Whether baking for school events or posting pictures of her Royal Icing cookie creations on Instagram, sophomore Mimi Fitzgerald of Long Branch and her baking business have stirred up success.
Phat Dads Bakery, a name coined by her parents, began in November of 2023. With her lack of tennis practice and light freshman year workload, Fitzgerald found the perfect time to begin her baking journey and fund her retail therapy addiction.
“When Baking Club came to CHS, I continued to bake more and more often, and I thought I might as well make money from it since I loved it so much,” Fitzgerald said.
She makes custom orders for anything from graduation parties to birthdays to baby showers. While Mimi is best known for her skill making intricate designs with a piping bag on Royal Icing cookies, her business all started with a cake pop.
“I made cake pops for my friend’s birthday, and she gave some to her aunt. Her aunt loved them, so she ordered four dozen cake pops for her nephew’s hockey game,” Fitzgerald said.
From there, Fitzgerald easily built a foundation for her business, after having her parents play a large role in her networking and beginning sales during the holiday season.
“I would get my mom to tell her friends about [my business], and I got a lot of orders around Christmas.”
Although her weekly order numbers fluctuate, Phat Dads Bakery continues to grow and make a name for itself.
“I’ve had customers order from me multiple times, and I’ve gotten some bigger orders,” Fitzgerald said. “In the summer, I started getting orders through Facebook from strangers in my town.”
Fitzgerald has found social media to be very advantageous when advertising her business and building her network.
“I post on Instagram, mainly of the Royal Icing Cookies, and have my contact information in the caption,” Fitzgerald said. “But, posting on Facebook is really what gets orders from adults.”
While Fitzgerald’s business can bring stress and a lack of sleep, she takes the slower months of January through April to rest and regroup.
