We recently connected with Rosa LePelch and have shared our conversation below.
Rosa, so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we know how words to describe, but it’s something that has held people back forever and so we’re really interested to hear about your story and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
I really struggled with this, In fact, I still do to an extent! How could I, someone who didn’t go to culinary school, call myself a pastry chef?! I really used to beat myself up about this all the time. The best advice I could give, is to simply own the new reality you’ve created for yourself. I no longer wanted to put myself down anymore and I accepted the fact that this what I am, even though it made me feel so uncomfortable. As time progresses, you will be get better at whatever it is you do. As a result, you gain confidence and it then becomes a bit easier to give yourself a title. I’m always open to learning new things so I would say as long as you’re open to getting better and learning more, imposter syndrome slowly starts to fade away. Hang in there and enjoy the ride!
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
Hi there! My name is Rosa and I’m the owner/founder of Rosa Bakes, an 100% plant-based gourmet bakery located in Chantilly, VA. We offer cakes, cupcakes, donuts, cookies, and brownies, made with organic and non-GMO ingredients. During the holidays, we tend to release new products including uniquely crafted assorted dessert boxes. At the moment, we don’t have our own storefront. We operate out of a shared commercial kitchen in Chantilly. We have dreams of owning our very own brick-and-mortar shop in Northern Virginia, and potentially across the globe! Orders must be placed on our website (www.rosabakes.com) a few days in advance. You may pick up your order at the kitchen, or have it delivered to you for an additional cost calculated on our website.
We are honored to serve the DMV area our plant-based treats. It means so much that I’m able to do this for the community. The world needs more plant-based options and I’m so blessed that I have the opportunity to provide delicious tasting desserts that aren’t heavily sweetened. Because I have a background in Nutrition, I have offered Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) desserts on occasion, to cater to individuals who stay away from refined flours, sugars, oils, salt, and alcohol. This also includes gluten-free options!
My journey to veganism began around 8 years ago when my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. A kind woman had given her a book called, “Crazy Sexy Diet” by Kris Carr. In the book, Kris talks about her rare form of cancer, how she adopted a plant-based diet, and explains how to do so ourselves. After reading the book, my mom and I began our journey. Shortly after, my sister and three older brothers joined us. Since then, we have never looked back. I’ve always had an interest in nutrition starting at a young age. I absolutely loved the way my body felt after having green smoothies, salads, fruits and veggies. Therefore, making the transition wasn’t very difficult for me. My dad is an excellent cook so on occasion I would miss his meals and sweet treats! I’m grateful to say that my dad respects our lifestyle and cooks us delicious vegan meals. My mom and I have a big sweet tooth so once we transitioned, I was on Pinterest constantly testing new recipes out and having fun in the kitchen. We didn’t want to drive to Washington D.C. every time we wanted to satisfy our cravings so I enjoyed the process and still do to this day!
If I’m going to be honest, my passion for the kitchen has come and go in phases. Turning your hobby into a full-time gig is quite the challenge and is drastically different. However, I’m very passionate about the work I do. Rosa Bakes aims to show individuals that you can still enjoy delectable desserts, just without the animal cruelty. Not to mention, it’s also much better for your health and the environment! That’s not to say that our desserts are healthy (unless it’s WFPB) because at the end of the day, sugar is sugar. We do take pride in not heavily sweetening our treats and staying away from artificial flavors/preservatives. As time progresses, we do plan on offering a lot more healthier alternatives as I’m very passionate about eating healthy and catering to more individuals.
If you would like to stay up-to-date with new product releases, make sure you sign up on our hotplate site to keep in touch with us. You may also subscribe to our email list at rosabakes.com at the bottom of the page. We send out new product releases, information on upcoming events, and on occasion, special discount codes!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I would say my passion, my perseverance/dedication, and my daily self-care routine. There have been SO many times where I have wanted to give up. There have been plenty of difficult moments in my journey, but I make sure to remind myself of my purpose. This rekindled the passion within myself and has helped me to continue to do the work that I do. You’ve got to remind yourself why you’re doing this. So when times get really rough, I tell myself that I do this for my family, my friends, the community, the animals, the health of the planet, and the health of us humans on earth! My advice would be to make a list of the reasons why you are doing the work that you do, and to refer to it often. It will motivate you to keep going no matter how hard it gets. Without my perseverance/dedication, I don’t think I would be running my business. I’m not the type to give up. I understand that I’m capable of achieving anything in this life and I have big dreams. So by reminding myself of the reasons why I’m doing this and being grateful for my life, it has taken me to places I would have never imagined.
That leads me to my next point; my daily self-care routine! This has been the absolute most important thing for me. How can you serve others if you don’t first help yourself? If you don’t respect yourself and your time, you’re most likely going to burn yourself out and negatively impact your physical and mental health. I say that because it happened to me and still does! It’s not easy running a business all by yourself. To help cope with stress, I make sure to eat a healthy well-balanced vegan diet, meditate, do yoga, engage in physical activity, spend time in nature, dance, listen to music, and express gratitude every single day. It’s been difficult for me to get a work out in every day as I spend most of my time in the kitchen (at work and at home!). Luckily, I’m always on my feet running around so I get my steps in. My advice would be to find things that you love to do and allow yourself the time to do those things. It’s important to not feel guilty about it as well. Listen to your body and feed your soul! If you’re feeling your best, you’ll perform better at work, be in a better mood, and be capable of doing so many things. The key thing to remember is that you run your own business, your business shouldn’t run you. I often get lost in trying to do all the things but I make sure to ask for help when it’s needed and I listen to my body. I still need to work on seeing my friends more often, but that’s also very important! I hope I was able to give you some solid advice that can help you in your journey. Remember that you are loved, deserving, and capable!
Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
I don’t even know where to begin. I write this with tears in my eyes because I’m so grateful to have such loving and supportive parents. I’m so lucky to have parents that love me and want the best for me. Gosh, there’s so many things that I could say but I would say the most impactful thing my parents did for me, was allowing me to start my own vegan baking business in their home. They sacrificed their own kitchen to be fully taken over by Rosa Bakes. That was one of the greatest things they’ve done for me. They believed in me and still do till this day. Starting my own business has impacted all areas of my life and it has allowed me to find my voice and the person I want to become. So I really wouldn’t be here without them. Especially my mom who is the reason why I’m vegan. Mom and Dad, if you’re reading this, know that I love you so much and I thank you for loving me and for being my biggest fans. I appreciate you so much and it’s a blessing to have you in my life. I can’t wait to be able to give you so much more in the future. Words cannot describe how thankful I am. Gracias y te quiero mucho!!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.rosabakes.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rosabakes/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosabakes
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/rosa-bakes-chantilly
- Other: Follow us on Instagram Threads! https://www.threads.net/@rosabakes Find us on Google! Search “Rosa Bakes” and please leave us a review!
