Meet Ruth Jackson | The Sassy Baker and Founder of Bake it with Sass

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ruth Jackson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ruth, how does your business help the community?
Bake it with Sass’s goal is to provide my Deaf community access to my love of baking as well as bring both hearing and Deaf together while learning something new! Bake it with Sass was born because I couldn’t find baking videos in ASL. I did, however, find a few cooking videos in ASL but without captions and I realized this leaves out those who are learning or don’t know our language. The Deaf community is constantly getting left out of mainstream media due to lack of or inaccurate captions aka craptions. In light of this, Bake it with Sass seeks to bring communities together through baking.
This business is also meant to be a starting point for a community center for Deaf children. Growing up, I didn’t have Deaf role models. I didn’t even meet someone proud to be Deaf until high school. Looking back, I went through life thinking I needed to be someone else to be liked and to be successful. It took me till I was in my late 20s that I realized that being me – Ruth Jackson, a Black Deaf woman, is who I was created to be. This is why the community center means so much to me. Deaf and hard-of-hearing children around the country need to know that it’s beautiful to be Deaf. It’s beautiful to be who they are. They have role models – they just need a way to be introduced.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Bake it with Sass is unique because I teach people how to bake from scratch through American Sign Language (ASL) videos with English subtitles. The Deaf community is marginalized and has been since the beginning of time. Still today people believe common misconceptions like we can’t drive, we can’t read, we can’t learn, ASL isn’t a language – it’s just gestures and the list goes on. Almost every time someone realizes I am Deaf and wear hearing aids, they shrink back. Instead of giving me a chance to prove I CAN, they automatically believe I can’t. This perception drives a huge wedge between the Deaf and hearing worlds. I aim to change that.

Through the community built into Bake it with Sass, Deaf and hearing sassy bakers can interact with each other by sharing successes, asking questions, and showing off their sassy dances. Both subscriptions: New Sass on the Block and Beyond Sassy give bakers a chance to not only learn at their own pace through the Cookie, Brownies/Bars, and Cake Curriculums but also be a part of a unique community full of aspiring bakers around the country. Bake it with Sass brings communities together who might not interact with each other otherwise.

Besides the video course libraries included in the subscription packages, I recently started teaching live virtual and in-person baking classes. While I don’t have a permanent kitchen to teach in yet, I plan to offer in-person classes regularly somewhere in Denver in 2025. New Sass on the Block bakers will get 20% off coupons to attend these classes, and Beyond Sassy bakers get to attend them for free!

I have officially been a business owner for a year and a half, and this journey has taught me a lot. One lesson I have learned is that it’s okay to ask. Growing up, I was told by many adults and peers in my life (whether intentional or not) that my voice didn’t matter. What I needed didn’t matter. So, I bent over backward to accommodate others but never asked for them for myself. Learning how to build a business forced me to be comfortable asking for help. This was and still is difficult for me, but I realized if I don’t ask, I won’t grow Bake it with Sass and I certainly won’t break ground on my community center dream.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my best friend was visiting, the first place I would take her is Morning Story, a favorite breakfast restaurant. Next, we would explore Rocky Mountain State Park, Boulder’s Pearl Street, Celestial Seasonings, and The Butterfly Museum. I would love to take her through I-70 West and explore all of those amazing mountain towns like Breckenridge, Steamboat Springs, and Glenwood Springs. I would definitely stop by a hot spring or two – like Strawberry Hot Springs. I would introduce her to some of my favorite restaurants for lunch/dinner like North Country and Brewability. Later in the week, I would take her to Royal Gorge Bridge. When I was there for my birthday a couple of years ago, I absolutely loved the view! If we had time, we’d take a trip to Taos, New Mexico. One of these days when I have the money, I want to buy a house there. There is so much more I would show my best friend but these are the places I would start.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
When I first decided to start my business, I was scared. I wasn’t sure what would happen but I trusted God to show me the way and introduce me to people who would stand beside me on this journey. AND BOY DID HE!

I want to shout out Michael Bevis, Victoria Stone, and Jeff Heng. They all have mentored me by giving advice, and encouraging me when I felt doubtful in my abilities. The three of them are just awesome humans to know. I wouldn’t be past my first business anniversary without them.

Website: https://bakeitwithsass.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/bakeitwithsass

Facebook: https://facebook.com/bakeitwithsass

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thesassybaker533