Daily Inspiration: Meet Camille Collard

Today we’d like to introduce you to Camille Collard.

Hi Camille, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
About ten years ago, I discovered that I had celiac disease and though I didn’t see it as a full-blown death sentence, as many people do, it did upend my love of baking. I remember the first few times that I tried to make gluten-free pie dough… It resulted in several full-blown meltdowns. We are talking tossing dough across the kitchen, swearing and hysterical crying. I didn’t want to have to lower my expectations for gluten-free baking but I was at a total loss. Everything was awful! So ultimately, I became obsessed with trying to find a way to make gluten-free baking accessible and delicious and most of all… easy!

For years I have wanted to do something with the flour mixture that I developed for myself but the market had become so saturated with countless alternative flours and competing with big names basically felt impossible. Then throughout my time in quarantine last year, I began baking an obscene amount and really felt as though I needed to finally do something with my recipes beyond simply posting to my blog. So I began to toss about some ideas and after countless conversations, I landed on creating a gourmet gluten-free cupcake kit. With this project, I wanted to remove the nasty stigma for gluten-free baking, creating an effortless experience that resulted in chic soirée worthy cupcakes.

At the of the day, I wanted to present something that would appeal to both non-bakers and bakers (gluten-free or not) that was cute and delicious and most importantly something that left out all of the annoying mess and hassle. I think that this kit does exactly that!

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Beyond developing the perfect flour mix and never feeling as though things are good enough to actually launch, the biggest obstacle for me so far is that I officially started my business in the middle of a pandemic. That alone had unforeseen complications that everyone was struggling to work through for the first time. Working with food laws and doing inspections during a time when everyone was avoiding physical contact was extremely difficult and added several more hoops that I needed to jump through.

But at the end of the day, I eventually got there (it took three months longer than originally anticipated) and I couldn’t be more proud that I started my own little business. I cannot wait to see how things with Odella Bakes take shape over the next few months and years.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My work as a creative has always spread across several areas. I am an actor first and foremost, but I have always loved photography. And when the frustrations of acting (or lack thereof) feel overwhelming I know I must continue to work on my artistic endeavors… so I started a blog. Photography of food turned into self-portraits and self-reflections over the lockdown that was 2020 and as a type of self-preservation, I threw myself into becoming a better photographer and artist. So when I started my baking kit business, it was very clear to me that I wanted my products to reflect my love of authentic recipes and thoughtful hosting.

At the end of the day, I felt that the baking kits had to be on the same artistic level of my other creative work, I knew I would be designing them to fit my personal and creative atheistic and I had to want to photograph them over and over again. So these kits are not your average off the shelf baking mixes. They are so much more. I worked tirelessly on the recipe, the branding and made sure that things were absolutely perfect before I went into production. They come with individually packaged gourmet dry ingredients, organic vanilla extract, festive sprinkles, detailed instructions and my favorite part, beautiful baking cups. I wanted them to be easy and yet impressive and I am so very proud of the end result!

Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
My biggest support has been my mom! She has honestly helped with everything. From the early days of gluten-free recipe fails (and meltdowns) to helping me package and ship my cupcake kits, she has been there through thick and thin and I cannot thank her enough!

Additionally, I had some great friends who helped test the kits and recipes, giving endless feedback and notes and this first baking kit would not be what it is today without all of their help.

I am blown away by the support that I have received and I cannot wait to see how Odella Bakes grows with more products and mixes in the future.

Pricing:

• Soirée Cupcake Kits are $32 each (gluten free)
• Gluten Free Flour Mix coming this fall

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: odellabakes.com
• Instagram: @odellabakes

Image Credits:
Camille Odella