Exploring Life and Business with Omolara

Hi Omolara, 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 started cake baking as a hobby during my college days in Nigeria. Driven by interest for crafting confectioneries, I started with the easily accessible local charcoal oven. My friends and coursemates would patronize me for their birthdays. It is important to mention the stress and herculean task of using a turning stick and hand mixer, starting and sustaining charcoal fire during the baking process. However, I would attribute my doggedness then to being passion-driven rather than money driven. 

By the year 2006, I had acquired considerable skill and confidence which enabled me to craft my elder sister’s wedding cake. This journey was albeit interrupted when I migrated to the U.S. The circumstances and dynamics of a new environment demands new focus to adapt and integrate, concentrate on my professional nursing exams, and also work at the same time. As such, baking was the least on my mind until some years later. 

I believe when you have something in your DNA, it would always chart its own course. After stabilizing in the U.S, we relocated from New York to Texas and I started digging up my baking instincts but this time at a higher level with a more diverse clientele, very modern crafting tools, and tech-driven baking equipment. As a nursing professional, I knew it would be a daunting task to adopt baking full–time, so I tried to devise a flexible work system which would allow me to bake as a vocation. A restart milestone was the baking of my 10th wedding anniversary cake in 2018, and I have been baking ever since. 

The progression was intense; rapid baking and deliveries, new trials, learning, unlearning, relearning, and experimenting with different recipes. I attended baking workshops to gain exposure on different baking recipe, styles, décor arts, and techniques, and this really paid off. The orders dramatically increased as a result of customer satisfaction and cross-referencing up to a point where I had to limit orders to control stress and observe capacity. I understand quickly that I cannot bake for everyone because I don’t want it to turn to a chore. I needed to be able to maintain a balance. 

I will say baking is my therapy because I derive satisfaction in continuous improvement of my baking and decorating skills. I pay attention to clients’ specifications, produce as per project while also creating space to refine recipe to achieve seamless blend of taste and texture. I was open-minded, willing to learn, and still is. I have met wonderful people and mentors in the course of my journey who have empowered me to engineer unique cake creations. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
As a home baker, a lot of factors adds up to make the work harder. These factors include time-consuming client–design specifications, workspace limitation, and under-capacity to satisfy all orders. I still work my normal day job Monday to Wednesday while the baking job starts on Thursday. It is possible for me to engage a cleaner to tidy up after baking is completed but hiring somebody to do the baking and decorating for me at this stage would likely be a passion – killer, cost escalator, and probably lead to a diminished quality and reduced customer satisfaction. I am still currently juggling all these scenarios and believe it’s something I would have to eventually figure out in the long run. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I am a passionate mental health nurse practitioner currently practicing. My personality and nursing background enables me to connect easily with clients both as a nursing professional and baker. Being able to connect with and care for a patient draws a parallel with being able to satisfy the delectable appetite of my cake customers. I strongly feel that my profession and vocation complement each other, and this gives me a sense of purpose and fulfillment. 

I’m a continuously evolving cake designer who is passionate about everything cake; from baking the cake – core to crafting, designing, and showcasing the art masterpiece. Laralux Cakes is known for quality. We bake using high–end quality ingredients, we mainly frost our cakes with chocolate ganache. Baking with us is a whole experience, giving you more than your money’s worth. We remain true to our banner; “you crave, we create luxury in every bite”. 

We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
For me, success is deriving satisfaction and fulfillment in what I do, having reached the goals set at the start of the venture. It also expands to include striving to get better, explore outside the comfort zone with sights set on emerging new goals. I see success as an evolving concept, and pursuit of a lifetime. Above all, the ultimate success for me is to die empty fulling my purpose of existence. 

Pricing:

• size 6-inch start price $200
• size 7-inch start price $300
• size 8 start price $400
• 2 tier cake start at $450
• 3 tier cake start at $950

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/laraluxcakes?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/laraluxcakes