About Me

Hi there! I’m Carolyn, the owner and baker behind Seoul
Flower Cottage Bakery.

I’m a self-taught baker with no formal training—just a lifelong love for baking, especially cupcakes. I specialize in hand-piped buttercream flowers and have been creating custom cupcakes as a side hustle for years. Birthdays, baby showers, bridal showers, holidays—you name it, I’ve probably made a cupcake for it.

Believe it or not, I’m also a nurse. I earned my RN in July 2024 and worked night shift until August 2025, when burnout finally caught up with me. I was mentally exhausted and unhappy, and honestly, it was my coworkers who kept me going for as long as I did. One night around 2 a.m., sitting at the nurses’ station with one of my best friends, I was telling him about the sourdough baking videos I couldn’t stop watching. We looked at each
other and said it at the same time: “A bakery.” And just like that, the dream
was born.

When it came time to choose a name, I wanted something that felt deeply personal—something that felt like me. I was born in Seoul, South Korea, and my Korean name, 윤영 최 (Yoon Yung Choi), loosely translates to “wild flower.” That’s where Seoul Flower comes from.

I had never baked bread before, but I was determined to learn. After two weeks of trial and error, my sourdough starter was finally born. I named her Gigi, after my beloved first dog and the influencer who inspired me to start my sourdough journey. From there, I baked nearly every day until I perfected it—and it quickly became a rewarding (and slightly obsessive) passion.

If you’ve never heard of a cottage bakery, you’re not alone—I hadn’t either. A cottage bakery is a bakery run entirely from a home kitchen, without the need for a commercial storefront or expensive equipment. Learning this changed everything for me. If I had known sooner, I might have skipped nursing school altogether… kidding. Mostly. 😉

At the heart of it all, I love taking care of people. Nursing was one way to do that—but baking for my community feels just as meaningful, and a whole lot sweeter. I’m still learning, I’ll make mistakes along the way, and I truly appreciate your patience. I’m so excited for you to be here, and I can’t wait for you to try something baked with love from my kitchen to yours.

Thank you for supporting my small business!