Tessa Sam - Sweet Bake Shop: Delightful Desserts for the Sweetest of Occasions

I remember it like it was yesterday. I was sitting at my desk, staring blankly at my computer screen, trying to muster some sort of excitement about my job. Here I was, having landed a dream job right out of broadcasting school, and I was miserable. How did I get here? Hadnt I wanted this?

My whole life up until that point, Id loved to do two things: talk and bake. The talking came first. One of my earliest childhood memories is of climbing onto the bathroom counter and playing TV announcer, talking to my reflection in the mirror and using a hairbrush as a microphone.

Around age two, I began helping my parents in the kitchen. It didnt matter what we were baking, I was just happy to take part in the sugary process. I would stand on my stepstool at the kitchen counter and wait to lick the spoon, then plop myself on the floor in front of the oven and watch the dessert bake.

By age ten, Id roped my best friend into baking with me, and on weekends during the summers following, we would sell our creations at a little stand my dad made for us, at the end of my driveway. Those easy days spent eating more raw cookie dough than anyone should are some of my fondest memories. But of course, all good things must come to an end. I became a teenager, and baking wasnt cool anymore (um, not that I was ever cool), so I turned off the oven for goodor so I thought.

In high school, I was frequently scolded for talking in all my classes, often finding myself in detention writing lines. So naturally, when it came time to decide what to choose in the way of post-secondary education, it seemed a natural choice to get paid to talk.

I graduated from broadcasting school and landed a job as an on-air co-host at a radio station. It was exciting at first, but the shiny newness of my job quickly wore off and I found myself deeply unhappy. It is terrifying to realize that you are somewhere you shouldnt be, especially after working so hard to get there. I kept pushing through it, though, ignoring the little voice inside my head that was telling me I didnt belong. That was, until one morning, I did listenand left the radio world behind.

I went back to my job as a waitress and picked up some part-time work at a bakery. It was there, surrounded by bowls of buttercream, covered in flour and working long, unglamorous hours, that something clicked: this was my happy place.

I eventually gave up both jobs and started my own company, Sweet Bake Shop, run out of my apartment kitchen in downtown Vancouver. I set up a website and took orders via email, and customers would pick up their sweets at my front door.

A few years later, I attended the Peggy Porschen Academy in London, Englanda dream of mine for yearsto really hone my skills in cookie decorating and specialty cake design. By 2014, I was having a difficult time keeping up with orders and knew that I needed to take my home-based business to the next level.

But of course, my modest bank account was no match for the expense of opening a bakery. Then one evening, my boyfriend at the time came home with a cheque in hand. In an act of incredible generosity, hed sold his beloved company watch and was giving me the money to start my business. (He remains a great friend.)

I leased a small space, purchased some old pieces of furniture and began months of sanding, filling, priming and painting, everything from the walls to the front counters, until everything looked perfect. I roped my boyfriend into helping, promising to pay him in cupcakes for the rest of his life (because thats really all I could afford). To save money, I went to restaurant-equipment auctions in cold, creepy warehouses in the suburbs, and bought the pieces I would need. As the bakery began to come together, I wrote up a menu and hired staff.

That summer, I opened Sweet Bake Shop, a boutique bakery just a few blocks from my apartment, and I couldnt have been more excited. The first few months were a blur of cake crumbs and little sleep. On more than one occasion, I found myself spending the night in my shop, napping on a piece of flattened cardboard, so that I could keep an eye on cake layers baking in the oven. Oh, the glamorous life of a new business owner!

Bakery life was a lot of fun, but eventually other opportunities came knocking, and I made the decision to close the doors to my storefront shop to pursue them. These days, things are a little less hectic. I teach baking workshops, film videos for my YouTube channel and keep up with my blog and social media. I also still enjoy spending time in the kitchen, whipping up sweets for weddings and parties.

Its often said that when you know something (or someone) is right for you, you just knowand I knew, that first summer I spent working in a bakery ten years ago. This sugary world that brings so much joy to so many is where Im meant to be, and Im so happy that Im able to share it with you. To me, there is something so magical about being in the kitchen, creating something beautiful and delicious. Baking is my happy place, my escape from the day-to-day, and the thing that never disappoints (unless its a failed batch of macarons!).