We recently connected with Alexis Canela and have shared our conversation below.
Alexis, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?
I try very hard to keep my creativity alive by always trying out new recipes or techniques. When orders slow down I make sure to keep baking and decorating even if it’s just for my family. I also like to try and keep up with the current trends and put my own creative spin on them!
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am a home baker and cake decorator. I just LOVE bringing a customers vision to life and making it taste just as good as it looks! I love baking anything and everything from cookies, cupcakes, cheesecakes, cakes, tiramisu and much much more! I started by becoming the designated baker at my family’s restaurant when I volunteered to make some chocolate chip cookies and cannolis for our display case at the restaurant. The rest has been history, I still bake once or twice a week at the restaurant but what I have really fallen in love with is making custom orders. I love being able to make any celebration that much more special by providing a delicious and beautiful dessert. As of right now I am working on getting the word out about my services to a wider audience.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
A few qualities/skills that have helped me get to where I am are first off just saying yes. This may not be the best advice but when I first started I said yes to anything and everything that I was asked about just to open doors for myself. Whether it was a giant cake that took me 3 days to make or making an item that I have never seen of heard of before I said yes to everything in the beginning. Because of this, there were many sleepless nights spent testing recipes, trying new techniques and experimenting. Saying yes to everything has opened so many doors for me because not only do I now have more faith in myself then ever before but I have been able to grow my confidence by pushing myself in this way. Another quality that I possess that has helped me on this journey is dedication. Even on the days that I am working 8 hours or more at my real job or overwhelmed with homework, I make sure to get each order completed to the best of my ability despite what might be weighing me down in my personal life. Lastly I would say being flexible is incredibly important when starting a new business or providing a service. Being flexible with customers in my experience makes them a lot more appreciative of the services that you are providing them and even more likely to come back to you in the future.
Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?
There are so many people that have supported me as I am growing my business. I would have to say my grandma, Terri has made a huge impact on my all around love and appreciation for the skill of baking and decorating. For as long as I can remember she was always ready to bake a new recipe with me and let me take hold of the reigns and she is always willing to attend a cake decorating class with me! Her and I have also experienced a lot of trial and error together over the years wether it be accidentally making cookies with expired butter or forgetting a crucial ingredient at the store and making due with what we have, she has taught me that we can always benefit from our mistakes. This mindset has helped me to keep my cool when things inevitably go wrong in the kitchen from time to time. All of my parents including my mom, step dad, dad and step mom have always been incredibly supportive by getting the word out about my business to their friends and colleagues, having me new ideas and of course cleaning up my messes that I have a habit of leaving behind in the kitchen.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: lexs.cakery
- Other: email: alexiscanela01@gmail.com
Image Credits
The beautiful professional photos of the black heart cake and of myself are courtesy of Lily O’Dell who goes by the Instagram handle @endless.lenses
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
