Please, come in, sit down, have a cupcake!
To begin, my name is Tracie. And I spent a lot of time being a lot of things in my first 30 years of life. An actor, a singer, a songwriter, an author, a teacher, a banker, but lying beneath every single uniform of every single job, I wore a pink, frilly apron and longed to bake!
Everything from cookies to lavish, elaborately decorated, sculpted cakes, you name it, I baked it. (I also consider myself an actual cook, too, but that's another cauldron altogether) It wasn't until I was up until the wee hours of the morning putting finishing touches on a cross-shaped cake for a close friend's son's Baptism, that it dawned on me: I want to do this for a living.
To do what I love, make people (and myself) happy while doing, and paying homage to the little wicked witch in me, became my dream. I'd mention it in passing, "One day i want to own a bakery," and I would get the usual "Oh, that's nice, dear" in response.
My mother told me to go for it, friends who'd tasted some of my confections at parties wondered why I hadn't already, and my best friend Shauna hopped on the train to crazy-town with me. But it was still just a dream, and a few ideas on paper that seemed to far out of reach.
Practicality set in, and I pushed the dream of being a Cupcake Wars champion to the furthest back burner of the stove in my mind, and I worked tirelessly at a job that would pay the bills. When someone I am so truly blessed to have in my life noticed the strain on me, both financially and emotionally, she told me I looked "genuinely unfulfilled," and swore that this was the year we changed that.
With that, Ayshen encouraged, guided, sometimes pushed, and cheered until one night, during a marathon texting session, we gave The Kitchen Witch her broom and taught her to fly.
And here we are, up and running as a baby bakery, online and ready for action!
What's with the name?
Well, the obvious first, I'm a witch! I have the letter from Hogwarts to prove it!
Traditionally, a "kitchen witch" is a doll depicting a good, kind witch, that is hung in the kitchen to inspire productivity and safety, and also wards off any ill-will directed toward the home. It's considered very good luck to give a kitchen witch to a friend or family member as a gift, and is often received as a present at a bridal shower for the same reasons: productivity, safety, luck, and to deter any harm to the new couple and new home.
The confections made at The Kitchen Witch Bakeshoppe, we hope, will inspire and delight, and giving a cake, cupcake or pop, or one of our sweet treats to a friend or family member will bring them love and well-wishes straight from our witchy kitchen. It may even bring them some luck!
After all, there's a little bit of magic in every bite.
