Today we’d like to introduce you to Leslie Quiroz.
Hi Leslie, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
Of course, first of all I want to thank Voyage Houston for this amazing opportunity to share my story and give us the readers point of view. I am Leslie Quiroz owner/baker of Lely bakes homemade for your special events. I’m from a little town in North Carolina and I have always been surrounded by women that love to cook and keep traditional recipes in the family; by that, I mean nothing written or cook books. All I had to do was watch and learn. As a curious 5-year-old I always wanted to help my grandma make tortillas or pancakes every Saturday morning. My favorite TV/Show was watching Julia Child on PBS, and whenever I got a chance I would cut out recipes out of oatmeal boxes, flour bags and keep them inside a little booklet. My mom would always ask me, when are you going to bake them? I would tell her “whenever I learn how to turn on the oven”. When I turned thirteen, I started experimenting in the kitchen, finally I knew how to make tortillas, I always loved trying new things. My aunt taught me how to make flan, and tres leches cakes, and ever since, I have kept our family recipes written down so I don’t forget them. In high school, I was selling flans left and right, taking them to my Spanish club school events. Everyone loved them. There are still some people that remember me by that. I went to college and majored in Tourism and Business Management in Mexico. Little did I know I would have cooking and baking seminars where I would learn the basics to help manage a restaurant or hotel. By the hand of many chefs there was one with enormous patience towards me who taught me step by step everything I know now about baking and helped me improve my skills.
I hope to go back someday and take classes soon to help me refresh some stuff and learn new techniques, I also learned a lot about my culture and my Mexican roots even more. The variety in breads, the quality of the ingredients, and how Mexico’s gastronomy has influenced the world. I really feel privileged every time I eat a concha or a piece of bread because the meaning of eating it is almost sacred in our culture. I know it sounds funny but it’s true. I fell in love with everything about the culinary arts and how I wanted to become a baker someday began as a young child. Now, I’m running a small business where I love to share a little piece of that experience with everyone.
And yes I do my best to make something the customer wants, but I always remind myself to add the special ingredient or try my best to follow the recipe so it’s different and unique so people can enjoy it. With an unexpected and a great outcome, I have reached a lot of people on Instagram and Facebook. At first, I was so skeptical because I stopped baking for a while from 2017-2020 after COVID. I had my baby, and I went through a rough stage without my family being here and feeling homesick. PPD was something I didn’t want to live with or have with my newborn, after a few panic attacks and shaky hands I started baking again. In Jan of 2021, my husband and I got our new house. I lost my job but somehow I tried to keep baking. I made our family birthday cakes and Christmas cookies every year and as therapy. I would make something I love: apple pie. So even though it wasn’t easy for me to bake, baking was my therapy. Then I decided to upload some pictures on Instagram with little hope people would even like what I make. I went to my first market with the owner and photographer from the Montrose Studios at Old Harrisburg Town for Valentines Day, and there I was reminded of my old town in Mexico and where I am now.
I know that Houston and the surrounding areas are HUGE compared to my little town in NC, but I felt markets were going to make a difference and give me the exposure I needed. So I did it and threw myself out there. I know God has always been present in my life and if I was able to bless someone with our treats I would. I continue to do them as I bake from home for any event, birthday parties, and special occasions. My sweet treats are also now shelved and displayed in a small boutique in humble texas that just opened september. Lovela Vendors Boutique is owned by my sweetest client I met last year and I have been part of her markets ever since. So it is a lot, but it’s just a small part of how I became a small home baker and how I will continue to do since we have many projects coming soon and we are working really hard to see them come to life. I have received so much love and I appreciate everyone who has shown up for me and my little family!
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?
I would say it has been a little rough since I was unaware of the summer heat in Houston, TX. Markets during the summer are such a challenge and indoor markets are hard to find. Since I am trying to keep everything cold I can no longer sell tres leches of flan to the public to avoid people getting sick.
Some people have asked what makes your tres leches or flan better? Since there are so many small and big businesses that do the same. The amount of competition doesn’t worry me since I know the value of everything I bake and what I went through learning how to make it. Makes me love the process every time someone enjoys my desserts. I have also been asked how do you make it? Not that I don’t want to share the recipes, but Plagiarism through social media can be scary, big corps and businesses want new things to get bigger and better. I know that sometimes not everyone will have the best intentions towards the small business industry and it seems very unfair. I don’t mind if people feel inspired, I have also been inspired by many other bakers and vendors that even become friends we support one another. If someone wants to learn something, I will be willing to teach them of course, I’ll probably think of a way and not just hand out my family recipes. Ingredients and recipes can be “secret” and cooking techniques can take time to develop. For me, it has been a struggle to overcome my fears slowly one day at a time burning cookies, cakes getting overmixed or hard to eat. It was a journey for me, and I don’t think it’s fair that for likes and shares, we give that away to people that don’t know the value of our roots and traditions. As some social media influencers say you’re not just paying for a cake, but the years of experience it took me to learn how to make it and when you have clients that value your work, it weighs more than gold.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Lelybakes?
Yes, so a lot of people ask me about the name. Why is it Lelybakes? So it’s short for my name Le stand for my first Name (Leslie) and Ly for (Lynette) my middle name. I was nicknamed by my uncle as Lele all the time which means baby in otomi. I didn’t want to refer to my bakery as baby bakes (laugh out loud) or use the Lele doll even though I’m still thinking about it in the near future. I specialize in cakes, dessert, and chocolate breakable hearts. I also like to cook and try new recipes. I bake for parties, weddings, quinceaneras, special occasions, holiday parties, etc. I am proud of our tres leches and everyone that tries it tells me how good they are, it just makes me so happy. We are now available at Lovela vendors boutique in Humble. Tx. We don’t have tres leches or flans, but we have our cake jars, brownies and other amazing sweet treats Tuesday through sunday.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts, or blogs that help you do your best?
Most certainly I enjoy reading in my spare time and though I may not have many cook books, I loved that my dad gifted me one that was most recent from paula deen’s Southern Baking on a trip to tennessee. I loved watching The Cake Boss and Laura in the kitchen on youtube and for my Mexican roots Guisos y Golosos del barroco from Yuri de Gortari and Pati’s Mexican Table. These have been very useful on my baking journey. My inspirations on how to make new recipes or use other ingredients more like experimenting new techniques and flavors.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://lnk.bio/Lelybakes
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/lelybakes?igshid=NzZlODBkYWE4Ng==
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lelybakes
