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Growing up as a Queer first-gen South Asian American in the Chicago suburbs, craft was a core part of my life and how I expressed my identity. As a kid, art was my creative outlet and how I made some of my closest friends. After leaving my tech job, art became a way for me to connect to my own culture. During a life-changing trip to India, I discovered the expansive world of South Asian craft and the incredible organizations that were trying to preserve them. I was able to travel to Rajasthan, experience the local culture, participate in craft workshops to study regional crafts, and learn from villagers that held generational wisdom on the art form. I felt incredibly privileged to get this rare glimpse into such an ancient art form. It inspired me to think of ways to bring this experience to more people within the South Asian diaspora and beyond. Then came the idea for Hamesha Project. My dream for Hamesha Project was to find a way to preserve and honor the full breadth of South Asian crafts, but make experiencing them more accessible. Finally to use what I was so passionate about to bring people together. When I'm not hosting craftworkshops and ideating my next South Asian craft kit, you can find me enjoying the farmers markets and community events of San Francisco, on a run, drawing, or enjoying a nice restaurant.

I'm a product design & marketing professional turned professionally trained pastry chef. I'm currently the founder of Make Bake and creator of Stickies Edible Stickers for baking & food crafts.Prior to Make Bake, I spent 15+ years in product strategy & design. I've held leadership positions at Babylist, CommonSense Media, and Thumbtack. I also led design teams at the award-winning agencies Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners and at Digitas, where I did work for Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn Kids, Babycenter, Walgreens, Sephora, among others.I've spent most of my career obsessed with product & brand innovation. I have spent literally thousands of hours talking to people and customers about their lives and the products they use to help them live, love, work and play better.I live in the San Francisco Bay Area with my husband and two young children. I love baking during the day and staring at the night sky (instead of a screen) after dark.FOUNDER PRESS & PODCASTS:AMERICAN EXPRESS Small BusinessReport: Small Business Grows Amidst Inflation and Economic Uncertaintyhttps://www.americanexpress.com/en-us/business/trends-and-insights/articles/report-small-business-grows-amidst-inflation-and-economic-uncertainty/"How to Create Products People Love"(We Wild Women Podcast with Renée Warren - 2022)https://www.wewildwomen.com/intothewild/150 "Starting a CPG Brand"(The How of Business with Henry Lopez Podcast - 2022)https://www.thehowofbusiness.com/455-kristina-schlegel-starting-make-bake/"Creating A New Product Category - Edible Stickers!"(Winning On Mainstreet with Gordon Henry Podcast - 2022)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1B0Lhj7kQo"Creating An Entirely New Product Category"(Proof To Product with Katie Hunt Podcast - 2022)https://www.prooftoproduct.com/podcast-episodes/creating-an-entirely-new-product-category-with-kristina-schlegel-make-bake"Why Building Your Brand Is Crucial for Long Term Business Success"(Product Powerhouse Podcast - 2022)https://productpowerhouse.co/blogs/podcast/why-building-your-brand-is-crucial-for-long-term-business-success-with-kristina-schlegel-from-make-bakeMAKE BAKE HAS BEEN FEATURED IN: • POPSUGAR• THE FOOD NETWORK• BRIT + CO• PDX PARENTS• TIMES OF SAN DIEGO