How did she go from teaching English in Russia to becoming a baker? Maya Noren grew up in Seattle and became a video editor after returning from Russia. She had no desire to move to the east coast but a job working on web sites led her to the Nickelodeon network and the Big Apple. Two children later and she moved to CT in search of more space for her growing family.
“When my son was two, he stopped growing. We went to multiple doctors and had every test for everything they could think of.” Maya’s son was tired all the time and she was beside herself with worry. “The last test they performed was a test for Celiac. It was positive.” Maya says that was such a relief to know that there was a reason for her son’s condition and that it could be treated…with food.
“I had such fond memories of cooking with my mom. I was always in the kitchen helping her bake and I wanted my kids to have the same experience with me.” But now Maya would have to learn how to bake gluten free things. “I tried mixes, but they just didn’t taste great.” She went on a quest by following gluten free bloggers and taking a gluten free cooking class. This gave her the confidence she needed to begin to bake things on her own.
“It was important to me that my son not miss out on anything, like having birthday cake at his friends’ parties.” As Maya baked more and more, her creations got better and better. She started her own blog and called it butter + sugar to share her recipes that friends and family began to ask for. “You can really taste the flavors in the things I bake, like my key lime tarts and famous corn cookies. They aren’t floury, you can taste the butter and sugar, so that’s what I called my blog.”
Her baked goods were so well received that she decided to offer them at her local farmer’s market. “I was not sure how my treats would go over, but people loved them. And many customers didn’t even know or care that they were gluten free.” She’s a self-taught baker and continues her research into all things gluten free. She’s even developed her own gluten free flour.
Selling at a farmer’s market proved to be hard though. She couldn’t predict the amount of food to prepare. She had an idea. If she could get several coffee shops in the area to order on a regular basis, she’d have a business with inventory control. “I went out with my baked goods in hand and offered samples to the owners of several local cafes. I got an order from Lorca in Stamford & Cos Cob and it gave me the confidence to visit more shops. It was so exciting.”
The next step in her venture was to secure a gluten free kitchen. “I asked around and found a kitchen that I could use part time, in Westport.” Maya now bakes on Tuesdays and Fridays and then delivers to several shops and cafes on a regular basis. She’s getting so many orders that she may have to recruit her sister to help with bookkeeping.
She loves what she’s doing. “I’m testing a gluten free waffle cone cookie this week.” Her goals are to expand to more shops and cafes. The treats from butter + sugar are so yummy, I’m sure she’ll see the growth she’s planning for.
VentureMom Tip
Build a business around a necessity that your family has.
