Hidden Gems: Meet Alía Aubry of That Creole Baker

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alía Aubry.

Hi Alía, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I started baking when I was around 11 or 12 years old. I grew up watching Food Network shows & loving the dishes they created on Chopped. It wasn’t until I watched Yolanda Gampp from How to Cake It that I realized what I really loved: desserts! I started out with chocolate-covered strawberries, not even having all the tools to do so. I worked with Ziploc bags & toothpicks instead of pastry bags & scribe tools. My very first order was during Valentine’s season. I made some chocolate-covered strawberries that weren’t even dipped all the way; the stripes were all haphazard & the strawberries were the tiniest thing ever! Regardless, I fell in love with the process & couldn’t wait to do it again! I couldn’t have made these orders without the help of my mom & my boyfriend, Jay. Jay got his friends & coworkers to order some sweets & he still does to this day! Slowly, I started getting into decorated sugar cookies, cake pops, and eventually custom cakes! Fast forward to now, I’ve made my first wedding cake & sold out at my first pop-up!

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has definitely not been a smooth road! The life of an entrepreneur/business owner is not for the weak. There’s been countless late nights & super early mornings that have probably shaved off a couple of years of my life. At one point, I was attending culinary school college, had a part-time job, AND trying to run the business. The hardest part was finding time for my family & loved ones. There were many times I had to sacrifice my social life for an order I had over the weekend. Despite all this, I honestly wouldn’t change anything for the world! I love where I am in my journey & I’m excited for where my future takes me.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about That Creole Baker?
I made That Creole Baker to bring some Southern culture to Southern California! I specialize in custom cakes, classic Southern treats, and a combination of both!! Popular flavors like strawberry shortcake, pecan praline cookies & my bananas foster tres leches cake are just a few desserts among my cast menu. Growing up in a big Creole family, I felt the love from every family member at every family function. That’s the feeling I want to bring to all my customers, or as I like to call them, “Beignets” at TCB. I always like to give my customers a little gift, whether it’s a handwritten message or a lagniappe, something us Creoles call “a lil something extra” to go with their order. Whether it’s an extra cookie they weren’t expecting or a Polaroid pic memento, I want my customers to feel the love that I feel with my family.

What does success mean to you?
Success to me is finishing your tasks or whatever you did at the end of the day & feeling satisfied. I don’t define it by how many followers I have or how much money I make. I like to note how I make my Beignets feel when they pick up their order. I feel I failed if the customer wasn’t completely satisfied with their order. Success to me is making the best out of the worst situations. There have been numerous times where it feels like I’ve been stuck in a rut with no solution in sight. However, after all the frustration & struggle, I always come out a better baker with more knowledge on what to do next time!

Pricing:

• $31/ dozen for my Signature Chocolate Chunk Cookies
• $44/dozen for Brown Butter Snickerdoodles
• 4” cakes start at $25
• 6” cakes start at $40
• 8” cakes start at $65

Contact Info:

• Website: thatcreolebaker.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/thatcreolebaker?igshid=NzZlODBkYWE4Ng==
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@thatcreolebaker
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thatcreolebaker?_t=8gFMrv6HNeR&_r=1

Image Credits
Image credits: @thatcreolebaker on Instagram