Today we’d like to introduce you to Jocelyn Pierce.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Jocelyn. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I’ve always been a baker- the one to bring a cake or dessert to dinner parties or birthdays. Years ago, while working full time, I started making wedding cakes for friends. It wasn’t until then that I realized that baking was what I really wanted to be doing. I left my job and enrolled at The French Pastry School in Chicago, before returning to New England and opening Mayflour. I found the perfect home for my business on Cape Ann, where I was able to connect with an incredible community of wedding vendors, farmers, chefs, and small business owners who have supported and encouraged me from the beginning.
I’d had so many dining experiences, especially at weddings, where dessert felt like an afterthought- I didn’t see the same flavor, freshness, and quality as I was seeing in the rest of the meal, and I felt like that was something I could change. We source as much as we can locally, create cakes that are not overly sweet, and offer a unique depth of flavor. We frost all of our cakes with buttercream rather than using fondant, and have an organic aesthetic- I want our cakes to be beautiful- but I also believe food should look edible and delicious. A lot of our clients come to us for our simple and elegant designs, and our use of fresh flowers and herbs.
I’ve always loved the special, celebratory quality of a pretty piece of cake, and quickly realized that I also really loved being a part of someone’s wedding celebration- it’s pretty magical.
Mayflour is about to celebrate our 5 year anniversary! I’ve loved my job for the past five years and look forward to being a part of many more beautiful celebrations. Coming up on this milestone, I spent a lot of time this year looking ahead to the next five years and thinking about what I wanted for the business. I realized that I’ve really been missing a deeper connection to my local community. With that in mind, I recently opened The Flour Shop- a little shop in Rockport offering pour over coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and a small selection of daily sweets. It’s a tiny labor of love, that I hope will grow into something bigger. In the meantime, we are open weekends during the holiday season and look forward to sharing a little of Mayflour with our neighbors.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Running a small business is not a nine to five. It is full time- your work is your life, and your life is your work. But, you’re doing something that you love, something that you are passionate about and the fulfillment is incredible. There have been plenty of ups and downs along the way, but the hardest thing for me has always been balance- taking time off, learning how to say no to things, not running myself into the ground working non-stop. It’s something that I continue to work on and struggle with as the business continues to grow.
One of the biggest things I’ve learned is how to ask for help, and that I can’t do it all myself. It was really hard to get to the point where I had to bring other people in- staff, an accountant, someone to manage my website. It meant spending some money, and it means more time planning and communicating, but it is absolutely necessary. Learning to let go of some tasks and some of the control is hard, but it is what allows for growth, and what allows me to continue to work on finding that balance for myself.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Mayflour Confections – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Mayflour is a dessert catering business- we create custom cakes and desserts for weddings and parties. We became known for some of our more unique flavors- Lavender with Honey buttercream, Spice with Figs and Champagne buttercream, and our hand shaped Coconut Macaroons. Someone suggested to me early on, that if I weren’t willing to do more traditional cake designs, incorporating fondant and sculpted gumpaste techniques, that my business would probably not succeed. But I knew there was a need for something different- something where the presentation was simple and elegant, and the emphasis was on taste and flavor. I’m proud that we haven’t compromised that belief and have found incredible, like-minded clients to work with who support our food philosophy. We know that our style isn’t for everyone, and that’s okay- there are so many talented bakers out there that make beautiful cakes and I’m always happy to refer people to someone that is going to best fit their celebration.
As part of our services, we do all of our own floral work. It’s something that sets us apart and is one of my favorite parts of the process. We incorporate fresh or dried florals and herbs into most of our designs. And work with the event florist to insure it is a cohesive element.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Over the last few years we have added to our services- we offer gift boxes of our signature Coconut Macaroons for sale through our website, we offer flour boxes- a gift box of assorted sweets- at the holidays, we’ve also recently started offering a seasonal selection of bundt cakes at the holidays, and will continue that for Easter, Mother’s Day, etc.
The Flour Shop has been a big undertaking for us! It’s an element of the business we are really exploring to see what the response is like and if it is something we could offer year round. I think it’s important within a small business to feel like you can try out new things- sometimes you don’t know what your customers are looking for, and what will be successful unless you try it. And I think growth is important, but I also believe that a business shouldn’t try to be everything to everyone- so we will continue to focus on weddings and celebrations- it’s what we love, and what we do best!
Contact Info:
- Address: 1 Whistlestop Mall, Rockport MA
- Website: mayflourconfections.com
- Email: jocelyn@mayflourconfections.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mayflourconfections/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MayflourConfections/
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/flour.shop/
Image Credit:
Dylan and Sara Photography, Hello Love Photography, Elizabeth LaDuca Photography, Mark Spooner, Fat Orange Cat Studio, Deborah Zoe Photography, Heather Waraska, White Loft Studio
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