Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole Hauer.
Hi Nicole, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I have worked in the music business for the last 16 years handling tour marketing for an artist management firm. When COVID struck in 2020, I found myself unemployed. It was a hard time, not only was I emotionally processing unemployment for the first time, but my husband (who’s also in the music business) was also unemployed, I have two children who were virtual learning, I was signing up for free meals and food pantry visits, I was applying to every job I could get my hands on, and as if that wasn’t enough, I later faced a health scare which lead to surgery. Like a lot of people during the pandemic, I was depressed and anxious. When sharing with my girlfriends, they encouraged me to share my love for baking. It was an outlet and offered me to get creative and step outside my reality and into something more fun and positive. I’ve always made cakes and goodies for my family and friends, but never have I shared my talents outside of my ‘circle’. But my friends saw that there was an opportunity for me to share my hobby with others.
With some prodding, I made an Instagram page and slowly started sharing my creations. I never would have thought that anyone would have cared about what I made, but word spread and more and more people started asking for a cake for a birthday party, or a cake for a baptism, or macarons for a family gathering or cookies for a work function. Best yet, I was asked to make a wedding cake!! I was finding that my passion was turning into an incredible hobby. My hands were staying busy, and my mind was distracted from the constant hustle and grind of my daily life while searching for a job. I’m happy to say that in the summer of 2021, I did finally land a job and I continue to keep my passion and hobby alive. It’s the best of both worlds.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Hobbies are fun, but it’s also an awesome space to learn more about yourself, your strengths and weaknesses, and how hard you’re willing to push yourself. I learned how I have to rethink time management and juggle baking with marketing, design, delivery and creativity all while also being a mom and a wife and rebuilding my resume again and again and juggling one job interview while applying for another job…all within my (very!) limited kitchen space! I continue to learn with every new bake what it means to be a baker; new techniques, new designs, ordering supplies, and which products are better than others. Learning how to handle cakes and goodies in different temperatures and climates. Messing up and quickly learning how to fix it!
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Baking is a hobby. A hobby that I really, really enjoy. And a hobby that I get to experiment and try new things. My everyday life is mundane and routine, but thinking about cakes and the flavors I’m going to attempt or the colors and design I’m going to construct is exciting and occupies my thoughts! It’s fun! And fun brings joy. Sharing my creativeness and joy is the best part. I get to see people’s first reaction after weeks of anticipation and it fills me up and carries me into the next project. I thrive on the happiness people express after they see their cake or goodies for the first time. I get a high! And I take that excitement and happiness and pour it into my next creation. And the cycle continues. I hope that joy radiates and that’s what people know me for. I deal with sweets and celebration, what’s not to be happy and joyful about?!
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
My friends deserve a lot of credit. They encouraged me to be more vocal and share myself more publically. I would have never (NEVER!) shared this outright with strangers. I would have been so happy just making my daughter’s seven years old cake or a pie during the holidays. But they planted the idea and pushed me to play with it. My husband also deserves credit as he patiently worked around my baking messes. He was also a great sounding board for when I was trying to work through a problem and offered ideas or criticism that would leave me in better standing in the end. He was also very patient with me when I would stay up late in bed, scrubbing the internet, watching ‘how-to’ YouTube videos or other bakers on IG and would get hyped up for new designs and techniques I wanted to try the next day!
Contact Info:
- Email: littlekitchenbigcakes@gmail.com
- Instagram: @littlekitchenbigcakes
