A Nova Scotia mom has turned her passion into a fulltime job. Stephanie Warren worked in IT most of her life but always had a love of baking. Last month, she officially opened POP & MAC Studio in Upper Tantallon, N.S. “You put all these dreams on paper and then all of a sudden, I’m living them and people are walking in and they’re getting the same feeling I am,” said Warren. “This is a great space for our community.” She started down this path in 2020 as a home-kitchen side hustle to support her family. First, she made hot chocolate bombs as part of a fundraiser, but it quickly grew from there. “People just kept asking for them, so I was like, ‘Oh, I’ll keep doing it,’ and the I was like, ‘Why don’t we just make it a business, and I can start doing the other things that I love to make?’ So I started making cake pops and cakesicles and then French macarons and then cupcakes were added.” Now, six years later, it’s evolved into so much more. She has daily desserts people can stop by and pick up, and she also does custom and corporate orders. “Creating the commercial kitchen was the idea to up my wholesale because I sell to other local cafés in Halifax,” she said. Warren knows the importance of supporting local, so she makes sure to feature other creators on her store shelves. “Because I started at home and I started in the markets and I met all these wonderful people along the way, and every time I would meet somebody and see all their stuff, I’m like, ‘Why can’t we all just have a space in a store?’” As this sweet chapter begins, the mom of two is excited to see what happens next. “Having this storefront and just having this space be alive for the community has been really important to me.” For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
