Today we’d like to introduce you to Julie White-Arce.
Hi Julie, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I loved everything artistic from a very young age. I was always drawing, painting, creating, and loved to watch my mom bake.
I grew up in a large family of 7 kids, which meant birthday parties and going out to eat was not something that happened often and only for a special occasion. I was usually the one in the family baking the birthday cakes. My first baking experience was my easy bake oven when I was about 8 years old, and when I was around 10 years old I started doing the family birthday cakes and helping cook the family dinners. My passion grew from there, and when I was in high school, I took 2 years of home economics, art and modern dance, while also taking ballet and pointe from a local dance academy. My first jobs were working in restaurants as a server or kitchen help or the local chocolatier shop; so I was basically always working around food lol.
In 2010 I started my first small business by selling cookies, cinnamon rolls and dessert bars. It was a fun side business and something I could do at home with my new baby Nathan watching me from his bouncing chair. I’ve worked in many different industries including banking, customer service, law enforcement and aerospace, but I always seem to gravitate back towards my passion with food and baking.
When COVID happened in 2020, I was working from home for a local aerospace company, and started to feel the itch to start my bakery again, with the purpose of using part of the earnings to bless others. So in my free time, I would make orders for customers while balancing working full time and my one year old son Gabriel.
I had always done cakes but nothing fancy or decorated details added, however a friend asked for one in 2021 for his son- and the cake decorating side of my business was suddenly taking off! I left my full time job in September of 2021 to stay at home with my boys and work my growing business.
In 2023 I was trying to figure out my niche – the thing I specialize in, that customers would reach out for , outside of the birthday cakes, pies, cookies ect.
I love weddings, especially the stunning cakes and desserts; and i suddenly knew I wanted to push my way into that industry. At first it was slow, and I think I had one wedding in 2022..but I kept working on new desserts, cake designs, and getting a professional website. The next year was 6 weddings, 2024 I did a total of 11 weddings, and this year I am up to 13 so far.
I have a lot of people ask what do I bake, and the answer is everything! I do cakes, cookies, dessert bars, breads, pastries, cheesecakes, pies, and more. I love putting together dessert tables – a spread of a variety of desserts for weddings, showers, and retirement parties. It just looks so stunning and eye catching and the guests always love it. This year I did my first full catering for a bridal shower. I did cake pops, royal icing sugar cookies, French macaron cookies, fruit trays, veggie trays, charcuterie cups, and fresh bruschetta- made from my homemade sourdough focaccia bread, tomatoes and herbs from my garden.
I started off with a dream, a passion, and a desire to bless others, and the Lord took that and just exploded it into a full time business today. I help provide for my family and as the Lord blesses me, I get to bless even more folks. Sometimes it’s financially, sometimes it’s providing free baked goodies, and sometimes it’s giving my time.
The goal going forward is to hopefully get a food truck in the next few years, and my long term goal would be to purchase my own space to use as a full bakery, catering and event space.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It’s definitely not always been a smooth road. There is a lot of tears, sweat, frustration, and hard work between the beginning of the dream and desire, to the present moment I’m in now.
I remember praying for this moment- working full time for myself doing what I love, baking and creating.
I started with that dream back in 2006 and had to start and stop several times, just due to financial difficulties and life getting in the way.
There have been soooo many nights that I was still working full time with a 1 and 9 year old, and having to stay up until 2-3am to finish orders, while also balancing my husband’s shift work.
At the end of 2021 I almost gave up on my dream again, because we needed me back at work full time and my older brother passed away suddenly. 2022 was a hard year, working full time, still trying to hold on to my business part time, homeschooling my oldest son, and handling some emotional battles and anxiety. I ended up leaving that job after a year, because i honestly just could not balance and juggle it all. That was the best decision made because 2023 my bakery took off and the wedding orders began.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I started off with some delicious chocolate chip cookies, chewy lemon cookies, and cinnamon rolls.
I am still selling these yummy treats, but I have expanded my menu to a much larger variety of baked goods.
I now offer drop bake cookies in a variety of 6-8 different flavors, decorated royal icing cookies, cinnamon rolls and sticky buns, cheesecakes in a variety of sizes and flavors, cake pops, cakesicles, dessert shooter cups, dessert bars, custom cakes, wedding cakes, sourdough breads, donuts, pies, and more. The pies, cheesecakes and sweet rolls are the most popular around Thanksgiving and Christmas- I also offer a holiday menu for my sweet customers.
Valentine’s Day is a popular one for the French macaron cookies, cookie cakes, and decorated sugar cookie boxes.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
I use to read for hours, before my youngest arrived lol, but he’s a bundle of energy.
I do love following a lot of fellow bakeries on Instagram. I learn so much watching others work, and they give me so much inspiration.
Mack’s Mac’s Bakery, Sally’s Baking Addiction, Preppy Kitchen, – I love their recipes, the videos they make and their content.
A lot of what I’ve learned is self taught, along with work experience from past employment. But I definitely go into researching different recipes, along with researching other local bakeries and pages I find eye catching and inspirational.
I will give a shout out to my best friend Lisa Clark, who was the former owner of Cupcake A La Mode. I worked for her in 2014, as a baker and decorator. She is still my favorite person to reach out to for baking questions- especially vegan or gluten free ones.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.Squishybunsnbiscuits.com
- Instagram: Squishy Buns n Biscuits
- Facebook: Squishy BunsnBiscuits
