Today we’d like to introduce you to Caitlin Cortez.
Hi Caitlin, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Ever since I can remember, I’ve always loved being in the kitchen. I had a VERY southern grandmother, and even though she passed when I was young, I can still vividly remember watching her almost dance across the kitchen floor like a sugar plum fairy. It was like magic; everything she touched was gold. She was the kind of woman who could make a bowl of oatmeal decadent. As I grew up, I fell in love with fashion but never stopped baking. With my trusty old KitchenAid mixer in tow, I graduated from Oklahoma State University with a degree in Apparel Design and Production and worked as a handbag designer for 7 years. Like many women, I left my job to stay home with my kids but quickly learned that I not only craved the creative outlet I left, but I needed it. I decided to start baking again with my kids (one strapped to my chest and two on stools beside me) so I could figuratively kill 3 birds with one stone: I got to be creative, they got to play and make a mess, and we’d get a snack out of it.
I started an Instagram account, the_flakey_baker, to document our daily baking journey and before I knew it I found myself running a decorated sugar cookie business. In between sugar cookie orders, I kept playing in the kitchen and documenting both successes and failures. One night, I struck actual gold with my take on an Oatmeal Cream Pie (my lunch of choice in Junior High). Something about this nostalgic treat struck a chord with my followers and requests started rolling in. Soon, I phased out sugar cookies and dove deep into a world of NY-style drop cookies and binge-worthy sandwich cookies. The Flakery is now a bespoke cottage bakery that specializes in nostalgic flavors with an irreverent twist.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Let me put it this way: my husband has probably logged enough man-hours in my emotional downfalls to earn himself a psychotherapist license. With so many cookies in rotation, there’s a new struggle every week. Whether it’s a mistake in dry good prep, a glaze that won’t set, accidentally overselling, or a fuse going out on my heat sealer- there’s always something going wrong. As a team of one, the biggest struggle is really just finding a solution quickly and moving on.
Beyond production issues, scaling my business while being a present mom has been another obstacle to overcome. Learning how to manage a large number of orders out of a home kitchen while working on a new product line, and showing up to every soccer game (without powdered sugar all over me) has been humbling, to say the least.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
The Flakery is a cottage bakery that specializes in bespoke cookies. My business model is unique for a bakery in that every cookie is made to order. I host a presale on Sunday evenings and bake to fulfill orders all week so that customers can pick up on Friday. I have a roster of almost 100 cookies that I rotate on the menu each week, so there is always something for everyone. The Flakery’s menu includes NY-style drop cookies, sandwich cookies, cake cookies, cookies with brownies stuffed inside, and even cookies with bacon on them. I strive to give every cookie a personality and a flavor profile that has been crafted to always leave you wanting more. Not local? No problem. The Flakery is currently working on a project to share easy recipes so that even the worst bakers in the world can whip up some magic in their own kitchen.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
People matter most to me. Every time someone orders a cookie from The Flakery, they invite me into their lives. Whether my cookies were on the kitchen counter as someone opened a college acceptance letter, left out for Santa, or eaten in the driveway after a really bad day- to know that they are part of someone’s best, worst, or even most average day is something I cherish. I truly have the best customers, and I thank God every day that they aren’t Keto.
Contact Info:
- Website: shoptheflakery.com
- Instagram: the_flakey_baker
Image Credits
Amanda Green Photography
