn out at all, which resulted in pounds of icing tossed in the trash. There was no consistency, and I was incredibly frustrated. So, I started going to hands-on cookie decorating classes, as well as attending cookie-related conferences. I asked questions, I researched, I practiced the new tips and techniques that I learned, and I finally found why my icing wasn’t consistent. My process was wrong, and I had to relearn how to make it completely. I didn’t stop there–I wanted to be an expert in royal icing so I could teach others how to get perfect results each time.
After months of trial and error, I developed my own tried and true recipe. From there, I taught royal icing workshops, and I released a virtual master class and an e-book guide on everything royal icing, including how to make it and troubleshooting. Royal icing used to be my huge nemesis, and now it’s one of my favorite parts of the cookie-decorating journey!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thecookiecurator.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cookiecurator/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecookiecurator
Image Credits
Melissa Thomson