Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Tenja Young, founder of Folk & Palate Bakery, located in Washington, DC, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Folk & Palate is a bakery built on layers uniquely complex and simple, yet modern and classic. Each dessert is handcrafted with exquisite attention to detail, from the freshly ground spices and house-made vanilla to the layered aesthetic of each dessert, all with the intent of offering a unique yet familiar experience.
Who are our customers? Folk & Palate customers hold on to that nostalgia of those desserts which have grown to represent American sweets. However, they still want something unique. They still yearn for that dessert that will hold their hearts. That dessert they will text their friends about, post on Instagram, and have set out beautifully at their next gathering. Our customers respect the desserts of the past, but they want to create their own memories with desserts that represent more than just their childhood.
Tell us about yourself
I've always enjoyed baking, but I had absolutely no intentions of making it my career. But something happened. Instead of baking becoming something I truly wanted to do, it became my purpose, and I quickly learned that purpose and want can be two completely different things.
I went back and forth with the idea of a bakery for years, and in 2020, I chose to move based on faith rather than any sort of logic. I walked away from my job with one kid in college, the other in high school, and a husband who, although he supported me, couldn't really understand why I couldn't find a job I loved with the three degrees I earned. I couldn't understand it either, truth be told, but I could understand even less staying at my job any longer. There was no hope in the grind of my job. I found hope in the unknown and the knowing that this shift had become my purpose in life. During that time, while I was contemplating my next move, I kept reading a quote by Dr. Maya Angelou: "This is my life. It is my one time to be me...". I kept reading those words over and over 'be and me.'
When I created our first signature dessert, I named it Bemee™ so I would always remember the significance of this time in my life and what it meant for me to just... Be Me! Knowing that this is my purpose that's my motivation. Trust me, I have my days and sometimes weeks when I don't know which way is the right way, but because I know this is my purpose, eventually, I get myself together and keep moving towards the mark.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Taking that first step.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Constantly believing (and telling myself) that no matter how many doors are shut in my face that the purpose of Folk & Palate Bakery will be fulfilled. I just have to do my part.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
I just have one tip. Many times what we want to do and what we were put on this earth to do are two different things. You will need to determine what your purpose is in this life. Once that is revealed to you, then the next step is just to put one foot in front of the other. Here is the interesting part: if it is your purpose, then I believe it will, without a doubt, come to fruition.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.folkandpalate.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/folkandpalatebakery
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/folkandpalatebakery/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FolkandPalate
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tenja-m-young-43073335/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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