If you’ve searched at some point or another on Instagram “cookies “, “cookies art“, “royal icing“, and more, chances are you came across an account names Emma’s Sweets. Dozens of inspiring photos and videos of cookies in all shapes or form, beautiful colours, and impeccable lines furnish her Instagram page. But behind Emma’s Sweets is a passionate and dedicated woman named Mary Valentino. 

Mary has always enjoyed baking from a very young age. She would watch her grandmother baking cakes without a recipe and always wondered how she achieves the perfect desserts every single time. She worked in the Financial Industry for over 10 years and needed to channel her creativity, but there were no means to do so in that field. 

While working as an Assistant Bank Manager, she took the Wilton Cake Decorating Course at a local craft store in April 2013. While the focus was mainly on fondant and buttercream, there was some training on royal icing flowers. At this time, she had no idea that there was so much to create with royal icing! She documented her journey on her personal Facebook page. 

Little did she know that she would find her vocation a month later in May 2013 when she stumbled into the cookie world. From books to YouTube videos and blog posts, she drank in all the information she could find about sugar cookies and royal icing.

In June 2013, a friend convinced her to start a Facebook page. There, she mainly showcased cupcakes, cakes, and some cookies practice. That’s when her friends started asking her to make cookies for events. This slowly turned into cookie requests from several local customers. By September 2013, she was already taking cookie orders regularly while still working at the bank and would keep doing so for many years. When it became too overwhelming, she left the banking industry around June 2017 and pursued full-time custom cookie making. She would bake and decorate hundreds of cookies every week! 

In 2018 Mary participated in Food Network’s Christmas Cookie Challenge as the only Canadian in that episode. She also became the champion! She was then interviewed on the Ontario Morning Podcast with Wei Chan and also on CBC Radio One, CTV News, and in the local Bradford Newspaper.

Some of her achievements include also several features in magazines such as Party Style Magazine, Cake Masters Magazine, Cake Central Magazine, and Mingle Magazine. She also contributed 4 tutorials to Cake Masters Magazine, one of the most recent ones in April 2020 with her Easter Bunny tutorial featuring Roxy & Rich products. 

Emma’s Sweets, Mary’s online shop, opened in March 2019 with just a handful of items.

Today they make cookie cutters and sell everything artists need to start their own cookie decorating journey!

Mary clearly has a talent for teaching her techniques and propagating her passion for cookies. Since 2014 she’s been showcasing her different techniques on her YouTube channel, and since December 2019 she’s also been teaching cookie decorating classes. 

 7 years later, she is now an icon in the cookie decorating world.

We asked her why she wanted to be a Roxy & Rich Ambassador:

“I have tried every dust on the market over my 7 years cookie decorating career. I have never used anything as amazing as Roxy & Rich! All of their products are superior above anything I have tried. Using products that are safe and edible provides peace of mind. The colours are gorgeous, original, and easy to use. I am proud to support a Canadian company. I also developed an amazing relationship with R&R right from the beginning. Not only are their products of a high standard, but so are the people that work there. As a shop owner, the main traits I look for in a supplier (other than an amazing product) is trust and respect. R&R demonstrates these ongoing, whether, through email or phone, they are always supportive and provide the utmost in customer service. I am extremely honored and proud to be part of the Roxy & Rich family and look forward to growing their brand alongside them.”

Roxy & Rich is deeply honored and proud to have Mary Valentino in our family. It’s a great opportunity to grow together and learn a lot from each other in the years to come.

Website: https://emmassweets.ca/

Mary’s Book (The beginner’s guide to cookie decorating) : https://emmassweets.ca/collections/book-cookie-cutters 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_emmas__sweets/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MaryofEmmasSweets/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkqtFCi5b9niZSZbnTMlZWw