Meet Dawn Oxnard

 

We recently connected with Dawn Oxnard and have shared our conversation below.

Dawn, thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?

With baked goods from any & all bakers. Whenever I find a new bakery, I try it. I usually ask what their most popular item is & try that, as well as, anything else that catches my eye. I also follow many people on social media & receive quite a few food blogs/newsletters, too.

Since moving to Florida, I have very much been inspired by local, seasonal fruits. For example, I’d never even seen a Kumquat before the festival for them I attended last year in Dade City, about 20 minutes North of where I live. I asked a group of women who were eating these tiny little “tangerines” out of a basket & asked “Is that a kumquat?”. They immediately made me eat one, skin on… “just take a bite!” they said. Well, it was sweet of them, but that kumquat was anything but sweet. In a word, blach!!! However, I thanked them & peeled what was left of it & ate the inside. Now THAT was delicious! During that festival, I purchased Kumquat Pound Cake, Kumquat Shortbread & even Kumquat Juice, all were amazing and yes, the ideas started coming. I’m still playing around with perfecting a new Kumquat Cupcake to add to my menu in the future. It IS an acquired taste, but I’m up for the challenge.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

From a young age, I was my Grandma’s “assistant” in the kitchen. Her name was Louise & she passed only a couple of years ago at the age of 98! Grandma taught me everything about baking cookies & pies (not to mention all the cooking; she was 100% Italian). When she was in her early 90’s, I learned from her that I inherited my love of baking cupcakes from HER Mother, my Great-Grandma Catherine, who was an avid cupcake baker. Nice to know that it runs in the family (and that my Great-Grandpa Luigi didn’t like frosting)!

In 2015, I decided to try baking for the public, branching out from just family, friends & co-workers (aka: my early guinea pigs) and Cake & Pop Unique Cupcakes was born! Sometime in early 2018, I decided to try more than just cupcakes. From my Grandma’s M&M Cookies to pies with her amazing water whip pie crust, I updated the name to Cake & Pop Bake Shop. But after almost 10 years, we’re now & forever: A Baking Adventure!

A few years later, while still in Massachusetts, I started baking for pets, too. Our previous pup, Jeannie, was very particular about her treats, so I baked for her & for friend’s dogs, cats and even once for rabbits!!! I have since created fun Gotcha & Birthday Cakes for dogs and even a “last cake” for one special pup.

I’ve slowed down a bit & cut back some of my extensive menu since moving to Florida, and those are the only cakes I still bake, but I have always been happy to try ANY flavor combo that has been requested.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

1. Create a menu of what makes you happy to bake and what will CONTINUE to give you joy.
2. Figure out your prices based on what it costs you & your time, not just what others are charging.
3. Make a Timeline of what you want to accomplish, but without dates. Just a list and check off as you go.

And most importantly, NEVER GIVE UP!

Looking back over the past 12 months or so, what do you think has been your biggest area of improvement or growth?

Pupcakes! I’ve been doing SO many more of them down here than I ever did back home. They are all human-grade, all-natural with peanut butter I make myself from shelled, unsalted peanuts. I think that is a big draw, since there are many ingredients out there that can harm pups, with “hidden” names you wouldn’t even think were scary.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

all of the photos are mine.

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