Today we’d like to introduce you to Jasmin Atwood.
Hi Jasmin, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
Growing up, I always wanted to do something in the food industry. At first, I thought I wanted to grow up to be a chef but then I took a cake decorating class with our local 4-H club when I was about 10 and completely fell in love! I would make cakes and other desserts as often as I possibly could and started selling them to friends and family my freshman year of high school. I didn’t decide to expand my business until after my son was born in 2014 when I started offering my desserts to the public on the side. In 2019, I decided to pursue my business full time and I’m so glad I did! These days, I mostly specialize in Royal icing sugar cookies, but I still do cakes and other desserts as well. My husband and I were able to purchase a “she shed” for me to work in which has been exponential in allowing me to expand by business.
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?
I wouldn’t say it’s been a completely smooth road—all self-owned businesses come with their own sets of challenges. I’ve had a wedding cake completely fall apart on the way to the venue, and I’ve had times where I’ve had to completely redo orders because they weren’t up to my standards. I’ve also pulled more than a few all-nighters in order to get all my orders finished on time which isn’t fun in the moment but always ends up being worth it. I can’t say that I wish none of those things had happened because every single one of them has taught me how to improve in multiple ways.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a self-taught baker and I own my own home bakery in Moab, Utah. I specialize in Royal icing sugar cookies but I also do cakes, cupcakes, macarons, and other desserts. As of right now, I’m the only person in my town that does Royal icing cookies and that really sets me apart from the other bakers (although it’s a very close-knit baker community—we lift each other up around here!). I’m proud of myself for working so hard to perfect my craft because decorating cookies is not an easy task! It takes a lot of time, patience, and practice and I’m proud that I haven’t given up even when it gets really hard.
What do you think about luck?
I’d say I’m pretty lucky that my parents put me in that cake decorating class when I was younger or else, I might not have ever ended up doing this! I’m also incredibly lucky that I live in such a supportive small town because I was only a few months into doing this business full-time when the pandemic hit. I know a lot of businesses failed or had to close down because of that but I was lucky enough to keep a steady client base who supported me and bought my treats when they were available. Some of my customers even brought me their own eggs and butter when they were in short supply so I could make their desserts! I would also say I’m very lucky to have supportive parents that spent countless amounts of money on cake supplies and ingredients for me when I was too young to have a real job of my own and for an amazing husband who never doubted that I could run my own business with virtually no experience.
Pricing:
- Royal icing cookies: $6/each
- 6in cakes: start at $75
- French macarons: $36/dozen
- Cupcakes: $18/dozen
- Cookie sandwiches (buttercream filling): $3.50-$5/each depending on size
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Instagram.com/sugarshakerbakerymoab
