Check Out Rachel Andrade’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachel Andrade.

Hi Rachel, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I am 24 years old and am behind the baking of Renegade Sweets. I have a two years old chihuahua named Penny Lane who is my lil’ mascot. My partner in crime is my boyfriend, Zack, who is my frosting decorator in training as well as my number one supporter in about anything I put my mind to. Renegade Sweets was created while I was furloughed due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. I was officially on unemployment and didn’t know when I was going to go back to my full-time job as a manager at a coffee shop. I looked in my pantry one day and was craving cinnamon rolls and I decided to bake some and post it on my Instagram and was like “hey why not” and I asked if anyone wanted to buy any and had to make about 30 dozen cinnamon rolls for orders. It was not anything that I had expected and definitely was not how I expected to start a business.

I have always had a passion for baking and cooking. My mom would always make small birthday cakes for coworkers and for some reason, I have a prominent memory of my dad teaching me how to make pancakes. At the end of the day, we would always watch shows on the food network and I was always so into the shows. My favorite was Ace of Cakes which was Duff Goldman’s cake decorating show. I was so into it and knew baking was something I wanted to do. When I was in high school, I was always the person who wanted to cook and bake for my friend’s birthdays or for events like sport team dinners. I took a food science class and loved every bit of it. It was my favorite part of the day and I earned an achievement award for it at the end of my sophomore year. We had a local small business owner come to our school who happened to be the owner of Torrance’s own Baby Cakes Baking Company. I sent her what now seems like an embarrassingly long email basically begging for a job so I could get my foot in the door.

The owner, Khryste who I still keep in touch with today, brought me on board as an intern and hired me on board within a couple of months. I vividly remember the stack of dishes I had to do on my first day because she had an event that day. My time there is something I’ll always be grateful for because I got my first on hand experience with a small business from baking to running the front counter to going to do local events it was the coolest thing. I was even in the local newspaper once for working a booth at a charity event! My junior year, I took a Summer Studio course at the Art Institute in Santa Monica and I went in with the intention of wanting to study pastry and baking and after that week, I had fallen in love with the savory, culinary aspect. Our chef instructor, Chef Smith, demoed techniques for us and then let us run the course. It was the most fun I had and met so many people who I still actually talk to via social media. At the end of the course all families of the students were encouraged to come to a ceremony for completing the course and the culinary and baking students catered the event. It was the most fun I had and instantly knew that it was something I wanted to do.

Fast forward two years and on my first day of culinary school guess who was my instructor? Chef Smith. I went up to him after class and told him how his summer studio was the reason I was there and with a smile on his face, his response was: wasn’t your mom the one who cried at the ceremony? Culinary school was a dream and I ended up studying for degrees in Culinary, Pastry, and Food & Beverage Hospitality Management. I’ve had countless opportunities from school and made some of the coolest friends. I miss the late nights of going out to ramen after classes. And believe it or not my last chef instructor of culinary school was Chef Smith who had become a mentor to me and pushed me beyond my limits and I swear that man will probably be the one walking me down the aisle one day! Since culinary school, I’ve had a few more jobs that involved working on the line at restaurants as well as being a pastry chef at bakeries. My most recent jobs involved being a manager at a local coffee shop. I excelled there and nailed down being a manager and learning about the coffee world.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Covid in 2021. As much as it’s been said. This pandemic sucks. Although the idea of Renegade Sweets came about because I was at home for the quarantine lockdown. It’s tricky to go about growing a business in a pandemic. Sure the world is opening up again but it’s not anything like it was and I don’t think we are anywhere near any sense of pre-covid “normalcy”. It’s not the way I expected to build a brand. It’s very strange to go to pop up events (socially distanced of course) and smile behind a mask and not be able to shake hands with people and introduce yourself the way you’re taught to. It’s been an interesting learning experience to say the least. But it allows you to get creative! I am constantly thinking of new ways to make my booth setups unique in itself. My prized item is my piñata in the shape of my logo.

If anything, this pandemic has taught me to be authentically myself. I want to make the things I want. I craved some cinnies (cinnamon rolls) one day so I made some and now they’re my signature item! The climate of 2020 also activated a fire inside of me. It encouraged me to be comfortable with who I am and what I stand for and where I came from. I am proud to build my brand as a Latina woman and sharing my vulnerabilities so that I can remain grounded and real with my friends and family and supporters. I am constantly trying to be involved with charitable work. I raised and donated about $900 from dessert sales in 2020 for organizations such as the ACLU, Black Lives Matter, LA Food Bank and the SPCALA. If anything the obstacle that was 2020 allowed for me to find my voice and push me to be the best version of myself. And that’s just something that I am eternally grateful for.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Custom sweets made to order signature: cinnies (cinnamon rolls) cakes, pies, cookies, etc. vegan, gluten-free, and sugar-free options always available.

Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
I would not be able to be doing what I do without the support of my friends and family. I am beyond thankful for my boyfriend, Zack, who helps me with new ideas and last minute finishing touches and supports me through and through. I have also collaborated with friends from culinary school and past jobs. My friend Cristina has her own small business, La Masita Fina, as well and we constantly collaborate on events and ideas. My friend Nicole does everything from baking to sewing to drawing! She helped design some stickers with me in a collaborative project where 50% of proceeds get donated to animal shelters.

Contact Info:

• Email: renegadecinnies@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/renegade.sweets/
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/reneg.desweets

Image Credits:
Photos taken by friends and family including: Elizabeth Andrade, Daisy Andrade, Andrew Alexander, Zack Wilson, Mackenzie Satow, Blake Littell and Andrew Rathbone