Meet Casey Strauss of Mount Juliet

Today we’d like to introduce you to Casey Strauss

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I have loved baking all my life. I started making recipes out of a cookbook my mom had when I was in middle school. It was always a hobby of mine but never something I imagined I would create a business out of.
Crunchi Cakes and Bakes started before I even realized it. In April of 2023, I made a baby shower cake for one of my coworkers. To my surprise, it was a huge hit and everyone loved it! Another coworker at the party ended up hiring me three more times over the next three months to make cakes for her because she loved my work.
After having my son in September of that year, I took a short break from baking during my maternity leave. At the end of my leave (beginning of 2024), I quit my job to stay home with my son. I started baking a lot more and created my Instagram page to document my baking. I chose the name Crunchi Cakes and Bakes because of my holistic/non-toxic (aka “crunchy”) lifestyle which I incorporate in my baking (as in, I try to avoid artificial dyes and seed oils). Shortly after, I made a Facebook marketplace listing for all of my baked goods.
The more I immersed myself in the baking world, the more I noticed that it was practically impossible to find someone who bakes cakes without seed oils or artificial dyes. Keeping with the “crunchy” theme, I decided to focus my brand on baking without any seed oils or artificial dyes, as well as using high quality, organic and local products as much as possible. Currently, my menu includes various sourdough products, cookies, croissants, cupcakes and custom cakes.

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?
It has been challenging as a new mom to balance getting work done for my business and being present with my son. My husband travels often for work so I am solo parenting when he’s gone. Thankfully, I’ve been able to lean into my “village” of friends when I need some extra help. I’ve had to work on managing my time well and being flexible. Though some days are tough, I am immensely grateful that I get to work from home and share what I love with my son.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
After I got married, I started making big changes to my health and diet, which included reading food labels and trying to avoid processed foods or specific ingredients in processed foods, as well as making things from scratch as much as possible. One of the big things I started cutting out of our diet was seed oils (vegetable oil, canola oil, etc). Because this was something I used very often in my baking, I set out to find an alternative oil I could use that would be healthier. I discovered that olive oil and avocado oil work great as a healthy swap and I’ve been using those ever since. A few years later I started cutting out artificial food dyes from my diet as well, and this year I had the idea to apply this principle to my baking. Things like seed oils or artificial dyes are extremely common in the baking world, which is what gave me the idea to do the complete opposite. I know there are lots of other people out there like me who might want a cake or cupcake but don’t want the dyes or bad oils. I wanted my business to be that place where people can know they are getting the “healthiest” baked goods they can get. This is also why I use organic ingredients as much as possible in all of my baked goods. `
Currently, I sell sourdough products, croissants, cupcakes, cookies and custom cakes. All of my products use organic ingredients, and are free from seed oils and artificial dyes. Though this has limited some of my customer base, I am proud of what I stand for and believe my focus on ingredients and high quality products sets me apart from other bakers.

What was your favorite childhood memory?
One of my favorite memories was from about age 8-9 years. I grew up in Oregon, and our family would take yearly trips to Wallowa Lake in the summer. One year, my dad and I woke up early because he wanted to go on a special trip fishing with just me (I have three other siblings so I didn’t get a lot of one-on-one time with him). Wallowa Lake has great trout fishing, so my dad and I set out to find a great spot to catch some trout. We got to a secluded area and started fishing. I caught 13 fish in a row! I remember my dad was so excited and also couldn’t believe that I kept reeling in fish over and over. It’s such a sweet memory to me because I got to spend time with just my dad doing something we both loved. It was just us having so much fun, and I really felt like I made him proud in that moment.

Pricing:

• Plain sourdough – $10, Flavored sourdough – $12-18
• Plain sourdough bagels – $10 for 6, flavored sourdough bagels – $12 for 6
• Chocolate chip walnut cookies – $3 each, $16 for 6, $30 for 12
• Plain croissants – $4 each, $15 for 4, $32 for 8, Chocolate croissant – $5 each, $25 for 5, $50 for 10
• Cupcakes – $36/dozen, Custom cakes vary depending on flavor, size, filling, and frosting ($40-$150 base price)

Contact Info:

• Website: App.simply-bread.co/crunchicakesandbakes
• Instagram: @crunchicakes
• Facebook: Crunchi Cakes and Bakes by Casey