Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Raymond.
Hi Michelle, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Baking started for me as coping mechanism when I hit a rough patch in college. I was living on a friend’s couch, rent-free after a terrible Craigslist living situation left me without a place to stay in the middle of my Junior year at UNT. My friends were kind enough to let me stay with them for the remainder of the semester, and as a way to thank them, I baked for them. I made cookie sandwiches, breakfast bars, brownies, macarons, muffins, and tons of chocolate chip cookies. I found that baked goods not only made my friends happy but it calmed me. It helped me focus. Not everything came out as it should, but as a group of broke college students, we didn’t care. Fast forward to today, baking still calms me. It’s still my way of showing thanks and spreading love to people. My neighbors, coworkers, even the receptionist at the yoga studio, everyone gets some love. Six months ago, I was encouraged by my partner to turn my hobby into a small business, which I now call La Fortuna. The name is inspired by the Fortune Tellers, or Adivinos, in my Southside neighborhood here in Fort Worth. They are a part of our culture that gets overlooked if you’re not paying enough attention in our neighborhood. They typically occupy some of the oldest, most historic homes in Southside.
La Fortuna is my way of spreading love beyond friends and family. I still get butterflies when someone orders a cake for a birthday because I feel how special it is to be a part of someone’s celebration of life. It’s an honor.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It’s not been a smooth road, but I am thankful for the bumps along the way. I’ve made a lot of mistakes with timing, mostly. The first market I worked was a big deal to me. Unfortunately, I spent the entire night baking having not thought out how long preparation would take, and I could barely keep my eyes open to enjoy the success. I still have nights where I get very little sleep, but I’ve gotten better at prioritizing rest. There is always some trial and error when it comes to starting something new. No one walks into a new chapter without any obstacles. There is joy in learning from them, getting better, wiser, stronger, and more confident in ourselves.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
La Fortuna specializes in cakes and cookies with a “homemade” feel. I want customers to feel like an actual person made their cake, as in, it’s “rustic,” not “perfect.” The flavors we offer are not something you will find at your grocery store bakery. No hate there, though. Shout out to our wonderful store bakers! For example, this season, I am offering a lemon olive oil sponge cake with lemon curd filling, blueberry swiss meringue buttercream, and poppy seed topping. I work with local gardeners and florists, sourcing local organic flowers to decorate cakes with. I use all-natural pigments to color buttercream when needed. No fondant or artificial coloring, or flavors are used. Again, no hate. It’s just not for me. I kindly ask my clients to pick from my seasonal menu and let me make the creative decisions when it comes to decorating. It’s a bit of an art for me, and no two cakes come out looking the same.
Apart from La Fortuna, I am a special education teacher if FWISD. I have a master’s degree in Special Education from TWU, and I am a huge advocate for inclusivity and celebration of neurodiversity.
What would you say has been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
Staying true to myself. In business, it’s easy to bend in directions that are more profitable, but I won’t make a product if it goes against my values at La Fortuna.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: LaFortuna_Bakeshop
- Facebook: facebook.com/lafortunabakeshop
