Today we’d like to introduce you to Kassie Mendieta.
Hi Kassie, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started selling cakes in June when Black Lives Matter protests were happening. I was donating a few bucks here and there to various charities but I felt like I could do more. So I spent that money buying ingredients to make cakes to sell as a fundraiser instead. At this point, I was still employed full-time so I was donating 100% of profits to organizations. But towards the end of June, I was laid off when the bakery I was at, like many others, went out of business. It was at this time that I took a real step back to reassess not only what I wanted out of this industry but myself as well. I eventually came to the conclusion that I value myself over a job. I came to this realization that I need to put myself first. I spent so many years being worked and pushed to my breaking point that I couldn’t keep falling back into that cycle. I think I realized the only way I can prioritize myself, my personal wants, needs and goals is ultimately to work for myself.
I put my first menu up on Instagram in September, and it was a flop. It was comprised mostly of things I had been working on for my old job that, honestly I wasn’t super passionate about. I think it was the lack of passion in the menu I had put together that made it unsuccessful. That menu also didn’t have cakes on it, mostly because cakes are a part of baking & pastry that are super cathartic to me. Cake has always been what I turned to in times of overwhelming emotion. When I’m decorating, I can lose myself and find myself all within one stoke of the offset. Decorating is a very grounding experience for me, I didn’t want to lose the love and creativity I had for cake by monetizing it, but times were tough and I need to make rent & put food on the table. So, the next menu was cake mostly cake and donuts. To my surprise, the response was overwhelming.
Since then, I’ve made a lot of changes to how this tiny operation is run, just to accommodate the way it’s grown. I’m thankful every day for this opportunity. For all the other great bakers I’ve met this past year. For everything, I’ve learned about baking and more so the things I’ve learned about myself. Which yeah I know, super cheesy. But it’s true.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Absolutely not, lol.
I think the biggest struggle I’ve faced is simply having faith in myself and my skill set. I spent a lot of my life being torn down and belittled by managers, that my confidence is miniscule. And I think you know, if you wanna run a business, you gotta be your biggest fan. But, that’s not the case for me. So, at times it’s hard to want to push myself to do better when in my head, I feel so so small. I’m sitting here getting orders, compliments and praise from strangers for my work but I still find it hard to believe them. It’s like this voice in my head telling me, “Well they’re just being nice. No one wants to hurt your feelings” or you know one day someone’s gonna find me out as less than what I portray myself as on the internet. It’s easy for me to come off cool, calm, collected and sure of myself on Instagram but the truth is I’m scared all the time. It’s just hard to accept the praise when you don’t feel worth of it?
But, outside of the internal struggles, there’s the more tangible issues. Before the pandemic, I was doing R&D at a pretty well-known bakery and the resources I had access to were insane. Any ingredient I want to work with I got. Having space and equipment was never an issue. But, now I work from home; my humble Los Angeles studio. There isn’t space for everything I want to do and I’m reminded of it daily. I really would like to branch out and do more than just cakes, I have a passion for all baking but right now cake and donuts is all I really have the capacity to do. Even then, it’s a juggling act to make sure I’m getting cakes out in a smooth succession otherwise there’s nowhere for them in the fridge. I constantly have to ask myself “Do you have the space to do that?” the answer is almost always no, lol. And now that I do all my own ingredient sourcing (and purchasing) it’s hard to hold back from buying ingredients that are well out of my budget.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Right now, I definitely specialize in cakes. Which is hilarious to me because a year and a half ago, I was refusing cake orders because making cakes at the time didn’t interest me! But now, I’m definitely known for the cakes. And more so than that, the style my cakes have; the buttercream landscapes, piping details and colors I think are what really draw people in. I mean, aside from all the flowers! I think the uniqueness of each cake its kinda what sets me apart from others, no two are exactly alike. I hate doing the same thing over and over again. I used to get so bored decorating the same cake the same way day in and day out. Now I’ll have a day with five cakes that all have different vibes. It’s really fun for me and I think special for the customer (especially when they ask to be surprised) because that cake is for them and truly no one else will get to experience the same cake the way they did.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I only just moved to LA a bit before everything shutdown due to covid. And, the choice to move here wasn’t fully mine, so ill admit I was a little salty towards this city in the beginning, lol. But, it’s really grown on me. There’s definitely a soft-spot in my heart for all the street vendors! And the like night markets/pop-ups! The food here is what really keeps me going. LA is a really fun place to explore for sure, could find something new every single day and I love that. Hate the traffic though…
Pricing:
- Cake (No Florals) $60
- Cake (light florals) $75
- Cake (Medium Florals) $90
- Cake (Heavy Florals)$100
- Donuts (2 each) $8
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: lavieenbeurre.minimartapp.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/ibakemistakes
