Today we’d like to introduce you to Lynslee Mercado.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Lynslee. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I’m not entirely sure how baking became such a hobby of mine, but I always knew I had a sweet tooth. Whenever I would claim being too full during meals, I was never too full to have dessert. My first experience with baking was with box brownie mix. I was amazed that it was possible to make desserts in your own home because growing up, my family never baked anything. The kitchen was my playground and I remember dragging everyone into it whenever we would spend time together. If I was babysitting my cousins, we were baking something. If my friends came over, we were baking something. It was a fun way to pass the time and the best part of it all was eating our creations together.
Baking is therapeutic to me. I love the delicate sounds and textures of the dough coming together. I love learning about which ingredients combined create different mouth feels. I love decorating and adding flavors in ways I haven’t tried before. But I think what most excites me about baking is that there are so many desserts and techniques I have left to learn, and so many people to share my desserts with.
It took me a while to push myself to sell my desserts. After working with my close friend to sell our desserts for a little fundraiser we ran called “Baked Goods for Good,” I’ve felt that my baking has potential to raise money for something greater than myself. LAM’s is my own home bakery business that strives to donate a portion of the profits to different causes each month – something that makes eating desserts that much sweeter.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
One of the most stressful things about baking is never being 100% sure if it’ll turn out okay, because a lot of things can go wrong if you’re not careful. Outside factors like humidity, temperature, timing, altitude, and ingredients can play a big role in the product. It is science after all.
I also took a huge break from baking when I went to college because it was too much to handle. When I started getting back into it, I thought I lost my touch and interest altogether. This past year really gave me the confidence to pick it back up again and rekindle that passion I always had for it. I’ve been practicing much more which helps me overcome that barrier of not thinking I’m good enough to sell my desserts.
delicious.lamb – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
LAM’s is a home bakery that specializes in selling baked goods to help different causes in need. The idea first stemmed from the Black Lives Matter movement, where my friend Samia and I raised over $1.5k to donate to related causes. I wanted to continue this type of business with LAM’s by selling my baked goods and donating a percentage of the profits to important causes. LAM’s presents a rotating seasonal dessert menu + special orders that’s affordable and diverse. I love trying and perfecting all pastries and try to craft my menu to reflect that.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Sometimes, I wish I seriously pursued culinary school in hopes of making it as a big pâtissière at a fancy restaurant. More realistically, I wish I took a food science class or got a degree in something related to that. It would have helped with my recipe developing skills, but I’m learning now.
Contact Info:
- Email: itslamlife@gmail.com
- Instagram: delicious.lamb
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