Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Poulsen.
Hi Emily, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Growing up, my mom was always in the kitchen. She taught me the basics of cooking and baking and I really liked it. Then in high school, I decided to take a Home Ec class and I did really well and realized I liked it a lot. It wasn’t until a high school job fair that I decided I wanted to go into culinary school. I took a longer route just to be sure and got an Associate’s degree in Science. Once I finished that, I applied to CAI and graduated with high honors and another Associate.
In between all of that, I married the love of my life and found out that I was pregnant with a sweet little girl. I decided to put my culinary career on hold for a little bit to have my baby. But I found that it was just too hard to stay away from!
I have worked in many bakeries all over Utah and Arizona. While I love baking, I have found that I like to do things my own way with my own recipes, so I decided to open the little baker. I am a cottage licensed home baker but am hoping to open a storefront in Chandler in the next few years. I make anything from delicious chocolate chip cookies to beautifully decorated cakes to delicate French macarons and everything in between!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
While I am very far from my ending goals, it hasn’t been a super easy road! I have two daughters and I constantly struggle with my role as a mother and making sure I am spending enough time with them. I want them to know that they come first, before my bakeshop! As a home baker, it is really hard to separate the time with them at home and the time I spend baking, doing admin work, etc. However, I have an incredibly supportive husband who does everything he can to help me!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I would love to have one specialty- I feel like it would make life simpler! But when someone asks for something special or different, I love working with them to come up with a special dessert that fits their occasion! My favorite thing to bake (and eat!) are French Macarons. They are delicate, naturally gluten-free cookies with a delicious filling. I love playing around with different colors and flavors! I feel like not very many places sell decent macarons and I pride myself in making those little bites of heaven!
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
There is an amazing community of home bakers in Phoenix and surrounding areas! Most home bakers that I have found have been supportive and helpful! My mentors definitely come from my time in culinary school, but I love finding others who have bakeries! Instagram has been a very helpful start!
Pricing:
- $24/dozen french macarons
Contact Info:
- Email: thelittlebakeraz@gmail.com
- Website: thelittlebakeraz.weebly.com
- Instagram: @thelittlebakeraz
