Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexis Ruddock.
Alexis, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I am a self-taught pastry chef and cookie artist. My passion and love for baking started 9 years ago. When my oldest son whose 22 years old now turned 13, I bought a cake mix from the box to bake, a chocolate frosting and edible blue writing pen tube. Went home, bake it, frosted it with chocolate frosting and wrote on it with the edible pen. It was the ugliest cake I have ever seen. I was so upset and disappointed with myself that I promised my son and my husband next time I bake it will be delicious beautiful and full of love.
My husband then got me my very first cookbook from Sur La Table and I dedicated my time baking most of the recipes in that book. I watched YouTube videos, read more cookbooks and practiced and practiced and practiced. A year later, I opened my very first bakery and called it Frosted Gourmet Cakes in California.
In this bakery, I made wedding cakes, cupcakes, French macarons, truffles, I basically baked everything. I was running the bakery by myself and my husband helped me when he got off work. We were exhausted beyond belief because there are times were baking 500 cupcakes a day.
Unfortunately, a few years later, we had to close doors because at that time I was five months pregnant I got sick and the baby in my stomach got sick and we ended up losing our little girl. We had to stay strong as a family because of this lost and we had to take time off and refocus on our family.
It will take me another five years to open up my bakery again. But this time, I opened it here in Fort Worth, TX a year a and half after moving here. I have a wonder 5-year-old boy that help me come up with my bakery name, Sweet Frosted Cookies.
I started Sweet Frosted Cookies June of 2018, here out of my home under the Cottage Law. I learned how to decorate cookies on my own. Just like with everything I know about baking, I am a self-taught cookie artist. When I opened in June I wanted to teach cookie decorating to children.
Moving forward seven months later, so much had happened. I teach kids cookie decorating every weekend, I teach ladies night out cookie decorating once or twice a month. I do private parties and also corporate events. I probably teach at least close to a hundred students a month. Sometimes, my ladies night out will have over almost 100 guests.
Now, I was just voted by Fort Worth people the Most Loved Cakes and Cupcakes Bakery 2019 by HulaFrog.
On top of that, I have been invited to compete for one of the biggest networks for cookie decorating show. However, I am not allowed to say who this network it until the show airs the end of this year.
From here, God only knows where He wants to take my business. As for me, to go this far just being opened seven months would not have been possible without the help and support my loving husband, my two children.
I am blessed and grateful for where Sweet Frosted Cookies is now.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Getting here has not been a smooth road. Being self-taught requires patience with my self especially when I’m running the whole business by myself and raising a 5-year-old at home.
Lots of sacrifices have to be done and lots of sleepless nights had to take place. Sometimes, I had to ask my self is it worth it.
When I start to ask those questions, my husband is always here to remind me that I do this because it is my passion and my love for sharing to people.
I am able to have the strength because of my husband’s help and my family’s understanding.
To get here, my whole family had to sacrifice with me as well.
As a family, that’s what we do for each other help one another reach their dream and their happiness.
Sweet Frosted Cookies – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I opened Sweet Frosted Cookies here in Fort Worth, TX June of 2018. I create beautiful wedding cakes, French macarons, decorated sugar cookies, cupcakes, cake pops and many more. are a full-service bakery. We also offer gluten free, egg free, dairy free and vegan option.
I am well known for my cookie decorating classes where I teach children and adults how to turn simple cookies into beautiful edible art. I also help parents with their children parties by going to their home and teaching children how to decorate cookies as part of their special day. I also do the same thing for corporate private events.
I am very proud of how much as a company I have accomplished after only being open seven months here in Fort Worth.
I’ve taught close to thousands of students, baked thousands and thousands of cookies, received the Most Loved Cakes and Cupcakes Award (voted by Fort Worth people), and most of all to be invited to one of the biggest networks to compete to decorate cookies with very talended amazing pastry chef and cookie artist in the country.
What sets me apart from others who do the same thing I do is I get to know my clients (not in a creepy way). I talk to them as if they are my friends. They tell me about their family. I actually keep in touch with most of the people that I have ordered from me or have taken classes from me.
Another thing is I actually share my recipes to everyone. I go live on Facebook and Instagram and I share how I bake my sweets and my recipes and I have a YouTube channel that I’m actually showing how to bake my sweets.
I have been asked why I share the recipes that I use for my business. My simple response is since I am blessed enough to have this knowledge I then have an obligation to share them to everyone who wants to learn.
Most importantly, that sets me apart from others is I do my best to help my community. I am constantly donating cookies to school during their bake sales to raise funds for their school.
I have donated thousands of cookies to schools, non-profit organizations and other organizations that needs help.
This coming March, I am donating 1,200 plus decorated sneakers shoe cookies to Aledo Children’s Advocates for their Run, Walk, or Crawl 5k/1k fundraising to the participants.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I love baking with my five years old and creating these happy moments with him means so much to me.
So, the proudest moment of my career is when I realized that I am able to share that happy moment I create with my son outside my home. To be able to share it to with my students, especially when the children are so happy that they can see their beautiful creation on cookies.
When I see their faces light up because of what they are able to create.
That I’m able to provide more than just cookies, I’m providing and creating memorable moments with people that attend my classes.
Pricing:
- Children Cookie Decorating Classes $35.00 (2 hour class with Chef Alexis, includes organic cookies and all materials needed to decorate cookies. They get to take home all their cookies) $35
- Ladies/Adults Cookie Decorating Class (2 hour class with Chef Alexis, includes organic cookies and all materials needed to decorate cookies. They get to take home all their cookies) $50
- Custom Handmade Organic Cakes
- Custom Handmade Organic Decorated Sugar Cookies starts at $5
- Custom Handmade Organic Edible Photo Design Cookies $5
- Custom Handmade Organic French Macarons $3.75
- Custom Handmade Organic Cupcakes $3.75
- Custom Handmade Organic Chocolate Chip Cookies $2.75
- Custom Handmade Organic Cake Pops $3.75
- Custom Handmade Organic Oreo Cookies $3.25
- Custom Handmade Seasonal Fresh Flower Decorated Butter Cookies $3.50
- We offer gluten free, egg free, dairy free and vegan option
- Private Birthday Party Cookie Decorating Class $35
- Private Corporate Cookie Decorating Class $50
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sweetfrostedcookies.com
- Phone: 817-918-2344
- Email: alexisr@sweetfrostedcookies.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sweet_frosted_cookies/
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/sweetfrostedcookies.com
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/sweetfrosted
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/sweetfrostedcookies/pins/
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
