occupation: Pastry chef and owner of Sublime Bakery in Fort Worth
personal stats: This self-taught baker (who’s originally from Dallas) became a bona fide pastry chef when she took the helm of Connecticut’s Miche Mâché restaurant, where she honed her confectionary craft for a year. Before becoming a mom, Ruehle dabbled in restaurant management, catering, cookbook publishing and more—jumping from Connecticut to Northern California, Georgia and Colorado, where she welcomed son Cade, now 10. The single mom decided to relocate closer to family in Fort Worth about six years ago, retiring her apron due to the crazy hours that accompany working in the restaurant business. It wasn’t until someone coveted her son’s birthday cake (a 3-D soccer ball) that Ruehle thought of opening up her own bakery. After marrying husband Van three years ago (adding his son Case, 10, to their family), Ruehle opened Sublime Bakery and hasn’t looked back.
most fulfilling aspect of running her bakery: “Making people happy! Our custom cakes are the centerpieces of life’s most important moments: weddings, anniversaries, baby showers, graduations. And our gluten-free, sugar-free and vegan goodies bring sweet joy to people who are accustomed to abstaining. You can’t imagine how often we see tears of joy at Sublime, especially from moms who realize that their allergic child can finally have a ‘real’ birthday cake. One mom of a severely asthmatic child was moved to tears when she came to pick up his vegan cupcakes and found that they were ‘normal’ looking. She and her son were so used to his food looking and tasting ‘different.’ As a mom, I know how hard it is for kids to feel ‘different,’ and it gives me such a thrill to help these kids be able to enjoy sweet treats just like their friends do.”
your sons’ view of your job: “My son and stepson think they are the luckiest kids in town because ‘they’ own a bakery! Really, they are very proud of me. My son spends quite a lot of time at Sublime, he’s there doing homework every day after school. Sometimes, he comes along to help us with deliveries and he often will help the staff with sweeping and other little chores in the front of the shop. He’s still too young to spend much time in the kitchen; when we’re open, it can be a dangerous place. But I do let him come in after hours and play with fondant while I’m working on cakes. He’s very creative and artistic. I can see him becoming an awesome cake artist someday.”
lessons you hope your kids learn from you: “I hope that seeing me in the bakery will demystify the concept of ‘work’ for them. How many kids actually see their parent doing their work every day? It’s pretty rare. I hope they learn that hard work pays off, that success doesn’t come without sacrifices and that there is ultimate fulfillment in doing what you love. They get to see me succeed and fail, and always continue on with my head up, and that’s a lesson that can’t be taught in school.”
motherhood’s greatest challenge: “Being a single mom is the ultimate challenge for a woman. Honestly, you can’t imagine how ‘alone’ you can feel at times unless you’ve been there. It was incredibly difficult, but in retrospect, I wouldn’t change a thing.”
advice for new moms: “Be patient. Don’t expect yourself to be perfect, and be sure to trust your instincts.”
strategy to finding a work-life balance: “Balance is a process, not an end goal. I couldn’t get through it without my husband. He’s my secret weapon! In those crazy weeks when I’m putting in 80 hours, he picks up the slack at home and never makes me feel guilty about it.”
