Meet Sara Goldstein | Founder, Personality, & Pastry Chef

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sara Goldstein and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sara, can you share the most important lesson you’ve learned over the course of your career?
Always trust your intuition; learning to listen to those gut instincts will save you so much time, energy, money, and even heartbreak. Learn how to distinguish your intuition from fear and the universe will take you far. I honestly believe that fear stops so many people from following their dreams; fear is the enemy of progress. Starting Bake Love to Me and following my dreams was one of the scariest things I’ve ever done, yet my business has opened up so many beautiful opportunities for me. Even a bad day being my own boss is better than any good day I’ve had being an employee. I say all this because it took me a long time to stop listening to other people, face my fears, and follow my intuition wherever it leads; why is learning to truly trust ourselves so hard?

For me, it came down to my childhood. I hate to bring it around to generational trauma so early on but many of our parents lived in a very different time than us and have distilled in us so many of their beliefs around finances, family, and how to “properly” live life. But guess what? Most if not all of these beliefs are obsolete, outdated, and quite honestly, it’s a lot of bad advice. We live in 2024 and it’s a beautiful time to be alive. As a woman I no longer have to be married in order to own property, get a credit card, or even sign a contract; all things that my poor mother couldn’t have done without my father just 50 years ago. Some parents, no matter how good their intentions may be, raise us to be scared of the world. My parents taught me that I had to work a 9-5 with benefits, had to get married, have children, save money (God forbid I tackle the world of investing), etc. Deciding to trash an entire life’s worth of lessons from people I trusted was terrifying. Terrifying but oh so rewarding, gotta love that intuition!

I recently hit a little wall with Bake Love to Me and felt stuck. I was forcing my business in one direction too fast and was letting the fear of failure build up and stop me from thriving. I went back to the drawing board and now have new opportunities because I faced those fears. I wasn’t afraid to be flexible and trusted in myself enough to pivot. When we aren’t asking a million people for advice and truly believe in our own decision making, things get done faster and more efficiently with little to no doubt or fear clouding our vision; it’s a beautiful thing!

Never be scared to pivot. Never be scared to follow your heart. When you do feel fear about something, it usually means you’re going in the right direction. Our pesky nervous systems can still be set to hunter gatherer times and think our only goal in life is to make sure we don’t get eaten by bigger pray. We are literally programmed to stay safe at home with family and eat, only risking life and limb to collect more food and resources to stay alive. Luckily for all of us, times have changed and that fear that once kept us safe can now hold us back from achieving our dreams. Fear stops so many of us from following our true calling in this world. We need to teach our children the difference between fear and intuition, whereas intuition is internal and keeps us safe, fear happens when we listen to others and in the long run hinders our growth.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I do love talking about my business, thanks for asking the question! Bake Love to Me is a big vision that I am piecing together to build and fund an even bigger dream. Our end goal is to bring sourdough and fresh, healthy foods to food deserts across the globe. However, as I like to joke, we have to feed ourselves before feeding everyone else; that is where our current business comes into play.

Bake Love to Me brings fun, delicious, and educational cooking classes into your home. With the focus being on sourdough (pasta, pizza, etc) and natural sugars. Together we plan a menu that suits your dietary needs and I show up at your door with all of the ingredients and tools needed to make your dream menu a reality. I will leave your home when you and your group are all happily eating and your kitchen has been cleaned. We can host these classes for up to 8 people and also have exciting and delicious cake decorating classes that can cater to larger groups. Our cake classes are perfect for kid’s birthdays, bachelorettes, or just home chefs looking for a fun group activity. Our cooking classes are perfect for date nights, solo home-chefs, and parties looking to have fun with sourdough. We’ve been getting amazing feedback from these lessons and are excited to expand soon.

In the new year we will be bringing our sourdough pizza dough, sourdough pastas, and our naturally sweetened sourdough cookie dough to some of our local San Diego farmers markets. This launch will go hand in hand with our sassy and classy Bake Love to Me merchandising line and the debut of our educational YouTube channel. Here at Bake Love to Me we believe in the power of proper nutrition and the amazing changes sourdough can have on a person’s health.

I was lucky enough to discover these health benefits myself when I made essential diet and lifestyle changes in 2019. I lost 80lbs. in a year and was able to eat pizza, pasta, and bread every day; it just has to be sourdough. I helped my body heal after severe back surgery by eating an anti-inflammatory diet full of, you guessed it, sourdough. I couldn’t work out for six months and was stuck in bed for over 30 days, I gained less than 10lbs. during the entire ordeal and still ate pizza, pasta, or bread every day. The doctors originally told me I would be able to work again in 6-12 months, but, because of my diet and fortitude, we cut that number down to 3. We here at Bake Love to Me are so excited to share our knowledge of sourdough with the world and help bring a more European style of eating to the states.

Bake Love to Me is my calling in life. When I woke up with that name and my vision, I knew that I needed to follow my heart. When brilliance strikes, you really shouldn’t argue. Starting Bake Love to Me has been an incredible journey of growth, perseverance, fear, and love; and to be honest, I wouldn’t change a thing. Every hiccup and glitch has taught me a valuable lesson that has only made both myself and my business stronger. So let’s all bake some love together, I’m excited to teach you all about the joys of sourdough, either at a local market or in your own home soon.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I love this question but nowhere near as much as I love San Diego. I do my best to experience everything that this gorgeous city has to offer. I do not believe in fomo so get ready for a fun list of restaurants, clubs, museums, speakeasies, hikes, and in general hidden gems that would be sure to keep anyone’s week jam packed. Also, I’m writing this based on our summer months to give us extra daylight and at least one Padres game.

So, let’s pretend our BFF flies in Friday night, we’ll wake up Saturday morning, enjoy some homemade sourdough bagels, smoked salmon, and fresh fruit from one of the local farmers markets. After that we’ll head over to Little Italy to get our caffeine fix and enjoy the Saturday morning farmer’s market. All of our local farmers markets are unique and a great place for both amazing food and gifts alike.

After staring at the amazing food the market has to offer, I’m usually ready for lunch. Big fan of packing a picnic full of finds from the morning’s market and heading over to Sunset Cliffs. The views are amazing, and there’s so many hidden little trails and hikes that lead to cool swings, caverns, and staircases that end in the ocean. Sunset Cliffs will always be a top spot that I take all of my out-of-town guests. If you can catch the sunset here, obviously as the name promises, it is perfection.

I love starting Saturday night with a charcuterie situation at Vin De Syrah in the Gaslamp. They have salads and other light fares that don’t interfere with the fact that it’s Saturday night and I wanna dance. Vin De Syrah is a magical and whimsical little speakeasy style wine bar. However, as a sober woman, I love going for the food and ambience; so, I can promise you they have something for everyone. After that it’s finally time for dancing, yay! I always have to hit up Oxford Social, Side Bar, Parq, and enjoy dancing on the roof at Cielo when the mood is right. Walk around downtown and you’ll find the right vibe for you and yours, I promise.

Don’t judge me, but my favorite part of late nights has to be the grilled cheese that I run and devour at Rudfords once all the clubs have closed. I cannot stress enough how amazing of a gem Rudfords is. As a NYC girl, I miss a good diner, and Rudfords fills that void faster than you can say milkshake. You do not have to wait until 2:30 in the morning like I do, go anytime, it’s always delicious.

As life is all about balance, on Sunday mornings I enjoy finding a yoga class as close to the beach as possible. Often, we have donation-based classes by the bay. Do a quick google search and I’m sure you’ll be able to find one any time. There is something extra majestic and holistic about doing yoga in the sand with the waves crashing close by.

After some soothing Yoga, we’ll pack up water bottles and head over to one of my favorite spots in SD, Torrey Pines. Every year without fail I get a parking pass and usually enjoy that hike at least twice a week. I recently had back surgery and Torrey was my first stop after the doctor cleared me for exercise. There are so many hidden paths and gorgeous views, with the added bonus of walking back with your feet in the sand as the ocean kisses your toes. Torrey Pines may be beautiful but it isn’t exactly the most difficult hike which makes it perfection for any out-of-town guests.

Think it’s safe to assume we’ll all be a little hungry at this point. We’ll skedaddle over to Dukes in La Jolla for a perfect lunch consisting of mini poke tacos and amazing ocean views; like friends, this place is literally on the ocean, chefs kiss. After that you are perfectly set up for a gorgeous walk along Prospect St to the beach where you can visit the La Jolla Tide Pools. Say hi to our sea lion friends along the way, just don’t get too close, we like to give them a gracious bubble. Make sure to look West while in La Jolla, I almost always luck into a pod of dolphins on the horizon. I do not expect my guest to jog with me but this road is one of my all-time favorite jogging routes. La Jolla is pretty perfect for the outdoors fun. The shores are a surprisingly great place for scuba diving and if you can make it past the waves, the paddle boarding in that area is hard to beat. I have literally paddled with dolphins off the coast in La Jolla, highly recommend.

After all day in the sun, you know your girl likes to curl up at home with Mexican takeout from her favorite little drive thru, Saguaro’s over in North Park. I’ve been going to this place for 20+ years and they have consistently had the best nachos, and I’ve been told everything else is delightful too. I have to admit that San Diego is full of amazing little Mexican joints, so if your friend says that they know the best spot in town, trust them, it won’t be bad, I promise.

Just realizing that this interview could turn into a book if I let it so will shorten the rest of our week into a little list of my faves. Queen Califia’s Magical Circle in Escondido. This spot may only be open from 9AM-12PM Tuesdays and Thursdays, but please go visit. It is a must-see sculpture garden and 100% a San Diego hidden gem. Another not nearly talked about enough spot would have to be the easy but breath-taking hiking trail, Annie’s Canyon. The pics that you will see on google do not do this hike justice, truly unique and gorgeous.

If you’re looking for a fascinating and unique little find, walk south of Blacks or North of La Jolla at low tide and you’ll stumble onto our amazing Mushroom House. This wild little “abandoned” guest house is nestled into the cliffs and totally one of my favorite beach destinations in SD. Sticking to the beach theme, Belmont Park in Mission Beach has been a favorite spot of mine since I was a child on vacation. Unsure if I love it for the sentimentality (my cousin and I rode in every car of that rollercoaster when I was 8 to see which one was the bumpiest), or for the fact that it is actually that cool to have a mini amusement park on the beach. Across the parking lot, you can partake in some super delicious snacks at Sand Bar, I highly recommend the fried avocado tacos.

As a spiritual woman, I cannot recommend The Self-Realization Fellowship Gardens in Encinitas enough. Meditating here lifts you up onto another level. I have come here both to celebrate my wins and mourn my losses, truly a healing space. The healing energy of these gardens is only enhanced by the breathtaking ocean views and one of the most verdant and lush gardens I have ever seen, highly recommend.

On a nice day, it’s always fun to take a bike ride around Coronado. I love to hop on the ferry and go from there, but you can certainly drive, park, and rent a bike. Coronado is honestly always worth a visit whether you bike or not. From the Hotel Del, to the bonfire pits on the beach, this island is a beautiful spot to enjoy the afternoon or the whole day.

Another one of my fave day trips would have to be Julian. Best known for apple picking and pumpkin season, the hikes in the summer can honestly steal the show. With the added bonus of delicious restaurants and the cutest, friendliest town, 100% recommend to any and all visitors. If you’re looking for a more local excursion with a small town vibe, head over to Old Town for a taste of Mexico. Mariachis, fresh tortillas, and markets with handmade and unique items that are perfect for souvenirs fill the streets; I always take out of town guests here for at the very least, lunch and a stroll.

Make sure you take your bff to Balboa Park. The list of amazing stuff to do here doesn’t end. My faves have to be the Fleet Science Center, San Diego Air and Space Museum, the Japanese Friendship Garden, and I always love the productions at the Old Globe.

Another must do activity would have to be catching a game at Petco Park. We love our Padres here in San Diego and our ballpark proves it. I love all the delicious food choices and the crowd is always hyped. Just a hop, skip, and jump away from Petco is our gorgeous (and also delicious, trust me, the tables are worth it) Rady Shell. Our symphony is captivating and there are a number of other performances here that are sure to satisfy that live music craving.

I’m going to wrap up my love letter to San Diego with a couple of my favorite restaurants. Donna Jean in Hillcrest has the most amazing vegan food. Bali Hai over on Shelter Island is my favorite Polynesian restaurant both for food and décor, I mean who doesn’t love tiki?! If you’re looking for a more elegant Mexican experience, please do yourself a favor and check out Javier’s in La Jolla; don’t pass on the queso, trust me. And last but not least, for incredible views, delicious food, and truly spectacular ambiance, you have to check out Seneca Trattoria. They may not do the tableside fresh Mozzarella anymore (sad about this, please bring it back Seneca!), but holy moly you will not leave disappointed.

I didn’t realize this list would get so long, thanks for coming along for the ride. I love this town beyond words and feel I could write a book about it; maybe after my first few cookbooks get published.

Thank you Shoutout for such a wonderful interview!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Thank you so much for asking this question, I owe so much to so many and there are certainly a couple amazing souls I want to spotlight. My journey is filled with gratitude and amazing people/organizations who have helped me along the way. I want to start by giving my first shoutout to the best therapist I have ever had, Nastassja Vargas. Finding the right therapist and getting my mental health in order was pivotal to me starting down the path of entrepreneurship and ultimately getting to my dream job and life. Back in 2019, this woman helped me find my long-lost confidence. She helped me find my voice during a time in life when I felt voiceless, and helped me restart and heal after a painful separation and divorce. I feel. That words cannot do justice to the gratitude I have for this woman. She helped me through a time in my life when I weighed 220lbs. and was so sick that doctors were talking about a kidney transplant. She taught me about meditation, journaling, and helped me discover my passion for yoga, paddle boarding, hiking, and just being active. To say I was a wallflower, couch potato when I first started seeing her is an understatement. She taught me how to use coping mechanisms instead of self-medicating with junk food and TV. I am living proof that the right therapist and a want for better is a perfect equation to help you blossom and bloom.

I wanted to talk about Nastassja not only because of how much gratitude I have for her, but also because there is no shame in seeking help when it comes to your mental health. We all face times in life that we shouldn’t have to face alone and asking for help when we need it is something to be proud of and only makes us that much stronger. Nastassja was possibly the first person in my life to truly believe in me and helped me learn to believe in myself. I know I wouldn’t be standing here today, the confident, strong, and loving woman that I am without her, so from my entire being, thank you Nastassja.

I wouldn’t feel right without also giving a shoutout to Score.org and my first real mentor, Steve Griffin. Steve and Score helped me get my business plan polished and my accounting organized. I literally was the worst kind of entrepreneur who thought I could keep track of everything in my head. Thank God for Steve! He kept me focused, he assigned me helpful homework (not saying I always did it, but it was amazing knowing what still needed to get done, sorry about that Steve!), he was always there with encouragement (which was so important when my family wasn’t supportive), and was honestly the first person to hear everything I had to say and believe in me. The spreadsheets and work that came out of our sessions gave me a whole new level of confidence in my costs and all-around vision. Score is free and the most helpful resource for starting off entrepreneurs, I cannot recommend them enough. There are Score mentors in every state and they have both virtual and in person seminars and networking events that are always educational and entertaining, please do yourself a favor and check them out.

Seriously, thank you for asking that question, I’m beyond excited to recognize these people publicly.

Website: https://www.bakelovetome.com

Instagram: @bakelovetome.llc

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sara-goldstein-717242132/

Youtube: @bakelovetome

Other: https://sdvoyager.com/interview/meet-sara-goldstein-of-bake-love-to-me/

https://canvasrebel.com/meet-sara-goldstein/