We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Edwin Pardilla and Kolby Simpson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Edwin and Kolby below.

Edwin & Kolby, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

Edwin and I both have always wanted to start our own business so the next step was to figure out what, when, where, and how? My background is in consulting and business while Edwin has a lot of experience with food and restaurants. His Bachelor’s degree is in Culinary Arts, and his Master’s degree is in Hotel and Restaurant Management. With all of this in mind, combined with Edwin’s artistic abilities, we decided a home bakery was the way to start especially with low start-up costs and low overhead. Our next step was to figure out what will set us apart? What will bring customers back to our bakery when people have so many options? The answer was very simple and obvious: Art. Our motto is “where art and cake collide” so with every order, you’re not only getting something sweet, you’re getting something that is one of a kind from the mind and hands of an artist. Some of our clients’ initial comments while placing an order is that they are looking for a centerpiece or focal point for their event much like a piece of art.

Awesome – How did you get started? And what sets you or your brand apart?

So how did we really get started? Frankly, we just jumped right in! Once we made the decision that a bakery made the most sense for us from a financial and time standpoint as well as our combined experience and backgrounds, we just went for it. Edwin’s mother has a bakery in the Philippines. He has extensive experience with and education in food and in the kitchen, and I have experience with running small businesses from top to bottom. Both of our families have businesses so it’s something we grew up seeing and wanting for ourselves. As far as our brand and what sets us apart, I have to refer back to our motto, “where art and cake collide.” We incorporate many different elements into our custom cakes and cupcakes which include various textures, hand painted images on icing, air brushing, additional decorations, and a little flare should the occasion call for it. Basically, every piece is different. Nothing is the same. That’s the point. That’s our goal. For our customers to have not only something sweet, but also a moment, an experience, something unforgettable, a piece of art added to their special day or event whether that is a wedding, birthday, retirement party, etc..

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

One lesson that we’ve had to unlearn, in life and business, is that there comes a point where you must stop trying to please everyone. You will never please everyone in the room. We can make our clients happy. We can make the birthday boy or girl happy, for example, but you simply cannot please everyone (at an event, or like I mentioned in life.) With food, especially food, everyone has different favorites, likes, dislikes, so we have to keep that in mind when accepting and taking orders. We need to be thorough. Do you like your chocolate over the top or more on the lighter side? Do you like sweet or more buttery icing? The list goes on and on, but you get the point. We need to have every detail in order to please our customer. As far as their guests, we just hope for the best and move on because we will never please everyone. As long as we provide a quality custom piece that reflects our brand, mission, and motto while providing competitive pricing, then we know that we did our job.

Have you ever had to pivot?

We are currently in the process of just that. We are looking to expand. Since we are a cottage (home) bakery, our exposure is limited. Most, if not all, of our orders come from social media which has been a happy surprise, but in order to grow, we need to have even more exposure. We are looking into a few options; a dessert truck and/or a brick and mortar bakery so stay tuned….

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.covetedcakesbakery.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/covetedcakeshouston/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/covetedcakeshouston

Image Credits
Edwin Pardilla and Kolby Simpson