Today we’d like to introduce you to Mesalina Canas
Hi Mesalina, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Messy the Baker started as “something to do” during the Covid quarantine when my job cut our hours in half. I wanted to make banana bread from scratch, so I went to Smart & Final, and the only bag of flour available was 50lbs. I spoke to my husband about it, and ended up buying it along with a 2 lb package yeast…. and the rest is history!
For 2 years, I was just baking “for fun”, bringing all my baked goods to work, mainly so I wouldn’t eat it all. Money started getting tight, so I launched my Etsy store. It was a great learning experience, but I wanted to see how well my products would sell in person, so I started participating in local makers markets in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. I closed my Etsy store to launched my own website. and business has been slowly growing.
I hope to participate in an LA area market this upcoming year, especially in the South Bay. I was born and raised in Gardena, so it would be amazing to go back and reconnect.
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?
The main struggle I’m still dealing with is balancing my time with family and the bakery (and my regular job!). I often think I’m “Wonder Women” and can do it all, but I can’t. I’ve had so many sleepless nights because I’m baking all night, either for orders or markets, and that takes me away from just spending time from my husband and son. But they understand, and they help me as much as they can with packaging and labeling the products to joining me at markets… and most importantly taste tasting.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I started this business as a way for people to enjoy great tasting, from scratch, baked goods. My products aren’t fancy looking or covered in buttercream or icing, they just taste really good! I specialize in cookies, brownies, blondies, scones, cinnamon rolls, muffins, quick breads. On occasion, I venture out to cheesecakes, cupcakes, and small cakes, nothing fancy. I focus more on flavor, especially flavor combinations that your probably have never tried. One of my more talked about cookie flavor is Ghost Pepper chocolate cookie. It’s always a conversation starter, and you’d be surprised by who actually buys them.
I think what sets me apart is you get what you see with my products. I don’t try to hide ingredients, or cover the flavor with extra sweet icing, and you know exactly what you’re getting when you buy a peanut butter cookie. Yes, I have gotten “I can get them cheaper at Costco”, which is true, but if you’re someone that cares about what your body is consuming, you’ll know why cheaper isn’t always better. I also try to have sugar-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan options available when I can.
Baking is fun for me, and I try to reflect that into my baked goods. I’m continually learning new techniques and flavors, and I’m always open to baking new items. I am proud of the brand that I am creating. To some, it may seem like “I can do it” because after all, they’re just cookies and brownies, but having that passion, that desire, that genuine joy I get from baking, you can’t just buy that.
By the way, the name of my business is my name! I never had a nickname growing up until I started working. One day, on a particularly windy day in Mission Hills (where I used to work), my hair was a total mess, thus everyone started calling me “Messy” and it just stayed.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I grew up in Gardena, CA, and believe it not, I was never into baking. In fact, I swore off all baking because my first attempt at making a quick bread was an epic failure. I was more of a “chef” and contemplated going into culinary arts for my career at one point. My hero was and is Martha Stewart. I remember watching her show after school and wanting to be just like her. She had such an elegant way of preparing any meal she was making, and I wanted that. I helped my mom in the kitchen a lot, and when I finally went back to baking, I successfully made a from scratch Flan. Oh, was it delicious! It also happens to be my mom’s favorite dessert.
I was a studious student in school, and ended up obtaining a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, and Associate of Science in Mortuary Science.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://messythebaker.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/messythebaker
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/messythebaker2020/
- Yelp: https://yelp.com/biz/messy-the-baker-santa-barbara
Image Credits
All pictures taken by me, Mesalina Canas
