Meet Elizabeth Mazzurco | Cookie Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Elizabeth Mazzurco and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Elizabeth, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
My business really began as a hobby. I had resigned from teaching elementary school to stay home with my three children. When my daughter was in pre-school I began teaching myself how to create decorated sugar cookies as a hobby. I had always been crafty and loved baking so it was a nice fit! I donated some to a pre-school bake sale and multiple people asked me if I sold them! After a few years of baking for friends and family I decided to give the hobby a chance as a career. When my twin sons began Kindergarten, I knew I had to, and wanted to, contribute income to our family. I turned my hobby into an LLC and began baking and selling cookies as a business. I was able to work extremely flexibly hours and could still be home if a child was sick or go into the school for school functions in my children’s classes. The flexibility is priceless and it makes all the hard parts of owning a business worth it!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I love my art! Cookies are such a fun medium to work with. Royal icing serves as an easy canvas and so many artistic techniques can be accomplished with food coloring, dusts, and different icing tips. Edible art is always a client favorite as well! It can be customized for any event and is a beautiful and delicious favor.

There are definitely challenges in owning any small business. It is not easy to wear all the hats and have all the responsibilities of a business. But it is also completely rewarding to watch the business grow and prosper. My family is completely supportive and there is no way I could keep my business going without my husband’s support and assistance. He is my dough maker, cookie packager, and my rock when my emotions take over!

Through the years I’ve really tried to focus on keeping the business at a manageable size. I’ve had a few growth opportunities that I’ve let pass because it just wasn’t the right time. I started this business as a way to contribute to the family but also as a way to remain available for my children. Keeping that at the forefront of my brain has helped me make decisions regarding how much business to take on and when to draw the line. It is incredibly challenging to intentionally squash some opportunities, but I keep reminding myself that by doing that, I am actually achieving my personal goals.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The cookie community is insanely generous and supportive. When I began there were the cookie masters whose blogs and websites helped me every day: Sweet Sugarbelle, Lila Loa, SweetAmbs. But overtime, as I developed my own style, I communicated with so many other cookiers. To this day, I am inspired by the incredible artists in the cookie community and the generosity to share and help is amazing.

Website: www.thecirclebakeshop.com

Instagram: thecirclebakeshopbyelizabeth

Facebook: The Circle Bake Shop by Elizabeth