The smell of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies in the oven. The perfect pink dollop of icing on the top of a cake. The smiling faces of people who take their bite of a warm, soft, doughy cinnamon roll.

True joy. 

Baking has always been a part of  Zenzero founder and Baked by Ginger owner Ginger Blazek’s blood. Her love for the activity developed as her family celebrated happy times with food, making her want to spread the love as well. 

“Really, it was my grandfather and watching him prepare big meals for our family at holidays. I would see how happy it made him to bring joy to everybody from the food that he made,” Blazek said. “I loved that. He was my biggest inspiration.”

Zenzero was a bakery and cafe on Denton Tap Road in Coppell for eight years. As small businesses started to close because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Zenzero was also forced to shut down. 

Prior to starting her business, Blazek earned a degree in pastry arts from the Culinary School of Fort Worth. Getting the degree strengthened Balzek’s confidence to run her business. 

“I already loved baking [and] cooking and it gave me the confidence, having that certification, that I knew what I was doing,” Blazek said. “For a lot of people, having a hurdle that you have to jump over motivates you and gives you confidence. For me, earning that pastry certification was the thing that I knew if I did it, then I could do whatever else I wanted.”

Prior to Zenzero, Blazek ran a recruiting company from her home. Though she had experience in business, Blazek did not expect the transition from one business to another to be so different. 

“Nothing could have prepared me for when I started Zenzero,” Blazek said. “Nothing. Nothing in the world could have prepared me. It was patience. It was terrifying. It was exhilarating, frustrating, rewarding. It was so many different feelings. It was wonderful because I met people that I would have never met. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my entire life, and also probably one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done.”

Though Blazek faced many challenges, her perseverance and winning attitude keeps her going through rough times. 

“[Blazek] just doesn’t take no for an answer,” said Marian L’Huillier, a close friend of Blazek . “She’s always willing to go the extra mile. She doesn’t let any obstacles get in her way and she’s just always just willing to help others and be there no matter what it takes.”

However, when COVID-19 swept the world and the economy, Blazek could no longer operate Zenzero. 

“I just had a gut feeling about what was coming, and I knew that financially there was no way we would have been able to revive,” Blazek said. “Now, looking back, maybe there were things I could have done. But at the time, the decision that I made to permanently close was the very best decision for me.”

After closing her former business, Blazek decided to start two new businesses: Baked by Ginger Blazek and Baking with Ginger. These businesses maintain Blazek’s mission of selling treats while adding a new interactive element for the audience. 

“Whatever [Blazek] sets her mind to, she will get done,” Blazek’s friend Heidi Gough said. “She has a drive to succeed in every part of her life. I admire that because a lot of people get knocked down and they stay down. [Blazek] doesn’t, she’s going to come back even better on the next event or the next enterprise.”

Blazek created Baked by Ginger so she could continue providing baked goods to her previously existing wholesale customers such as RE:defined Coffeehouse and Novel Coffee Roasters. By buying commercial ingredients and preparing baked goods from home, Blazek can continue selling products through pre-order curbside pickup and an online subscription service. 

Bake with Ginger, however, is a new concept for Blazek where she offers online classes to those interested in learning how to bake. Blazek also conducts free Facebook live sessions to interact with her customers, where she shares treats, tips and general information. 

“The online baking class is really exciting,” Blazek said. “That is the business that is really fun and exciting for me. If you want to learn to bake and don’t know how, I can teach you. You do it in your home and you can sign up, and at your pace, you start with the first class.”

Six months after closing Zenzero, Blazek continues to move forward with her new, successful businesses. These businesses provide Blazek and her customers to find happiness in the food they create. Blazek has learned a lot from her experiences, and hopes to pass her talents to others through her initiatives. 

“You have to truly believe in yourself,” Blazek said. “You also have to decide, what are your values and beliefs? What is it that you stand for? and What is it that you are going to offer? It’s easy to get caught up in the latest and greatest trends. If you are not sure of who you are and what it is you stand for, you could be swayed and the next thing you know, you’ve completely changed your business.” 

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