Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Seeking inspiration

Sunday was filled with inspiration. It all began with sausages...
Nothing says "this day is going to be great" than kicking it off with sausages as cooked by an Irishman (I'm handy in the kitchen but I'm plain garbage at cooking sausages. I believe it's a skill born unto you). I put on warm boots and headed for the hills. The Wicklow mountains, actually. We were going to spend the day in Macreddin Village, tasting the many delicious tastes to be tasted at their annual Wild & Slow event. We heard talks by Darina Allen about forgotten skills and Philip McCabe about honey. I came out of it inspired, vowing "I'm going to make jams!" Aidan came out of it inspired, vowing, "I'm going to be a beekeeper!" We ate many kinds of wild game and were inspired to bring some home and experiment with some recipes ourselves. We bought a ton of Irish mushrooms and Irish syrups (I was inspired to drink some whiskey and rose hip syrup before taking to this computer). I went home really believing in my vision for my own little food company.

Here's a lesson for you: Don't open your e-mails on a Sunday evening. Do as I say, not as I do. It was one of those e-mail that bombs in your tummy. The kind that announces a large and unexpected expense. Whatever I spent that day on delicious, magnificent, inspiring Irish food products...well multiply that by X and that's what I have to fork out. That smarts.

I am more active than reactive. I'm plain garbage at negotiations (that skill is born unto you, much like sausage preparation). But I believe hard. I have the gift of making a vision so real in my mind that I can make myself believe that it's already happening. If I focus enough, I am a professional baker. I have a baking company and I work for myself. I can choose to work on projects that continually inspire me. I can take my company in directions that are determined by my inspirations and by sentiment. I bake cake and people eat it. And enjoy it. In business, as in life, it sometimes serves best to focus on the good stuff and pour your energies there. That's where ideas linger, multiply and become inspirations.


Caryna

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Calling estate agents


 Wa hey! It's been nearly a year since my last post and I'm ready to go again. I haven't been absent due to lack of interest. Actually, I've been super busy ever since getting my Irish citizenship (wa hey!) and therefore the green light to go full steam ahead with Caryna's Cakes. A lot has changed. Finishing the Baking and Pastry Arts Management certificate left me time to bake for more clients and in theory, more time to sleep and eat (in reality it just left time for more and more clients. Sleep is unfortunately still a privilege and I'm working on allowing myself fewer "meals on-the-go,"a.k.a. baby food in squeeze packs. Sounds gross but surprisingly tasty and mostly convenient).

Selling cakes like a nomadic baker has its perks and drawbacks. I'm itching to settle down and have a dream bakery to call my own. I'm on the lookout for the perfect premises where I can continue to supply cakes to independent coffee shops and make even more fancy occasion cakes. Mostly, I dream of the day I can bake cake and sell cake in the same place, at the same time.

My first stop: Estate Agents. I need options and it seems that the pickin's are slim. Help?


Caryna