Meet Andrea Saunders, Newtown mom of 4 and the baker behind Crave Custom Cakes & Cookies. Her desserts not only look amazing, but taste delicious. They’re so good, you’re guaranteed to CRAVE them.
Where are you originally from and how long have you lived in Newtown? As a kid I was a military brat that grew up in many parts of the US, but longest stop was in Spokane, Washington. My family and I have lived in Newtown for two years, but before that we lived in Brookfield for 13 years.
Child(ren) and Age(s)? I have 4 children, 3 boys and a Princess. They are 13, 12, and 10, and the Princess is 5.
Favorite things to do with your kids? My favorite thing to do with my kids is read to them/with them. I love to read and have read to my kids from day one. My kids are all now voracious readers.
Favorite spot in our area? My favorite spot in the area is Fairfield Hills. I love the trails and it is also the location for the Newtown Farmers Market, which I am a vendor at on Tuesdays during the summer months . It is always so peaceful and wonderful place to take my family on walks/bike rides.
What is your proudest mommy moment? My proudest mommy moment is watching my kids push themselves to do hard things and not give up. I have always told them that if they try hard enough and keep getting up even when obstacles are in their way that they will succeed. My kids love sports and dance and hearing them get psyched up at a recital or event telling themselves they can do hard things always brings me to tears. There will always be obstacles in their lives, but with great attitudes they will be able to be successful in life.
When did you decide to start Crave? Have you always loved baking? Having my oldest son is was really started my cake decorating future. When he was born I needed something to do as a break and get out of the house when my husband was home and could watch him. I started taking cake decorating classes, reading books, and watching tutorials like crazy to learn all that I could. Wanting more, I began to travel taking classes from the most famous Cake decorators all over the world to continue leaning. I love learning and challenging myself with new things. After a while people started asking me to make cakes for them and my dream to start Crave Custom Cakes and Cookies began!
What’s the best cake (or cupcakes/cookies) that you have ever made? What type of event was it for? Choosing a favorite cake is a tough one. Since I do custom cakes I get to do unique, fun, and elegant cakes all the time. But, one of my favorite cakes is a cake I did for a little girls birthday party. She loves, loves, loves pancakes! For her cake she wanted me to make her a big stack of pancakes. I made the cake look so real people really thought it was a massive stack of pancakes. It even smelled like them because I mixed in a little maple syrup in the drip.
You offer so many frosting and fillings. What’s your favorite combo? My favorite flavor combination would probably be white cake with cookie dough buttercream! Or raspberry lemonade which is a lemon cupcake with a raspberry reduction and raspberry buttercream. It just depends if I am in a fruity mood!!!! Hahaha
As a mom and business owner, how do you find balance between your deadlines for Crave & your family? Balancing between being a business owner with deadlines and family is tough. I always try to finish my work before they get home from school or work late at night when they are sleeping, because I just don’t want to miss any precious moments with them. They grow up so fast.
The best way to do this is to be organized with my schedule. And make sure to put my phone or any other distractions aside so I don’t waste any time. Occasionally a really busy week creeps up, but they are so loving and patient I couldn’t ask for a better family.
For more information on Andrea’s business, visit www.cravecustomcookies.com or follow Andrea on Facebook or Instagram. You can also read about Crave Custom Cookies here on our blog.