Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Pippa Flores. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Pippa, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard.

Kids are extremely creative and full of amazing and unique ideas especially when it comes to sweets. They just need that sprinkle of inspiration and a nutella jar of nudging! The heartbeat of my business is bringing out their ingenuity by making their cake ideas come to life so they can be proud of showing them off to their friends and family on their special day. Here is an example of this collaboration:

My friend’s son really wanted to make a haunted Halloween house for his school party. He drew a two-story house, including a colour guide for different sections of the house and scattered ghosts and a black cat in one of the windows. I was able to replicate his extremely creative design and turn it into a sugary, buttery but still spooky haunted house cake.

Another example I love to share is when the son of a family member wanted a Lego castle cake for his birthday. I mean, what 6-year-old doesn’t think a Lego castle is the best thing ever! He drew a two-tier round cake with strategically placed Lego pieces as the structure. He also drew ice cream cones filled with sprinkled buttercream swirls as the towers. How ingenious is that! Thanks to his cleverness, I was able to make one of the coolest Lego castles ever!

I’m inspired when I see the imagination spark inside these kids’ heads. What better way to show them that creativity has no limits!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Like many of my baking colleagues, my story of how I became a cake decorator is no where near ordinary. Born in Lethbridge, Canada, I began my violin studies at age two with my parents. Intensely focused on my violin studies, I graduated from the Walnut Hill School for the Performing Arts in Boston, and the New England Conservatory Preparatory School. I completed my Bachelor degree with Honorary Distinction at McGill University, and received my Masters in Music at the Shepherd School of Music, Rice University.

I made my solo debut at the age of 16 with the Lowell Symphony Orchestra playing the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto. I took bronze in the 2010 Canadian Music Competition in Edmonton, Alberta, and was the finalist in the New England Conservatory Concerto Competition. In 2011, I was a finalist of the McGill String Concerto Competition, performing the Glazunov Violin Concerto. In the summer of 2011, I performed a solo recital in Rio, Brazil as part of the Concertos Finep series. I also soloed with the Orford Academy Orchestra, performing Mozart Violin Concerto No. 5. During the summer of 2013, I studied with Pinchas Zukerman at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, Canada. With NEC, I performed in tours in Italy and China. I performed in Carnegie Hall and in 2008, was a featured performer on the National live radio show “From the Top”.

In August 2013, during my second year of studies at Rice University, I was diagnosed with a disorder called Focal Dystonia, ending my life dream of becoming a professional violinist. Dystonia is a neurological movement disorder that affects a group of muscles in a specific part of the body, causing involuntary muscular contractions and abnormal postures. In the summer of 2015, I cycled 300 miles in 4 days from London to Paris to raise funds and awareness for the Dystonia Society.

Unable to pursue a performance career, and wanting to retain a sense of comfort in the musical world, I became the Receptionist & Administrative Assistant at the Shepherd School of Music and later took the position of Director of Music External Affairs and now a Donor Relations Officer, responsible for implementing comprehensive donor relations and stewardship programs at the Shepherd School. Always having an interest in baking and cake decorating, I began to bake cakes for family, close friends and coworkers on the weekends. What once was only thought of as a way to satisfy my creativity and desire to always perfect a craft, my hobby eventually grew into a side business and I am delighted to be the owner of Sweet Harmony Cakes.

I live in Houston, Texas with my husband and personal photographer Ernest Flores, and our German Pointer named Pongo. I was a winner in The 2020 Most Merry Gingerbread Decorating contest with Central Market, Houston and recently was a recommended vendor through Guru.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

I have the privilege of getting to know my clients as they prepare to celebrate a special occasion such as a birthday. One successful way I maintain loyal clients is by setting a note in my calendar a year from their celebration with a reminder to reach out, wish them a happy birthday, and offer to make a cake for this year’s celebration. Remembering people’s birthdays is really important to fostering long-lasting relationships and trust with your clients.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I actually made my own wedding cake. I made a three-tier elderflower lemon cake with a citrus filling and handmade each white rose. Everyone said I was CRAZY and out of my mind for making my own cake and would be too stressed the week of the wedding. They were right about being stressed the week of the wedding, that’s for sure! However, shifting my mindset from being a bridezilla to working with creamy butter and flour was the exact recipe needed. Being able to put everything aside and simply create beautiful roses and a creation that represented the happiness and love I felt for my husband was one of the most rewarding (and therapeutic) feelings ever!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sweetharmonycakes.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sweet_harmony_cakes4u/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pippa.sweetharmonycakes
• Other: Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/pippasweetharmonycakes