21°
Maybe when her kids were older, or when her full-time job as a construction accountant allowed her more flexibility, she'd tell herself.
In 2021, Baumann, of Woodland Park, received shocking news: She had breast cancer at just 39 years old. That's when she decided she was done waiting for the right time.
That fall, Baumann opened her mobile catering company, Waffles & Dreams, bringing chocolatey, rainbow goodness in a variety of forms — but most notably waffles on a stick — to customers across the region.
On June 8, she opened the Waffles & Dreams first-ever brick-and-mortar store at 653 Route 46 west in Fairfield.
"It's like a dream come true," said Baumann, 42.
Baumann was 18 years old when she realized she wanted to do something carnival-esque. She had applied on a whim to work for the carnival company putting on the annual event at the Meadowlands, actually, and fell in love with the job when she got it.
Baumann always wanted to return to doing something whimsical, but between the duties of being a mom, wife, and working as a construction accountant — where she landed full-time — doing so seemed more and more far-fetched.
In 2021, Baumann noticed a pain on the right side of her breast, in that little gap where the chest meets the shoulder on the side of her body.
It started just after her mother-in-law died of breast cancer.
Baumann went to the doctor, who told her it was probably just muscle soreness, and told her to give it a few days. But Baumann says something inside of her told her she needed to get it checked. Now.
So, Baumann's doctor ordered a mammogram and an ultrasound, which picked something up on the opposite side of her chest. A biopsy confirmed it was breast cancer.
"I got the call a week before my 40th birthday," Baumann said. "It's rare to get breast cancer before the age of 40. I always say it was my mother-in-law that was looking out for me. You have to be your own advocate."
Baumann underwent surgeries and various procedures to rid the cancer. While she doesn't need chemotherapy, she does have to take a pill that causes extreme bone pain until 2031, she said.
In the meantime, she worked her full-time job, remaining dedicated to her family, too. She certainly didn't have the time to start a business. While at the time, her health and her future seemed uncertain, there was one thing Baumann knew for sure: Life was not going to get easier.
Following her dream was now or never.
And she needed Waffles & Dreams, which launched as a food cart in October 2021, more than she realized.
"[The business] helped me get out of a really dark place," Baumann said. I feel like it saved my life.
"It was such a distraction. For the first year after the diagnosis, cancer was all I thought about. But with Waffles & Dreams, there was no time to worry if it was coming back, no time to think about cancer."
She spent the early days consumed with planning, designing, building. Coming up with a concept no one else had.
She considered mini doughnuts, but noticed a lot of people were doing that. So, Baumann researched other ideas, and found one, popular in Europe, that no one seemed to have in the area yet.
"They were waffles on a stick," Baumann said, "but the concept was us bringing them to you, and making them on site."
With aesthetics and Instagram-worthy photos in mind, Baumann had a cart built, ordered her ingredients, and started booking parties. It wasn't long before she had 5 or 10 per weekend.
It was a constant grind, but oh-so fulfilling, Baumann said.
Waffles & Dreams saved Baumann again in February of this year, when she was laid off from her full-time job.
"That actually came at a good time," Baumann said. "It allowed me to focus on Waffles & Dreams, not having to juggle both things."
She says it's been fun for her whole family: Siblings, in-laws, her husband and her two boys, who enjoy pitching in at the shop.
Waffles & Dreams offers a wide array of easy-to-eat dessert foods, as well as some breakfast options.
"I always felt that this was the next thing, and I always wanted to be part of a community," Baumann said. "I have a home base, and I'm looking forward to seeing people come back. I love that and I find it exciting and fulfilling, just knowing that people come back, because they love what we're serving them."
And in the meantime, Baumann continues to fight.
"You'll never hear me say I'm a survivor," she said, referring to her cancer. "I'm not done, I'm still trying to survive."
Waffles & Dreams is located at 653 Route 46 in Fairfield.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Northern Highlands and receive free news updates.
