Today we’d like to introduce you to Beth Kirby.
Beth, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
The idea for Sunshine + Clementine (formerly SunshineBakes) came after my first son was born. I really wanted to change my work structure to a new vision for the future. As a professionally trained and educated pastry chef who ended up working in the corporate world, I dreaded going back to the long work week, commute and leaving my new baby. I was determined to find work that I loved while adjusting to my new family. For several years I had been making wedding cakes and specialty cookies on the weekends while I held my full-time job but I was always thinking, why not make baking my full-time job? HELLO…beyond perfect!! SunshineBakes was created…the perfect outlet for my passion and love of baking all while making my own schedule to include time with my other love my family. My husband, Steve does the accounting along with several other behind the scene jobs. I also have a couple of assistants who help me manage all the non-decorating tasks. They save me with their attention to detail and their personalities! Sometimes life in the kitchen can be lonely so it’s great to have good people around you. One day I’d love to have my daughter (her middle name is Clementine) join me in the family business. She’s turning out to be quite the little decorator. Our business has always specialized in hand-decorated custom cookies and it makes us so happy to provide sweet, beautiful treats for all occasions. We’ve recently changed our name from SunshineBakes to Sunshine + Clementine and our family business couldn’t be happier. SunshineBakes has had a fantastic 14 years but I felt a strong pull towards something a little different, so we renamed and rebranded. For us, it’s time to grow and evolve, Sunshine + Clementine is our future. We’ve added cookie decorating parties/classes for both kids and adults along with our decorating kits and they have been super fun. We have also added bakery supplies to our online (and pop-up) shops including custom-made 3d cookie cutters and stencils in addition to the baker We have added bakery supplies to our online (and pop-up) shops including custom-made 3d cookie cutters and stencils in addition to the bakery products we offer.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
I feel pretty lucky. It’s been a fairly smooth road overall. We moved here from Santa Cruz about 14 years ago. When we moved, I was still making cakes. The weather here is so much warmer and I remember delivering a wedding cake to Salt Creek Grille in Dana Point and by the time I got there the cake had shifted and could have potentially been a big disaster. The chef there was super nice and gave me a jacket and his walk-in for about an hour and I repaired the cake. That day I decided I was done with cakes, lol! Another challenge was finding a commercial kitchen. I rented several kitchens locally over the first several years and got lucky meeting the right people but it wasn’t always easy. Kitchen hours varied and a couple of the restaurant/hotel kitchens I rented closed and that meant a new search for me. In 2013 California’s Cottage Food laws went into effect and I decided to move my equipment home and became a licensed home bakery under this new law. That’s how my business is operating currently and it’s been amazing.
Currently, I would say the biggest challenge is finding the time to do everything I want to do. A perfect day would be 24 hours long so I could fit it all in. I’m pretty sure I have an undiagnosed condition called FOMO. I just want to do it all! I have carried a full baking schedule for almost 14 years now, along with managing a family. When I started, social media was just becoming a thing and these days, it’s expected. I have always been a picture taker to be able to show people my work but now it’s pictures, video, tutorials, etc. And then the editing/marketing…posting here and there. It’s a lot and quite honestly a full-time job on its own. I’d love to have someone take all that over for me. I am a bit of a perfectionist/control freak so letting go of tasks has been a challenge. I’ve had a few assistants over the years but I know I could let go of more and be a more rounded human. I’ve been fortunate enough from the get-go to not have to chase business and have been solidly booked over the years but I’ve always had that question in my brain of “do I stay small and do all I can handle or expand and go for it” I’m not stressed over being successful I think I worry most about finding the right people to join me on the business rollercoaster.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Sunshine + Clementine specializes in beautiful hand-decorated cookies. I developed the recipe years ago and used the same one to this day. It’s a hybrid between a sugar and shortbread cookie and they are soft, not overly sweet cookies. My favorite compliment is when people say how addictingly good they are and that they hide them from their families or eat them for breakfast. I have several clients who order for no occasion whatsoever; they just stock cookies in their freezer and take them out when they want a treat. I love that! It’s such a good feeling that people not only love the look of the product but the taste as well. Truly though, I think what sets my business apart from everyone else starts with customer service. If you have good customer service (and a good product of course) everything else will fall into place. My customers know I will do everything to ensure their vision is translated from their brain (sometimes my brain if they don’t know exactly what they want) to the product. I ask a lot of questions, do a lot of planning, am always educating myself on the latest baking/decorating trends, along with following food safety/sanitation regulations and laws. Making my customers happy is my number one priority.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
Honestly, I still use my textbooks from Culinary School that are 18 years old. Mostly for traditional items and techniques but they are well used. I’ve been listening to a podcast called “The Business of Baking” and I love it because she is old school (went through pastry school and moved up the ranks in the restaurant industry) before opening her bakery. She’s real in her discussions and pretty funny. I also love the Australian author Donna Hay. Her food is beautiful and minimalistic, which I really appreciate.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Address: Laguna Niguel, CA
- Phone: 831.428.2833
- Website: www.sunshineandclementine.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sunshine.and.clementine
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sunshine.and.clementine
