Darlin' Designs: Raleigh-based home bakery serves up adorable sweet treats for holidays, celebrations

Darlin' Designs Baking Co. started as a hobby and side hustle in 2009. Today, making decorated sugar cookies for her customers' holidays, celebrations and day-to-day is a full-time job for its owner, Tricia Eshelman, who lives in north Raleigh with her husband and three kids.

I checked in with Eshelman, who formerly worked in social work and as an art teacher at Franklin Academy, to learn more about her home-based business and what she offers, including some super cute treats for Easter. Here's a Q&A.

Go Ask Mom: How did Darlin' Designs get its start? Have you always been a baker?

Tricia Eshelman: Darlin’ Design started soon after our wedding in 2009. To save money, I decided to make our wedding cake out of styrofoam. I made a four tier cake shape with some styrofoam and decorated it like a real cake using buttercream icing and fondant. I had inserted a real piece of cake into the styrofoam to use for the cake cutting ceremony and we served sheet cake to our guests. Our guests had no idea it wasn’t real! After that, friends and family started to ask me to make their wedding cakes for them the same way. I made a few of those but decided to give real cakes a shot. People ended up loving the real deal, so I found tutorials online and taught myself how to decorate them. Through word of mouth, my hobby turned into a business and I quickly found myself spending many nights and weekends decorating cakes after being an art teacher by day.

Even as a child, I loved baking, but I loved art even more. Some of my earliest memories are sitting on my bed drawing in my sketchbook. I’ve also always been an entrepreneur and had many “businesses” growing up. My first time selling cookies was at 10 years old when my best friend and I made Christmas cookies and sold them to our neighbors. We ended up making $12 each! The recipe we used is very similar to the one I still use today.

GAM: You specialize in decorated sugar cookies. Why did you make that your niche? What do you enjoy about making them?

TE: When my business first started I made cakes but occasionally took a few cookie orders. My customers kept telling me how they had never had a decorated sugar cookie that looked so pretty AND tasted so delicious. My customers inspired my tagline: "Where taste and design have equal seats." I kept that in the back of mind, but I felt more confident making cakes and assumed that would always be my niche. After having our third child, I decided to put my business on hold for a few years. I still baked occasionally for friends and of course our kid’s birthday parties. After a few years, I began taking a few cookie orders here and there to help pay for some expenses. As a busy mom, I quickly discovered cookies were an easier business option for me. Decorating a wedding cake with three kids running around was not ideal! So I switched over to cookies in 2018. I started my IG and Facebook page and within a year my business grew to a full-time job. I think niching down to just cookies actually helped my business grow. I still do cakes, but just for my kid’s birthdays.

GAM: You have some super cute offerings for Easter. Tell us about what you have.

TE: I currently have single bunny and chick cookies that can be customized with names, DIY cookie kits, paint your own egg cookies, and some two cookie Easter gift sets. These are perfect for the Easter basket!

GAM: What do you enjoy about what you do?

TE: I absolutely love that I am my own boss and am able to use my talent to bring joy to others. I have always loved creating art and cookies are the perfect outlet for me. Before COVID, I also taught cookie decorating classes and did birthday parties. These gave me the ability to still pursue my love for teaching art, but now edible art!

GAM: What are your big hopes for the future of Darlin' Designs?

TE: My dream would be to have a brick and mortar cookie shop (and maybe cakes too!) with a space to teach classes and have birthday parties. It would be nice to have a space outside of my home as I am quickly outgrowing my dining-room-turned-cookie-room! Also, as soon as it is safe, I hope to resume cookie classes and offer birthday party packages again.

Find Darlin' Designs Baking Co. on its website and Instagram and Facebook pages. Customers also can contact Tricia at darlin.cakes@gmail.com.

Go Ask Mom features local moms every Monday.