In this episode of The SPOAKL Podcast, Daniel sits down with Shal, the founder of Yellow Bean Kitchen, a small-batch home bakery in Santa Clara, CA.

Shal shares how baking has always been her way of showing love—bringing something handmade to dinners, experimenting with flavors for friends, and recreating tastes from memory after moving from India to the U.S. What started as thoughtful gifts (and even a memorable dog birthday cupcake party) eventually evolved into something bigger: the launch of Yellow Bean Kitchen.

She walks through the real journey of starting a cottage food business—navigating permits, dealing with health departments, figuring out event requirements, and even learning on the spot when an inspector checked the temperature of her booth. You’ll also hear how she balances baking with life as a new mom and dog owner, and her mission to create treats that everybody can eat. One especially powerful moment: she made a recipe safe for a friend with dietary restrictions, and it became the first baked good that friend had enjoyed in two years.

If you want to taste Shal’s creations, you can order directly here: https://app.simply-bread.co/shalshomebakery

And discover Shal and other makers on SPOAKL’s marketplace: https://spoakl.com

Follow Shal on Instagram: @yellowbeankitchen (DM to order and stay updated on upcoming bakes)