Daily Inspiration: Meet Vicki Shin

Today, we’d like to introduce you to Vicki Shin.

Hi Vicki, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I have loved baking for as long as I can remember. My earliest memories involve helping my dad make chocolate chip cookies and mixing all the ingredients by hand (I loved squishing the butter and sugar together). My parents and sister were always in the kitchen cooking something or trying new baked goods.

Baking became one of my passions, and I loved the science behind following a recipe that led to a sweet treat. I received my first Martha Stewart baking book from my sister in high school and started experimenting on my own. I’ve baked my fair share of cakes, cookies, and breads, and it has become a yearly tradition to make birthday cakes for my family every year.

Baking is therapeutic for me and has served as a stress reliever. It helped me through nursing school and career changes throughout the years. No matter what I was going through, baking has always been my safe space to be creative and truly something I could make my own. Sharing what I create is what I find most joyful and fulfilling. Seeing my loved ones genuinely enjoying what I make for them fills my cup and warms my heart.

We all face challenges, but would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not always been a smooth road – I wanted to go to culinary school when I graduated high school, but unfortunately, it didn’t work out. Although I chose to go a different route, I am thankful I have been able to continue baking all of these years. I have always found joy in baking, and being able to share this with others has made it all worth it.

I’d say my current obstacles involve time. I work a full-time corporate job and have received more orders for baking projects lately. It can get challenging trying to juggle both and can sometimes result in sleepless nights.

As crazy as it may sound, I love that I have this problem because it feels like I have grown exponentially between 2023-2024. I keep a note on my phone keeping track of all of the orders I receive and this year alone has included celebrating a grand opening, multiple baby showers, and birthday parties.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’ve been a nurse for over 10 years now and currently work full-time at a pharmaceutical company. I have been approached by many of my friends and family encouraging me to make baking my full-time job, but I have not made that leap quite yet. Over the years, I have continued baking for friends, family, and coworkers trying to improve the treats that I’ve made.

Lately, I’ve focused much of my energy on trying to make consistently good macarons and felt like I had a breakthrough within the last couple of years. I’ve had a number of orders this year and I feel so lucky and so fortunate to have the support of my husband, family, and friends. I am most proud of my growth throughout the years with my baking and my confidence in sharing what I make. I am self-taught and I am, almost to a fault, a perfectionist especially when it comes to baking for others.

When something isn’t up to par, I will start over no matter what time it is and how many tries it takes. Practice makes progress, and being able to share my progress with my loved ones has helped to build me up and feel more confident to expand my network by sharing with others.

What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
Never give up on your dreams. As cliche as this may sound, it is true for me and, I’m sure, for many others. Although it may feel like your dreams are not fully supported by your loved ones in the beginning, persistence and practice have been key components in my journey.

I’ve experienced many nights of disappointment, frustration, tears, and a slew of wasted ingredients, but through all of it, I was able to learn and grow within myself and work on perfecting my craft to share with others.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vickii_bakes/