In this episode of Mixing Up Success, Dani sits down with longtime friend, fellow baker, and trusted community staple Nikki Smith of East Fork Baking Company.
Nikki runs a solo, home-based bakery in Hood River, Oregon, and has quietly become the baker everyone calls when they need a last-minute cake, a calm voice during a baking crisis, or a dessert that truly delivers. From weddings and custom cakes to wholesale pastries, fruit stand granola, and community collaborations, Nikki’s business is a masterclass in building something sustainable, flexible, and deeply rooted in real life.
Together, Dani and Nikki reflect on what it looks like to grow a bakery without a storefront, how baking can be both creative therapy and a livelihood, and why success doesn’t have to mean “more” in the traditional sense.
In this conversation, we talk about:
This episode is a reminder that baking businesses don’t need to look the same to be successful. Sometimes the win is flexibility, community, and loving the work enough to keep going.
Connect with Nikki / East Fork Baking Company:
Website: https://eastforkbakingco.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eastforkbakingco/
If this episode resonated with you, share it with a baker who needs to hear that they’re not doing it “wrong”—they’re just building something that fits their life.
