Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Faria.
Hi Jennifer, 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 lived in Pittsburgh after my first son was born. I used baking as a way to cope with my postpartum depression. I was holding a newborn baby and binge-watching the Great British Bake Off all day, every day. When my son was a couple months old, I started baking variations of the cakes that I saw on the show. I found that I was happiest when I was baking and when people complimented my food. After moving to Columbus, I met a friend who told me about the farmer’s market she had started and I signed up as a vendor for the end of the very first season. When choosing the name for my business I kept going back to how happy I was when I was baking and The Happy Baker was born.
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?
The biggest obstacle I’ve experienced in starting my business has been getting my name recognized. People tend to gravitate toward vendors who have samples out or who have been well known in farmer’s markets around the city. As a new vendor who had moved only a few months before the first season ended, I had to work hard to get my name out. I’ve done other markets that I haven’t had as much success with as my primary market, Saint Mary’s Farmer’s Market in German Village.
Another major struggle I’ve experienced is having my kids. While I was pregnant with my second son, I struggled to do anything, let alone bake. Having a three-year-old and a newborn made my return to the market, after taking time off during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, challenging. I had to find ways to bake but also manage naps and feeding schedules. Thankfully, I have a very supportive partner in my husband who has been my number one fan since I started working at farmer’s markets. He helped me package and label my items, built me a website, and has done numerous other things to assist me in making my business a success.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I bake everything from muffins and quick breads, like banana or zucchini bread, to decorated sugar cookies and custom cakes. I would say my specialty is pecan pie but that is because I baked one and shortly after went into labor with my first son so I say it is a magic, labor-inducing pecan pie.
I find that what sets me apart from others is that I do not have a specific product that I market. For the farmer’s market season, I mostly focus on breakfast/brunch items. For the holiday season, I focus on pies and variety cookie boxes. I love to set myself apart with my polka dots as well. I’m rarely seen selling at a market without some kind of polka dot uniform.
I am most proud of my ability to make people happy. I am a people-pleaser by nature and I find that by making baked goods that people find interesting and yummy, I can make people happy.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
I work out of my home as a cottage foods bakery, meaning I can make a variety of baked goods to sell from my home or local farmer’s markets. My primary market, where I am a sponsor as well as a vendor, is the Saint Mary’s Farmer’s Market located at 700 S. Third St. in the German Village neighborhood of Columbus. My Instagram page is found at thehappybakercolumbus, you’ll recognize the logo by the polka dots.
Contact Info:
- Email: thehappybakercolumbus@gmail.com
- Website: www.thehappybakercolumbus.com
- Instagram: thehappybakercolumbus
- Facebook: thehappybakercolumbus
Image Credits
Gabriel Faria
