Meet Breanna Messer of Baker’s Layne

Today we’d like to introduce you to Breanna Messer.

Hi Breanna, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
When I was a little girl, my mom and I used to bake random desserts ALL the time. She’s the type of mom that refuses to go to the store and buy a birthday cake for her kids and insists on making a homemade cake, no matter how busy she is. I guess you could say I take after her in that aspect. I quickly started to realize how much I loved to bake and picked it up as a favorite hobby of mine from a very young age. I eventually started to make my older brother a cheesecake every year for his birthday and he always went on and on about how good they were and how talented I was. But, at that time, it was merely a hobby that made me happy. Growing up in a small city in Ohio, it was almost customary to go to college in order to become “successful”. For some reason, I hadn’t really considered what it was that I wanted to do with my life. I had always looked at baking as a hobby and never really considered it as a career. I just knew I wanted to make some money, but most importantly, make my family proud. So, I went to the local community college to become a Licensed Practical Nurse. I studied my butt off for two years before I admitted to myself that this wasn’t what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. After collecting a decent amount of student loan debt, I decided to drop out of college in 2015 and move to North Carolina to be a beach bum.

Luckily, my incredible parents fully supported this decision, especially my mom. She (as well as my then boyfriend, now husband, Cory) ended up moving to North Carolina with me! I got a job at a local coffee shop, lived 15 minutes from the beach, and was loving the “beach bum” life. But, it wasn’t long before I realized that I missed my family in Ohio more than I enjoyed living by the beach. We all moved back to Ohio exactly a year later. I knew in order to get any sort of decent-paying job in Ohio, I would have to go back to college. This time, I decided to go to The Ohio State University for a degree in Wildlife Biology. Seems random, but I had gotten a part-time job at the Columbus Zoo at the time and fell in love with it. During that time, Cory was quickly falling in love with the Film industry. I had never seen someone more passionate about something than Cory was/is with film. So when he had gotten an opportunity to help out on a feature film in Los Angeles, I didn’t hesitate for one second to drop everything I was doing when he suggested we move to California.

On December 28th of 2018, we loaded up my tiny Honda Insight with as much of our possessions as we could fit (as well as our dog) and drove across the country with almost no plan at all. Fast forward to the dumpster fire of a year that is 2020 when I decided to quit my stressful, anxiety-inducing job at a very busy, corporate-run coffee chain and get back to my root of happiness from since I was a little girl— baking. Out of all of the horrible things that happened in 2020, I was lucky enough to have found what I was meant to do all these years! Do not get me wrong, I was terrified. Starting your own business during a global pandemic with little to no knowledge on how to even begin running your own business seemed absolutely crazy. But there was something telling me that this was the best time to do it. I kept hearing my brother in my ear saying “you gotta start selling your cheesecakes!” and “your cheesecakes are better than any other cheesecake I’ve ever had!” so I just went for it! Cory and I were trying to figure out a clever business name that included my middle name (Layne), mostly just because I love my middle name. He randomly thought of “Baker’s Layne” and I fell in love!

Our house quickly started to fill up with baking equipment and I guess you could say I took over the kitchen. I started baking every single day, doing some recipe testing, and writing food blogs. Cory and our roommates quickly jumped on the roll of “taste-testers” and luckily also have incredible photography skills. They helped me take pictures of my baked goods for social media and even taught me a few photography tips. I am so lucky to have had these resources available to me to help kick-start my business! Baking is unlike any other passion I’ve ever experienced before. I struggled with anxiety (like most people my age) and was actually able to stop taking medication for it, all thanks to baking. Are you stressed? Bake. Are you sad? Bake. Are you just wanting to treat yourself because you’re a freakin’ boss? Bake. My entire life up to this moment has been full of so many indecisive, spur-of-the-moment decisions that I thought would make other people happy. This time, I had finally taken the time to sit down and decide what would make ME happy. Of course, I can’t take all of the credit…my husband was ultimately the one to push me to chase after my dreams. While I am still working towards them, I would never have gotten this far without his love and support.

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?
If we’re taking all of the indecisiveness and student loan debt after dropping out of college twice into consideration, then no, it has not necessarily been a “smooth road”. I kind of hate to admit it, but my biggest obstacle has been myself. I was always told by my peers that you have to go to college to be successful in life. So, I spent the majority of my life trying to please other people. I wasn’t focusing on what was making ME happy or what it was that I wanted to do. I kept telling myself that I wouldn’t be “successful” unless I’m making a bunch of money. I don’t know what it was exactly that made me realize that money does not equal success or happiness. Maybe it was just simply growing up? Maybe it was getting out of my small Ohio bubble and seeing the country and experiencing even a sliver of diversity/culture? Whatever it was really opened my eyes, mind, and heart to be able to allow happiness into my life and make decisions for myself and no one else.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Baker’s Layne currently specializes in Cheesecakes. I am known for my gourmet, decadent cheesecakes but I am also currently experimenting with other baked goods! I make a mean cupcake and am constantly recipe testing and doing “flash sales” through my Instagram page. I put a lot of time, love, and effort into each one of my baked goods and treat every order as if I am baking for my loved ones! I spend the extra little bit of money for high-quality ingredients and never take shortcuts. I am most proud of my very own Oreo Cheesecake recipe (my best seller), as well as the progression in my food photography skills! Taking photos of my baked goods is very important for my brand and less than a year ago, I had no idea how to use a camera that wasn’t on an iPhone. I currently do not take custom orders, but I have a wide variety of options to choose from. I am only offering pick-ups in Santa Clarita and do not currently offer delivery. I am one person baking out of a small kitchen in my own home and hope to eventually achieve my dream of opening up a storefront.

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
I am hoping that within the next five years I will have opened my very own store. I may even begin to eventually sell custom cakes/cupcakes instead of only cheesecakes. Baker’s Layne is only six months old and a lot has already changed in those six months. Right now, all I can think about is getting to the point of being able to hire a dishwasher!

Pricing:

• Original Cheesecake with whipped topping – $50
• Original Cheesecake with fruit topping – $55
• Oreo Cheesecake – $60
• Red Velvet Cake Cheesecake – $80
• Cheesecake Pops (1 dozen) – $30

Contact Info:

• Email: breanna@bakerslayne.com
• Website: www.bakerslayne.com
• Instagram: @bakerslayne

Image Credits:
Cory Messer. Chaysen Beacham