Meet Michelle Word | Gluten Free Cottage Baker

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

Hi Michelle, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I have never been a good baker. I would always try my hand at made from scratch items with limited success. However, a few years ago, I stumbled upon gluten free baking bloggers and their treats looked so incredibly delicious. I followed them and would look at their treats and wish that I could bake as well as they did. Then, one Christmas, I received a recipe book for those drool worthy treats. It took me eight months to work up the courage to try one of the recipes! Of course, I started with a very complicated lemon poppyseed cupcake with lemon curd filling and Swiss meringue frosting. I had never made cupcakes from scratch, much less made lemon curd or frosting. Those are things you buy at the store. Go big or go home, right? To my absolute amazement, the cupcakes and lemon curd came out perfectly! The Swiss meringue wasn’t quite the right consistency, but the flavor was there and it was my first time to ever make something that came out great, tasted so good, and was gluten free. This encouraged me to try other recipes and share with family and friends. The feedback was confidence building and I kept going. My husband was my biggest cheerleader though. He was shocked that gluten free treats could taste so good! He insisted that I should sell them and have me carte blanche to begin buying the supplies I would need to begin my small business.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’ve had a variety of jobs throughout my life. The one I held the longest was being a homeschool mom to my kids. Through the experience of homeschooling them, I’ve met my community of friends, further developed my leadership and organizational skills, and developed the confidence to try things that are beyond my comfort zone. I’ve never been the person who takes risks. Don’t get me wrong, I’m disciplined and hard-working when it comes to being an employee or a student. This has been a totally different experience though. I’m extremely introverted. I can have conversations one-on-one for hours with just about anyone. However, beginning a small business and learning to spread the word about the things that you’re doing and the business you’re trying to create is the scariest thing I’ve ever done! It was one thing to have a quiet confidence as an employee or a student. Those were background things that would hopefully be recognized because of my hard work. Being a small business owner though, you really have to learn how to put yourself out there. You have to learn how to project a confidence that you may not always feel. You have to be willing to take the criticism from people who may not be as excited about your products as you think they should be. You have to take risks with your time and your money. It’s terrifying for someone who is used to being in the background. It’s all worth it when I get the feedback from people who have enjoyed my treats.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
There are some regular favorites I love to eat at when going out with friends.

For breakfast, we would head over to Bacon’s for French toast and a roof top skillet.

For burgers, JD’s Hamburgers is my go to. They have incredible burgers and a dedicated fryer for French fries.

For Indian fare, Spice 8 has the best curry I’ve had.

For Italian, we would go to DeVivo Bros. They have an incredible menu full of options to enjoy and their monster cookies are delicious.

For Mexican, Lupe’s Tortilla is my favorite go to. I can have nearly everything on the menu and everything I’ve had has been yummy.

For sushi, we would go to Sushi Dojo. They have a great selection of rolls that you can get gluten free at other restaurants and offer gluten free soy sauce.

Finally, for dessert, I always make the trip to Weatherford to enjoy Dulce Panda. They have a unique assortment of flavors and offer at least four dairy free, gluten free options as well as gluten free waffle cones. Trust me, it’s totally worth the drive!

Places we would visit would include our local thrift shops, book stores, coffee shops (Babylon Coffee Roasters is my current favorite), museums, and parks/state parks.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’ve already given credit to my husband for getting me started and being my biggest cheerleader, but my family, friends, fellow vendors, and customers also deserve a shout out. They’ve all encouraged, inspired, critiqued, motivated, and driven me to keep growing, learning, and doing more. I absolutely could not have continued if not for them. Having the opportunity to be a bright spot in someone’s day or celebration is an incredible feeling and I’m so thankful that they choose me to be a part of it.

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