An Inspired Chat with Sarah Kauzmann of Lehigh Valley

Sarah Kauzmann shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Sarah, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
In June of last year, I was able to make a dessert spread for my brother’s wedding. I was beyond thrilled to have been able to do this for him not only because I adore him as a sibling but also as a small thanks for all the support, advice, and help he has offered while I continue to grow my business. He’s an incredible sounding board for ideas and always challenges me to think outside the box. Being able to do what I love as a thanks and share it with him, my sister in law, and all our family and friends was truly special.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Sarah and I own Pipit’s Bakery, a small batch bakery business located in PA. I would say my specialty are French macarons which I love making partly because of the seemingly endless variety of flavor combinations but also because they are so delicate and fancy. They are colorful, little bursts of flavor that seem to bring smiles to faces young and old. Besides macarons, I enjoy making classic cookies and brownies while also playing with flavors. Coming into the fall and winter we’re launching a maple pecan cookie packed with toasted pecans and pure maple syrup that I cannot stop eating.

My business in general is all about putting smiles on peoples faces. Whether it’s seeing a regular at a farmers market and chatting about their weekend while they munch on a cookie or having a kid try a macaron for the first time and realize they love them. It’s all about bringing a little joy into their lives which, in turn, brings loads of joy into mine. What can I say? I just love baking for people.

Okay, so here’s a deep one: Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
If it’s OK with you, I think I’d rather answer the opposite of this question: Who were you when the world told you who you had to be and who are you now?

When I first graduated college/grad school and joined the work force I had this belief (thanks to “the world”) that I needed to work in the grind for years before I could follow my dreams. The main idea back then was: get a “normal” job and then maybe you can follow your dreams later, maybe as a side hustle or a hobby or, heck, even during retirement

Thank goodness I didn’t listen to the world. Instead, I got a job as a pastry chef and absolutely fell in love (I’ve been baking since I was a kid but never professionally which is a completely different ball game). I worked weird hours, learned how to bake all sorts of new things, and learned that I never wanted to sit behind a desk in an office.

Only a handful of years later in 2020, I launched Pipit’s, not later in life, not as a hobby, not as my retirement plan. The world told me I needed to go to an office and work a desk job 40 hours a week: instead I created a lifestyle that works for me; baking and running a business while also working a part-time remote job as a graphic designer for a local newspaper (because I believe in good journalism and local news).

What fear has held you back the most in your life?
I think the fear of disappointing people has held me back a lot in life. I grew up in a very tight knit loving family and I never want to disappoint them or fail them. I’m lucky they are the most supportive people in my life.

I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. Is the public version of you the real you?
I would hope the answer to this is yes. I try my best to be as authentic as possible when meeting people, at events, and on social media. Too often people only show the best versions of themselves for others to see in the public view. I’ve learned over the years, my favorite people/businesses are the ones that show the mess ups and mistakes. The one’s that show the entire batch of cookie dough they had to throw out because a spatula fell into the mixer while it was running and splintered into a million pieces (true story) or the emotional struggles that come with owning a small business or the imposter-syndrome that hits often making you think: are you really a pastry chef or are you just making this up as you go along?

I try to be as real as possible. I want everyone to see that I love what I do but it can also be a lot of work and, frankly, totally suck sometimes.

Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. Are you tap dancing to work? Have you been that level of excited at any point in your career? If so, please tell us about those days. 
During the first six months of this year (about four and a half years into running Pipit’s), I built out a full commercial kitchen in my walk-out basement. I did about 90% of the work with the help of my parents, brother, and sister-in-law. It was an insane amount of work and I am not ashamed to admit there were many meltdowns and moments when I wasn’t sure it was going to work out (from when the 3-bay sink we’d installed leaked after the 3rd time trying to fix it to when the double decker commercial Blodgett oven I purchased second-hand arrived and was completely different than the pictures the company listed online and I had to fight to return it because it wasn’t the right one).

Honestly, throughout the entire process I was second guessing whether I “deserved” this, whether my business was “legitimate” enough to be putting all this time and money into expanding it (I had been renting a kitchen for 4 1/2 years for the business and this was a huge step in solidifying the business as the “real deal” in my brain, even though it had always been the real deal, I just occasionally had imposter syndrome about being a business owner/pastry chef).

Then, when the project was 95% done, I was removing the construction paper I had laid down to protect the new flooring in the kitchen and out of the blue, my eyes started to water as the realization hit that this was MY kitchen; that I was going to be able to make whatever I wanted with no time constrains; that I was in full control; that this was my space.

A month ago, I had another moment: I was baking 300 macarons in one day, the music was playing and I was in the zone and it suddenly hit me again: this was my kitchen. I’d built this space with the money I made from my business that I had started in the middle of a pandemic. I’m not exaggerating when I say I was dancing through the rest of the day.

Although I still second guess myself often, it’s the moments when I am so proud of myself for the work I’ve put in and the genuine excitement for everything I get to do in the future that keep me going and keep me dancing around a kitchen by myself. I don’t much care about legacies, but if people remember me, I hope they remember someone who worked hard and was proud of herself, even if she cried a few times from stress. Oh and I guess that I baked some yummy treats too!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.pipitsbakery.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pipitsbakery/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pipitsbakery