I

started really young in business during high school.

My sisters, they were like, you should just post your cakes on Instagram.

See if people order it.

I was like, no, no, no, no, no.

But one day I decided to try it out.

And I just posted these cakes I was doing for fun.

So somebody must have told you you were crazy.

So tell us a little bit about the layout of your book and, uh, what our listeners can expect when they pick up, uh, Better Than Grandma's.

Yeah.

So the beginning of the book starts with a short how I all got started, a little bit more about me and my family.

Then it goes into a little bit of Baking 101, uh, class in session.

It's something I say in all my videos.

Uh, and this, and in this section, you learn about, like, key tools you need to be a better baker, some ingredients I always like to keep on hand, um, some other baking tips.

And then we move on to different chapters for the recipes.

So explain what this is, because it is properly decadent, but boy, it definitely looks like a winner.

Tell us how that sort of grew and what the next step was.

I started fairly young, um, in business, um, during high school.

My sisters, they were like, "You should just post your cakes on Instagram, see if people order it." I was like, "No, no, no, no, no." But one day I decided to try it out, um, and I just posted these cakes I was doing for fun.

And I'm gonna be honest, they were a little ugly at the time.

I was still learning.

But people were slowly ordering, and then as I co- kept on improving, getting better, kept posting, word of mouth got around, and I had a business accidentally in high school, um, and named it Everything Just Baked.

And over the years I just stayed consistent, my skills improved, um, and I got a lot of recognition.

So somebody must have told you you were crazy.

So tell us a little bit about the layout of your book and, uh, what our listeners can expect when they pick up, uh, Better Than Grandma's.

Yeah.

So the beginning of the book starts with a short, how I all got started, a little bit more about me and my family.

Then it goes into a little bit of Baking 101, uh, class in session.

It's something I say in all my videos.

Uh, and this, and in this section, you learn about, like, key tools you need to be a better baker, some ingredients I always like to keep on hand, um, some other baking tips.

And then we move on to different chapters for the recipes.

So explain what this is because it is properly decadent, but boy, it definitely looks like a winner.

Are there any highlights and challenges you can share?

Absolutely.

So my cookbook, Better Than Grandmas, I decided to independently publish through my imprint, Rolling Pin Press.

And there was a ton of challenges.

There was a lot of good things, too.

One of the reasons I wanted to be independent was I really wanted full creative control.

I had a vision.

What would you suggest we start with? I know this is

Well, for those who may not know your story, would you just tell us a little bit about yourself? And obviously you've discovered your love for baking through your grandma, but what inspired you to start Everything Just Baked?

So I'm Justin Ellen.

My business is Everything Just Baked.

And like I said, ever since I was young, I would bake my grandma and she makes everything from scratch.

And that really started my love for baking.

And as I got older, during school, which don't do this, I would watch YouTube videos of cake decorating.

And my grandma never did cakes.

Is there one recipe that you treasure the most?

Tell us a little bit about your business and what inspired you to take something that began as a tradition into a thriving business.

As I got older, I started watching YouTube, and it was also during school.

Don't do this, but I would be watching YouTube videos during school, um, specifically cake decorating videos.

And for whatever reason, it just really caught my interest, and I loved the different possibilities you could do with cake decorating, and that's something my nana never did.

She hated decorating.

Like, it would stress her out too much.

She's very much of a perfectionist, and she's like...

Mm.

Did your mom step in and help you or guide you? Or was your grandma right there? Or like, how did you, you know, uncover all the details of getting through baking?

Yeah, so my grandma, Nana, that's what we call her.

I always say she's crazy because growing up, she makes everything from scratch, like breads, pies, cookies, anything you can think of, she made from scratch.

And I would always, especially during the holidays, go to her house and try to help out, make a mess, and just be in the kitchen with her.

And I would take everything I learned and go home.

try baking on my own my mom would obviously help me whenever i need um she even bought me like all these different i was young at the time uh like donut maker a cupcake maker things to avoid using the oven like an easy bake oven yes but i quickly quickly outgrew those um and just as i got older i just i continued baking i would watch more youtube videos um and that's when i discovered cake decorating and i would see these elaborate three-tier cakes of like i can easily do that That was not

And what can anybody expect if they want to pick it up?

Yeah.

What does a business look like functionally right now? And how do you think of yourself as a content creator? When people ask what you do, how do you describe it? And then behind the scenes, what does that look like in terms of the most important areas for you within your business?

First, I want to say it might look like I got it all figured out.

I do not.

It's not all perfect over here.

Honestly, I'm just going day by day.

But I will say...

So I decided like slowly I decided to start sharing more recipe content.

What is your advice for somebody who's interested in kind of doing a similar thing?