Today we’d like to introduce you to Sara Siegele.
Hi Sara, 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?
I left my career as a pediatric occupational therapist to stay home full time when my oldest child was born in 2017. The following year I started watching a friend’s daughter. Now I have two of my own and watch my friend’s two children. During those early days, before I started decorating cookies, my world was consumed with all things kids. In that, I had somehow lost myself a bit in motherhood. I’ve always enjoyed creating, and I dabbled in various hobbies trying to find something for ME and nothing had ever really stuck. When a neighbor invited my son and I over to decorate Halloween cookies, she introduced me to royal icing. After that, I was hooked! And the more cookies I decorated, the more I wanted to practice and get better. Custom cookie decorating is the perfect combination of the things that drive me: using my creativity, showing my love through food and making people happy, and the challenge of creating unique pieces of edible art that speak to others.
When I first started decorating, I never dreamed I would run a cookie business. I had never decorated a cookie with anything other than buttercream and a knife! Now, I can’t imagine not running a cookie business. I look forward to watching my business grow and expand and am so excited to share that with everyone who follows along and enjoys my cookies!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I’ve been really fortunate. I have an incredible network of supporters who encouraged me to go into business and who continually go out of their way to spread the word about my cookies. Without them, this would still be a hobby. But there are definitely a lot of late nights and early mornings spent designing, decorating, packaging, emailing, and everything in between. There are evenings and weekends I miss out on family time because I have orders to complete. It can be really hard finding a good balance between family and cookie life while trying to grow a business. I am so incredibly grateful for the support of my husband who is always cheering me on.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Custom cookies are so unique in that each set is created with a specific recipient in mind. I create my designs based on elements requested by the customer, event invitations and mood boards, as well as from nature, home décor, Pinterest, and my environment. That may be my favorite thing about decorating cookies, there’s always a new style or technique to learn and add to the mix. It keeps my work challenging and interesting. I don’t know if I have a particular style at this time. I get excited by a challenge and when someone reaches out with an idea that can take me somewhere I’ve never been before, thats when I hit my stride.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
When I first started decorating cookies, I was constantly searching for other decorators. I was looking for a community, people to learn from and collaborate with. Pretty quickly, I found a global cookie community and a whole world of possibilities opened up. It wasn’t long before I was connecting with local artists and makers here in Kansas City. Not just bakers, but all kinds of creatives. For years I’ve lived alongside these wonderful people without knowing them, but now, I feel so much more connected to our community and to our city. And the support I’ve received back has been paramount to my ability to keep Fountain City Sweets growing and thriving.
Contact Info:
- Email: fountaincitysweets@gmail.com
- Website: www.fountaincitysweets.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/fountaincitysweets/
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/fountaincitysweets
Image Credits
Professional photos by Chic Charlie’s Photography. Cookie photos by Sara Siegele.