Today we’d like to introduce you to Angelique Roseberry.
Hi Angelique, 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 suppose it really started when I was 17. My younger brother is Autistic, and his ultimate love language is food. He doesn’t have the same appreciation for gifts or kind words or any sort of traditional affection that I do. So, I started baking for him. After a couple of years, it became a regular thing for him to try and come up with the most insane cake idea he could think of to try and best me if you will. For his 12th birthday, he’d requested something like a “Superman-themed fish”. I wish I had a picture to show you, but let me tell you, that was the most Superman-looking fish you’d ever seen. When I showed it to him, he said, “wow, I just love you!” It was the first time he’d ever said that to me, and that’s the moment everything clicked. I had really begun to enjoy the challenges that came with cake decorating and uncovering the best approach to a new design is my favorite kind of puzzle. But, ultimately, I want the cakes that I make to bring people the kind of joy that that Superman fish brought to my brother. The kind of joy that makes a kid who disdains all displays of emotion burst out with love for his sister.
I continued baking for my family and close friends, but I still wasn’t quite sure how I wanted to pursue it as a career. I had had a couple of different jobs at this point, but nothing ever felt quite right. I was offered a change in position at the place I was working and initially truly had every intention of accepting. I just couldn’t do it, though. I sat down and Googled “entry-level bakery jobs Fort Worth.” The first thing that came up was an application for an internship at Leah’s Sweet Treats on Camp Bowie. I applied right away and started within two weeks of that day. My internship was such an incredible blessing, and I feel so lucky to have stumbled upon it the way that I did. It was the ultimate training that I needed to be successful in my business. I was hired on at the end of my internship and assumed that I would be there for years. It was the work I’d always wanted to do, prepping me for my eventual business goals, and I had awesome, fun coworkers.
I got married in February of 2018. On my honeymoon, my husband and I started discussing the actual launch of my own cake business. I decided that it might be a good idea to get a few orders under my belt while I still had a steady income. Well, less than a week after coming home and getting back to work, we had a staff meeting where I learned that the bakery I worked at was closing down in a month. To be frank, I went into an absolute tailspin. I had all of these plans to make a long, very slow, smooth transition into working for myself, and they all went out the window. After the meeting, I called my dad and quite literally cried hysterically. I thought I’d have to just find some other job and there were no other bakeries I was interested in working at, so it wouldn’t even be in my field. It felt like a massive setback. But then my dad said, “if you want to have your own business, why don’t you just do it?” When he said it, it all seemed so simple. So, that’s what I did.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
It definitely hasn’t been an easy road. Business was coming in stronger than ever when I had a personal tragedy toward the end of 2019 that caused me to take some time off. I was ready to hit the ground running again and was booked through mid-June of 2020 when the pandemic hit, and slowly nearly every order canceled. I gave birth to my first child that August, and honestly, the entire summer leading up to his birth was a traumatic blur. Truth be told, I really thought that was the end of my business.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a baker and a cake artist. Buttercream is my first love and I could pipe beautiful flowers all day, every day. Some days, I actually have! Since going into business, I’ve really come into my own with my fondant work. I love seeing a hand-cut project come together; I don’t think there’s anything more satisfying.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you.
I’ve had a lot of unreasonably good timing. It feels quite lucky to me that I found the bakery the way that I did. I also think there was something a little magical about dreaming up my business and making plans right before I really needed them. I had no idea what was coming. In that regard, I suppose you could just say that I’m deeply lucky to have married a man who is my very biggest fan and dared me to dream my wildest dreams the day of our conversation. I would never have been so bold without his gentle push.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/lange.de.gateau?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/L-Ange-de-Gâteau-741132722744125/
