The Sugar Masters of the World:
Series: Season 2:
“Unveiling the Inspirational Art of Royal Icing Cookies: Julia M. Usher”

Join us as Julia talks exclusively to UNN’s reporter Ancy James about the intricate techniques, boundless creativity, and unwavering passion that have defined her remarkable career.

Ancy:

Julia, thanks so much for the time you took out from your busy schedule for this interview.

What can you tell us about how you grew up, the journey you took before cookie decorating, and how you spend your personal time these days?

Julia:

I’ve been decorating cookies seriously since about 2009 when I published my first cookie book, Cookie Swap: Creative Treats to Share Throughout the Year, though I started baking at a very early age alongside my mom who worked magic with breads and pastries. I grew up in an old farmhouse (built in the 1790s!) in rural Connecticut, USA. After graduating from Yale College in 1984, I moved to California where I designed nuclear reactor heat suppression systems for General Electric Company. I stayed in that job to earn a master’s degree in mechanical engineering at U.C. Berkeley and then went on to work for a management consulting firm for several years, during which time I earned an MBA from Stanford. But, I tossed all of that education aside – LOL – when I decided to quit consulting and follow my early childhood passion of baking. In 1994, I enrolled in a 10-month culinary program. From there, I worked in restaurants and ran my own custom cake shop until I started writing books and making YouTube videos, which brings me full circle to where I am today. I am married to my college sweetheart, and we split our time between St. Louis, Missouri and Stonington, Maine, though all of my cookie work and video production are done in my basement test kitchen in Missouri. When not decorating cookies for my next video tutorial or class, or designing stencils and cutters for my JULIA line of tools, I love interior design and gardening, and spending time with my husband and mom who recently moved to St. Louis to be closer to us.

Ancy:

Did you have any early childhoood influences that got you on the path of cookie decorating?

Julia:

As I alluded to earlier, I spent a lot of time in the kitchen with my mom beginning as early as I can remember. While other kids were tinkering with Easy Bake Ovens, I was making yeast breads and pastries from scratch and going all-out with their decoration. I remember how, every Christmas, I would painstakingly cut out flowers and leaves from pastry dough and turn plain stollens into elaborate edible wreaths and garlands. Cookie decorating was also a competitive sport of sorts in the Usher household, with my two siblings and I always vying to see who would come up with the most spectacular Christmas cookie designs. Of course, as I look back at what I did then and even in my first cookie book, I am astonished by how rudimentary my cookie decorating once was. But with practice, we all evolve, right?

Ancy:

How did you end up teaching cookie decorating all over the world?

Julia:

Long story short – by accident. When I closed my cake bakery in 2007, I had fully intended to write a series of cake books. (I wanted to maintain my creative outlet of making cakes without having the constant customer demands that come with a retail storefront.) Mind you, all of this was happening pretty much before the internet had taken off, so blogs and YouTube channels weren’t viable options for creative expression at that time. In 2007, the US was also in the height of a low-carb craze, and no publisher wanted to produce a cake book. By some odd stroke of luck, I interested a publisher in a cookie concept, and ended up publishing two cookie decorating books, an app, and several ebooks with them. But the book-writing process was cumbersome and long and drawn out, with too many editors sticking their fingers in the process. (I am a control freak, so I didn’t much like their editing “help”! ) By the time my second book (Ultimate Cookies) was published and I had finished that book tour, it was 2012 and the internet was rallying! I decided I could explain some of my cookies and sweets much more efficiently and effectively in video form, and so I abandoned book writing and launched a YouTube channel. Let’s just say that YouTube really opened up a world of cookies for me. Soon after launching, I started to receive invitations from all over the globe to travel to teach – especially my 3-D cookie designs, which were rather unique back in the day. Ever since then, I’ve been nearly 100-percent dedicated to teaching in one way or another – be it online or in-person, or through tutorials about new projects or products. I truly love the energy of the classroom, and it’s so gratifying to see people’s eyes light up when they master a new technique!

Ancy:

What formal cookie decorating or other training did you have to get where you are today?

Julia:

No formal culinary training other than the 10-month culinary program I mentioned, but it was a broad-based program covering both savories and sweets. I did virtually no decorating in culinary school. When I moved to St. Louis, while working in restaurants, I also did a brief stage with a local chocolatier by the name of Neika Soissons. She introduced me to piping intricate chocolate pieces, and gave me the confidence to ultimately open my own cake shop, where I learned almost entirely on the job. Though always by my side for guidance were the books of Colette Peters and Kerry Vincent! Those books were inspirational, and those icons of the industry taught me so much, especially about the power of original designs, long before I ever met them. I am forever grateful to both women for urging me on through the stunning pages of their books, and, later in life, through their fellowship at shows and other events.

As for how I learned to teach cookie classes, that too came on the job. But I started with baby steps by doing lots of short demos while on tour with my books. Of course, making YouTube videos also taught me a lot about being a good instructor. To put together a truly compelling instructional video, you need to map out every step, anticipate the questions viewers are likely to have, and make sure you answer all of the key ones very clearly. The one thing I didn’t do is leap into teaching full-scale classes without practicing in these ways – and practicing a lot!

Today, so many people are jumping into the teaching of cookie decorating, I believe because teaching can often be more lucrative than producing highly decorated sweets. However, there’s a common misconception, IMO, that if you can decorate cookies well, you can also be a great teacher. But the two things require very different skills – and both require lots of practice and hard work if one wants to be truly exceptional.

Ancy:

You do a lot in the cookie world. How would you summarize your flurry of activities in a nutshell?

Julia:

I would call myself a jack-of-all-trades with respect to cookie decorating. I create video tutorials and classes, teach online and in-person classes, design projects and products, run a cookie decorating community (Cookie Connection™), and host arguably the largest worldwide cookie art competition (Julia M. Usher’s Cookie Art Competition™). But the true heart of all this action – the “glue” that binds it all together, if you will – is my love of creating eye-opening projects (often 3-D ones!) that stretch the imagination, sharing what I know to help others learn and grow. As for the timing of it all: I started making video tutorials in 2012; Cookie Connection and my competition were founded in 2013; my stencil line launched in 2016; and the rest is history!

Ancy:

What have been your biggest accomplishments in the cookie world?

Julia:

People can read about my various awards in my bio if that’s what you’re asking, but my greatest reward isn’t any one professional accolade. It’s the gratification I get when I see people turned onto cookie decorating after watching my videos, taking a class, or trying one of my products. It’s knowing that people have acquired skills that will bring them and others joy for years to come. One of my crowning moments actually came years ago, when I was touring with my first book. I met a very young decorator by the name of Zoe at a book signing. (I think she was five-years-old at the time.) For years we exchanged little gifts and cards through her mom. Her enthusiasm for baking and decorating fueled mine, and vice versa, I think. I still have her notes and drawings, and often take them out when I need a shot in the arm.

Ancy:

It looks like your path to where you are today was an easy glide to success. Is that true, or did you meet any challenges or obstacles along the way?

Julia:

Oh no, it hasn’t been easy at all! My path has required a ton of hard work and persistence. And, yes, I’ve met so many obstacles. We all do, and we face challenges at every stage of business, no matter how long we’ve been at it. I’m facing a bunch right now, not the least of which is figuring out how to juggle all of the things that I do without burning out. As I said, I am a control freak – and also quite a perfectionist – so it’s hard for me to delegate and ask for help. But this year, I’ve decided I need to do something about this issue, as the constant work is taking a toll on my enthusiasm for decorating

Ancy:

How did you deal with your biggest business challenge – and what was it?

Julia:

Let’s start with the last part of that question. My biggest challenge is probably what I just mentioned above – that is, how to find the right lifework balance that will allow me to continue creating with passion and energy for years to come. I need to offload more admin tasks and jettison lines of business that take too much time and bring too little joy, all to free up more time for doing what I like most – which is conceptualizing new projects and techniques. I also need to allow myself more time off from cookies – for necessary sanity checks, and to get reenergized. I haven’t figured out exactly how to do all of this yet, so let’s just say I’m working on it!  Tackling challenges is an ongoing process in any business, and, as a business owner, you need to get used to near-constant troubleshooting. In other words, don’t get dismayed by the challenges; instead treat them as opportunities for learning and growth.

Ancy:

What’s your greatest hope for your business or career?

Julia:

To find that blissful life-work balance! LOL! And to continue to create cookie work that really captures peoples’ hearts and stretches them to do things they never thought possible.

Ancy:

What’s your biggest fear as you move forward in your career?

Julia:

I hate to sound like I’m on replay mode, but I fear not finding that optimum balance of work and pleasure that will keep me happy and healthy while still feeling like I am progressing in my field and making a difference to others. I have a fear of letting go of some of the things that have brought me success in the past. What if I were to just stop doing one or more things? Will I let down my followers and viewers? Will my reputation in the industry suffer? These questions are what run through my head whenever I am contemplating change, and, too often, they immobilize me and lead to inertia. So I still have to find the courage and right time – if there is ever a right time – to put a plan for achieving better life-work balance into action.

Ancy:

Any tips for those who hope to be great cookie decorators one day?

Julia:

“Practice, practice, practice! (By now, you’ve probably gathered that practice, experimentation, and lots of trial and error are key themes for me. They all help fuel my creativity.) But, my biggest tip is to be generous with sharing what you know and giving back to the community. At the end of the day, people won’t remember your last spectacular cookie; they will remember what you taught them and how you made them feel in the process. Also, be kind to yourself. Don’t focus on what others are doing (I know, social media makes that hard to do these days); focus instead on what brings you and others the most joy day to day

My mantra is “live sweetly”, (you’ll see it in all of my email signature lines, on my site, in class handouts…you name it),and I urge everyone to do every day!

Ancy : As we bring this insightful interview to an end , I would like to thank you for this privilege of making us a part of your extraordinary journey and unparalleled expertise as a master sugar artist. Wishing you many more accolades and sweet adventures along the way as your royal icing cookie creations continue to captivate audiences around the globe.

I also take this opportunity to thank our viewers who have joined us as we share the incredible stories of Sugar Maestros in this series: The Sugar Masters of the World”