In the words of Canadian rockstar Bryan Adams, ‘It cuts like a knife – and it feels so right’.

For Nelson baker Shelley Sims, that knife isn’t just slicing through a golden steak-and-cheese pie. It’s carving out a whole new chapter in her life.

After more than a decade running Fresh Bake, Sims became an unlikely social media sensation when a cheeky Bryan Adams concert video went viral.

Going viral overnight

“I’d been building Fresh Bake’s Facebook since 2014, but the big moment was in January 2025 at a Bryan Adams concert,” she says.

“Security kept telling us off for dancing. I said to my friend, ‘I’ll probably get kicked out,’ and she filmed it. I posted it, and suddenly I was doing 20 interviews and ended up on TV. My followers jumped from 6,000 to nearly 25,000 in a matter of months.”

Since then, Sims’ mix of humour, honesty, and old-fashioned baking has earned her tens of thousands of fans, boosted her business, and landed her national headlines.

From small shop to Factory Road

Baking wasn’t always smooth sailing. Sims originally owned Brumby’s Bakery, but in 2014 in the turbulence of the global financial crisis, she opened Fresh Bake in a tiny 64-square-metre shop.

“We quickly outgrew it, so in 2016 I designed and built the bakery we’re in now on Factory Road. It was a massive risk, but on opening day over 600 cars pulled up. That’s when I knew we’d made the right move.”

Learning to pivot

The ability to adapt has been her survival strategy.

“During the financial crisis, business dropped by 60%, so I went into wholesale. When COVID hit, wholesale collapsed overnight. I went from 14 staff and three trucks to just me and two others. It was brutal, but scaling back saved the business. Now we run shorter hours, fewer staff, and I’m happier.”

For Sims, resilience has been as important as recipes.

“You’ve got to know how to do everything yourself. If you can’t make the coffee, bake the pies, or do the books, then you don’t have a business. I’ve made mistakes, I’ve trusted the wrong people, I’ve been stolen from, but I learned resilience. Business isn’t easy. If it was, everyone would own one.”

Social media a game-changer

Social media has transformed Fresh Bake, with TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube posts sometimes boosting sales by up to 40% in a single day.

“People come from Auckland just to visit the bakery. The exposure has been huge, but it can be overwhelming.”

But with fame came trolls - especially when Sims documented her recent facelift surgery in Thailand.

“Some people called me vain or ‘mutton dressed as lamb.’ But I never did it for anyone else. I wanted to feel good about myself. I’m 51, fit, active, I love fashion – and now I feel like me again. Short-term pain, long-term gain.”

Owning the narrative

Sharing her surgery journey was a brave move, but she says other women posting similar experiences gave her the courage.

“I spoke to women on TikTok who had documented their journeys, and without them, I never would’ve gone through with it. I wanted to be that person for someone else.”

Her followers find it refreshing to see a middle-aged woman online.

“Most influencers are in their twenties. But when women in their fifties show up online, we get told we’re cringe, old, irrelevant. That’s not okay – everyone ages. Honestly, I feel and act at least ten years younger than I am.”

Sims is candid about the impact on her mental health.

“At first, I was spending four hours a day online. Now it’s just an hour, and I walk away. Otherwise, you get addicted. Ninety percent of comments don’t bother me – they’re idiots. But you have to set boundaries, or it consumes you.”

Pies, people and personality

Her humour and rawness are part of the appeal. Her videos are sassy, energetic, sometimes a bit sweary, and often involve wine.

“I dance behind the counter, I crack jokes about pies, I clap back at trolls. People say, ‘You’ve made my day,’ and that’s the coolest thing.”

At Fresh Bake, pies remain the star attraction. Sims credits her long-time employee Sarah with their success.

“She was a hairdresser for 18 years, applied as a cleaner, and now she makes pies that should be winning awards. Honestly, even though I’m the owner, she’s the boss. I couldn’t do it without her.”

Sims’ own favourite is Chicken, Cranberry and Brie, but the bakery’s best-seller is a Kiwi classic.

“If we filled the warmer with nothing but steak and cheese, everyone would be happy.”

What’s next

Looking ahead, Sims hopes her online presence will grow into a sustainable income stream.

“Right now, it’s 80% bakery, 20% influencing. In the next two years, I’d like to flip that and focus more on content, maybe even start earning from it properly. But I’ll never give up the bakery. I still love what I do. Every day is new, exciting, and I’m lucky to have that.”

By Claire Inkson