Today we’d like to introduce you to Noor Hussein.
Hi Noor, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
There is a limited amount of tomorrows or some days in life to decide whether you should do what you are passionate about, and I decided to start as soon as I can. Desserts have always been my favorite even as a child, they are also a huge part of my culture and they inspired me to create new things every day. This path of baking started from the beginning of covid, in 2020 and it was all from scratch. I did not know any recipes, any tips, etc. I saw inspiration in the videos I watched and during quarantine, it was difficult to stay busy most of the time and that’s the only thing that came to my mind. I failed many times and I still remember the first recipe I made, which was a huge failure, I remember using cumin instead of cinnamon and imagine how terrible that can be. After a couple of months, I started to get better at what I’m doing and many friends told me how delicious my desserts were and how I should make something innovative or creative out of it. So, it ended up with my brother, Laith Hussein suggesting the idea that I should start an at-home-based baking business so I can start baking as well as selling to nearby friends which can help grow my business into a cafe one day. And after starting my business, the first couple of months, if not even the first year, was very difficult for me as I did not have many customers, although I tried to reach an audience and a specific niche to promote my business within our community, but i actually ended up with taking a break thinking that this idea was a total failure for a 16 year old trying to balance between her education and a dessert catering business. But my family members were supporting me in every step during this mission which got me to where I am today. I knew from the bottom of my heart that I belong to where I am and what I am doing today.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I definitely faced some challenges throughout the way, and I can say it hasn’t been a smooth road. I can definitely say that there were many obstacles that I faced during the past years. The first year was definitely the most difficult, I thought I was not able to balance my job as a baker along with my education and I did not have a clear idea of what I wanted to do, but instead, I was sharing the desserts I baked within the community and began to sell them. I did not have a decent amount of audience and was not able to reach a specific niche. My dessert catering journey started when a close friend once had a sample of something new I was creating and said “this is not only a dessert, but it’s a form of art.” and I still remember that sentence and it always pops up in my head whenever I am baking. I realized that many people liked my small creations rather than the actual sized desserts I was making. This was when I decided to start over as a catering business and I have seen the happiness in our customers eyes. Although it’s been a tough road but definitely worth it.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am the owner of the dessert catering business in SD/OC, Luxe Sweets. We specialize in catering services and specifically desserts around San Diego and Orange County, I can say that we are mostly known for the creative touches that we add to our desserts that make us stand. We try to combine art and baking together to create something unique, and most importantly the texture in taste that we care about the most adds a very special and unique touch to the desserts we create. Presentations, textures, tastes, and even the attention to detail are very important to our business which reflects what we present to our customers. I am most proud of my hard work, and my creations after all those years. Creating your own recipes is not an easy step, it takes many tries and taste tests from even the people around you, and I can say that sets me apart from others, the quality of the desserts we present, our recipes, and our attention to detail of course.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
The most important lesson I’ve learned along my journey is to never compare your work to others and do not try to compete with others in your creations. I’ve learned that it’s more important to compete with yourself and try to stand out and shine every step of the way and look at how you’ve done it in the past years and do it better than you did it in the past. I may have passed across customers that do not like or appreciate my work, while others who have supported me throughout the way and that’s when I remember that some people will not support you unless they think it’s popular to support you. This is where I know that some opinions are not necessary in order to bring me down, but instead I should be applying this as feedback for my own benefit and to do it better than I did in the past. I get self satisfaction from pushing myself to the limit, knowing that all this effort is going to pay off.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://luxesweetss.wixsite.com/my-site-3
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luxe_sweets/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Luxe-Sweets-100870158568721
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/luxe-sweets-san-diego
