Sending food is one of the best ways to boost your spirits - especially after the year we have had. Alice Bennett from Miss Trixie Drinks Tea had the right idea when she made her side hustle into her full-time gig, creating message cakes that would guarantee to bring a smile to your face. From cheeky puns to incredible Victorian-inspired wonders, we sat down and chatted with her about what makes gifting so special.
Can you tell me about your background for our readers? Introduce yourself!
I’m Alice Bennett - an entrepreneur and small business owner - I run my own business called Miss Trixie Drinks Tea, which is a small cake company in Melbourne. I used to work in the marketing and PR world (until very recently, thanks to the pandemic) as an events producer where I worked with the likes of Jeep, Disney, Mazda, Medibank on events like the Aus Open!
Miss Trixie was my side hustle when I was working full-time, but when the events industry came to a grinding halt, I had this amazing opportunity to take my side hustle full time and capitalise on Melbournians in lockdown wanting cake!
What is the best gift you’ve received? What do you think is the best gift you’ve given?
The best gift I've ever received (and it was probably more the moment when I got it) was my first car. My Dad had bought me a second hand Olive Green Mitsubishi Magna and he was trying to tie a giant bow to it when I got back from my licence test. I will never forget that moment!
The best gift I've given was a Vegemite hat to my boyfriend. He practically wears it to bed. Truly.
What is something that you did last year, or hope to do this year, around the gift of giving? What did you do to keep your spirits high, even when you couldn't see friends and family?
During the pandemic, I sent food. Food makes us feel good and I think the idea of gifting it is truly underrated. I loved spoiling my loved ones to croissants from Lune or a gourmet AF foodie present from Good Day People. I also discovered Ronin Chilli Oil in the pandemic and my brother got a couple of jars for Christmas.
I had a lot of my own clients sending cake to their friends and family, just to check in with them too!
To keep spirits high (and this wasn't technically a gift, apart from me giving the gift of recipes HA), I hosted cooking classes with family as a fun Zoom activity. We made cookie pies and honeycomb which was an absolute winner.
How do you try and be a generous person?
I think being a generous person doesn't necessarily mean that you need to spend a lot or go all guns blazing, but rather carefully select (or make!) something that will truly mean something to the recipient. In addition to that, remember who you are buying for and what it will mean to them. For example, if you're friend has just had a new baby, some homemade meals that will save them some time in the kitchen will probably mean more to them than additional baby clothes!
I also think one of the most generous things a person can do is offer their time. As a small business owner, I am time poor. I had friends offer to come and help me in the kitchen in the lead up to Christmas and I was truly grateful.
