Today we’d like to introduce you to Loren Stanard.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Loren. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I have had an interest in the culinary world for as long as I can remember. It all started with watching the Food Network most nights after making dinner with my parents. I grew a really strong love for baking, so I started testing out different recipes. I found that cupcakes allowed me to try different cake and frosting recipes easily. My dad starting bringing them into his office and his employees started to give me cash tips and then would request different flavors and tell me their favorites. This made me so excited and feel so accomplished to have a few bucks that I earned myself.
From then on, I became obsessed with baking. At the age of 13, I started my first at home pastry business that I called Cupcakes by Loren. I sold cupcakes by special request to family and friends for many different occasions. Around my small hometown of Charlton, MA I became known as “the cupcake girl.” I continued to bake all throughout high school, all from scratch while always trying to make new flavors & designs. I graduated from Shepherd Hill Regional High School in 2014, where I received a culinary scholarship for pursuing my passion. I attended the New England Culinary Institute in the fall of 2014 to get my degree in Baking & Pastry Arts. However, soon into my first year at NECI, I decided that I wanted to switch from pastry to the savory side of the food world. I thought it would be a good idea so that I could be a well-rounded chef in both savory and sweet cuisines.
My time at school lead me to work at two incredible places for my internships. My first was at Blantyre – a Relais & Chateaux retreat in Lenox, Massachusetts, where I worked as both a line cook & pastry chef focusing on plated desserts as well as custom ice creams. My second was at Ojai Valley Inn & Spa in Ojai, California – a high profile resort and spa, where I worked at multiple food outlets on the property from fine dining to the pastry kitchen. I then graduated from college in 2017 with my Associate’s degree in Culinary Arts. After graduation, I started working full time at Sweet Kitchen & Bar under Executive Chef and Owner Alina Eisenhauer while also starting my house business Little Watermelon Treats. My home business focused on custom cakes & pastries all from scratch to clients in the Central Massachusetts area. As my business grew, I started working full time for myself at Little Watermelon Treats making a custom cake and pastry orders each week for happy clients.
In early 2018, I was offered a job by Marisol Morley of Tiny Kitchen Treats and Ashley Holt of Sugar Monster Sweets in Brooklyn, New York. My second love – after pastry, is travel and I accepted the job allowing me to work with people as passionate as I am about pastry arts as well as experiencing life in New York. I am currently 22 years old working full time as a sugar artist in New York City while still creating back home on some weekends for Little Watermelon Treats in Massachusetts. My future plans for Little Watermelon Treats include moving back to Central Massachusetts in 2019 and starting up the business officially with a new name, Wicked Sweets.
Has it been a smooth road?
My biggest challenge has been indecision and balance. A balance between having a life, while taking as many orders as I possibly can. I do everything for Little Watermelon Treats myself – from baking to decorating to taking pictures and updating my social media. It’s a challenge, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Indecision because I could never decide whether or not I was truly happy or not residing and growing my business in Massachusetts. However, after living in Vermont, California and New York, I can truly say that home is where the heart is, and Massachusetts is my heart.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
I started Little Watermelon Treats back in 2016 as a personal portfolio to showcase my work. It quickly grew into my home business, where I started to sell custom cakes & pastries to friends, family, friends of friends and even complete strangers! At Little Watermelon Treats, I specialize in edible art while producing the highest quality level of taste and flavor. Art and design is something very important to me and I ensure that everything that goes out to clients is a work of art. My recipes have been created myself, from scratch using the best ingredients that I can buy. I mostly create custom cakes as well as custom sugar cookies, using edible art mediums such as buttercream icing, royal icing, edible paints, and edible glitter. I am most proud that I have gotten to where I am today baking and decorating everything myself while being self-taught in pastry. I can’t give myself all credit though, I would like to thank my supportive family and friends who have spread the word about my business throughout Massachusetts. What sets me apart from others is my obsession with this industry and giving the very best product I can give, every time.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
After living in multiple states, I can say that Massachusetts is a great place for a business. It’s the perfect size state where word of mouth and social media outlets can successfully spread food finds across the State, making this an exciting time to be in the field. A downfall of some areas of Massachusetts is the availability of location options for small businesses that are affordable. The startup costs for small businesses offering high-quality products often conflicts with the price point of products compared to other markets like New York City. The growth of the food scene has shown an expansion of private food enterprise versus chain locations, however, and I hope this continues.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.wickedsweetsma.com
- Email: loren@wickedsweetsma.com
- Instagram: @wickedsweetsma
- Facebook: www.faceboom.com/
wickedsweetsma
Image Credit:
Myself, My dad (Richard Stanard), My mother (Denise Stanard)
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