Our Story 💛
Hello, My name is Tara
Welcome to The Little Bake Gallery.
I’m Tara, the baker and creator behind The Little Bake Gallery, and I’m incredibly proud to be a fourth generation baker. My love for baking started long before The Little Bake Gallery existed. Baking has always been part of my life. Some of my earliest memories are from my family’s bakery, where I grew up surrounded by creativity, hard work and the process of turning simple ingredients into something special. I was the little kid in the bakery cracking eggs, watching my family work, learning from those around me and developing a love for baking from a young age.
Baking was never just a hobby in my family. It was part of our everyday life. I grew up seeing the care, patience and creativity that goes into making food for others, and those early experiences shaped the way I approach baking today. My family bakery specialised in baking for food allergies and operated as a dedicated gluten-free environment. After the bakery was sold when I was five, my family continued their journey in the industry by operating a gluten-free and allergy-friendly doughnut and coffee van. Growing up around this environment gave me the foundations, knowledge and passion that would eventually become The Little Bake Gallery.
In September 2022, when I was 12 years old and starting my first year of high school, I found myself spending every spare moment baking and practising my decorating skills. At this stage, I wasn’t running a business. I wasn’t creating custom orders for customers. I was simply a kid who loved creating and wanted to improve. I would make cakes for my family and close friends, experiment with different designs and spend hours learning new techniques.
For a long time, I kept my creations mostly to myself because I was nervous about being judged. I loved baking, but I wasn’t always confident enough to share my work. Then in September 2022, I created a cake that I was genuinely proud of. For the first time, I felt confident enough to share my creation online. That one post became the beginning of The Little Cake Gallery on Instagram. Sharing that first cake was a much bigger step than it may seem. It was the moment I decided to stop hiding something I loved and start sharing my creativity with others. At the start, I had no idea where it would lead. I was learning everything as I went from photography and social media to decorating techniques and finding my own creative style.
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Throughout 2023, The Little Cake Gallery remained a creative outlet where I could practise, experiment and develop my skills. I was still learning, discovering what I enjoyed creating and finding my own style. During this time, I wasn’t just learning how to bake. I was teaching myself photography, editing, social media, branding and how to share my creations online. Over time, my baking expanded from mainly cakes and occasional cupcakes into exploring cookies and new decorating techniques. I started learning more about cookie decorating, including techniques such as fondant cookies using embossers and debossers. As my creations continued to grow, I realised the name “The Little Cake Gallery” no longer represented everything I was creating. It wasn’t just about cakes anymore. This led to the name change to The Little Bake Gallery, along with a refreshed logo and a new direction that reflected my growing passion for all things baking.
2024 was a year of personal growth, learning and stepping outside my comfort zone. After spending years practising and developing my skills, I decided to enter my baking and decorating creations into competitions for the first time. This was a huge moment for me. Until then, I had mainly created because I loved it, but competitions meant putting my work in front of experienced judges and industry professionals. It was exciting, but also nerve wracking. Entering competitions allowed me to challenge myself, receive feedback and see how far I had come. In less than six months, I achieved 13 competition awards, including 7 First Place Awards, 2 Second Place Awards, 4 Best In Show Awards These awards were across cakes, cupcakes and cookies. More than the awards themselves, this experience gave me confidence. Those trophies represented years of practising, learning and believing in myself. 2024 was about discovering what I was capable of and realising that my passion could become something much bigger.
2025 was the year everything changed. This was the year The Little Bake Gallery transformed from a page sharing my creations into a real, operating business. After years of learning, practising and building my skills, I began taking the next step and creating more custom orders for customers. I expanded the products and services I offered, including Custom cakes, cookies, Cupcakes, Fondant cake toppers, Cricut toppers, Edible images
Seeing people trust me with their celebrations was a completely different feeling from creating just for fun. Every order became a responsibility because I knew I was creating something that would become part of someone’s memories. One of my biggest dreams was to teach others, and in 2025 that became a reality when I started running cupcake and cookie decorating classes. Being able to share my skills and watch others create something they are proud of has been one of the most rewarding parts of this journey.
During this year, I also invested in a 3D printer so I could design and create my own custom cookie cutters, officially registered my kitchen, became fully licensed and insured, and began growing through markets, events, retail opportunities and custom orders. This was the year The Little Bake Gallery became more than a creative outlet it became the business I had always dreamed of building.
2025 was the year I became much more involved in the wider baking and decorating industry. After beginning competitions in 2024, I continued entering my creations throughout 2025, challenging myself to improve, learn new techniques and continue growing as an artist. Competitions became an important part of my journey because they pushed me outside my comfort zone, allowed me to receive feedback from experienced judges and gave me the opportunity to have my work recognised by talented industry professionals. Throughout 2025, I achieved some incredible milestones through competitions and industry recognition. At the 2025 Royal Melbourne Show, I was honoured to receive five awards across my baking and decorating entries. This was an amazing experience and another reminder of how much my skills had grown since I first started creating.
I was also nominated for the Australian Cake Oscars 2025 in three categories Fondant Cookie Artist of the Year, New Cookie Artist of the Year, Rising Star of the Year I became a finalist for Rising Star of the Year and travelled to Brisbane for the awards night. Being recognised alongside so many talented artists in the industry at just 15 years old was an unforgettable experience. Even though I didn’t take home the award, becoming a finalist was something I was incredibly proud of and reminded me how far this journey had already come.
Later in 2025, I was also recognised through the Cake Decorating & Baking Industry Awards, receiving nominations for Rising Talent of the Year, Fondant Cookie Artist of the Year Although I did not progress as a finalist in these categories, being recognised among so many talented creators in the industry was still an incredible achievement and motivated me to continue learning and improving.
Throughout 2025, I continued competing, learning and connecting with other creatives within the industry. One of the most unexpected and rewarding parts of this journey has been the community I have found. I have been lucky enough to connect with incredible cake artists, decorators, small business owners and creatives who have welcomed me into the industry. From sharing ideas to creating custom toppers and pieces for other decorators, I have loved being surrounded by people who share the same passion and creativity. These connections, opportunities and experiences have become such an important part of my journey and continue to inspire me to keep growing.
2026 has already been a year I never could have imagined. The Little Bake Gallery has continued to grow in ways I never expected, bringing new opportunities, exciting projects and new challenges along the way. Running a business at 16 is not always easy. There are many moving parts behind the scenes, from creating orders and managing customers to balancing school, events and everything that comes with owning a business. But every challenge has helped me learn, grow and become more confident. I am incredibly grateful for every opportunity that has come my way, every person I have been lucky enough to work with and every connection I have made throughout this journey. Collaborating with other cake artists, creating custom toppers and working alongside other talented creatives has been an amazing experience.
I have continued entering competitions and growing my skills, including receiving further recognition and nominations within the industry, such as two Australian Cake Oscars nominations for 2026. While I never expected The Little Bake Gallery to grow into what it is today, I am so grateful for every step of this journey the exciting moments, the challenges and everything I have learned along the way.
The Little Bake Gallery has always been about more than just cakes and cookies. Growing up with dyslexia, school was not always easy. There were times when I felt like I wasn’t capable because I learned differently from others. Baking became the place where I found confidence. It gave me somewhere to put my creativity, determination and energy. It gave me purpose and showed me that success does not always follow one single path. Building this business has taught me that being different is not a disadvantage. It has shown me that creativity, passion and believing in yourself can create opportunities you never imagined.
The Little Bake Gallery has also been there for me through some challenging moments outside of school and business. During my teenage years, I have faced a knee injury where I was unable to work a “traditional teenager job” or attend classes because of surgeries, recovery periods and unexpected challenges.
Having my own business gave me something positive to focus on during those times. It gave me a sense of purpose, routine and the ability to continue creating while working at my own pace. Instead of feeling like I was missing out, The Little Bake Gallery allowed me to continue learning, connecting with people and being part of something I loved. It has given me the opportunity to experience a lot of the things that come with being a teenager building friendships, working towards goals, gaining independence and creating a future for myself while doing something I am truly passionate about. This business has been more than a dream. It has been a place where I have found confidence, resilience and proof that there is more than one way to succeed.
Today, The Little Bake Gallery has grown beyond anything I could have imagined when I shared that first Instagram post in 2022. What started as a way to share my baking has become my passion, my career and a business that continues to grow every day. I now create hundreds of cookies and custom creations each week, share my journey with thousands of people online and continue building my business while completing high school. Being a business owner at 16 is challenging, but it is also one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I am incredibly proud of what I have built and excited for everything still to come.
None of this journey would have been possible without the people who have supported me along the way. My family have supported every idea, early morning, late night, market, event and opportunity. They have been there through every stage of growing this dream. I am incredibly grateful for my teachers, friends, mentors, fellow creatives, small business owners and everyone who has encouraged me to keep going.
Most importantly, thank you to every customer who has supported The Little Bake Gallery.Every order, message, recommendation and kind word has helped this little idea become something so much bigger.
From the little girl cracking eggs in a bakery to running my own business, teaching others and creating thousands of edible creations I am incredibly proud of how far this journey has come.
And this is only the beginning. 💛