Today we’d like to introduce you to Deirdra Tomasso.
Hi Deirdra, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I saw a decorated sugar cookie almost two years ago and thought to myself, “Hey, I’d like to learn how to do that!”, so I signed up for an online class and, from there, it was over. Every weekend (I have a full-time job in the corporate world) for the next several months, all I did was bake and decorate, trying new products and techniques. With each new technique, I failed miserably. To this day, the first time I try something new in cookieing, it’s a disaster, but I always get back on the horse, so to speak, and grow in that technique with each effort!
About 6 months in, friends started asking if they could order cookies from me, but I didn’t want to turn it into a business because I was afraid it would lose its hobby feeling and become work. I had this happen many years ago with Scrapbooking. Once I was a paid professional, it felt forced and was no longer my happy place, so I just got rid of all of my supplies one day and never looked back. I didn’t want that to happen with cookies.
After a while I thought, perhaps I should get licensed just so I *can* sell to friends and family if/when they ask, so about a year ago, I began the process of applying for my cottage food license, which proved to be a whole lot of jumping through hoops for the state of California and County of San Diego!
Ultimately, I prevailed, and that’s when I got my first paid order. After that, I signed up for a multi-day makers’ market holiday event and baked my little heart out in order to have enough product for all three days – all the while asking myself, “What on earth were you thinking?!” The event finally came and I was done. I loved it so much – making people happy with what made me happy was the best feeling.
Nowadays, I still over-comit myself. I do a local Farmer’s Market regularly and other San Diego markets from very, very small to very, very large, and I love them all!
I also still take custom orders, but I don’t enjoy them as much as I do the markets, so I keep them to a minimum.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
As mentioned previously, getting my cottage food license was a painful process. Also, doing these little works of art are typically a 2-3 day process, so it’s extremely time consuming. With my full-time corporate job and my baking sidehustle, it’s been like working two full-time jobs, and that’s really difficult at times. Having said that, it’s because I have a tendency to overcommit myself, then stress myself out trying to get everything done and to make everyone happy. At the end of the day, the majority of my struggles are self induced.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
The name of my little business, WildFlour Cookie Company, came immediately and organically – I’m a little wild and I love to play with flour, so it made perfect sense.
Because I’m a little wild, I sometimes have ideas that are a bit different. One day I was trying something new in making cookie pops (cookies on a stick). The ones I started with were just circles and, when they were done but before they were iced, they were reminicent of lollipops. Like with my business name, the idea to decorate them as such and write, “Suck it.” on them organically popped into my head. I have to admit, I thought they were brilliant, but also thought I might be a little biased…until I saw how popular they were!
I’m also a huge fan of the original Mean Girls movie, and wanted to start making what I refer to as “sassy” cookies, so I did a whole line of cookies with Mean Girls quotes and sassy (sometimes profane) sayings. Those sell faster than anything else I sell. I have words and sayings on cookies that I can’t write here, but you likely get the gist.
Long story short, my “wild” cookies are what I’m known for, but people still come for my cute cookies, like my hens and eggs, packacked in little 6-egg egg cartons, and my innovative glow-under-black-light cookies.
I think my wild cookies and unique flavors are what set me apart from others. I offer flavors like Horchata, Mexican Hot Chocolate (which is spicy on the finish), Brown Butter Bourbon Vanilla, Birthday Cake, and Salted Caramel, just to name a few.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
Not really. It’s my work ethic, instilled in me by my Italian American family, that helps me do my best in life. I was never allowed to give up as a child and, as an adult, I simply refuse to.
Pricing:
- $50/dozen with a 2 dozen minimum for custom orders
- $4-8 single cookies, depending on size and detail
- $25 Floral Bouquets
- $40 cookie decorating kits, which include 12 large cookies, 4 colors icing, 4 sets of decorative sprinkles/sugars, and scribes to move the icing around
- $30 Holiday Advent Calendars
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @wildflour_cookie_company
