Many students at North Creek have jobs, but few have been so ambitious as to start their own business. Junior Macey Pirak is one of these ambitious few, founding May May Bakes & Co: An online-only bakery that provides a wide assortment of treats for customers, primarily cookies and brownies.
For Pirak, the decision to start the business was a matter of inspiration. “I have always loved baking and ever since I was a little girl as I used to bake with my Mama,” said Pirak. “She had wanted to start a bakery for a long time as well, but it was actually an instagram reel that led me to actually getting this started. I kept seeing reels about how starting now would be better than waiting and how it’s better to risk it for something you love to do and so that’s what I did. I have wanted to open a bakery for a few years now and I just figured that a home cottage bakery would be the easiest way to do that while also managing my school work.” said Pirak.
Her dream and her efforts to fulfill it were not without hardships, however. “The first few challenges I have faced while starting this business have come from getting all the licensing as I have dogs and a younger brother who I would need to be able to keep out of the kitchen for long periods of time and so I really had to work with my parents, especially my dad to help figure out ways to make it work,” said Pirak. “Another thing that’s been difficult to overcome is the cost of everything. I have been saving up my money for a while and have been working over the summers since my freshman year, but because baking ingredients have been rapidly increasing in price lately (Same with all the supplies I needed) it has been difficult to feel comfortable, because I’m not used to spending large amounts of money at once because it makes me anxious. My parents have also helped a lot with that in offering me ‘loans’ and ‘investments’ to say as a way to help get me started.” said Pirak.
While business has been slow so far, she has seen acclaim for her baking “So far, as I just started a couple weeks ago, sales aren’t super high yet, I am trying to come up with more ways to promote myself and get myself out there so sales get up and I’m just really hoping that it leads to a lot of people starting to notice the business and therefore ordering.” said Pirak. “But I have been baking for my friends and family members for a long time and all of them love all my treats. My brownies especially have been a hit with everyone I know but all of my family and friends really enjoy everything I bake.”
Pirak is also confident in the continued success of her bakery, largely due to the amount of support she has garnered for it. “I feel pretty confident that May May Bakes & CO. will succeed because I have a big group of people supporting me in any way they can which really gives me a confidence boost, but also, baking is what I love and I think the most important thing about my bakery is sharing what I love with everyone and I think food (especially desserts) is a great way to connect with people as well. I also know that its one of the things that I am most passionate about and I would do so much to succeed in this.”
Junior Safarilaine Knowles is a major supporter of Pirak’s bakery. “Macey is seriously one of the one of the best bakers I’ve ever met. She truly puts so much love and effort into all of per baking and I can tell that it is her passion, it is seriously one of my favorite things when she decides to bring us some of her delicious baked good to try.” said Knowles. “My favorite one of her baked goods is definitely her brownies, they are so perfectly baked and the combination of salty and sweet is to die for, they are the perfect texture and I think everyone should try them.”
Sophomore Max Trepp is also a major supporter of Pirak’s baking and her business. “I think that Macey has a ton of different types of treats and they’re all super delicious,” said Trepp. “She has so many flavors and recipes and she is working on getting feedback to improve them which is really awesome. All of the cookies I’ve tried are amazing especially the limited time cookies, so I’ll definitely have to try those when there are new ones.”
Pirak plans to expand her business as more publicity reaches her bakery. “I plan to continue to promote and keep the home bakery as long as it fits what I’m doing, but I am hoping to expand and possibly go to a commissary kitchen (which is basically just renting out someone else’s commercial kitchen for periods of time) and then once I grow out of that, I hope to open my own storefront bakery.”
