Daisy Fox Bakery

When it comes to forging a career, Melissa Jones places personal happiness way above any money she earns. "I originally went to college and studied engineering software and I worked in that industry for a while," Melissa says. It didn’t take long for Melissa to grow tired of working in a cubicle, and she shocked just about everyone when she decided to leave. "My bosses were definitely shocked because many people in my role leave after the first year or two to join a competitor to get paid more. I was like, ‘Nah, I’ll work for minimum wage. I’m good.’"

Fast forward to 2022 and Melissa is now rolling in dough. Melissa, who is 29 years old, decided to move forward with her dream of opening her own bakery. And thus, Daisy Fox Bakery in Sarnia was born in November of 2020. "I had been sitting on the business plan since 2016, always finding an excuse not to do it," Melissa admits. "I decided I was not going to let the COVID-19 pandemic be another excuse to not go forward with my plan. The original plan was to have an eat-in café bakery, but because of COVID, I changed it to an order-based takeout operation. My bakery is at 1273 London Road in Sarnia."

Melissa got into baking toward the end of her high school years and has been in and out of various bakeries since her college days. Running the show, however, has presented challenges. "It has had its ups and downs. I am definitely doing a lot better now than I did the first few months. It was a shock at the start because I am used to just being a baker and not having to manage the operation. I took business classes throughout high school, so I kind of had an idea of what I was in for." When it comes to her baking, Melissa likes to keep things simple. "I love baking cakes the most because I enjoy decorating." Daisy Fox is known for delicious birthday cakes and cupcakes, and also features cookies, tarts, and donuts. One day a week, Melissa bakes muffins. "I offer a lot of vegan-friendly options because a lot of my recipes just don’t have eggs or dairy in them," Melissa says. "It is funny because a lot of people will take a bite of something and say, ‘I can taste the butter and eggs,’ and I say, ‘What are you talking about? There’s none of that in there!’" But what about the name? Melissa chose Daisy Fox simply because she likes foxes and flowers and felt it would give her a good opportunity to decorate her bakery to make it feel like home. For Melissa, the biggest payoff is hearing from people how her baking made their party a huge success.