Today we’d like to introduce you to Cristina Soriano.
Hi Cristina, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up in a large Italian family. All of the events we attended were surrounded by food and desserts! I remember helping my mom and nonna when I was young, doing little things for them in the kitchen. The older I got; I quickly became interested in making my own desserts. I’ve always been a creative person! I’ve tried many different things and I would always come back to baking. I would practice making recipes that I was interested in, watched the food network constantly, created my own recipes until I found some of my favorites! Being around so many different desserts, I became very particular of flavors that I like and enjoy. I would bring my desserts to all of the gatherings I went to. I started out selling some of my favorite baked goods at a local church craft show. I sold out the first event I attended so I decided to make a business out of it! In 2010, I named my business Bake by Cristina. I quickly became known for my cassata cake since I make mine a little bit different than the other local bakeries around in my area. My business was run through Facebook and word of mouth. The first 8 years, I wasn’t consistent since I am a wife and stay-at-home to 2 children. The last few years, my tiny hobby of baking a few cakes a month, turned into a full-time business! I’ve baked cakes, cookies, and other desserts for many parties and special occasions! I’ve been in multiple business and continue to use the best ingredients with super fresh desserts!
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 not always been a smooth road. I’ve made MANY mistakes! I am a self-taught baker so had to practice everything on my own. I’ve broken so many cakes flipping them out of the pan, burnt a ton of different things, made buttercream with clumps of powdered sugar in them because no one taught me that I should sift my powdered sugar- I will never NOT sift my powdered sugar now!! I am always learning and researching new techniques to better my craft. I try to please everyone, but unfortunately, that is not possible. I have learned to not let the small things bother me when it comes to trying to please everyone.
The biggest struggle I face is work/life balance. Since I work from home, it’s hard for me to walk away from my kitchen and just be a mom or wife without having to go back to work. I’ve gotten a lot better at balancing family time with work now that my kids are a little bit older and they like to pull up a chair to the kitchen island and watch me!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I am a 1 woman show in my business! I do everything on my own and I stay consistently booked! I specialize in cakes for all occasions including weddings, decorated sugar cookies, chocolate-covered treats, and more! I love recreating childhood favorites like oatmeal cream pies, cosmic brownies, and dunkaroos. I’m always trying new recipes and flavors to offer but staying consistent in my best sellers. I am known for my cassata cake and cassata cupcakes that I make. Locally, I am known for the cookies at Mulberry Corners Pumpkins during September and October for the past few years. I’m also well known for my oatmeal cream pies!
The things that set me apart is always having fresh desserts and coming up with new creations. I do not freeze anything I bake, and most of the time when you order a cake, it was baked fresh that day or the night before.
I am most proud of the personal growth I have gone through as a business owner. I am proud of myself for taking the risks in putting myself out there, trying new things, and taking all opportunities that come my way!
What do you think about luck?
Luck plays a big role in both my life and business! I’m lucky to have a wonderful supporting husband that has encouraged my business growth. I’m lucky to have really great friends and family. Incredibly lucky and extremely thankful for all of the opportunities that have come my way. Lucky and thankful to the businesses that have carried my desserts, promoted me, and let me have pop-ups! Extremely lucky to be able to have social media to promote myself. Lucky to have been promoted on the local news two different times. So lucky to have returning customers and referrals!
Contact Info:
- Email: Bakebycristina@gmail.com
- Website: Bakebycristina.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/bakebycristina
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/bakebycristina/
Judy Began
April 7, 2022 at 1:13 pm
This is a wonderful article! I have had many desserts from Bake By Cristina and everything is fantastic! Keep up the great work and The Best of Luck Always!