The Sweet Life
Q&A with Bella Bakery’s Paige Lamborn…
Edible: When did your passion for baking begin? Was it a natural progression or a trained skill?
Paige: My passion for baking began some time after my mom opened Bella Rose Bakery & Café in 2011. I was also attending Fresno State at the time, so I didn’t start off by baking much. I had a small room in the back of the kitchen that I would bake out of for the café. Over time, I realized I really enjoyed baking, and everything just continued to progress from there over the next few years. Everything I know has been self-taught. I attended a week-long Fresh Pastry Boot Camp once at the Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena, but apart from that, I have never attended school for any culinary training. Many of our recipes have been handed down through our family over generations, or we have come up with them on our own.
Edible: What are the work hours of a baker and do you have staff who support your operation?
Paige: The work hours can be very demanding, especially around the holidays. We make everything from scratch, so it can be very time-consuming to make sure we are able to keep things stocked for the bakery cases. But, so worth it! Thankfully we have a wonderful staff with whom we are able to split up the workload and make everything happen.
Edible: Do you have multiple businesses?
Paige: The bakery’s only location is our current storefront, although we do operate the Creamery next door.
Edible: What key principles do you have in place to manage work and home life?
Paige: Owning your own business is no easy task. My husband and I also have two little ones at home that we are raising while running the bakery, but the bakery has become like a second home to them. We plan our days around taking care of them and will switch off at home and at work to make sure both my husband and I are able to get our work done at the bakery as well. We try to make an effort to leave Sundays for family time enjoyed together at home.
Edible: Have you always envisioned your life as an entrepreneur?
Paige: I did not always envision my life as an entrepreneur and small business owner. I attended Fresno State where I graduated with my bachelor’s degree in biology. I had always thought I wanted to go to medical school, but after learning how costly that would be, I really began to focus everything into baking. The rest is history.
Edible: What is your favorite bakery food and why?Paige: My favorite bakery item to eat would have to be a maple pecan scone. I love the flavor of maple syrup, and with the crushed pecans in the scone, it’s just the perfect snack for me. It’s not too sweet, but can do the trick to curb my sweet tooth. Plus, the pecans in them make me think I’m being kind of healthy (ha!).
Edible: Are there future plans or dreams for Bella Bakery?
Paige: We have tons of ideas that float around in our head, but right now we would love to be able to get a food truck to take Bella Bakery on the road to weddings and big events. We would also love to expand to a second location, but that would be way in the future, once our kids are older.
Bella Bakery • 1501 Draper St., Kingsburg (559) 419-9667
