Art has the ability to take on many different forms, and at Farmhouse Bakery, a home-based business located in Commerce, art is displayed on many of the cakes and cookies personalized to order.
Blakeley Whitmire, the owner and solo baker at Farmhouse, said her business began as a simple hobby after she received a Kitchen Aid mixer for Christmas one year. She started with the basics of baking bread and later expanded to decorated cookies and cakes. Whitmire decided to display her sweet creations for her friends and family to see on her social media pages, which is how her business took off.
“I never thought people would enjoy cookies as much as they do,” Whitmire said. “People really love them."
According to the young baker, her orders are up to 500 to 600 cookies a week. It's not a quick process as each order of cookies takes her three days from start to finish, she said.
On Sundays, Whitmire whips up the batch of cookie dough she’ll need for the week, bakes the cookies Monday and begins the decoration process the same night.
“I’ll do the second layer of icing or colors Tuesday, and then Wednesday I’ll do details like writing, flowers, leaves or whatever small details,” Whitmire said.
Because so much time goes into each batch of cookies, Whitmire’s biggest challenge is finding a balance between her business and spending time with her kids, 3-year-old Charlie and 5-month-old Caroline, she said.
While Caroline is far too young to help in the kitchen, Whitmire said Charlie has taken a liking to baking and has started making his own cookies.
“He likes to roll out cookie dough, so I give him his own little section. He also has his own cookie cutters,” Whitmire said.
For Whitmire, her least favorite part of the entire baking process is the actual baking. She said she likes to take on a challenge with the decorating aspect and try new things while improving her skill. After all, Whitmire is a self-taught baker and learned everything she knows through research and inspiration of other bakers, she said.
“I just watch a lot of videos and look at what other people do,” Whitmire said.
For the future of Farmhouse, Whitmire's plan is to open a storefront, but she will continue to bake at home under her cottage food license. The storefront will be used for customer pick-ups, sales and events like cookie and cake decorating classes, she said.
"It's going to be in Commerce, but I won't disclose where," Whitmire said.
If you’re interested in placing an order with Farmhouse:
- Visit the bakery’s Facebook page
- Send Blakeley Whitmire an email at [email protected]
- Follow the brand on Instagram at @farmhousebakery17
Click the photo gallery above to view some of Whitmire's creations.
This week's Small Business Spotlight is recognized during National Small Business Week 2019.
Small Business Spotloght is a periodic feature highlighting unique small businesses in AccessWDUN's 10-county coverage area.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2019/5/793739/small-business-spotlight-farmhouse-bakery