At 13, Danielle Sepsy walked into local cafes with homemade business cards and a batch of scones she’d perfected in her grandmother’s kitchen. The calls started coming that same afternoon—”the best scone” they’d ever had. More than two decades later, she’s still using that same recipe, now baking 12,000 items a day through her wholesale bakery, The Hungry Gnome, and serving her famous biscuits on JetBlue flights.
Known as “The Scone Queen,” Danielle’s first cookbook The Scone Queen Bakes (out March 24) is a love letter to her grandmother and those Sunday afternoons watching Julia Child together—recipes built on care over perfection, nostalgia with a twist, and food meant to bring people around a table. She sat down with us to talk about cold butter, one-bowl brownies, and why kindness in business isn’t a weakness.
You started your scone business at 13 with homemade business cards and a recipe you’re still using today. What gave you the confidence to walk into cafes and pitch your product as a teenager?
Honestly, it was a mix of not knowing what I wasn’t supposed to do yet and being raised by people who encouraged me to speak up. My mom always said, “If you don’t ask, you don’t get,” and that stuck with me early. I believed in the product, I was proud of the work I was doing, and I didn’t overthink rejection. That mindset of being prepared, confident, and willing to ask has followed me through every stage of my career.
Your cookbook is inspired by your grandmother and those Sunday afternoons watching Julia Child together. What specific lesson or moment from those times still influences how you approach baking today?
From my grandmother, I learned that baking wasn’t about perfection, it was about care. Her pie crusts weren’t decorative masterpieces, but they were flaky, buttery, and made to be shared. She barely even focused on measurements when baking, she just got lost in her craft and just trusted her instincts. The kitchen smelled like cinnamon and vanilla, and that was enough. From Julia, I learned confidence. She respected technique but never let it intimidate her. Baking with my Grandma and watching Julia Child on tv together every weekend really shaped how I approach baking today. Our style is rustic and comforting, less frills, more feeling. We’re not chasing towering layers or super intricate decorations, were looking for classic, craveworthy and made to be eaten, not just admired and food that brings people together around a table creating memories.
You produce 12,000 baked goods daily, but what’s your advice for parents who feel like they barely have time to make a box mix? What’s one baking project that looks impressive but is actually achievable on a weeknight?
My advice is to stop thinking of baking as a big production and start thinking of it as a small, comforting win. One bowl, one pan and minimal cleanup, that’s the sweet spot. A great example is brownies. They look impressive, they satisfy everyone, and they’re really one of the easiest things you can bake. In The Scone Queen Bakes, my “Unboxed Brownie” is my go-to weeknight recipe. It’s a true one-bowl situation: mix, spread it into a pan, and bake. No individual scooping like cookies, no chilling time, no fuss. What I love most is that it delivers the nostalgic texture and look of your favorite boxed brownie, but with a richer, more decadent flavor.
You call your approach “innovative nostalgia.” For parents trying to recreate the comfort of their childhood favorites while dealing with picky eaters or dietary restrictions, how do you recommend updating classic recipes?
One of the most important things to do is to identify what the “memory trigger” is. Every classic recipe has one defining element such as mac and cheese being creamy, chocolate chip cookies needing some brown sugar chewiness and melty pockets of chocolate. Do your best to protect that one element first. If you’re going gluten-free, make sure the cookie still has a bendy chew in the middle. If you’re reducing dairy, make sure the mac and cheese sauce still feels silky. Texture is often what picky eaters notice most.
As an OXO Chef-in-Residence, what are your actual non-negotiable tools for home bakers? What can people skip despite what recipe blogs tell them they need?
You always need trusty stainless steel measuring cups and spoons, quality sheet pans, bowls of all different sizes (i love the Oxo Stainless mixing bowl set with the non slip bases!), the angled liquid measuring cups, a pastry cutter for scone, pie and biscuit dough making and a couple of silicone spatulas and angled icing knives (offset spatulas) for spreading batters and frosting! Something I typically skip fancy sifters, partially because I believe sifting most dry ingredients is a waste of time. Just have a fine strainer on hand that you can use for both draining pasta or dusting on powdered sugar.
You were named SBA’s “Women Business Owner of the Year” for 2025. What’s one piece of advice you’d give to moms dreaming of turning a side hustle into something bigger, especially when they’re told to “just be realistic”?
Be realistic, but don’t let that word shrink your ambition. Structure and consistency matter, but so does confidence. Advocate for yourself, ask questions, and don’t wait for permission to grow. Most progress starts with someone being brave enough to ask for more.
You’ve built an “equitable bakery model” for your staff. What does that actually look like in practice, and why was that important to you as you grew the business?
For me, an equitable bakery model starts with the belief that the people making the food deserve stability, respect, and a life outside of work. In practice, that means predictable schedules (the best we can), fair pay, and systems that don’t rely on burnout as a business strategy. We bake a lot, about 12,000 items a day, but we do it because the operation is thoughtfully structured, not because people are being pushed past their limits. That was important to me as the business grew because I didn’t want success to come at the expense of the team. A bakery should be a place where people can build skills and support their families, not just survive a shift. When staff feel supported and valued, the quality of the product improves, the culture is healthier, and the business is stronger in the long run. It’s not just the right thing to do, it’s good baking and good business.
The Scone Queen Bakes” comes out in March. Which recipe from the book would you recommend for parents who want to bake with their kids without losing their minds?or baking with kids without losing your mind.
I always recommend the Blueberry Crumb Muffins. They’re genuinely loved by all ages, and the structure of the recipe makes it fairly easy to invite kids in without things getting chaotic.The base batter is super reliable and customizable. Kids can choose their own mix-ins- blueberries, other fruit, chocolate chips or whatever you have on hand, which gives them ownership without changing the core recipe. You can go all in on the crumb topping, or skip it entirely. Even a small sprinkle of raw sugar on top makes a delicious, low-effort finish. What I love most is that the foundation of the recipe is so good it works year-round. It’s forgiving, adaptable, and still feels special, which is exactly what you want when you’re baking with kids: something fun, flexible, and guaranteed to be eaten.
What’s the most common mistake home bakers make with scones, and how do you fix it?
The most common mistake I see with scones is temperature, specifically, butter that isn’t cold enough. Once the butter starts to soften, everything else tends to spiral from there. People overmix the dough trying to bring it together, the dough warms up, and the scones lose their structure before they ever hit the oven. The fix is simple, keep everything cold and stop mixing sooner than you think you should. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients while it’s very cold, add in your wet ingredients and mix just until the dough holds together, and if it starts to feel soft or sticky, don’t panic, pop it into the freezer for a few minutes. Re-solidifying the butter in the dough makes a huge difference in final texture and shape. Oven temperature is the other big piece. Scones need a hot start. Beginning at a higher temperature helps lock in their shape and gives them that initial boost of height. After that, you can lower the temperature to finish baking them through without adding too much extra color. Higher heat equals higher, thicker scones, and the same principle applies to muffins, biscuits and even cookies!
You support organizations like Hot Bread Kitchen and God’s Love We Deliver. How has your relationship with food and baking evolved beyond just creating delicious things?
Working with these organizations always reminds me that food is about more than what’s on the plate. Baking can be a vehicle for opportunity and nourishment. Creating delicious things is meaningful, but using food to support people and communities makes the work even more fulfilling. I have valuable team members that still work with me today through my partnership with Hot Bread Kitchen – people I couldn’t imagine not working with today.
If you could go back and tell your 13-year-old self—the one testing ten scone recipes for her family—one thing about where this journey would lead, what would it be?
I would tell her to follow your heart and your passion and to trust the journey, even the parts that feel upsetting or overwhelming. Especially those moments. They’re the ones that will teach you the most and quietly shape everything that comes next. I’d also tell her that everything she’s dreaming about is possible and that she really can and will do it. Work hard, stay curious, learn from the people around you, and trust your craft. And maybe most importantly, don’t let anyone convince you that kindness is a weakness. Corporate America will try, but it’s wrong. Being kind, being human, and leading with compassion will always win, and it will take you further than you can imagine.
If you had to eat one meal on repeat for a week straight, what would it be?
I’ve got to go with mom’s super thin, breaded chicken cutlets with perfectly crisp edges…oh and with a mound of creamy mashed potatoes and buttery canned corn…YES, I want this right now.
What’s a kitchen task you absolutely hate and avoid at all costs?
At home it’s doing dishes, thankfully I have a husband for that 😉 and at the bakery it is scooping cookie dough! I get carpal tunnel even thinking about it! I give my team a lot of credit, they’re amazing!
