by Amanda Ikens and Katie O‘Connell-Jones, Owner Resource Coordinators
Bon appétit! We are so excited to bring on new staff instructor Alysa Hartman. Her first class is right around the corner on June 5: Spring Cupcake Bouquet. We welcomed Alysa to Willy Street Co-op in 2021 as the Director of People and Culture. She brings a wealth of knowledge to our Human Resources and our Customer Experience departments, but little did we know she also has a lot of experience in baking, and has a passion to share her knowledge in the Community Room kitchen. So, let’s turn the microphone on and welcome her to the classroom!
Katie/Amanda: What sparked your interest in baking and decorating?
Alysa: “I’ve been baking all my life with my grandma, so that’s always been a passion of mine. I helped my best friend with decorating her son’s first birthday cake and was immediately hooked. I continued to bake just for friends and family for several years, and people kept saying I needed to sell my cakes. I researched what it would take to do so under Iowa’s cottage bakery industry guidelines and eventually got that set up to be able to do so. “
Do you have a favorite memory of baking and decorating or someone who may have inspired you to want to experiment and learn more?
“I was always baking with my grandma. She taught me everything I know about baking and cooking. She’s 87 years old and still an amazing baker and cook.”
Katie/Amanda: What is your background in baking and decorating? Are you self-taught? If so, what was helpful to you on your learning journey?
“I am entirely self-taught. I had a custom cake studio business for over 10 years and specialized in wedding cakes and custom 3D sculpted cakes. I sought out some great bakers across the country as mentors and learned a lot of techniques through networking with others and a lot of practice. My specialty was taking a lot of little ideas and bringing them to life in a cohesive cake design.”
What motivates or excites you to want to share your skills with Co-op customers?
“I’ve been in education and corporate training nearly all of my career, so I love teaching. I was one of those people who never thought I was creative, so I love helping others find their own creativity.”
Is it difficult to teach people that have different ages and skill levels?
“I don’t think so at all. Everyone starts from a different place based on their experience, so a good teacher has to be able to meet them wherever they are and help them develop their skills. There are always new things to learn in decorating, so no matter where you are there’s something to pass on!”
Which decorating technique is the most challenging to teach?
“I would describe it as a technique so much as a mindset. Helping people get past the belief that their work has to be perfect or exactly match mine is difficult. Decorating is art—we each have our own vision and perspective. The point isn’t to copy my work but to express your own vision. If you had fun doing that, then that’s what matters. “
During the pandemic, we saw a lot of baking trends, and people trying new things. Was there anything that you noticed in the baking and decorating world that people dove deeper into?
“Bread baking absolutely blew up during the pandemic, and I wasn’t immune to it myself. I’ve always been more of a sweets baker, but I tried my hand at all kinds of breads during the pandemic. I now have a really great white loaf, some tasty oatmeal bread, and a new artisan Dutch oven bread.”
Are there any trends in baking and decorating right now that interests you?
“I really am getting back into decorating sugar cookies right now. I’ve done some in the past, but not nearly as often as I’ve decorated cakes. I’ve been looking to do more cookies just for fun because there are so many opportunities to be creative with them.”
What is your favorite item to bake or decorate?
“I really do love designing and decorating wedding cakes, but I don’t miss the stress ofhaving to deliver wedding cakes! I enjoy baking pastries of all kinds. “
Are there any similarities that come to mind between working in human resources and your baking and decorating? Or perhaps it is the difference between the two that you enjoy?
“When I had the custom cake studio, working with customers and their families used a lot of the same interpersonal skills that I use in HR. I had to be a great listener in order to hear their ideas and what they are planning in general for their event, be able to synthesize those into a cohesive design, and then be able to effectively communicate that vision to them. I enjoy the fact that baking and decorating is much more of a creative outlet.”
We would like to say thank you so much to Alysa for taking the time out of her busy schedule to give us an opportunity to get to know her better. It is so interesting to learn more about our very talented staff members and we are excited to see what other baking and decorating classes are in her future. To sign up for classes please go to willystreet.coop, and choose the classes and events tab. Here, you will find a full description of scheduled classes and registration information. You can also find video introductions of our other instructors. If you are interested in a class, we recommend that you sign up quickly as some classes fill up fast. See you in the kitchen!