Stefanie Embree is not afraid to dream and live big. The former middle school orchestra teacher became a stay‑at‑home mom after having twins. Later, she and her husband welcomed two more children through adoption. Embree fell in love with baking by binge‑watching cooking shows and reading cookbooks “like novels,” she said. She also discovered a knack for perfecting recipes, frequently gathering family members to taste and determine the best.
In 2020, she and her husband sold their home to open OKC Sweets. Personal and professional challenges took the bakery on a rocky ride until recent years, when OKC Sweets went viral for its Thunder-themed goodies—Embree recalled a long line out her bakery door. Then, she was recruited as a contestant for the Fox TV baking series “Next Level Baker.” (And local fans cheered as she tackled each bake-off – and won!) We talked to Embree about her bakery, rise to success and passion for serving others.
Evie Holzer: What makes OKC Sweets unique?
Stefanie Embree: When people come into my bakery, I want them to really feel like we care about them. We’re always striving for people to know that they’re loved. At the end of the day, my goal is to love people and serve people and shine a light in our community … We’re more than just a bakery; we are intricately involved in stories and experiences in people’s lives.
EH: When did you open?
SE: We opened in June of 2020, when people weren’t really getting out or starting businesses. We just had this attitude that people need a little bit of joy in their lives. What better thing to bring joy than a bakery and sweets?
EH: A year of family health challenges made you rethink your business. Tell me about that time.
SE: We tried to sell the business, because we didn’t know how to keep it afloat, but it didn’t happen. So we took that as a sign: Our journey was not over yet. I just prayed, ‘God, I’ve been holding on so tightly, carrying all of this weight … I just give you my business. If this is what you want for me, I’m in and I’m going to work really, really hard as long as I have it.’ I had this epiphany that I can’t out-give God, right? It’s really changed the way I do things. And this year has been a really beautiful transition. It’s almost like a beauty‑from‑the‑ashes situation for me personally.
EH: How did that change in mindset change your trajectory?
SE: I put myself back out there, put my business out there, and let go of a lot of that fear that had dominated my heart and my mind … I started posting on TikTok and Instagram, because I’d always done decorating videos, and people loved them … and so it was actually [last] April that a recruiter reached out about a holiday baking show with Gordon Ramsay, looking for talented bakers.
EH: What was that experience like?
SE: Putting myself out there, meeting these people that I normally would never meet—just loving on them—and competing, it was transformative. I came back from that experience ready to face the world and not be afraid to take risks and not be afraid to love people who are different from me. It changed me so much in a really wonderful way … I hope this is an inspiration to mothers, wives and women in general to be bold, use your talents, enjoy what you’re doing and be kind.
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