Today we’d like to introduce you to Julie Herrington.
Hi Julie, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I had spent 10 years in the pastry industry, working for a hotel, restaurant, and catering business. The hours are long, and weekends and holidays are rarely days you get off. At the time I was single, so I put all my time and focus into work. I knew though, if I ever had a family, I would not have a healthy work-life balance if I continued working in the restaurant/catering arena. When I got married, I started to seek out positions that gave me a healthier work-life balance and took on two part-time jobs. One job with a local community college teaching cake decorating and another as a cake decorator for a local bakery. When the pandemic hit, I was let go at the bakery, and my class at the college was cancelled but had recently found out I was pregnant. I knew if I was ever blessed with children, I wanted to stay at home and raise them. When we had our son, it meant the world to me to be home with him, yet I still had a desire to exercise my creative side and use my gift of baking. I had some close friends ask me to make decorated sugar cookies and cakes for their kids’ birthday, and I realized this was totally something I could take on and do from home. I also realized there is a big market for decorated sugar cookies, and many of the businesses out there were self-taught stay-at-home moms. I knew with my background and training in pastry arts, I already had many of the tools and techniques under my belt. I started to read and educated myself about cottage food laws, and realized Texas was very cottage law friendly. Shortly thereafter I started my company, Refined Sugars, in November of 2021.
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?
A personal struggle for me is knowing when to say “no” to inquiries. Since my business is from home, and I don’t have any hired help, I work on orders when I have free time, so typically in the evenings or my child’s nap time. Because of this, I find myself continually assessing the boundaries of personal/family time and business time. Although the balance can be hard at times, I still can’t see myself giving up this business. It’s been a source of great joy and I love the creative outlet it has afforded me.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I specialize in cakes (weddings, birthdays, special events, etc.) and decorated sugar cookies. While there are SO many talented cookie decorators out there, what sets me apart is my background and training in the pastry arts. While I attended Auburn University, I realized my love for baking and sharing with friends was more than a personal passion, but a career path I wanted to pursue. Upon graduating with a degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management, I moved to San Francisco to attend California Culinary Academy and earned a degree in Pastry and Baking. In February of 2010, I joined The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas, where I expanded and honed my pastry skills, learning under great talent. In 2013, I was asked to be a part of the opening team for a restaurant called Savor Gastropub, where I served as Pastry Chef. Within a year, the company launched a catering business and cake business, and I moved into Pastry Chef over all divisions of the company.
What I’m known for is having a quality product that not only looks good but tastes good as well. There’s nothing worse than taking a bite out of something that is visually appealing and then being extremely disappointed with the taste. I use high-quality ingredients, and constantly trying new recipes to perfect and add to my flavor options. Currently, I’m working on adding some gluten-free options.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Patience and attention to detail have been two key characteristics that have contributed to my success. Pastry is truly the art of creating “something” out of “nothing”. You start with a few basic ingredients that can be created into endless possibilities. But to get to the end product takes time and much-needed patience. You also need patience when learning a new technique. Mastering a skill isn’t learned after a few tries. It takes repetition and patience. Attention to detail has also been key for me. It can turn a good product into a great product.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: refinedsugars
- Facebook: Refined Sugars
