Siobhan Noel Roy, a resident of Phoenix, has shared her renowned scone recipe and provided tips on how to achieve a perfect result.
As Plato observed, necessity is often the mother of invention. This truth manifested in Siobhan Noel Roy's kitchen. What began in 2006 as a modest attempt by a teenager to bake pure butter biscuits to fund a youth church group trip evolved into Heaven Essence Bakery—a business specializing in exquisite royal icing cookies, delicacies, and classic homemade baked goods.
In this weekly recipe column, the 35-year-old baker recalls how she turned a simple skill into a full-fledged business, shares advice for aspiring female entrepreneurs, and discusses the essential techniques for making the perfect tea-time scone.
When 35-year-old Phoenix resident Siobhan Noel Roy first picked up a rolling pin in 2006, her goals were simple: she needed to raise funds for a student conference and her church's youth camp. Roy recalls: 'I started baking and selling pure butter biscuits to raise money.' She managed to cover her expenses, and the surplus helped another student pay their fees. This experience showed her how much could grow from something as simple as baking with a purpose.
This initial impulse laid the foundation for Heaven Essence Bakery. Roy continued baking alongside other commitments, transitioning the business to full-time in 2016, and then balancing it part-time from 2018 to 2021. Her passion deepened in 2017 when she introduced themed glazed cookies, which quickly became her signature product. In 2021, Roy made the pivotal decision to leave her corporate career and dedicate herself entirely to her bakery.
Today, the company produces beautifully decorated royal icing cookies, themed cakes, exquisite chocolate chips, brownies, and classic baked goods. Roy says: 'I love the creativity that allows me to explore through baking and decorating.' She adds: 'Above all, I love taking someone's idea, theme, or vision and turning it into something they can see, enjoy, and share with loved ones.'
Roy is also passionate about empowering other women to turn their existing skills into a sustainable source of income. She urges: 'If you have a skill, talent, recipe, sewing machine, phone, garden, or even just an idea, you have a starting point. Don't wait until everything is perfect. Start with what you have, learn as you go, watch tutorials, and earn your first money. Then reinvest, grow, and keep moving forward.' Her message to hesitant women is direct: 'So many women possess incredible talents because they don't believe what they have is enough. It doesn't have to be perfect. It just has to be a start.'