Meet Rose Jepson | Teacher and Baker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Rose Jepson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rose, what is the most important factor behind your success?
My success in general comes from my upbringing and the lessons that I’ve learned in life. I am originally from South Dakota, but grew up in Dayton, Ohio since I was five. My parents both worked full time jobs and made sure there was food on the table. My mother worked as a television producer, while also picking up side jobs here and there like delivering phone books and starting a coffee delivery business. She is one of those people that gets an idea and goes for it. Like my mom, I dabbled in many different things growing up like sports, art, and music. I never knew what I wanted to be because I wanted to do it all. I changed my major three times in college, from athletic training to social work, and finally early childhood education. I’ve been a Kindergarten teacher for almost eight years now. Teaching really encompasses a lot of my interests and allows me to be creative every single day. Creativity has always been my strong suit and not only can I show that through teaching, but with baking as well. About eight years ago, I discovered cake pops. Making cake pops almost reminded me of playdough in my classroom. You can mold so many different things and be as creative as you want. Throughout the years, I’ve been able to create so many different designs and characters in the form of cake pops. It’s basically art that you can eat. When I realized I was getting pretty good at it, I decided it was time to start my own little business called Rosie Pops. I create custom-made cake pops for any occasion, and have recently been making cookies as well. So I’m a teacher by day and a cake popper by night!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I consider my cake pops to be art! I try to make every order unique to what the customer wants. I love the challenge of making different characters and designs. I also love that my cake pops bring so many smiles to both adults and children that eat them. They don’t just look good, but they taste good as well and I think that’s why so many people love them. When I first started making cake pops, I was doing very simple designs and probably wasted a lot of cake with all the mistakes I made. Mistakes and all, I never stopped trying to learn new things and have only become better and better at what I do over the last several years. None of that would have been possible without the support that my friends, family, and customers have given me. The way that so many people love what I do just makes me that much more confident in my work and pushes me to keep going, even on the days I come home exhausted from teaching all day. Not only do cake pops make others happy, but they make me happy as well!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
First thing’s first, they would have to stop by my mom’s café, the Daily Grind, in Tipp City, for some amazing coffee drinks and treats. Not only does she sell delicious coffee, but my mom sells her homemade baked goods, like her amazing cheesecake, sandwiches, ice cream, and so much more, including my delicious Rosie Pops. You can catch her or my sister working there most days! If you’re visiting during the spring or summer, I’d also highly recommend stopping at a Dayton Dragon’s baseball game in downtown Dayton. I worked at the baseball stadium for almost ten years with the food service. I was “the funnel cake girl” for a really long time. My summers spent at the ball field were probably some of the most fun summers I’ve ever had. The food and entertainment are unmatched. Additionally, a fun place to hangout for the day and enjoy some shopping is The Greene located in Beavercreek, Ohio. It is an outdoor shopping mall with lots of your favorite stores and great places to eat, like the Pub, Cheesecake Factory, and On Par Entertainment.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My family deserves a lot of credit for my success because I wouldn’t be where I’m at without them. My mom in particular has always supported me and showed me what hard work is. She was a single mom to the three of us for a long time and always made sure we didn’t go without. She supported us in everything we did, even with working a full time job from 3 to midnight most nights. One of her dreams was to own a small café and she made that dream come true. She loves to cook and bake, which is probably where I got the interest in baking! I now sell my cake pops at my mom’s café.

Website: https://Rosiepopsdayton.com

Instagram: Rosie_pops_dayton

Facebook: Rosiepopsdayton