We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Pearl Mendoza a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Pearl, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with what makes profitability in your industry a challenge – what would you say is the biggest challenge?
One of the biggest challenges I experience is maintaining a pricing structure for custom orders. Most of the work I do is customized to the client requests and most often there is no one design similar from the last. So, while I might have an idea of the complexity of any one design based the elements involved, I won’t know how much time will have transpired until I am in the midst of the work itself. It’s a guessing game at best. And sometimes the elements of the kitchen play a big factor. Weather can affect a bake on so many levels too. The winter and spring are not as forgiving for items with buttercream and chocolate but I can say the same for the dead of summer! Since everything I make is from scratch, a little more planning has to go into each order to achieve quality results.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Within the small corners of the culinary industry, I’ve managed to create a small business I can call my own, working out of my kitchen, baking and creating custom cakes and desserts for the past 5 years. I worked previously in the culinary fields for over 15 years at various bakeries before I left due to a physical injury. This setback guided me in a different direction towards clerical work but my passions and yearning for the culinary world never left. It was during Covid that I decided to put to fruition my aspirations of starting a cottage food business at home doing what I love- baking. Baking to create mini masterpieces; big, small, tasty, pretty. Mostly tasty because that’s what matters, always. If it’s pretty, that’s a bonus. I would consider my business a craft bakery specializing in custom cakes and pastries that are tailored to various occasions. All of the items I bake are from scratch with flour, eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract as the most common staple ingredients. That is what sets my business apart from other craft bakeries and what I am most proud of. I rarely have cake layers or tubs of buttercream or fillings hanging around. What customers order is what’s baked or made within days. I’d also like to think that some of the designs I’ve created are one-of-a-kind. As a cake artist, it is so fun to take ideas, mash them up with the client’s vision and create something new that hopefully someone else will want to create or take ideas from. That’s what makes this job rewarding and hopefully what keeps this industry growing.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
Two years ago, I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management—a milestone that means a lot to me, especially because the journey to get there wasn’t easy. The pivot in my life began with a physical injury I sustained while working in the culinary field. Up until that point, I was fully immersed in my career, but the injury forced me to step away and re-evaluate my path.
Being at home and unable to work was difficult, but it also gave me time to reflect on what I wanted long-term. That’s when I decided to go back to school. I started slowly, taking online classes. Eventually, I was balancing work and school but as an adult, it was incredibly challenging. It ended up taking over six years to complete my degree—but I stuck with it.
That injury, though difficult in the moment, was the turning point that ultimately led me to grow both personally and professionally. It taught me resilience, adaptability, and the value of investing in my future.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
One lesson I’ve had to unlearn is the idea that overworking equals success. It’s a mindset of “the harder and longer you work, the more successful you’ll be.” I’ve had to look at what success looks like to me and that’s maintaining a work-life balance. In the last two years I experienced a lot of personal loss and I still feel guilt when I look back at the countless hours spent in kitchen. When you can’t get time back with loved ones, you have to take a step back and reflect on what is meaningful to you. Since then, I try to prioritize my time a little differently to make sure I spend quality time with my family and those who matter most to me.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @the.baking.gem
