ST. PAUL - While she jokes about being the person who once burnt popcorn, Melissa Landiak’s impressive skills in the kitchen can’t be denied.
Five years ago, while she was looking to make a special treat to send with her oldest son to school for his birthday, she came across a picture of sugar cookies decorated as a Minecraft creeper – a character from the popular video game. While she initially thought the idea looked relatively simple, she quickly realized it wasn’t as easy as it appeared.
But, thanks to a keen attention to detail and a willingness to learn, the experience resulted in the unexpected birth of a custom cookie making business that continues to thrive - Barefoot Cookie Company.
“I’ve always liked to bake,” says Landiak, quickly adding, “I don’t like to cook, but I love to bake.”
And while she had made basic sugar cookies in the past, she soon found a whole community existed around custom cookies, typically made with royal icing that is just the right consistency to create the unending, intricate designs. There are large conventions that take place in the US specifically for cookies, and more Canadian suppliers for items such as cookie cutters, have been popping up lately.
Soon after her son’s birthday, five years ago, Landiak decided her second attempt would be to make Valentine’s Day themed cookies for her kids. She quickly realized, after sharing her creations, that there was interest from those around her in purchasing the cookies. So, she started selling the cookies at Farmer’s Markets in St. Paul, and rented an approved facility in St. Paul to make her unique creations.
When Landiak and her husband built their new home three years ago, an additional kitchen was built in their basement, which is where she now bakes and creates.
In one corner, there are shelves stacked with plastic tubs filled with various shapes of cookie cutters. Another area has rows of sprinkles and other specialty decorating items. All the tools needed to create the detailed, edible works of art are there.
The steps to creating the custom cookies are fairly logical. First, Landiak bakes the cookies. Then, she begins the process of making the royal icing, which can be quite tedious. Sometimes, it takes an hour to get the colours and consistencies just right.
Then, she begins decorate the cookies. Depending on the design at hand, that process can either be quick, or tedious.
When asked how long it takes to fill the average order, she says “each order is unique,” but estimates about four hours is spent decorating a full order of cookies – and that’s not including baking or design time.
And while much of her time is spent working on her own in her basement kitchen, Landiak has learned to reach out for help when needed. Specifically around busy holidays, she depends on her best friend, Amy Noel, who helps package cookies and does other tasks.
“It’s great therapy too, having your best friend,” says Landiak. At other times, she’s had to recruit the help of her own kids and husband to get orders wrapped up and delivered on time.
For most kids, having an endless supply of cookies coming out of the oven would seem exciting, but over the past five years, the sweet treats have become routine for the Landiak family.
While her kids love when she tries new things and they get to act as taste testers, the novelty has mostly worn off since there are always extra cookies kicking around the house.
When asked if the cookies she creates ever tempt her, Landiak admits she doesn’t have much of a sweet tooth, and instead likes to see others enjoy her baking.
Running any small business has its challenges, and custom cookies are no exception. Landiak says that keeping a consistent schedule, balancing work and family, and simply learning how to run a business have all been things she’s had to work on.
Even though filling custom orders and creating themed holiday cookies keeps her busy, Landiak recently decided to step outside her comfort zone and teach others how to decorate cookies. She began teaching her first classes around Christmas, and has since offered a number of similar events in St. Paul. She will soon be offering a class in Bonnyville too.
“I’m loving that,” says Landiak of the classes, adding, when someone first mentioned the idea of teaching others, she felt somewhat insecure. “It was quite intimidating because I’m still learning,” she says.
But, the response she’s received so far has been really good. She acknowledges that not everyone can afford to pay for luxury items, such as custom cookies for every holiday and celebration, and she is happy to be able to share the skills she’s learned along the way, through the classes.
When asked what her favourite cookies have been over the last five years, Landiak is unsure how to answer the question, but her dedication to her craft is obvious in her response.
“I feel like every (order) is my favourite by the time I’m done.”
