Meet Misato Kasumi, a junior who is kneading her way to success, one pastry at a time. Her passion for baking was passed down from her dad, who she assisted from an early age. As he baked, she gathered ingredients and read recipes. As she grew older she took on bigger tasks; cracking the eggs, melting the butter, and cutting the cookies.
Kasumi’s passion for baking only grew during the COVID lockdown, as she dedicated most of her time to making pastries with her father. At the start of 2023, she began to think of ways to make profits from the hobby she loved. She started selling cookies at school, before deciding to expand her business to neighbors as well. This eventually led to the creation of the Cherry Blossom Bakeshop, and the later rebrand, Moosh Bakery.
When asked about the added responsibilities that founding this business brought, Kasumi commented: “When I began Cherry Blossom Bakeshop, I didn’t put much thought into how I would run this bakery. I jumped right in, and it quickly became clear that managing it involved much more than that.”
At first, Kasumi ran her business through Instagram, but she struggled with the few customers she had, due to conflicts with her schedule and managing orders. This forced her to take a step back during her freshmen year and start selling only at school again. She focused solely on the large 6oz cookies that her classmates loved, simplifying her business.
“My experience has been very positive, I’m always excited to see her new flavor creations as well as seeing her original flavors come back every now and then,” senior Mai Nguyen expressed.
Summer of 2024 was when things took a turn for the better, Misato spent the summer rebranding her business and creating a website. Looking to expand her sales, she created Moosh Bakery, complete with a new logo, mascot and desserts.
When juggling school and her business, the most stressful time of year is around the holidays. She is forced to handle all her school work and extracurriculars on top of fulfilling her orders.
“To manage all of this, I always try to get my schoolwork done in class. However, there are still nights where I bake until midnight or study past that. Weekends tend to save me, allowing me to catch up on everything: school, training, SAT prep, work, spending time with family, watching movies, and being social,” Mistato commented.
The struggles haven’t put her down, as Misato has found massive success through Moosh Bakery. She shares that one of her greatest accomplishments was filling an order of a total of six dozen Mega Moosh cookies. She also worked with the Arlington County Medical Society (ACMS) a couple times this year, donating over 270 desserts. Not to mention she’s also supported the Care4Cancer, Hand2Hunger and Morgan’s Message clubs at Meridian, through her business.
“We have a Doughnation Project that changes annually. We dedicate a portion of our profits to global issues the world currently faces. Last year, our global issue was food insecurity. This year we’re doing climate change,” she explained.
With the success Moosh Bakery has found, Misato has no plans to stop, aiming to continue her service projects and keep her business running for as long as she can.
