Meet Kim Hawkins | Creator | Kim’s Sweet Studio

It has definitely been busier and challenging to balance it all. In addition to the baking business, I also work full-time as a corporate accountant and have two little boys. I try to stay organized with planning out my schedule months in advance. Each week, I will create a to-do list of what needs to be done at my day job, what events I might have with family/friends, and what needs to be baked and by when. But planning is the easiest part. Sometimes life happens and things don’t go according to schedule. What people don’t also see is time spent behind the business. I’m also the person replying to requests, invoicing, designing, packaging, photographing, editing, delivering, and managing social media/advertising. It can be a lot. I have learned to block busy times, set limits on how many orders I should take, and not be confined by when to post on social. I want baking to continue to be enjoyable so I have to set limits and make time for myself.

I’m Kim, creator behind Kim’s Sweet Studio. I specialize in all kinds of baked goods from cakes to character macarons to pastries, aiming to create delightful and creative treats. I started making macarons in 2020, and am most known for my character macarons. I work with the client to design something unique for their occasions that they’ll remember for a lifetime. I’m most proud of my character macarons, and how I’m able to create intricate, edible artwork in such a difficult medium.

Macarons were challenging, but I overcame it through personal effort and support from the baking community. I’ve learned several different tricks and techniques to create custom pieces that delight my clients.

I want the world to know that you can find unique ways of self expression. And that sometimes things won’t go according to plan and can crack apart, literally. But you can always learn from the experience and try again.

Gosh, this is such a hard question for me because I love experiencing new places and restaurants and have too many recommendations. We have so many great places near home and in Atlanta!

Food-wise, some favorites to have them try would be Hierloom BBQ for some great Asian fusion BBQ, the Vortex for their amazing burgers and interesting vibe, Mori House is a great local sushi restaurant we love, Seaside Oyster Bar has a great lounge and food for a night out, Flatlands has amazing Cajun, Antico Pizza Napoletana is my favorite pizza place, Lazy Betty for a nice tasting experience, SOS Tiki Bar for some tropical drinks.

Attraction-wise, I love the GA Aquarium with the tunnel and letting my inner kid come out in the penguin tunnel crawl. We’re also near Chateau Elan which is a great place to visit for wine-tasting and relax at the spa. Ponce City Market is also neat to visit with the large food market hall and shopping. Avalon and Halcyon are great dining and shopping options to visit too. If they have kids, taking them to the many nearby parks and splash pads around us is a frequent activity we enjoy with the family. You’ll find us running at Sims Lake Park or visiting the splash pad at EE Robinson or Downtown Sugar Hill regularly.

If it’s fall, we can visit Athens to see the Dawgs play, stroll through our alma mater’s campus and have a fun night in downtown Athens.

My husband hands down deserves a big shout out!! I could not do this without him. People tend to ask me how I do it all, and he’s the main reason I can. He helps with the house, errands, groceries, cooking, watching the kids, and even washing my baking mess. He’s also the one who has to deal with the million questions and ideas about my baking business that I throw at him, helps look through rolls of pictures to select “the one”, and then has to do it all again with the edits. He’s my number 1 supporter. When the downsides of business or social media gets to be too much and weighs me down mentally, he’s there helping to put things in perspective and cheer me on. Now that he’s traveling for work again and I have to single-mom sometimes with two jobs, it really makes me appreciate how much help and support he provides when he’s home. Hopefully he’s feeling the love reading this!