I met Chelsey during a happy hour full of us run-of-the-mill accountants but it was clear she was anything but ordinary. Starting out with little more than a blog, Instagram account, and her tiny (prep had to be done across several rooms) New York kitchen, she now fields dozens of orders for her insane specialty cakes, has thousands of Instagram followers, and has been featured on Food Network's Snapchat account. Aside from a day job and baking, Chelsey somehow managed to find the time (and energy) to train and compete in half marathons and Ironman competitions. This was a really refreshing episode to record due to Chelsey's simple and easygoing approach to baking (and life in general). If you've always been intimated by the deadly combination of flour, salt, water, and your oven...not to mention never having enough time...this episode is a must!

We talk about:
- how she taught herself how to bake
- what the most important baking skill is
- growing a social media presence
- on balance, taking breaks, maintaining the love for a side hustle, and why you wouldn't want it to be your full-time gig

HIGHLIGHTS & LINKS

7:35: Ombre Cupcakes, Ganache, Katherine Sabbath
10:15: Satin Ice Fondant
18:00: How Chelsey began learning how to bake
20:30: An approach to improving baking skills…or the lack thereof
21:45: Sally’s Baking Addiction + cookbook…and technique-based learning
24:15: A Chelsweets failure
27:45: On building baking confidence
30:45: The most important baking skill to learn
32:00: Laminating dough
36:10: Pan de Sal
37:35: On the simpler practice: baking or cooking?
40:20: Growing the Instagram account
41:45 The Infatuation (#eeeeeats on IG)…and how it only take one opportunity for anyone to get to the next level
43:40: Current popular food-centric hashtags
44:30: Social media pet peeves + Product sponsorships
45:35: Social Native + Obviously Studio
47:15: On growing your social media presence and getting more followers
49:00: On balance
52:50: On taking a break/recovering from the hustle
56:30: On keeping the love for the hustle / Being content with keeping baking as a hobby

Instagram - @chelsweets
Website - chelsweets.com
E-mail - chelsweets@gmail.com