Incredible, edible art

Rachel Freeman’s creative streak stretches from desserts to cosplay

By Jaymie Depew

From making small desserts during the workweek to sewing and creating cosplay attire in her spare time, Rachel Freeman has found innovative ways to keep her hands busy ever since she was young.

Freeman, a pastry chef and native of Flushing, moved to Marquette in 2004 to attend Northern Michigan University, first majoring in microbiology.

“I’m more of a kinesthetic learner, so lecture classes were a bit harder for me,” she said. “I get distracted easily, and I struggled with that.”

As someone who was in dance for 18 years and a part of the color guard in the high school marching band, Freeman was no stranger to cre- ative expression and found her niche in NMU’s art department. “I ended up going for photography and used to take photos quite a bit, but I like fantasy-style photography and it was a little hard to get into up here,” she said. “People are really hesitant to get in front of a camera sometimes.”

While still enrolled in classes, Freeman applied for a job at Huron Mountain Bakery in South Marquette. She was hired on the spot as a counter closer. In that role she waited on customers, helped ice and fill certain donuts and pastries in the back, and cleaned and closed the bakery to prepare it for the early morning. “Eventually I was brought on to day shift and pulled into production,” she said.

“The main thing I do now is make small desserts, which I enjoy quite a bit.”

Though her official title is administrative manager, Freeman continues to use her photography skills, taking and sharing photos of the bakery’s products on social media. She wears many hats at Huron, including assisting in hiring new employees and bookwork. Her main job, however, is making all of the small desserts.

“I honestly consider her a co-manager and trust her completely with everything,” John Scheidt, owner of Huron Mountain Bakery, said of Freeman, his employee of 15 years. “She’s passionate about what she does, and it truly shows in her work. She’s always coming up with new stuff, and I try to give her a lot of creative freedom to try new things. I just hope she’s with us for another 15 years.”

While Freeman became a pro at cranking out popular bakery items like muffins, donuts and croissants at Hu- ron, it wasn’t until Scheidt purchased Babycakes, another popular coffee and muffin shop in Marquette, around 2017 that she expanded her skills to include French pastries.

After reading countless books and, eventually, attending workshops and classes at world-class establishments like Bennison’s Bakery in Evanston, Illinois, Chicago’s Chocolate Factory and Manderfield’s Home Bakery in Appleton, Wisconsin, Freeman learned different techniques for newer products, allowing her to explore and advance her talents.

“One of the things I learned how to do was make macarons,” she said. “They’re a lot of fun to do but also tedious. I like it, though, because I can come up with different flavors based on holidays or local events. For example, for Marquette’s Blueberry Fest, I made blueberry macarons. I also made honey blueberry bee petites.”

The Petites consist of honey mousse with fresh blueberries, enrobed in mirror glaze with a dollop of buttercream, a blueberry, fondant bee with almond wings and an edible logo coin, with chopped almonds along the bottom, all sitting atop a cookie base.

Needless to say, they were a hit and Freeman has made them every year since for the festival, which draws thousands to Marquette’s downtown district. When asked how many macarons Babycakes has sold, Freeman smiled and said, “A lot. Tens of thousands of them.”

While the newer products have been a hit with the community and visitors alike, there were a few minor tribulations along the way.

“At the beginning of the acqui- sition of Babycakes, it was trial and error seeing what worked and what didn’t,” she said. “So much trial and error. I struggled with mirror glaze for a while and tried many different recipes, but I finally got one that worked. That was the first evolution of my desserts. We’re always learning new techniques and thinking of different desserts and flavors to try now. I love going to bakeries in cities and just seeing what everyone else is doing, especially trying different flavor profiles.”

While most of the specialty desserts are sold at Babycakes, Huron now carries some of the sweet treats due to their popularity.

Freeman, on Huron’s behalf, recently teamed up with the Courtyards of Marquette, where they hosted three successful events called “cookies and cocoa.” Chris Durley, operations manager of the Courtyards, said they randomly came up with the idea one day. He said, “I’ve known Rachel for three or four years and one day she was sitting at the bar [at the Courtyards], reading a book, and we started discussing how we’d both like to partner with more local businesses but weren’t sure how to do that.”

After brainstorming, they thought about hosting community events consisting of cookie decorating and a cocoa bar, where all supplies were provided at the Courtyards. So far, the events have been well-received — so much, in fact, that at April’s event, they expanded it to include two different time slots that people could sign up for.

“I’m looking forward to partnering with her again,” Durley said. “She always has something creative she’s working on … whether it’s her cosplay or pastries, it’s always awesome to see and taste. It’s also a plus for me, too, when she brings me any new desserts to sample.”

While Freeman enjoys the creative freedoms she has with her job, her vision doesn’t end there. “In recent years, especially since Covid, I’ve been sewing,” she said. “I am of course a bit of a nerd, so I like to go to conventions and cosplay. I wouldn’t say I’m an expert at sewing, but I can do some pretty decent work. Sometimes I create my own outfits. I enjoy it and just being able to find really cool fabrics to work with. I like making myself little sundresses for the summertime, too. It keeps my hands busy so I’m not just sitting and scrolling on my phone when I’m home.”

Several years ago, Freeman and her friend Danielle Johnson attended the Motor City Comic Con in Novi, and they’ve been hooked ever since.

“We usually go to one a year because they’re not cheap to attend,” she said. “Between the hotel, the food, tickets, costumes and stuff you’re go- ing to buy, it can be pretty expensive. They’re a lot of fun, though. One of my favorite costumes was a steampunk Belle [of Beauty and the Beast], which turned out awesome. I found this beautiful floral brocade which I used for it. I wore it as a Halloween costume at first but then again for C2E2 the following year.”

Freeman attended this year’s C2E2 — Chicago’s “comic and entertainment expo” — in April, making it the fifth convention she’s been to. She handmade her costume and accessories along with her boyfriend’s.

Although she enjoys sewing, Freeman plans on keeping it as a hobby.

“I like to keep my hobbies separate from work,” she said. “Once you’re doing it for money, it’s not as fun anymore. Sure, I make food to sell for my job and I enjoy it, but I’m not on the business side of it and for me that’s different.”

When Freeman isn’t making delicious treats or incredible costumes and clothing, she enjoys spending time with her two kitties, Regina and Oliver.

Jaymie Depew is a Munising-based writer who loves indulging in food and spirits, sitting around a campfire with loved ones, disappearing into a good book and snuggling with her dog Koda Joe and cat Pickle.