Meet Shannon Carmichael Sakioka | Pastry Chef & Health Insurance Advisor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Shannon Carmichael Sakioka and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Shannon, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Starting my own business was never really a decision I made. It was more of an organic occurrence. When the pandemic first began, I was completing culinary school and starting a new position as a health insurance advisor. Being forced to work from home and needing more stimulation than I was receiving, I decided to start practicing my baking skills. It didn’t hurt that our grocery options were very limited. I joined the Nextdoor app and posted that I would love to help people out by baking for them for simply the cost of ingredients. Needless to say, the demand was much higher than I anticipated. I teamed up with a local chef and we began providing meals twice a week for the community. I wasn’t aware that the other chef had been including my information on his flyers and my name was being spread around as local pastry chef willing to bake for people. It didn’t take long for my business to be built based out of necessity. Having owned a successful jewelry store with my family, I already had the knowledge and skill to get things like the website and a google listing done myself and the rest just fell into place. The hardest part for me was coming up with a name. The name Carmichaelstein’s is definitely unique and easy to remember.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Regardless of which business I am focusing on, I set myself apart from the rest by being true to myself. I was raised to provide the best experience possible for my client. That means, if I’m baking a cake for a wedding, I am going to try to make the bride feel like the most important person in the world because she is. I want my cake to be the best cake she’s ever had. That doesn’t mean other people don’t make great cakes, many do. But if I don’t believe mine is the best, if it doesn’t have the right texture, color, it’s not moist enough, etc., I’m going to keep baking until it does. This is my minimum standard. If I wouldn’t pay for a slice of my own cake, how can I expect someone else to? Additionally, I have packed my website with a large menu. Many cottage bakers keep a similar menu of just a few items. I’ve made sure to pack mine with harder to find items and the option to bake your recipes or create new ones when needed. I love customizing my bakes for my clients. I have had to limit my decorations to my abilities. I have had numerous hand surgeries and neck surgeries over the recent years. With this, I am learning how to use my hands for fine details again. It’s not easy but as long as my clients are aware of my abilities, we work together to create a design that is perfect their event.
Changing careers and working with an invisible illness has created challenges that I have had to work through and around. I want people to know that no matter what your story is, if you set a goal for yourself, just keep fighting for it. No matter how hard it may be or how far away the goal is, you can get there. I didn’t expect to be a pastry chef at 51, after having 6 hand surgeries in a year, cervical spine surgery and dealing with autoimmune disease but here I am, killing it.

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?
When my best girlfriend came in town, we made sure to hit a few places that made us both very happy. One of my favorite places to eat and sneak a drink or two is Lekka’s on Preston in Dallas. Not only does it have a great food and drinks but it has some really great retail items. We spent way too much time and money in there but I’ll do it again any chance I get. Our second favorite stop is Keek’s in Plano. When you’re in the mood to shop and indulge, this is the place to do it. What’s better than a designer handbag at affordable prices? Of course, my friends and I love to eat and shop. Our next stop is Highland Village shopping center for Torchy’s Tacos and shopping. After that, you might find us on the square in Denton or Lava Cantina in Carrollton.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have to give a huge shout out to my husband, Daryl and my sons and daughter-in-law, Dakota and Myriah Roden and Caid Roden. They all stood behind me while I changed careers and went to back to school fulltime. It was truly terrifying to retire from your lifelong career and spend your savings to learn a new trade, especially when you’re the oldest one in the class. Without their support and encouragement, I don’t think I could have done it. Thanks to them, I have two amazing careers that allow me to be part of some many people’s special events whether providing the cake for the baby shower or making sure they have health insurance to cover them for the pregnancy. It’s truly a blessing.

Website: www.carmichaelsteins.com

Instagram: carmichaelsteins_bakery

Facebook: Carmichaelstein’s Bakery

Youtube: Chef Shan C

Other: TikTok: @chefshanc