I’m so excited to introduce our newest Featured Baker, Serlly Camacho, or Mr. Brownie! Yes, I said Mr. Brownie, not Mrs. Brownie! I have admired Serlly’s work for quite some time and once you see her work, you’ll understand why! Serlly is also our first Featured Baker from Mexico! She only started decorating cookies 4 years ago, which is unreal, but she has grown a big following and has big plans! Find out how her life has changed and why she says, “It’s all because of the cookies.”
Life Pre-Cookies
Serlly is a wife and mother who resides in Tijuana, Mexico. Serlly had several jobs over the years but made a significant impact as an English elementary school teacher. She had a gift for connecting with children since she could draw pictures on the board to help them learn English. Art has always been a big part of her life and she has fond memories of being creative growing up. “Everything inspires me, ” Serlly shared, but she never could have imagined where her creativity would take her.
After many years of teaching and working other jobs, Serlly was still feeling unfulfilled. She yearned to really live and feel inspired in her work while being able to help support and enjoy her family. She admits, “Depression and anxiety set in; life was hard.” One day, she told her husband, “Art will be a rescue for me.”
Mr. Brownie Is Born
In December 2016, Serlly and her husband started Mr. Brownie, specializing in, you guessed it…brownies! And while they were delicious, they learned that they only sold well in the winter months. Apparently, people felt brownies were too heavy during the heat of the summer months.
This was when Serlly started getting interested in decorated cookies. She took a class to learn the basics but immediately realized, “I knew nothing.” She started devouring YouTube videos and blogs from American and Canadian decorators. Many of the same ones still popular today, such as Julia Usher, Preppy Kitchen and LilaLoa. She studied, and kept practicing and improving, before launching cookies in her business in 2018!
Teaching + Cookies
Not long after launching her cookies, a friend encouraged her to film a cookie decorating class. Serlly was very intimidated of the idea at first, mostly because she didn’t feel tech-savvy enough. But she figured it out and she now has over 15 online classes! People beg her to make classes when they see her work and she LOVES being able to teach others. Her classes are in Spanish, which is very appealing to Spanish speakers. Although, she has many students who don’t even speak Spanish and tell her “Cookie language is universal.” However, she does always offer to connect with students 1 on 1 if there are any language barriers or clarity needed. And she’s also considering offering classes in English in the future.
Serlly has even been invited to teach a live class in Mexico City on September 24, being put on by Cocinando Dulce. She’s excited about this opportunity and says, “Cookies are taking me places!”
Teach Us Your Ways
Serlly’s classes have become her primary source of income, but mostly because the cookies she makes take MANY hours. Which is why she actually only takes on 1-2 orders per month now, so she can make really high-quality cookies. “I am a perfectionist, and it is therapy for me,” Serlly shared. To give you perspective here, behold one of her amazing works of art! THESE ARE COOKIES!!! 😮
When I asked Serlly how she has developed these skills, she talked with great passion about how “Everything inspires me.” She said for as long as she can remember, “I see the details in life. The textures, the colors, the shapes.” What she loves most is creating volume and dimension. And her secret weapon is using a dehydrator! She has found that the dehydrator gives the heat, warmth and dry air that gives the perfect finish, shine and volume to her puffy icing. This is something we bonded over, our love of using a dehydrator when decorating cookies! Serlly also loves working right to the edge and even over it. “People have to look at every side of the cookies to appreciate the dimension.”
Mr. Brownie Goals and Dreams
In Serlly’s experience, it has been very hard to get exposure and find opportunities in Tijuana. Yet, she knows the right opportunity will come along where she can combine her artistic talent with her honestly and authenticity. She would LOVE to create a cookie decorating book sharing recipes and step-by-step tutorials. She would also love to have her own product line, building her brand or being a brand ambassador. Honestly, with talent like this, combined with her passion, any brand would be very lucky to have her endorsing their products. I know Serlly has a very successful future ahead of her and am excited to support her journey!
The secret behind the Mr. Brownie name? Her husband initially started the brownie company. But now the mustache has become a recognizable part of her logo. And Serlly loves being a powerful woman behind the mustache!
A Powerful Message Serlly Wants to Share
As we began to wrap up our conversation, Serlly shared some personal and powerful thoughts with me. She really wants people to know that going back to her roots of art and creativity is what saved her. “When you have nowhere to go with depression and anxiety, sometimes art rescues people. That’s what happened to me.” She went on to say that she “feels like she’s returned to her young self again.” Maybe for others, it may not be cookies, like it has been for Serlly. But there is powerful self-care in immersing yourself in something that truly frees your mind and lights your soul on fire.
Serlly shared, “I was in a very gray, dark place and my life is in color again. And it’s all because of the cookies.” Her honesty and vulnerability will stay with me, and I hope it resonates with you. The heartbeat of this blog is encouraging you to live your passion, try new things. Life is short, too short to not live in color every day.
Thank You Serlly
It was an honor to get to know Serlly and it gives me a whole new appreciation of her art. I will be following and cheering her on and I hope you all will too! To see more of Serlly’s work, you can visit her socials below. Seriously, you NEED to see more of her work on Instagram. I also encourage you to check out her class offerings on her Facebook page! They are very reasonably prices and you’d be learning from an amazing teacher!
I also hope you take time to truly appreciate this gallery of her artwork as well.
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