About

What started out as a ton-load of experiments over the years, turned out to be a rollercoaster of personal satisfaction and growth.  

With no professional training under my belt, but only bucket-loads of hours of personal research (both theoretical and practical), engaging with professionals and experts in the catering and hospitality field, as well as the audacity to keep trying and experimenting without giving up, has been what has led me this far.

Hi, I'm Johanna, born in 1982 and this is how my small home-bakery side hustle brought me back to my feet and gave me the scope and realisation that good things can come out of the darkest of times and roughest of patches....

2022 was a year of personal tribulations that ultimately culminated in a deterioration and major breakdown of my mental health.  My day job satisfaction was nowhere to be seen and, on a personal level, I had hit rock bottom, with nothing to look forward to.  With even the looming Christmas festive season that year looking utterly bleak and unexciting, for someone who loves that 'most wonderful time of the year' wholeheartedly, that was saying a lot.

So I needed something to get my brain going and my morale up.  In came the idea of doing 'something small and not complicated' to sell for the Christmas season and start something that might give me some form of personal satisfaction and worth, something I was passionate about, something that was mine to control, something that no one could take away. 

My own venture, with my own goals and agendas in plain sight, my own trophies to win.

December 2022 I launched GEORGE CROSS BAKES with only one product to sell - the Almond Pasticcini in three different flavours.  To my surprise, I was overwhelmed by so many orders which, although not that many to start off with, still raised their own set of hurdles and I felt lost most of the time because I had no experience whatsoever with supplies, vendors, industry, packaging and advertising. 

All I did was accept orders, bake them, package them as best and as simply as I could and do right by the clients who were buying my products, while figuring out everything else as I went.

2023 was a quiet year, trying to take care of my mental health, healing myself as best as I could, settling into my new day job, whilst at the same time, I was thinking about my next step and what would my first repeat product be. 

Social media platforms were a great source of both inspiration and education in many ways.  My first repeat product was the NY Style Chunky Cookies.  They took a while to perfect recipe-wise, and my friends and (mostly) colleagues, were always willing taste-testers and feedback providers.

Since then, I have never looked back and kept on improving on my product quality, packaging, marketing, social media presence, innovative ideas and recipes and expanding my menu options.

Festive occasions and celebratory milestones were always the best opportunities to let my creativity loose and come up with new ideas and approaches and...why not...overcome a few fears like Custom Cakes.  Having friends and clients who push you out of your many comfort zones, is always a welcome plus.

My latest venture was setting up this website (2026), which I honestly did not think I had in me.  I've meddled with web design and (at times) coding, making me realise that life is all about trying, trying and trying. If one fails, still you rise and try again.

My ethos is always the same:

- I'm a client as much as I am a small business owner - think with both hats,
- Put in the effort - it will be worth it,
- The fewer the shortcuts, the more authentic it is,
- It's all in the details - the eyes need their share as much as the tummy does,
- Go the extra mile - it will bring back return customers,
- There is no business without loyal clients - take care of them,
- Baked with Love...always.

Looking ahead, I am excited for what the future holds for me and my gem of a small business venture......GEORGE CROSS BAKES.