Today we’d like to introduce you to Emma Allred.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Ever since I was a little girl I have always loved being in the kitchen. My mom would set me on a stool next to her and would give me a knife to cut cucumbers and I loved it. It wasn’t until I was in high school that I realized my love for baking. Everything about it intrigued me. I loved the precision that was involved as well as the attention to detail and the creativity! I would make baked treats here and there and started selling sugar cookie decorating kits as a senior in high school. I’d sell them around the holidays for family’s with little kids to decorate. Those took off and I found myself baking dozens upon dozens of sugar cookies. I’d roll out each individual cookie with a red rolling pin that my mom had in our kitchen. Little did I know that 5 years later that would be the thing that branded my business. After graduating from high school I started culinary school at Utah Valley University. I thrived there soaking in as much information as I could. During my education there was when I got my first request to make a custom cake for someone. I was excited but nervous because all I had ever done was cookie kits to sell. I made the cutest little unicorn birthday cake and was hooked. It was then that I decided to start my own catering business where I could solely focus on wedding cakes, birthday cakes, cookies, and other pastries! In 2018 was when I branded my business as “The red rolling pin” and it has taken off since then! I love doing custom orders for people. It’s my favorite thing to be in this field of work because every time I make something it’s different because people want different designs or colors and I get to let my creativity take charge. Of all the things I make, wedding cakes are for sure my favorite. I love getting to make someone’s vision for their big day!
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?
Some challenges I’ve had at the beginning was having so many people try to copy my cookie decorating kit idea that it made it difficult to build up. I’ve started to pull back on those now and focus on other baked goods since the market has been so saturated as the years have gone on.
Other struggles were just perfecting my products and the countless hours spent trying to perfect things.. I can’t even tell you the amount of products that were wasted until I could get my recipes exactly how I wanted them.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a baker! I specialize in wedding cakes, royal icing decorated sugar cookies, birthday cakes, and other pastries. I make a ton of desserts for wedding receptions as well, but my favorite thing to focus on is wedding cakes. I’m most proud of and most known for my buttercream palate work flower cakes. I have people come from all over for that design that I have created and perfected. What sets me apart from others is my attention to detail, and my ability to perform that perfection and detail across different baking platforms.. ex: wedding cakes, cookies, etc
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Growing up I loved to be creative and try new things! I loved to horseback ride, loved to play outside, and be in the kitchen. I would make homemade bread as a kid just so I could make my mom homemade French toast for breakfast in bed. I am the oldest kid and wanted to be my mom’s helper in everything. I’d help take care of my siblings, and organize the pantry on a Saturday morning if I knew it would help my mom. I was somewhat introverted as a kid unless I was around my family, and to this day I’d pick to be around my siblings and parents any day!
Pricing:
- Wedding cakes range from $150-$2000+
- Decorated custom sugar cookies range from $60-100 per dozen set
- Birthday cakes range from $35-$500+
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theredrollingpin?igsh=MXFiMWlyZWZwbGNvaQ==
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1GECAx3r4T/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@theredrollingpin?_t=ZP-8yLx5QRuWg3&_r=1
