Meet Tori Lowell | Owner/Baker

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

Hi Tori, what do you attribute your success to?
Support for and by the small business community. There are so many fellow cottage food businesses and small business owners out there that could have easily said I’m their competition and watched me sink or swim. Instead all these amazing people help to lift each other up and give advice or leads on markets. I’ve had so many people give me advice on my brand and help me make tweaks here and there to create the brand I have today.

There are also a lot of people that try their hardest to buy small and shop local as often as possible. They’re willing to pay more for a product that they know is good quality and is supporting a neighbor. They could have gone to the grocery store and bought something from the bakery or down the cookie aisle and called it good, but they bought from me instead.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’ve dreamt of having my own bakery since I was 15 years old when I first visited my Alma Mater, Johnson and Wales University- Denver, after falling in love with baking as a young girl. I took my first steps towards making that dream come true when I was accepted and attended JWU, where I received my Associates of Science in Baking & Pastry and my Bachelors of Science in Entrepreneurship. When I was done with school I came back home to California and was lucky enough to work at Christopher Garren’s in Costa Mesa before they closed. There I learned to apply my degrees to a real world bakery. It was through these experiences that I learned a wide variety of skills that I have been able to implement in my own business

It wasn’t always an easy journey. I did step out of the industry for a few years after being a night baker for a local bakery. During this time, I had some health issues that ended up with me having to have surgery. When I was able to go back to work I stayed out of the kitchen and went into retail, but kept my dream alive as a hobby by making cakes and other desserts for family and friends. I catered for their weddings, bridal showers, baby showers, baby’s first birthdays, and so much more. They helped to put my name out there and recommend me to their friends and so on. Eventually, it was time to make my business official and not just an every once in a while side job.

It took the pandemic and a nudge from my husband to actually start Petites Miettes. I left my retail job and started to buckle down in the application process for creating a cottage food business, the application for which ended up being almost a hundred pages of my recipes. During the process I had to perfect my recipes to be submitted to the health department for review. I did this by having friends and family taste test dozens and dozens of desserts and got as much feedback as I possibly could to help me perfect everything I was working on. I kept trying to remember what I had learned in school years prior and put that into effect. It was a long journey and I’m still constantly trying new recipes and adding things to my menu,

To this day it’s still not a cake walk having my own business and being my own boss, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. I love being able to be creative and meeting new people. There’s a reason I did over 75 markets last year and continue to go to the weekly farmers market at Farmakis Farms in San Juan Capistrano.

The mission statement for Petites Miettes is “small crumbs for all occasions”. It’s a phrase that has been with me since the beginning and I want every one to know that Petites Miettes is there for them for every event from a small get together to a large event like their wedding. I want people to think of Petites Miettes during those times and so much more. Having a couple friends over for dinner and want something delicious for dessert? Give me a call. Need something to take to a client to make sure they know they’re important to your business? Give me a call. Whatever the occasion, Petites Miettes.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Every time we have a friend visit from out of town we take them for breakfast to JD Flannel in San Juan Capistrano for some absolutely amazing donuts. Since I grew up in San Juan I have a soft spot for supporting the businesses in that area. I tell people about FKN Bread, Trevor’s at the Tracks, Ellie’s Table, and Mayfield all the time. I’m at the Farmers Market at Farmakis Farms every week with my own booth, but I was shopping there with my grandma long before I applied to be a vendor and have recommended it for a while.

When we’re looking to start our day off with a good coffee or tea we take people to Milk & Honey in Aliso Viejo, which happens to carry a variety of baked goods from Petites Miettes.

If someone is looking for a great place to have a picnic we go to Strands Beach and set up a blanket on the grass overlooking the ocean.

When looking for a place to sit down and have a drink and some good food with friends we end up at GameCraft Brewing in Laguna Hills.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My husband, Mike Lowell. He’s been my biggest support for as long as we’ve been together. Without him Petites Miettes would likely still be an idea floating around instead of a growing business

Website: https://petitesmiettes.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/petitesmiettesbakery/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/petitesmiettesbakery

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/petites-miettes-aliso-viejo