Since I was a little girl, I’ve always loved baking, especially with my sweet mommy Fifi. As a child, my mom and dad would leave me in the baking aisle of the supermarket and I would pick out what I wanted to bring home to bake. I would spend hours looking through my mom’s Betty Crocker book dreaming of making all the recipes inside. About 26 years ago, I took a cake decorating course with Wilton. It was a birthday gift to myself and I was so thrilled to make my first official cake for my daughter’s 5th birthday. It was a Bugs Bunny cake and she absolutely LOVED IT! After that, I was completely hooked! I started making cakes for all my family and friends for many years, then one day, about 11 years ago, I came across a Martha Stewart magazine with decorated sugar cookies and I got so excited and thought, “Wow, I want to do that!” I’ve always been very artistic and did a lot of toll painting which was very popular at the time. Crafting and creating things with my hands has always been an outlet for me, to take me away, relieve the stresses of my nursing career and helped me to cope with other challenges in life – one of those big challenges being the troubled and abusive marriage I endured for 23 years.

My first cake, made for my daughter Kae Lani’s 5th birthday

Only those closest to me know the many years of psychological, emotional and sometimes physical abuse that both me and my daughter lived through. I didn’t realize the extent of the abuse until the end of our marriage, when I refused to take it anymore and rebelled, stood up for myself and at times fought back. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do and there were a few times, that my life was literally threatened -- my 5’2”, 135-pound stature, did not compare to his 6’6, 245-pound stature. I was determined to not become a statistic and by the grace of God, my supportive family and friends, I was able to survive and reclaim my life. I divorced in 2012 and in May of 2014 my ex-husband died by suicide at the age of 47.

Me, my ex-husband Mark and our daughter Kae Lani on our wedding day June 1994

Two weeks after he passed, my mom who was my best friend and biggest cheerleader, became very ill and was diagnosed with a very aggressive uterine cancer. She passed on December 21st, 2014 at the young age of 68. During these rough times in my life, when I’ve felt like I had hit rock bottom, I’ve always had my cakes and cookies to bring me a sense of peace and calm.

With all that I have been through, I did not allow it to break me. It’s true that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. My work as a nurse in ICU also taught me deep lessons about life. I’ve watched so many people pass away. Some of them I even talked to before they passed, and they would talk about their regrets, things they wished they had done, and the risks and opportunities not taken. I decided, that when I get to the end of this life, I don’t want any regrets, I am going to take those risks and enjoy this life to the fullest.

In April of 2018, after my sweet grandmother Clara passed who was my mom’s mother, I took the leap of faith and put a deposit down on a store front rental for my custom bakery. Needless to say, I was TERRIFIED! The 1,200-square-foot space was just that -- SPACE. No kitchen, just 4 walls and a little powder room and utility closet in the back. From getting an architect, to a contractor (which took 2 months and 3 contractors to find), building permits, equipment purchases, health department certifications and inspections, many sleepless nights and so much more, but in the end, it was so worth it! I was able to open my doors on December 9th, 2018.

Looking back, there are things I would have done differently, but I have learned so much and faced my fears head on! This big beautiful space is not only where I create my custom cakes and cookies, it is also the space where I hold my cookies & sip classes, birthday parties, private classes and group events. It brings so much joy to my heart to see the smiles and excitement, when people see their orders or see the cookies they have decorated, all by themselves after a class. My life has changed so dramatically from my old life. I married a wonderful man named Kevin in March of 2019. I love and appreciate him so much and his love and support has helped me to blossom and grow. My favorite saying, that I have hanging next to my bed, “And just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly”.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story. I hope that my journey inspires you and helps you find the beautiful butterfly within you. I invite you to join me on my cake and cookie journey! So much more to come and I’m so excited you are here to share it with me!

Hello, my name is Bunny :)