Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Batres.
Hi Michelle, 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 culinary school in 2017 and I graduated in 2019. While I was still in college, I got a job at a Mediterranean bakery where I started learning their different types of pastries. I started with the very basic type of pastries all the way to the most complex ones. After a year of working there, I got the manager position at their new commissary and I started managing the making of a big production of pastries. After two years and a half of working there, I decided it was time for me to leave and learn how to make new types of pastries. Now I work in a central American bakery where I’m learning how to make new kinds of pastries and yeast doughs. When I started working there, I had more time to make pastries to sell on my pastry Instagram page. I started selling pastries such as cheesecakes, cupcakes, cookies, etc, which I can arrange in treat boxes too. I’m still trying to balance my full-time job and taking orders from my Instagram page. It’s a bit challenging but I know it’s going to be worth it in the end.
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?
No, it hasn’t been a smooth road. Trying to manage a small business plus having a full-time job can make you feel a little bit exhausted sometimes. I start my job at 5:00 am and I get off around 1:00 pm. Then I go home and when I have orders, I start with them and finish them around nine or 10:00 pm. This kind of routine can be tiring.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I sell different kinds of pastries and I sell them as homemade treat boxes. The customer has many options to personalize each box. I try to have a variety of pastries so that there’s something for everyone. These boxes work as a great gift for birthdays, anniversaries, showers, or any type of celebration, really. But my customers also order whenever they’re simply craving something sweet haha. I’d say the most popular items on my menu are my cheesecake bites and my strawberry shortbread cupcakes. Those are definitely a must-try according to my customers!
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
Not sure if I can call this surprising, but maybe some people don’t know I’m Salvadoran. I moved to the US when I was 14 years old. Also that my love for baking comes from my great-grandma, who helped my mom to raise my sisters and me, she still lives in El Salvador.
Contact Info:
- Email: michsweets@outlook.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mich_sweets/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michsweets
Image Credits
The picture of myself was taken by Jocelyne Medellin Rubio
