Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Maria Sanft. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Maria, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?
Baking is my outlet. In fact it always has been , I love seeing people’s faces when they take a bite out one of my creations , the kitchen is where I find my zen , my me time if you will . However fourteen years ago there was a huge shift in life and my baking journey began to change . It started when my acupuncturist recommended that I eliminate gluten from my diet to see if it would relieve some inflammation due to my tendinitis which began healing after I started to be health focused , my priority was my health and was determined to get my healthy on , I had so many symptoms of being gluten sensitive since I was younger but never in a million years did I think gluten was the culprit of it all , not knowing a thing about baking gluten-free that almost seemed impossible, surprisingly I saw immediate results my joints weren’t achy , my mind became clearer , the inflammation was gone and my stomach did not hurt anymore and little did I know , I was about to embark on a journey I never saw coming . Although my lifestyle resulted in effortless weigh loss , my cravings for sweet treats grew bigger and mind you I have never though of myself as someone with a sweet tooth , but once you can’t have something it makes you want it even more , there were so many gatherings I missed out on because they didn’t cater to gluten sensitive people like myself like at the San Diego county fair , it’s filled with yummy smells from the funnel cake , my mouth watered and everything was deep fried in batter ! I saw gluten everywhere and at that time everything that was gluten-free tastes like cardboard. I remember walking into my sister in laws house and being greeted by banana bread baking in the oven . While these smells would make some people excited, I felt frustrated and all I wanted was to eat banana bread . I had to say no to all the yummy treats that brought me joy and it was the most frustrating and debilitating feeling to have , to alienate myself from the things I loved because of my dietary restrictions. I felt unseen nobody understood what I was going through, some even thought I was making it up .
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
That day I was determined to make something better than what was offered. Full of hope , I went to the grocery store and purchased some quinoa flour , rice flour , potato starch and some oatmeal . I couldn’t wait to get home . When I arrive I found a basic banana bread recipe. I substituted the all purpose flour with my blend and crossed my fingers . To my surprise , I too had delicious smells drifting from my oven . When I tasted it , it was actually really yummy , this was when I realized I could make my own blends to create what I was searching for and to know I could create baked goods that I could eat , it was heaven to me . Then my eyes were completely open , I realized that when I left my home , my options for sweet treats were limited. This especially became apparent when I attended birthday parties and baby showers , and coming from a big family there are lots of parties ! Always felt like the odd one out , saying no I can’t have cake , it will make me sick because let’s face it , there’s always cake ! And hearing oh just take a bite and how bad can it be , they were not experiencing the awful stomach pain I had , the fogginess I felt for days and the joint pain when I had gluten , it wasn’t worth it to me I rather be pain free . Food is a love language in my culture and having to miss out on these gatherings it made me feel excluded because i wasn’t able to enjoy the food , connect with others and really be present during the celebration because all I could think was how bad I wanted that cake ! So for my own sanity I took matters into my own hands and started to bring a dozen gluten-free cupcakes to each party .
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
After sometime of bringing cupcakes to parties the feedback was tremendous, everyone would ask where I bought them , and that made me feel like million bucks , everyone couldn’t believe they were gluten-free, people would start putting in orders even though I was baking out of my kitchen , my gluten sensitive people felt seen , in my culture people don’t believe gluten-free is a thing and it has ostracized everyone who suffers from gluten sensitivities. I began to make a name for myself and Luvvies was born . People are shocked to learn that my cupcakes are gluten-free! On top of that they also enjoy my artistic expression. My unique cupcake design inspiration comes from a combination of holidays and my Mexican heritage. I pour my love into making my cupcake designs. People eat with their eyes first and so I like to make cupcakes that look pretty and taste delicious, because for too long , people like me have been missing out and it brings so much joy to be able to create something that honors my heritage, my health , and tastebuds !
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
I know what he’ll feels like . My partner and I decided to start trying for in vitro fertilization after trying to conceive for several years . This journey began a wild roller coaster in my life . Over and over again our hearts filled with hope and then desperation . I longed to feel a baby growing in my tummy and experienced a myriad of emotions as I saw others have babies. My darkest point came when I finally convinced, remained pregnant for several moths and then lost the baby . The loss felt like a rock was tied around my neck , and I plunged into a deep depression, my heart felt empty and my body hollow . I did not think I could enjoy life again , but slowly my partner coaxed me out of the house , and we began going to parties. This is when I began to make gluten-free cupcakes and bring them as gifts . Instead of being consumed by sadness, I realized I needed to use the energy to come up with creative ideas on how to present my cupcakes. Baking literally saved my life , it brought me back from the whole I was in , I would get lost in the kitchen for hours and started to see the light at the end of the tunnel , I channeled everything that was in me that was drowning and made something beautiful out of it . And now baking is my therapy . It has provided a place for me to positively direct my emotions and heal . I am slowly beginning to feel like myself again and having the support of my community in my family has encouraged me and inspired me to learn new things in the kitchen , take bigger risks in my cooking and share my love with the world through food . I always hear that my cupcakes are like artwork . A lot of my creativity stems from my Mexican heritage , there’s so much beauty to draw from , and I love injecting that beauty into my cupcakes. Some of my best selling cupcakes are my churro cupcake , Mexican hot chocolate, and my taco cupcake. One time this man came by and bought a box of cupcakes and then came back later in the day he said “I don’t know what you do to your cupcakes, but I want more “on another occasion someone ate some of my cupcakes at a birthday party and loved them , this led me to making cupcakes for them for a baby shower, they are now a loyal customer and have ordered time and time again . I’ve also had the pleasure of making larger orders for a church , where I was told that ordering from me was the best option because they are beautiful, delicious crowd pleasers and everyone can enjoy them regardless of their dietary restrictions. I also have a friend who orders cupcakes to give as gifts to people who are sick or grieving. Being able to create beautiful treats that help people heal makes me feel like this is all worthwhile . This was definitely confidence -building and made me so happy to see people enjoying my cupcakes. Creating something so beautiful and delicious out of chaos , I felt in my heart brought me back to life . This journey has been very cathartic. Luvvies has helped me turn my passion into purpose , and having my family and community affirm and validate what I have known all along was the missing ingredient in my healing . Luvvies has healed me in ways I never expected, it was exactly the push I needed . Not only has it helped me create a successful business, but it has also reconnected me with my passion for baking , giving me creative freedom of artistic expression, relieved my health issues , and provide treats that people like me can enjoy . Most importantly it is helping my broken heart . Sharing this with my community has been nothing short of life -changing .
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Luvvies_cupcakes
- Facebook: Luvvies cupcakes
