Rising Stars: Meet Shanda Posthumus

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shanda Posthumus.

Hi Shanda, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I have been baking for as long as I can remember. My family didn’t have much growing up, so come Christmas time, my mom’s siblings would trade homemade goods. One aunt made homemade salsa, another made spicy pretzels, and my mom and I would have a full day of baking to fill plates with sugar cookies, sweetbreads, and pecan balls (my dad’s favorite). My brother would join us just long enough to make his famous peanut brittle. As I got older, I took on the role of baking the birthday cakes each year as I had grown to love baking more than my mom did. For a short time in my twenties, I worked in a local bakery which started a spark I never anticipated. I tried my hand at cakes, but it was too stressful and never turned out exactly as I wanted (being a perfectionist can have its downs). Cupcakes are where I found my niche. My husband and I then moved across the country to join our friends in running trampoline parks in North Carolina. Super random, I know.

While I thought my baking would be put on hold, it turned out to be used more than ever. They asked me to bake cupcakes for park celebrations and staff birthdays each month. The staff began to challenge me with different flavor combinations and that’s when I fell completely in love. Finding new cupcake flavors quickly became my creative outlet while working with my husband, raising two young kids, and growing our family. Our staff were so sweet as they began “putting in orders” for their own family parties and constantly encouraging me to make this a business. I still felt completely inadequate for something so “professional.” After a couple of years, friends started requesting cupcakes for their parties as well. One friend came to me and said, “When are you going to make this official so I can start taking your cupcakes to my kids’ school?” That meant getting state inspected, which terrified me. When I talked about this idea to another friend of mine, she quickly encouraged me to do so as well.

I decided to take the plunge and get my business license. A tech/design friend helped me with brand ideas and professional pictures of my cupcakes as I learned the business side of things. The Sugar Post is not very big by any means, but it has allowed me to be part of weddings, showers, birthdays, and school fundraisers for the most wonderful people, which has been the most fun! And now that we have four kids, sitting in my kitchen, creating new flavor combinations, and bringing my ideas to life is still my outlet. My calm. My happy place.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
I have no professional training in this field, so mistakes happen often. Learning how to deal with these mistakes and find trade secrets has proven difficult for me. More than once, I have thrown batches out and was forced to start over. There is a part of me that wishes I could go back, complete the proper schooling, and learn under a professional. But with four kids and helping my husband with his business, time is scarce.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am the first to admit that learning the new cupcake decorating trends can be difficult. And as much I love using different icing tips for creative designs, my real love and passion is creating new cupcake flavors. A friend of mine orders cupcakes for her staff birthdays and she will send me a list of their “favorites.” I then create a cupcake that incorporates those favorites into a new cupcake flavor. This type of request happens more often than one would think, and it is always the most rewarding. I often get return requests of these creations as people fall in love with their favorites. I even had the task of re-creating someone’s wedding cake flavor from years ago for an anniversary! So when someone asks, “What flavors do you have?” I have a difficult time answering because I love to try anything the customer wants.

Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
The most important lesson I have learned throughout this journey is not to compare myself to others. There are so many talented bakers on social media outlets and it can be extremely discouraging when their designs seem perfect, yet the same design doesn’t come naturally for me. The truth is, social media is filled with editing programs to make things look easy and perfect, when in reality it may not have been easy for them either. So I have refocused myself and not get caught up on the “I wish I could be like….” and just do my thing the best way I know how.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @thesugarpostraleigh
• Facebook: @thesugarpostraleigh

Image Credits
Sarah Springthorpe