Meet Koula Budler | Home Baker. Former TV & Radio Host, Voice Over Artist.

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

Hi Koula, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
I guess you could say I’m a calculated risk-taker! From an early age, I knew I wanted to work in broadcasting. I loved music and radio with a passion, and knew there was only one radio station I wanted to work for (I’m 40, and radio was a big deal in South Africa during my youth.) During my final year of studies, I sent my radio demo off to the top national pop music station, 5FM. There was no plan B. I landed the job. A week after graduating, I launched my national broadcasting career at the age of 21. My career expanded into hosting television as well. Between radio and TV, I traveled the world, covering music festivals and red carpet events, and interviewing celebrities. Some of the trips were with a crew, other times I traveled on my own to different countries. I was quite comfortable with this. Some might think a woman in her 20s traveling alone internationally might be unsafe, but I was having the time of my life!

I was once dared to run a 56 mile ultramarathon by a fellow broadcaster. The end goal was to raise money for charity. I agreed. At the time, I had never even run as much as a 5k. I did the occasional spinning class at my local gym. We had 9 months to go from zero to race day. I risked national humiliation… there was much debate as to whether or not I would manage to finish the world-renowned Comrades Marathon. 56 miles, with a time limit of 12 hours to complete it. I did finish it. And went on to complete 6 more of them in the following years. I love a good challenge!

My husband and I also risked everything we had by moving to the USA. We both felt we had reached certain ceilings in South Africa. At the time, we were in our early 30s, no children, and felt that if we were going to make a massive move like that, that the time was right. We sold everything we had and moved over here with two bags of suitcases to our name. December this year will be 9 years since the big move. You can’t move credit scores across countries, our social security numbers were new, and we had no history to them… even finding a place to rent when there is nothing about you in the system in terms of previous credit was a challenge. We took on those challenges one by one, upgrading from work/spousal visas to green cards, and eventually becoming citizens this year.

I also have two sets of twins, born 22 months apart. I started up my home bakery business when my youngest twins turned 1 earlier this year. I wrangle all my kids on my own by day (they’ll be starting MDO next month for a couple of mornings a week), while my husband travels overseas extensively. And then I bake at night. I am convinced I only make it through each day b y the grace of God, and the grit and determination He gave me to overcome seemingly insurmountable challenges. As I said earlier, I love a good challenge… but I never in my wildest dreams thought I would be raising two sets of twins!

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 am a self-taught home baker. I loved cooking and baking from an early age. Back in South Africa, I baked for friends’ birthdays and weddings, but just for fun. I even won the celebrity episode of a cooking contest — BBC South Africa’s “Come Dine With Me.”

I certainly don’t consider myself a professional, but I am a perfectionist. I enjoy mastering things. I studied classical music from an early age. That taught me discipline. Running ultra marathons also taught me discipline in other forms. I love learning about something that intrigues me… learning all the intricacies about that thing… What that is has changed forms over the years. Some things, like broadcasting, can’t be mastered. There is always room for improvement. I feel that way about baking, too. You can always improve.

I am proud of how much I have grown as a baker since March, when I started this little home bakery. Before that, I mostly made cupcakes and smallish cakes, and fun desserts for dinner parties. Certainly not elaborate cakes. I said “yes” to orders that scared me. Then figured out how to make them. YouTube, bakers forums… I am very grateful for bakers that share their knowledge and opinions on various platforms for beginners like me. I can certainly see improvements since the cakes I made in March. Things like funfetti cakes, and strawberry cakes — that seem normal here — were not common in South Africa. I had never even heard of a strawberry cake, let alone tasted a slice, prior to my first order for one! I had to do a lot of research about what makes a good strawberry cake, test out a few recipes, tweak a few things ’til I found one that seemed just right. I have had many repeat orders since then… but it’s fascinating to me how different even cakes can be from one country to the next.

I love that all the cakes I make are for fun celebrations. Birthday, weddings, anniversaries, baby showers. It is a privilege to be part of those occasions in some small way. This is a completely new avenue for me… so very different from my broadcast background. But I needed a creative outlet, and change of pace from babies and more babies, day after day. I thought this would be a fun opportunity for that, but it grew at a much faster pace than I ever imagined or anticipated. I am grateful that my customers challenge me, and help me grow creatively with each and every order.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Hmmm… I’m probably the worst person to ask this as I very rarely get to go out without 4 kids under 3 in tow! Pretty sure I am not up-to-date on the popular places to see & go!

I love the Knox Henderson district in Dallas. Love the furniture and clothing stores there, the patios… So would probably take a stroll in and out of some of the stores, and end up having brunch at Ziziki’s. My father is Greek, and I love Ziziki’s authentic Greek food! Actually, I had a fantastic dinner at Curtis Stone’s Georgie in that same block, so perhaps a dinner there one night. Is it bad that we’re still on food here…? Si Tapas is another place I’d recommend checking out in Dallas.

A lot of our visitors want that “cowboy” experience, so a trip to the Fort Worth Stockyards is a must. There is a twice-daily cattle drive, Billy Bobs, and plenty more. It’s not a place I generally visit for myself, but my out of town friends have all been completely fascinated by it, so it gets an honorary mention.

In our phase of life, most of our friends have youngish kids. A trip to the Fort Worth Zoo and Museum of Science & History are a must.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Fort Worth Mothers of Multiples: my village. I would be lost without this group! Other twin, triplet, quadruplet moms to ask/share advice and support with. They have been my sanity many times.

Aledo Moms (Facebook group). I am so grateful for the community we live in. Some very kind customers have given me shoutouts on this group, and thanks to all the immediate referrals generated, I haven’t had to do any marketing for my business. I am operating at capacity (keeping in mind I can only work nights at the moment), but have bookings into December already. Grateful for these moms who want to support local businesses!

My husband, who is my greatest support… even though he doesn’t eat any cake! He’s a great (and surprising) sounding board for decorating ideas. For context: my husband is into beef cattle genetics… far removed from the baking industry. He’ll also be completely honest if something needs to be scrapped, and redone, and has on many occasions picked up flowers, cake boxes, even chocolate molds for me on his way home from work.

Website: www.koulabudler.com

Instagram: @AledoPartyCakes

Twitter: @KoulaBudler

Facebook: @AledoPartyCakes