Daily Inspiration: Meet Courtney Augsback

Today we’d like to introduce you to Courtney Augsback. 

Hi Courtney, 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’ve loved baking for as long as I can remember. I was always the first to volunteer to bring desserts to family events or work parties and I also enjoyed testing different recipes at home. With it just being myself and my husband, I had a lot of leftovers that I would bring into my workplace to share. In February of 2017, I decided try my hand at decorated sugar cookies for the first time. They looked horrible, but I took them into work and everyone devoured them. After that, I had a few people ask if I could make cookies for their parties. It started slow with just friends and family and after a while, I started to get requests from people, I didn’t know that had tried my cookies through others. At that point, I decided to officially start my home baking business. For a while I focused on custom orders and in September of 2018, I did my first craft fair and almost sold out. I kept that momentum going until the end of the year until I burned myself out trying to juggle my job and my cookie business. 

It was almost 6 months before I decorated another cookie, but when I did, I found my love for it again. I knew that I wanted to do more than work in a corporate job for the rest of my life, so I put in my notice at my job and started planning my business. We (my husband and I) had recently moved to Newport and I loved the area, so I decided to start my search there. Newport on the Levee was one of the locations I had on my list, mostly because of nostalgia, I spent a lot of time there growing up. When we met with the Levee, we learned of the renovations that were to come and we were offered a storefront for their first Winter Wonder event in 2019. We accepted the offer and opened on nights & weekends during November & December. It was a challenge because I was still working my full-time job, but it was so much fun and gave me hope for what was next. 

When Winter Wonder ended, the Levee offered us an opportunity to move into “the octagon” as part of the Bridgeview Box Park which they were planning to open in April 2020. We mentioned from the beginning that when we had the ability, we wanted to serve coffee as well and this was our opportunity. The octagon was a small location with a walk-up window, so we didn’t have the ability to bake, but it was the perfect size for coffee equipment. We started working with local coffee shop Carabello Coffee and started the process of learning all about a coffee shop, which I had never run before. 

While Covid delayed our opening from April until the end of May, we officially opened on May 30, 2020. When we opened, we didn’t have access to a kitchen due to Covid, so we served Stroopwafels which was the one item we could make in-house, and coffee. After a month, we were finally able to get approved into the Incubator Kitchen Collective which is a shared commercial kitchen in Newport. Once in the Incubator, we were able to start baking and expanded our menu to include coffee cake, cookies, brownies & muffins. While we were in the octagon, construction was finally able to move forward at the Levee and we began our buildout inside the gallery building. 

In May 2021, we finally opened our permanent location! We have expanded our offerings to now include Cupcakes, Macarons, Drop Cookie, Sugar Cookies, Cinnamon Rolls & a variety of other baked goods along with our full-service coffee & espresso bar. 

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?
Of course, not haha We have been very lucky in our journey so far, but we did open in the middle of a pandemic which was definitely a challenge. We are still seeing the effects of Covid almost 2 years later. 

Covid has affected many aspects of our business. One of the first major complications we ran into was the delay of our oven. The international computer chip shortage hit the oven industry like many others and our oven which was supposed to arrive for our opening in 2021 was delayed by several months. During this time, we had to continue to bake out of the incubator kitchen and transport fresh baked goods daily between the kitchen and our permanent location. 

We have also, like many other industries, been hit by supply shortages from ingredients such as flour and sugar to paper and plastic goods such as cups and lids which we still are having issues with today. 

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m choosing Artist/Creative because I believe baking is an art and not just a business. 

I am the owner, head baker & cookie decorator at The Little Spoon Bakery & Cafe. 

I specialize in decorated sugar cookies & macarons. I would say that’s also what I’m known for. A major distinction for our decorated sugar cookies is that we do not sacrifice the taste of our product. One of the most common pieces of feedback I receive from customers is that they’re used to cookies looking pretty, but not tasting as good as they look. We make sure that our cookies not only look good but taste good as well. I take pride in my creations and love having the ability to create something special for my customers’ big events. 

I show my love by baking and I’m grateful that I get to share that love with those around me. Another thing that I’m very proud of is that our business is woman-owned & operated. I have a wonderful staff of ladies that keep our cafe running each and every day. 

I’ve had many jobs before and in all of them, I never felt like I mattered. I always felt like a number that would be replaced if I ever faltered. I’m proud that I have the opportunity to create a different working environment than that one that I’ve experienced in the past for the next generation. My team is like family to me and I’m proud that I’ve created an environment where they want to come to work every day. 

Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
Don’t be afraid to take the leap. It’s scary, but in the end, it is worth it. 

I recommend talking with as many people in the industry that you can, but also know that you cannot prepare for everything. Running a business is a challenge, but it’s so much fun. You have to learn to go with the flow and to not take things too seriously. If you do, you’re going to burn yourself out and drive yourself crazy trying to make everything perfect. 

Contact Info:

• Email: littlespoonnewport@gmail.com
• Website: www.littlespoonnewport.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/littlespoonnewport/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/littlespoonnewport

Image Credits
@wethecreators_
Dove Crawford