Cover Story

By Natalie Slieter

Photos by Maggie Sweets Photography

In a back classroom at the old Hobby Lobby on 41st Street, Lauren Lavin took her first baking class when she was in middle school and discovered a passion that would lead her to starting her own business as a sophomore in high school and bring her to where she is today in running the business full time at just 21 years old.

Born and raised in Sioux Falls, Lauren attended Sioux Falls Christian Schools and participated in Irish dance, debate, and horseback riding and was also a dance instructor. She went on to attend the University of South Dakota as the fifth generation of Coyotes in the Davis/Lavin family. She earned a degree in Psychology with minors in Economics and Business Administration, all in three years. She loved her time at USD, where she was active in Kappa Alpha Theta sorority, was a supplemental instructor in psychology, and participated on the Campus Activities Board. Her sorority allowed her to take on leadership roles and plan events, all skills that she utilizes in running Bakologie.

“I tried to diversify what I did because I thought it would help develop me into a leader as a business owner.”

After completing that first baking class, Lauren began making cakes and found that people were willing to pay her for her creations. Christmas was always the busiest time of year for her as she was flooded with corporate orders. In March of 2020, right when COVID-19 catapulted the United States into a pandemic, business for Bakologie took off. She says word of mouth has been her best friend when it comes to expanding her business.

While the Hobby Lobby baking class propelled her into the world of baking, Lauren always had an appreciation for the artistry that goes into creating a cake. Picking out her birthday cake was always a highlight. When Lauren turned eight years old, she chose a two-tiered cake decorated with flowers arranged by her grandfather who was a florist. She knows it’s a small thing, but to her, that cake was a big deal.

For Lauren, baking merges her interests of science and creativity. She comes from an analytical family – her father is a dentist and her mother a financial advisor – and Lauren even considered pursuing a career in

medicine. But Bakologie gives her the creative outlet she needs and loves. Thanks to her father and her love for clothing retailer Anthropologie, the name Bakologie was derived and represents the convergence of what at first glance may appear to be opposing interests.

Bakologie specializes in cakes for all occasions including weddings but also provides other baked goods, such as cookies, brownies, cinnamon rolls, and cupcakes. Lauren believes the best part of Bakologie is getting to take part in the celebrations of each of her clients.

“I’m lucky I get to follow their lives. It’s cool to do someone’s wedding cake and then their gender reveal cake and then their baby’s first birthday cake. You develop relationships with clients.”

One of her most memorable wedding cakes was for the first wedding she ever did. It was a three-tiered cake that she made without any dowels or supporting structures, something Lauren does not recommend doing. She had to deliver it to a venue in downtown Sioux Falls and to this day she doesn’t know how, but she managed to carry the cake, which weighed about 50 pounds, all by herself while also opening doors.

“Looking back, I don’t know how it got there in one piece. It was one of the most perfect three-tiered cakes I think I’ve ever done.”

Wedding cakes are one of Lauren’s favorite things to bake because it gives her the chance to constantly design new and exciting creations. Recently, she created a beautiful black and gold cake and has also experimented designing with edible sequins and focusing on textile inspired designs, such as embroidery.

Lauren says her family has been very supportive of Bakologie. Her mom helps her with all business aspects and her dad is always willing to wash the dishes. Her boyfriend even helped her out this Christmas season.

When Lauren looks to the future of Bakologie, she hopes to move into a permanent location in 2021, such as a commercial kitchen or perhaps open her own café. With the pandemic, it has made finding the right spot in Sioux Falls a bit difficult, but she’s content with waiting. She says having more space and employees would take some of the pressure off her (during the holidays, she was baking from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.) and allow her to produce more and serve more clients.

Besides running Bakologie, Lauren is also a yoga instructor at Form Fitness. She started practicing yoga as a junior in high school and moved on to teaching yoga classes when she was a senior. She also taught at USD to packed classes. For Lauren, yoga is a great way for her to move her body and she has a passion for teaching it to others.

Before attending her first yoga class at Form Fitness, Lauren recalls that she decided to eat fish sticks, something she never eats. Unfortunately for her, it was a hot yoga class, meaning it was 98 degrees and humid in the yoga studio. She felt so sick that she didn’t go back to another yoga class for six months, but once she did, she fell in love with it.

“Yoga kind of has a dance aspect. There’s definitely progression to it and you can try harder sequences. It challenged me in a way similar to my dance career, so it fulfilled that need.”

Lauren loves the Sioux Falls community because she believes it supports and encourages creative people to thrive. She’s grateful for the community of bakers in the area because if she is unavailable to bake something for a client, she can suggest another baker and vice versa.

Her advice to others wanting to start their own business – especially for those who are younger – is to jump into it but don’t feel pressure to do everything at once, get support from your family and friends, and get involved with a community to build connections.

“We’re a good gem here in the middle of America, continuing to support small businesses allows that creativity to continue and for people to take chances. I think that will lead to something really big eventually.”

You can find Bakologie on Facebook, on Instagram using the handle @lauren_lavin, and online at bakologie.com. n