For the third episode of Sexy Jobs with Julia Novis, I am joined by Laura Masson. I first met Laura a few years ago in London when she was getting her bachelor’s degree in nutrition. She has since done a plant-based cooking course at the Cordon Bleu, worked in a renowned plant-based restaurant in London, hosted incredible dinners, worked as a private chef, gotten a master’s in Marketing and opened her own cookie business. We talked about all things cooking, the challenges of starting a small business and following an unconventional career path, and what her advice would be for young professionals who are unsure about taking the leap. You can listen to our entire conversation here (it’s a goodie) or check out the highlights below.
How would you define a Sexy Job?
Honestly, I think a useful one… not that all jobs aren’t useful! But I think one that actually impacts people in a tangible way. Something you can hold in your hands, there’s something sexy about that, about creating or fixing something real.
Could you tell me a little more about what you do?
Currently, I own my own cookie business in São Paulo, Brazil, and it’s called Bodô. I do everything myself, from production and product development to branding and marketing. It’s a mix of creative chaos and a little bit of spreadsheets.
And would you say that you have a Sexy Job?
I think society would define it as a sexy job. I think people have something with chefs and people who actually know how to cook. I don’t consider my job sexy, but if someone else had my job, I would consider them sexy because of their job. So I guess, yes, I do have a sexy job.
You’re a real multi-hyphenate, but in your current role, what does your day-to-day look like?
I work every single day. When you’re an entrepreneur, I think you get used to not having days off, even when you do give yourself a day off, because there’s always something you have to do. My business opens from Tuesday to Sunday, so I only close on Mondays. I’m in production all throughout the week. I work from about 9 am until 5 pm, which is when I stop doing deliveries. So there’s a lot of time spent in the kitchen. Then there’s the marketing side, I’ve kind of built the whole brand by myself. I did get someone to do the initial design, but nowadays I don’t have anyone helping me on that side. So when I finish my “9-to-5”, I go into the side of spreadsheets and scripts for videos and campaigns. Product development takes a huge amount of time since there is so much testing. You really have to be up to date on what’s trending and what flavours people are looking for. It’s a really fast-paced business, and people get bored with seeing the same thing over and over again.
I’d say you have a pretty creative role, both on the product development side and also on the marketing side. I’m really jealous of your neighbours who get to try all the test recipes! Where would you say your inspiration comes from?
On the product development side, I travel a lot, and I think I get a lot of inspiration from that. Brazil also has such a huge culinary scene, but in regard to specific flavours, I think lots of things get trendy in the US or in Europe before they get popular here. I think people here, at least from my experience and what I’ve seen with my clients, tend to be a little more close-minded to different flavours. For the marketing aspect, I’m not sure if I have a specific answer for that, but I think I’ve always had a very clear vision of what I wanted Bodô to be. This minimalistic but cool vibe, running away from the classic pastels that we’re used to for bakeries. And then if you have a look through our Instagram as well, I try to add humour, which people seem to enjoy. It’s a break from pushing products and sales, a different approach to get people to notice the brand.
At least from a consumer side, when I’m supporting a small business, I’m quite interested in who’s the face behind it, and I think that’s something you do really well. So pivoting a little bit, what was your relationship with cooking like growing up?
I’ve always loved food, not necessarily cooking, but everyone in my family says I had a surprisingly adventurous palate as a kid. Cooking was always very big in my family; it was something that brought everyone together. My grandma played a huge role in that and taught me a lot. It was something I was always interested in but never considered as a potential profession. It wasn’t until later, when I went plant-based, that I really got into cooking, because I went from being a huge meat eater to cutting out about half of my diet. That led me to experiment more in the kitchen, and I realised how much I enjoyed being in that environment and creating and sharing what I made with the people I love. To this day that’s what brings me the most joy.
Could you talk a little bit about your trajectory from university to now? Going from a nutrition background to fine dining and then into starting your own business? What was the thought process behind all that?
Honestly, I don’t think there was much thought going into it! I think if you look at everything I’ve done on paper, it looks so random, but it makes a lot of sense in my head. Right after graduating high school, I went on to study one year of Communications in the US, and while I was there, that’s when I went plant-based. My whole idea of my professional life changed around that time. I didn’t love living there, and around that time, my parents moved to London. That’s when I got really into nutrition, and I decided to pursue my bachelor’s in Human Nutrition at the University of Westminster. At the same time, I started hosting these dinners and trying to experiment with different things to see what I liked. I think we talk a lot about the things we do and enjoy, but there were so many things that I did that I didn’t enjoy and didn’t keep doing, and I think that’s equally important to consider. When I finished my nutrition degree, I went on to do a plant-based culinary course at the Cordon Bleu, and right after I finished, I started working at a plant-based restaurant in London. It was a great experience, and I learned more than I ever thought I could working in a restaurant. At the time, it wasn’t something I wanted to keep doing, but now I would love to do it again. I think there’s something really great about sharing and being able to bounce off ideas and learn from each other. I was in a kitchen with very experienced chefs, and it gave me so many opportunities to not only learn different techniques and recipes, but also about how to get into the culinary world. They took me in and gave me advice that I still consider to this day. I then moved back to Brazil for personal reasons and decided to start a Master’s in marketing, which was also something I’d always been interested in. I opened Bodô in tandem with that, which was a little crazy but also a great way to apply everything I was learning.
I think it’s so important to create things that you consume. I have friends who aren’t huge readers, and when they ask me if they should start a newsletter, I say, well… if you’re not reading any newsletters, then like probably not right?! You are someone who’s so naturally curious and excited about food, so I feel like it was a natural transition; you’re creating something that you really enjoy. When we go out to dinner, you’re looking at the food from almost a clinical perspective.
I’m used to dissecting things; it’s almost like research every time I go out to eat. It’s a field study, so it’s great because I can eat great food, and I’m learning along the way as well.
On the entrepreneurial front, did you always want to start a business, or was that something that came later?
I think I’ve always had that entrepreneurial mindset. I see it in my mom as well; she’s had so many businesses in her life, and I think I got it from her.
We need to get her on as a guest!
Yes please! My mom on Sexy Jobs? I would love that! I’ve also always been very creative. I remember as a kid, I used to sell postcards that I would draw for my family. I would do a tiny little drawing and sell it for like fifteen bucks, and they would pay for it! I’m really grateful for my family; they always made me feel like I could sell a product I really believed in. I also saw a huge gap in the market here in Brazil. I lived in London for almost five years, and the vegan scene is huge. I see it evolving here, I’ve been plant-based for over six years now, and every year I see it being more accessible and present in the market. In London, you’ll go anywhere, and you will have good options
Yes! Someone has thought about the menu, and it’s not just: you can have fries and a salad with dressing on the side.
Exactly! So I saw that, especially with sweets. And I think I chose to go with cookies because in London, I have some cookies that I’m absolutely obsessed with
OMG Crème!!!!
Yes! They have this double chocolate cookie, which almost tastes like a brownie, it’s incredible! I saw a gap in the market in Brazil, and there were some options, but they weren’t great. I think it’s hard to break through here. I don’t advertise my cookies as vegan because people have a preconceived notion that a vegan product is going to taste bad, and I think that’s so outdated. I’m trying to bring products that taste good, 90% of my clients aren’t plant-based.
Focusing a bit on your job today, what do you think are the biggest challenges you’re facing?
It can get a bit lonely. I do everything by myself, and it’s hard to disconnect. I miss the experience I had working in a professional kitchen, where I could brainstorm and bounce ideas off other chefs. I miss that exchange a lot because I’m such a people person. On the side of scaling up, it’s also difficult. I’m trying to get the cookies in different stores so have something that’s more stable, because the demand varies a lot with different seasons, a lot of things are out of my control.
And on the flip side, what would you say is the best part of your job right now?
I think the freedom is something I’m really grateful for. Also, getting to create something that only exists because of you is something that’s very gratifying. I can look back on everything that I’ve built up to now, and I’m very proud of it.
We’ve talked about choosing an unconventional career path or taking a non-linear road, and both of us have the luxury of being very young but also of having an incredible support system. Do you think that puts you in a position where you can take more risks?
I never really saw a “traditional career” as something that I wanted, not in general, but more so, there wasn’t one career that I aspired to have. I think that not having a specific dream helped me explore different things and figure out what I wanted. I also think that having the support from people that I love and admire also gave me the courage. If it doesn’t work out, at least you tried, and you know that’s maybe not something you want to do again, or you might want to give it another go, and that’s fine too. I think that once you take a few leaps and you survive, you start to trust yourself more.
What would be your advice for someone who wanted to go into your area, whether that be from an entrepreneurial perspective or the food side?
I think that, honestly, the best advice is to not wait until you feel ready. I know it’s cliché, but we never really feel ready to do anything, and if you wait for that feeling, it might never come. You’re gonna learn along the way, and you’re gonna mess up, and that’s fine too. I opened my business a year ago, and there are so many things that I would have done differently and that I have done differently when given the chance. I think if you’re going into something food-related, the best advice is to taste everything like fifteen times. You can’t have enough trial and error.
I think the Just Do It mentality is so important, and like roping in the food comment, I think you learn so much by doing. I was talking to a friend, and he was like “it’s so cool that you’re doing all these things and you’re not embarrassed” and my immediate response was “of course I’m embarrassed!” It wears off, but in the beginning, I used to black out after publishing things. You’re mortified, and that’s a good sign; it means you care!
When I first started, I did have to be the face behind the brand, and it was the last thing that I wanted to do, but I think it was also the best thing I could have done. I was embarrassed; it was like sending a risky text to a crush. I’d post a video, and I wanted to throw my phone against the wall.
And finally, what is the best career and life advice you’ve been given? Let’s pass on the wisdom!
I think the career best advice I’ve gotten is to be a little dangerous, take the risks! You’ll never know if something is going to work out until you do it. And in terms of life advice, I think it’s important ot remember that not everything has to make sense right now. You don’t need to have an explanation and make everything make sense, and not just career-wise, but just do what makes you happy, and I think in hindsight a lot of things start to make sense.
Thank you for keeping up with the third edition of Sexy Jobs. Keep up with Laura on Instagram @lauramp.nutri, on Substack at Not Another Recipe and check out Bodô on Instagram @eat.bodo (for my São Paulo based readers, you are in for a treat!). If you (or someone you know) has a Sexy Job and would be down to talk about it and give me life advice in the process, please reach out to sexyjobsjulia@gmail.com.
And if you’re new to the Sexy Job universe, check out the piece that started it all:
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it was a pleasure catching up and talking all things food and career.. as much as I still don’t know exactly what I’m doing with my life LOL
can’t wait to see more episodes with more sexy jobs, thank you juju🤍