Today we’d like to introduce you to Ariana Gonzalez.
Hi Ariana, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Growing up me and my sister would always “help” my mom bake cupcakes for the house. It was such a core memory in my life, just the simplicity of getting excited sitting in front of the oven while I begged my mom to continuously turn on the oven light so I can see the cupcakes rise. Fast forward to summer of 2020, I had just finished all my prerequisites for the nursing program at Valencia college and received the news that I was ready to apply for their program. I sat in my room that night and asked myself if Nursing was what I truly deep down in my heart wanted or if I was simply, I giving up my little girl dream of wanting to be a baker. After taking some time to truly reevaluate the career path and life I was working so hard towards for two years, I realized I didn’t want to miss out on taking a chance on myself of following my little girl dreams of having my own Bakery. I knew I wasn’t scared to fail along the way and understood although the path wouldn’t be easy it was one, I owed to myself to give it all I got before giving it up which eventually later that night led to the opening of “A Touch Bakery”.
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?
It definitely has not been a smooth road. There’s ups and downs just like any journey. Moments where you feel you’re growing in knowledge and really seeing the fruit of what you’ve sown and other days were everything just goes wrong. A cake doesn’t rise even though you followed all the same steps you always do, a piping bags explodes mid frosting, or cupcakes overcook, etc. It’s those moments I have experienced where I sit down and feel so unqualified for the job, were I feel like giving up. I need to sit there and take a step back, breathe a little, and come at the situation from a different angle and remember how special the person will feel when they see the treats I made for their special moments. I need to remind myself why I do what I do and simply why I love it so much. Once I do that, everything seems to just fall into place.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a local Baker in Orlando, Fl who truly loves to be a part of making the most magical moments come to life for my customers. I love to offer a wide variety of seasonal limited-edition menu items for both treats and beverages. I’d call it a little cafe on the go. When I began my journey in A Touch Bakery what set me apart was the fact that no one offered what I offered in their small baking businesses which were Candied nuts (Almonds, Pecans, Cashews). This was my all-time favorite dessert, there was nothing like walking around in a theme park or the mall just hypnotized by the sweet smell of cinnamon and sugar candied nuts, it’s such a cozy smell. I hated how inconvenient it was to crave these yummy desserts and not be able to eat it unless I went to the mall or a theme park and I knew I wasn’t the only one who felt that way, so naturally as a Baker and I told myself if I wanted it that bad, I was gonna have to learn to make it myself. Shortly after wanting to learn how to make these, I took a sister trip to Georgia to visit my aunt and uncle and to my surprise my aunt knew how to make candied pecans, so that truly felt like the confirmation I needed to push myself to start A Touch Bakery and let that be my signature treat to be known by. I arrived back home and altered the recipes, found out what work best for me, bought a few bags of nuts and mason jars, and made candied pecan and almonds to fill up all jars. I said to myself, if they don’t sell then at least I have enough for all of us at home to eat… little did I know that day would be the start of the best decision and risk I’d ever take. I sold over 32 candied nut jars just that night. It felt so surreal that people who never have even tried a single dessert from me were so willing and eager to buy my desserts. That moment right their hands down have to be the proudest moment I have ever felt as a young small business owner starting off. I began leaning more towards chocolate-dipped treats as A Touch Bakery grew because I knew how much people loved a good chocolate-covered strawberry for any event, slowly I started to incorporate cupcakes, dessert shooters, and now cakes. I specialize in caterings, such as dessert table treats, cupcakes, cakes, etc. I feel beyond blessed in all the customers who have trusted me with their special moments, from weddings, baby showers, gender reveals, and pregnancy announcements. My heart feels so full that God has blessed me with the skills to be able to make your visions come to life on those most magical unforgettable days.
What do you think about luck?
I’m a strong believer that God has a purpose for everything regardless if we can understand it in the moment or not. My life personally and with my business have been a crazy rollercoaster and many times it may feel like I’m “lucky” to have a certain person decide to book me for an event, or “unlucky” because they didn’t, but at the end of the day it’s about doing what you love and having faith that God will provide for my business and know that what he has in store for me may have been bigger than a client who didn’t chose me for an event and chose someone else. At the end of the day, I know the talent I have is one I have worked hard towards and spent many long nights redoing and trying to perfect my work to the best of my ability to offer something that not only I’m proud of but what I love to be given if the roles between me and my customer were reversed.
Pricing:
- Number Cakes * One digit starting at $55 ( Includes 3 chocolate covered strawberries, and 3 Macaroons) * Two digit start at $85 ( Includes 4 Chocolate covered strawberries, and 3 Macaroons) * $5 add on for any themes.
- Cupcakes * $35 A Dozen Tres leche cupcakes * $30 A Dozen regular (Vanilla, Chocolate) cupcakes * $35 A Dozen of Our Signature Red velvet cupcakes with Cream cheese frosting * $5-10 add-on for Themed cupcakes
- Churro Cheesecake * $35 A Dozen Regular Churro cheesecake bars * $40 A Dozen of cookies and cream churro cheesecake Bars * $35 Churro cheesecake party platter which includes ( 3 dipping sauces, freshly cut strawberries) * $.50 Nutella drizzle add on
- Chocolate-covered strawberries * $30 A dozen of milk/ white chocolate-covered strawberries * $15 Half a dozen of milk/ white chocolate-covered strawberries * $35 Themed chocolate-covered strawberries * $15 Add a breakable heart
- Signature Cookies * $30 A Dozen for Our famous chocolate chip cookies * $35 A Dozen for Our fluffy Cookies and cream cookies * $30 A Dozen for Our Soft chewy Snickerdoodle cookies
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @Atouchbakery
Image Credits
Lynette Ortiz
