Agnes Hardenstine won the NFIB/North Carolina Leadership Council Young Entrepreneur Award this year.
One day, while watching Food Network’s Ace of Cakes show, Agnes Hardenstine had an idea. With her eyes already set on culinary school, she wanted to experience baking and decorating treats prior to graduating high school. So, she decided on creating her own business, making cakes just like the ones she’d seen on TV for family and friends.
Thus started Agnes’ Bakery, a shop she’s been running throughout her time at Jimmy C. Draughn High School. She bakes high-quality treats for events, with prices ranging from $10 for six cupcakes to $25 for a 9-inch cake, and the end product is almost something you’d see foodies salivating over on Pinterest. She’s made treats like chocolate peanut butter cupcakes for graduation, donned with Reese’s peanut butter cups shaped like caps with tassels, and ones that came with panda faces drawn in frosting.
“The thing I enjoy most about baking is the end result of putting smiles on people’s faces and making them happy,” Hardenstine says. “I love using my creativity to put together delicious treats.”
Her clientele consists of about 10 customers a week around the holidays and anywhere from two to five a week during non-holiday seasons. She says, on average, she’ll serve eight to 15 people a month.
However, it didn’t come easy at first. Hardenstine struggled balancing her time, sometimes staying up late into the night to finish her homework while baking.
“I faced a couple problems with my business, including not having enough experience and not having enough time between school and work to bake. I also struggled getting publicity,” she says. “From owning my business, I have learned that baking takes a lot of time and effort, but in the end it is very rewarding and I can’t imagine doing anything else as a career.”
Hardenstine plans to attend the Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena, California, to study for her associate’s degree in baking and pastry arts.
