Meet Charlynne (Char) Adones Mallari | Owner & Lead Baker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Charlynne (Char) Adones Mallari and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Charlynne (Char), alright, let’s jump in with a deep one – what’s you’re definition for success?
My younger self would have defined success as achievements seen and celebrated by others – accomplishments that would make my parents, friends, peers, coaches, and teachers proud. I was quick to believe that my achievements were successful only if others recognized them and provided me with validation that I am doing the right thing. As I matured and grew up, success started to look different. Nowadays, I define success as being able to show up for yourself, pursuing your passions, and incorporating the little things in life that contribute to your tank of happiness. This type of success is not measured by external praise and recognition but rather by how well it aligns with our values, contributing to a meaningful life.

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.
Here at Hello Char Dough, our bread and butter are custom decorated sugar cookies – all themes, from baby showers, weddings, anniversaries, company logo cookies, you name it. What sets us apart from others is not only do we create custom decorated sugar cookies, but we pride ourselves in celebrating culture in our specialty cookies. Often times many cookie businesses in the area only focus on either the decorated cookies or gourmet cookies – but we offer both! Sam and I are of Filipino descent, and one of our best-selling cookies are the Ube Crinkles (purple yam cookies). We love bringing this cookie to markets because it gives us an opportunity to showcase our Filipino heritage and also educate customers on a flavor they may not be accustomed to. Very few restaurants and bakeries here in DFW offer this type of cookie, so we are thrilled to be one of the few local home bakeries to have it available. Another unique cookie flavor that we offer is the Norwegian Flat Caramel Crunch. The Norwegian Flat Caramel Crunch is one of Sam’s creations. As she was testing a recipe, the cookie turned out super flat – but the taste was delectable! We decided to keep its signature flat look and the cookie itself is made with chopped Norwegian Daim Caramel Chocolate. It is both chewy with a crunch, definitely a crowd favorite!

One of our proud moments this year was entering our Oatmeal Cream Pie cookie to the State Fair of Texas 2025 Cookie Competition. This one is also a crowd favorite and has received countless compliments at farmers markets and family parties – a soft, chewy oatmeal sandwich cookie with a marshmallow, bourbon vanilla buttercream filling. Although we did not place, we did receive an honorable mention. It was our first time entering this prestigious competition and being that there were over 400+ cookie entries, an honorable mention was a win for us!

I officially started this home bakery business early January. I will say that I was feeling a little lost in the beginning and it was challenging. I had no business background, didn’t know what I was getting into, and didn’t know where to start. I always felt the need to have everything perfected on the first go around. There is this quote that keeps circling my mind that said “Just make it exist first; you can make it good later.” After talking to friends who were business owners, a little bit of Youtubing, and studying the Texas Cottage Laws, I had the bare bones to start. And that’s what I did, making improvements along the way.

Several lessons have been learned from starting this business. I’ll give ya’ll my top 3. First and foremost, wear your blinders. It seems like a silly thing to do but trust me on this one. When starting a business for the first time, it is common to compare your progress to others and feel discouraged. Thoughts like “Oh that business has so many followers and I don’t” or “This business is selling out and I’m not” or “This market is oversaturated with bakers, who is going to buy from me?”. The truth is everyone starts with zero clients, everyone starts with zero orders, and in the cookie world there is always going to be another baker making cookies. The lesson here is there is space for everyone, and you just need to focus on your craft, wear your blinders when building your business, and don’t worry about what everyone else is doing. Once you realize the only competition is yourself, those fears of competing with others dissolve and that is where you start to grow as an entrepreneur. Second, no matter what type of business you have – do honest, quality work. High quality work attracts repeat customers. Just as actions speak louder than words, your product speaks volumes. Bakers know that not only does a cookie need to look aesthetically pleasing, but the taste profile must be there for it to be a successful, selling product. Lastly, persistence is key. The right opportunities will come your way, but for it to happen you need to overcome the failures, the mistakes, and days where it seems like nothing is going right. It is important not to give up – because who knows, overcoming that one challenge may just bring you one step closer to success.

What do I want the world to know about our brand? We value diversity, integrity, and excellent customer service. We hope that through our cookies we can share our stories and help create special memories with everyone we meet. Our cookies are meticulously crafted to deliver a delightful experience in every bite, reflecting our dedication and care. Our mission: Spreading happiness, one cookie at a time.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
This is a great question, but also tough to narrow down since there are endless things to do and see here in DFW! My husband and I recently moved to DFW last fall, and we’ve finally came up with a list of things to do when we have friends who visit us. Here’s a truncated version:

Day 1: Fort Worth

-Morning Walk: Bear Creek Park (Keller) – The perfect place for a morning stroll in the City of Keller.
-Breakfast: Huckleberry’s (Keller) – Cajun themed breakfast spot featuring Mardi Gras Beignets and Chicken & Waffles
-Coffee: Melby’s Coffee & Tea House (Watauga) – If you want to indulge in unique coffee flavors, Melby’s is the place to go! From their Ube Vietnamese Coffee to their Dubai Chocolate Latte, their coffee is delectable.
-Pit Stop: Buc-ees (Fort Worth) – You can’t visit Texas without seeing Buc-ee the beaver. Great place for snacks (beaver nuggets and beef jerky), souvenirs, and the best gas station bathroom you will ever be in!
-Lunch: Hurtado BBQ (Fort Worth) – The best Tex-Mex BBQ, one of the Top 50 BBQ joints in Texas. Order the brisket elote, thank me later.
-Activity: The Fort Worth Stockyards – A must. Come see the longhorns at their 11:30am or 4pm cattle drive. Lots of shops and restaurants to eat at.
-Dinner/Drinks: Maggie’s R&R (Southside) – Great place to grab dinner and happy hour drinks. It’s a scratch kitchen with craft drinks and live music.

Day 2: Dallas

-Morning Walk: Katy Trail – A walking trail built over a railroad line.
-Breakfast/Coffee: Rose Cafe, conveniently located along Katy Trail. You can grab a small breakfast and coffee and enjoy their indoor/outdoor space.
-Hangout: Bishop Arts District – A perfect place to shop, walk around, and enjoy the colorful street art.
-Lunch: Vera Cruz Cafe – Located in the Bishop Arts District, Vera Cruz Cafe is a Mesoamerican, Mayan, Huasteco, and Aztec cuisine. They have a one-of-a kind menu that includes their blue corn enchiladas and quality seafood, an authentic culinary experience!
-Activity1: Bird Bakery (Highland Park Village) – Grab a delicious cupcake from here, try their award-winning carrot cake cupcake.
-Activity2: American Airlines Center – Catch a Dallas Stars hockey game!
-Dinner: Juicy Dumplings (Euless) – The best place for gourmet dumplings and offers traditional homestyle Chinese cuisine
-Drinks: Parliament – Haven’t been here yet, but I heard it’s a cool speakeasy with great handcrafted drinks.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
At the beginning of the year, I listened to the Mel Robbins Podcast called “How to Reinvent Yourself & Make the Greatest Comeback of Your Life (At Any Age)”. I listened to this about 3 times in its entirety. She used the road trip metaphor and one of the things she said that resonated with me was “Every single one of us has a unique and deeply personal journey…Whatever detour hits you, it is aligned with what is meant for you.” After deciding to hit pause on my engineering career, I had always contemplated on starting this bakery business. I have Mel Robbins to thank for the inspiration to “just start”.

Obviously, I cannot take all the credit in starting this business by myself. I want to thank my husband Lawrence, my #1 supporter – from setting up our farmer’s market booths, being my business sounding board, to marketing my cookies at his work – I am forever grateful for you. Shout-out to my partner in crime and amazing niece Sam, everything you have done to get this business started from building our website, making the dough (no pun intended), staying up late decorating cookies, and simply being there to keep me company while baking – your efforts do not go unnoticed. To my beloved friends and family, you know who you are – thank you for hyping me up, believing in me, test-tasting the cookies, and showing up to all our events – we appreciate you. To the strangers who became our repeat customers – thank you for trusting us and allowing us to create cookies for your special occasions. Last but definitely not least, I thank God for all He has blessed me with and the opportunities that are yet to come.

Website: https://www.hellochardough.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hellochardough

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hellochardough

Image Credits
Precious Gems Photography