Today we’d like to introduce you to Chelsea Gannon.
Hi Chelsea, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
Our company initially began as a cupcake company. My mom owns a tent slumber party company, Treasured Memories Slumber Parties, and we had the idea for me to provide cupcakes for her parties. I have been vegan for 6 years, and my daughter is gluten-free, so if I was going to bake, I wanted to make sure we could enjoy them as well. After lots of research and perfecting our recipe, Ruby Baking Co. was born! The cupcakes were flowing, and once people realized how yummy our baking was, I started getting tons of requests for cakes. I had zero idea of how to decorate a cake outside of basic icing, so I took a few classes and improved my skills. We have now made hundreds of fun cakes for celebrations of all kinds!
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?
It has been a fairly smooth road. Starting any business is a bit nerve-wracking and does take lots of care and energy. Planning and testing was a long process, but I wanted to make sure I got it right and that the taste and texture of my cake was perfect. I do get occasional doubters along the way who won’t try my baking just because of what I don’t include in my recipe. They are used to allergen-filled cakes and assume mine will taste different. If I can talk them into trying it, they are always pleasantly surprised. There have been those few who won’t give it a shot. I’ve come to learn that unfortunately, not everyone has an open mind.
Being completely transparent, it does get me down at times, but I also have to remind myself of all of the smiles I am bringing to the families and classrooms who otherwise wouldn’t be able to enjoy a cake or cupcakes for their celebration.
We’ve been impressed with Ruby Baking Co., but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Picture this: It’s your birthday! You’ve been waiting for this day since last year, because hello, who doesn’t like to celebrate? You head to the store, ready to pick out a cake, of course, the biggest, yummiest one. But upon checking the labels, you realize these have lots of unnecessary ingredients and have a long list of allergens that you nor your family can eat. Wheat? Hello Bloating. And eggs and dairy? Stomachache ahead! If only there was a bakery that left out the unnecessary stuff and put some care into their ingredients. Enter Ruby Baking Co.! We bake everything from scratch and leave out the wheat, dairy, egg, nuts, and coconut.” To: “We bake everything from scratch and leave out the wheat, dairy, egg, peanuts, and tree nuts. But why, right? How in the world do you make a cake without these “crucial” ingredients? In today’s diet culture, we are taught that certain foods are necessary for our diets and that certain ingredients are needed to make things taste good. But guess what? Most of those are false. There are healthier alternatives to classic cake ingredients that, when mixed properly, can lead to some of the best-tasting cake, cookies, and goodies that you’ve ever had, minus the allergens! Don’t believe us? Ask our hundreds of happy customers. Some with food allergies, some without. You don’t have to have dietary restrictions to enjoy our cake. Because guess what? It tastes like cake!
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc.?
This is a great question. My top apps are Facebook because I do the majority of my marketing there and meet many of my amazing customers. I also love Pinterest because I am able to share and see all of my completed cakes in one space. (If you haven’t checked us out there, you should!). Also, I am a huge true crime fan, and the podcast Crime Junkie is usually on while I bake. (That or a playlist filled with my eclectic music taste. At the moment, I am loving Post Malone, Coheed and Cambria, and JoJo (yes, JoJo from the 2000’s. I’m a 90s baby).
Contact Info:
- Website: shop.bakesy.app/b/ruby-baking-co
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rubybakingco/
- Facebook: facebook.com/rubybakingco
Image Credits
Cory Doggett
