Check Out Ashley Greenfield-Gonzales’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Greenfield-Gonzales.

Hi Ashley, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I started HOMEmade in 2016. I had moved away from Clarksville briefly, got a new job, and felt uninspired and a little lost. I have a love for food as well as food photography and threw myself into all things scratch baking and picture taking. I was not very good at taking photos, but I really enjoyed them and needed somewhere to share them. Once I started sharing, people became interested and started asking if I had sold any of the baked goods I shared. The first ever baked good I sold was a pecan pie. I had never tasted pecan pie before, but someone asked, so I made one—this kind of re-lit my fire. I finally had something that was mine again, and I ran with it. One thing led to another, and I started offering other things, including cupcakes, cakes, and cookies. I enjoy the process and the reward of creating something with my hands. I enjoy sharing it with people I love, and I truly believe homemade goodies don’t have to be complicated. Throughout this journey, I try to share the good and the not-so-great. Not everything goes perfectly in the kitchen every time, and that’s okay. I’ve had the chance to grow in this business and find my niche. I enjoy working solely with buttercream. I think it is delicious and it’s not very fussy. Buttercream cookies have become a recent love of mine. I started offering iced buttercream cookies in 2020. We are also exploring and starting to offer mini-courses to help you learn how to make iced buttercream cookies! That’s our most recent adventure, and I am thrilled to start sharing what I know with others.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been smooth?
Oh man, I wish. I have worked full-time for most of this journey. Working a full-time job and trying to maintain a side business and a family is exhausting (I have two boys who are excellent taste testers!) It’s gratifying, but it is also exhausting. I’ve faced burnout a few times and contemplated giving it up altogether. When I started my page, it was just a hobby. When you take something you love and decide to monetize it, you risk losing your passion for it. I didn’t have any business experience, so although I was now taking orders, I still treated it as a hobby. I had to learn how to run a business and what goes into having a business. I may have been doing this since 2016. But I have focused on treating HOMEmade like a business these past two years. Things take time, and when they say you learn something new every day, you truly do. I am learning all the time! Another struggle I had was trying to find where I fit in. When you first start, you want to create these Instagram-worthy cakes and do what everyone else does because they’re doing it right. It took me a while to settle into my style, embrace it, and not apologize. I love rustic desserts. I love raw edges on cakes and not-so-smooth icing. I love the texture and soft colors.

Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I specialize in buttercream iced sugar cookies, cakes, and cupcakes; I’m most known for my buttercream iced sugar cookies. Those have been super popular. I’m also known for softer colors and more inspired designs. I’m most proud of myself for taking a huge leap and leaving my full time job to focus more on my creative work. Doing that has given me so much time to improve my photography and showcase my goodies.

What sets me apart from others? I would say I truly love what I do. I truly love knowing that you enjoyed the goodies you got from me. I’m truly interested when I’m at pop-ups and customers share their stories about baking and their favorite cookies. I was giving away pecan pie samples once, and someone came back to tell me how eating the pie brought back memories of her baking with her grandmother. What an amazing compliment! I remember smiling the rest of that day. I could have cared less if I had sold another cookie that day. I knew then that that would be why I keep doing this. That would be why you rest and return if you feel burnt out rather than give up. Your people are out there, and I have the best people.

So maybe we end by discussing what matters most to you and why?
The most important thing to me is that your treats are beautiful but that they taste GOOD! There’s no point if they don’t taste good, right? I often hear your cookies are so pretty and taste good, and it’s an amazing compliment, but I also think that should be a given! You’re choosing to spend your hard-earned money with my business. I want to make sure I deliver something delicious!

Contact Info:

• Website: homemadebyashleyg.com
• Instagram: @homemade_by_ashleyg
• Facebook: @homemadebyashleyg

Image Credits
Cookie cart photo – Lindsay Photography