Meet Angel Self | Owner and Baker of Angela’s Kitchen

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

Hi Angel, career-wise, where do you want to be in the end?
As with any small business, the goal is to expand! The goal for the end of 2025 is to be in a larger kitchen space of my own to be able to create more amazing baked goods and really take my bread to the next level. Being a small micro bakery limits my creativity to a certain extent to the prospect of being able to create freely and expand my menu is my driving force to keep pushing now. By the end of my career owning a bakery I hope to leave a lasting mark on the local food scene. I also hope to have my bakery expand to multiple locations and create a generational business that my family can operate and be successful through for years to come!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I own a licensed micro bakery called Angela’s Kitchen. I specialize in sourdough bread, kolaches, sweet and savory rolls and various pastries. What sets me apart from all the other incredible bakeries is that I really try to make the flavor profiles of my sourdough pop and push the envelope with some funky inclusions. Owning a business is not always easy and owning a micro bakery is also no easy feat as it is a wonderful and super popular business model! For every farmers market I attend, I know there are dozens of other bakeries on the waitlist so it pushes me to always be on my game and provide the best products I can so they know I was the right choice! There are always lessons to be learned in business and one lesson I’m learning from is when to slow down. The farmers market vending arena is competitive! There are others waiting for you to fail to step in and take your place so it seems you need to always be going. I’m learning that slowing down, taking a break when needed and not going a thousand miles a minute is better for all in the long run. I want to enjoy the work life balance of owning my own business so it’s a lesson that I’m constantly learning from!

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.
Since I’m a small business in the farmers market realm, we would go in a week long tour of all the fabulous farmers markets San Diego has to offer! Living in San Diego is such a treat because we have farmers markets everyday of the week all with local artisans who are deserving of all our dollars! I would take them on a daily farmers market tour and show them the unique offerings they can find from some of the freshest fruits and veggies from Onofre Farms, try something new like pickled quail eggs from BZQuail Farms, get some pet treats from PetWants Mira Mesa, the freshest kettle corn from Great Scott Kettlecorn, delicious pupusas from El Salvadorian Kitchen, flavorful Pad Thai from Little Thai Cottage, the best croissants in San Diego from MiPan Bakery, tasty filled cookies from Gaby’s Yums, show them the most beautiful jewelry from Zomaco, get them some hand crafted mugs from Pottery by Emilie and so much more! This is the best way to experience San Diego, by supporting local artisans who put their heart and soul into what they do and represent San Diego in all the best ways.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The driving force behind everything I do is my family! My husband and five kids are my biggest fans and strongest supporters. My husband has been behind me one thousand percent for the process of Angela’s Kitchen from when it was just a dream to putting it all into motion. He is the reason why I can keep it together most busy weeks as he is my calm during the chaos of small business owner life. He keeps me on track, challenges me to challenge myself and also forces me to take a step back and take a breather when business gets a bit much. No business is successful without having support so I am forever grateful for his unwavering support and encouragement to always be better!

Instagram: angelas.kitchen

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AngelasHomeBakedKitchen?mibextid=wwXIfr&mibextid=wwXIfr

Image Credits
Angela Self