After losing a federal job that involved providing food assistance to those in need, a baker in Saratoga Springs is rising to the challenge to help address food insecurity.
Indulgence Bakery is brightly lit and adorned in pastel colors and framed photos of gorgeous cakes.
For now, the front of the shop is relatively empty – the real action is happening in the back where Elise Soto and her sister are hard at work building a near-life-size guitar cake, and packing small cookies for a wedding.
At the beginning of the year, Soto had just started a job at the Northeast Regional Office of the United States Department of Agriculture. By February, she was one of thousands of USDA employees fired with little or no warning.
“I ended up just kind of taking the paid time off to regroup and see if I could get back into New York State. I did inquire there, I had applied to several other positions and nothing really panned out. So, over the summer was when I just came across an Instagram post about this bakery closing and they were looking for someone to take over. It was a Friday, I sent a private message said, ‘hey, can I meet you, can we talk,’ and came down and it all just worked out,” said Soto.
Soto has 17 years of experience working as a pastry chef – before working for the federal government she worked for two years in New York state’s emergency food assistance program.
From the outside looking in, Soto says the cuts to federal food programs are heartbreaking.
“They're dismantling the systems, you know. And it is impacting everyone at the bottom who need these services. Unfortunately, I feel like it's, it's sad to say, but I feel like I climbed so high to get into this position where I was out of, you know, out of poverty and only to get fired and basically tumble back right into that position, you know, I'm a single mother, and I have ... an adolescent son, and to just have to start over, you know, start back over. And I'm so grateful that this bakery fell into my lap, you know,” said Soto.
Soto, who grew up relying on food programs like the ones she helped run at the state and federal levels, says she’d like to find ways to feed folks in need.
“I don't know if I'd return to government work, but I think more nonprofit in the Food Security Network. So right now, I have a non-compete period, so I have two years that I can't work with any of like the local food banks or pantries or anything, just because I have all that knowledge from working with New York state. So, I think in the future, that's definitely something I'm going to pursue, like I still have my contacts at Regional Food Bank, and I'm trying to stay in touch with all of those networks, just because that's definitely something I want to get back into. I think there is this opportunity here at this bakery to also offer my services in a different way,” said Soto.
While waiting for her non-compete period to end, Soto says she’s looking to partner with local nonprofits to provide free cakes for children living in poverty, as well as for homeless shelters.
For the time being, Soto is taking it one step at a time.
“We're preparing for Christmas. The holiday season is, that's our main focus right now. I've worked in (a) retail bakery, so I understand the dynamics and the stress that's going to be coming in the next few months," Soto said. "So, we're prepping for that. We want to do, like a vendor market, so we're going to have like other artisans come in here and kind of set up shop. So, making this space kind of grow into more of a cooperative space is what I'm looking for,” said Soto.
