Meet Kenia Contreras

We were lucky to catch up with Kenia Contreras recently and have shared our conversation below.

Kenia, 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.

Even with fear, do it!
Imposter syndrome is an uninvited guest that comes to the party and starts questioning everything I do and looking for the perfection. It comes from a lovely place where wants me to do it better and improve my skills so, knowing that, when all this questions and thoughts are around I just take a moment to look around for the facts of why I am doing it, perfectionism doesn’t exist and trying to look for it will make me lose a lot of time that I can use in something positive.
What is the worst that can happen if you do it? If the result is not what you were looking for, then you will learn for the experience, fix what you have to and try again !

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

My name is Kenia, I am a professional baker born and raised in Mexico.
My passion for culinary arts started since I was a kid, I always loved to be in the kitchen with my mom and grandma baking. Always surrounded by delicious aromatic food and fresh bread. At an early age I realized that food brings family and community together, and it´s how we show love.

In 2015 I opened a bakery in my hometown in Mexico, I ran the business for 3 years until I decided to pack my suitcase and have new experiences in New Jersey.
In 2021, my husband encouraged me to share my passion with the world through a blog, youtube videos and social media. In 2022, during this adventure, the business idea was encouraged by my friends and family, who supported me by buying products and recommending me to other friends. I feel that the business chose me to bring a piece of Mexico through our products.

In 2023 Apapacho LLC was created as a business offering Mexican Bread and Baking classes to people in NJ and NYC

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?

Organization, it is very important to organice your time and things to do.
Financial administration and business acumen
Curiosity to continue learning and to know that there is always an area or skill that needs to be improved

If you knew you only had a decade of life left, how would you spend that decade?

Being a new mom with a four month old makes planning and getting things done challenging, but I am in the journey of learning how to navigate a growing family and my business

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Jesica Gonzalez @jesicagphotography
Diego @Diego_OQ @theclicknewyork

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