We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Tarynlee Palaamo. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Tarynlee below.
Hi Tarynlee, thanks for joining us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?
My parents worked hard to provide us a good life, I am one of 6 children. My mom worked and my dad stayed home to take care of us, he took us to and from sporting events, he fed us, and he made sure we went to school. Although it is customary in the Samoan culture for males to cook and what not, I knew at a very young age that my parent’s dynamic wasn’t exactly the societal norm. I am always grateful to have been exposed to being different or doing things that’s not “normal.” It wasn’t easy raising so many kids, but my mom and dad did it.
My family is very involved in our Polynesian community, and every year we usually throw a big festival to celebrate our culture. There’s music, dancing, and food. A few years, my dad would be in charge of making plates of food. I remember watching him work hard to cook and making us help him prep – whether it was cutting cucumbers, boiling macaroni, washing rice or grilling. I just can close my eyes and smell the grill, I can see my dad with his aviator glasses and his tongs. We worked hard, and I can hear my dad saying that when it comes to doing anything, presentation is everything. My parents moved to the Midwest from Hawaii when I was two weeks old – my dad’s family is from Hawaii and my mom’s family lived in Missouri. Most people ask why my parents made the decision to move out to the middle of America opposed to staying in there, and while my dad missed his family and his home, ultimately there were more opportunities for us to excel here than there.
I like to think that witnessing my parents work hard- whether it was going to work or taking care of us, it shaped who I am now. I know the value of hard work and pushing through. My dad passed away a few months after I officially became a business owner, and I wish he could see the things that I am accomplishing. My mom encourages me and reminds me all the time that even though he’s not here physically, he’s with me in everything we do.
Tarynlee, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My name is Tarynlee Palaamo. I own Aleuro with my husband Agatonu. We are a small bakery based in the greater Kansas City area. We operate out of a commercial kitchen, The Ennovation Center, located in Independence, MO. It used to be a hospital, but it is now school district offices. They rent out their kitchens to small business like us, so we can operate without having the overhead cost of a brick and mortar. Baking has always been somewhat of a hobby of mine so I don’t have any real training, aside from the culinary institute at Youtube University with my studies in various Facebook cookie groups. Basically, I am a self taught baker. It was never anything serious, until I saw a Tasty video on Facebook one day of the hardest cookie to make – macarons, and I made it my mission to master them. It took me about two years of trial and error, lots of almond flour and tears. I would post my progress on my personal accounts and when I started to have more consistent results people started asking to buy them. Macarons are now our specialty, however we do offer other things such as tarts, scones, cakes, cakesicles, etc. We started out small – farmers markets and craft fairs, and now we are doing bigger corporate events. I love having a culture that’s different than the traditionally French cookie, and being able to tie it all together. I love bringing my culture into anything we do, and a huge part of our culture is family. I have a pretty big family, so I like to make our customers feel as though they are a part of our family. I want our customers to feel comfortable enough to come back again and again. I want them to know that they can expect the same product and execution repeatedly. I’m proud to be able to relate to others in this way, regardless of whether they meet us one time or 100. Family is a main ingredient in my life, and I wouldn’t be able to do the things I do without my husband. I basically strong armed him into doing this with me, and while I can do things on my own… Its so much more efficient with him. We both have full time jobs. So ultimately, we work hard to stay on a schedule and still be present in our son’s life. Juggling full time jobs, our bakery, and our son can be very stressful… but it’s a blessing to have a partner who wants what’s best for you and can keep you on track.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Grief can either pull you away from your business or it can push you to work harder. 2020 was a really tough year for us – I found myself at odds with how to move forward. I had to be hospitalized for 5 days with covid in October and a few weeks later on our birthday my dad passed away. Though the two events were not synonymous, it definitely impacted the momentum we had built up and it really set us back. My dad’s health had been in the decline for awhile, so it wasn’t a surprise but it still didn’t make his loss any easier. Grieving and recovering from covid definitely took it’s toll on me, physically and mentally. I had such a difficult time finding my rhythm and getting back into the groove of every day life, much less baking. I took a step back and found myself asking if I wanted to continue with my business or if I wanted to give up. I prayed on it and I did therapy through my day job, and little by little with the help of my husband, I was finally able to pick myself up and transform the weight of the grief into something that pushed me to continue on. I now am able to look at the progress I’ve made and know that my dad is in everything we do, and everything we are.
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
The best source of new clients for us really is word of mouth. Our shared kitchen is part of the chamber of commerce as well as the EDC. Any time there are events that we can participate in that gives us any type of exposure, we do. I’ve learned that networking can really take your business to the next level. I’ve also learned that your loyal customers will always send people your way.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.aleurobakery.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/aleuro.bakery
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/aleuro.bakery