Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelly Stracener.
Hi Kelly, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I’ve had a love for baking for as long as I can remember. I loved to share my baked goods with family, friends, and co-workers. After hearing over and over that I should sell my goods, I did just that. I left my day job and created Yummy Scrummy. I was selling scratch-made scones, drop cookies. quick breads (like banana), and dessert bars at local farmer’s markets. My purpose was to sell bake goods that tasted good, not necessarily looked good. I had just landed a permanent spot at the Frisco Fresh Market, and I loved being there. A friend suggested I try decorated cookies and while I didn’t think I wanted to go down that path, I listened and took a class taught by the fabulous Carri Doughty with Sweet Jayne’s in Gainesville, and I was hooked. I started offering decorated cookies at the Frisco Fresh Market and then COVID shut us down. I took it as a sign to shift my business to decorated sugar cookies only. After two years of pouring my heart and soul into decorated sugar cookies, I felt it was time to rebrand to a more fitting name for my business. I decided on Best Day Ever Cookies because any day you get delicious cookies is the best day ever!
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?
My path definitely didn’t start out smooth, but if had, I wouldn’t have learned so many lessons along the way! Learning and following the Texas Cottage Food Laws was a challenge. Focusing on quality baked goods meant quality ingredients which can be expensive. I had quite an extensive menu of products which meant I had to stock lots of different items. I offered over 20 flavors of scones alone! I loved playing with new flavors and if someone asked for specific flavor that I didn’t offer, I would make it for them. It was to the point where I wasn’t making a profit because of the food costs. Now, doing decorated sugar cookies, my costs come from the same 8-ish ingredients and not 100.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I specialize in decorated sugar cookies, which definitely a lot takes creativity! I’m known for making cute cookies that are soft and taste amazing! I am most proud of the customer base I have built and how it continues to grow. I have some of the sweetest, most amazing customers and it’s my favorite part of this business. I’ve also made some awesome cookie friends along the way. The decorated sugar cookie business is quite popular in the DFW area and there are lots of way more talented bakers than me out there, but I’d like to think that my thick, soft, and flavorful cookies set me apart from others.
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
Every year at Christmastime, my mom would bake soo many delicious treats, too many, but they all taste so good! Now as a parent myself, I continue to make those same treats for my family, but not all of them because we would never eat them all!
Pricing:
- A dozen decorated cookies start at $42 per dozen.
Contact Info:
- Website: bestdayevercookies.com
- Instagram: @best_day_ever_cookies
- Facebook: @Best Day Ever Cookies
