Hispanic Heritage Month begins September 15th! In celebration, we are dedicating our baker feature series to Hispanic bakers. We’re excited to put the spotlight on incredibility talented creators. Read more and be inspired by their baking journey.
Mendy Silva of @thesilvawhisk
“My love for baking started at a very young age, growing up in a Salvadorian household, my mom always made yummy sweet breads from El Salvador. Once I got the baking down, I wanted to branch out and decorate.
When I first took the big step in becoming an in-home baker/cake decorator, my best friend gifted me with my very first stand mixer. All because she believed in me! I still use that bad boy every day, but if it wasn’t for her and that machine, and pushing me, I don’t know how far I would have gotten with my business, The Silva Whisk.
Among all the projects I’ve made, I’m most proud of my wedding cakes. And as I’m sure all bakers can relate, I am also always so proud after making a successful delivery, haha!
My signature decorating style is abstract, rustic and minimalist, and my children have also been a source of inspiration. I love making children’s cakes and then asking my 6-year-old for his opinions. It’s so much fun seeing his eyes light up in amazement. It makes me so happy!”
Gloria Chamarro of @asweetvida
“My love for baking and decorating began when I was in elementary school. My mom would bake strawberry and funfetti cakes for our school fundraisers and we would decorate them with white or pink frosting. I loved cutting the cake into slices and admiring the inside.
I fondly remember mom making her homemade flan. This has greatly impacted me on my baking journey. I noticed how happy she was sharing her flan with her loved ones. I always wanted to do the same; create something delicious and beautiful that I could share with those I love. This makes my soul happy. It’s never just dessert, it’s love made edible.
My inspiration comes from many avenues: the talented people in this community who share their knowledge, other types of desserts, but mainly, the flavors from my home and the places I visit inspire me and my creations.
If you’re new to baking and decorating, keep having fun and don’t give up! Watch tutorials and practice. Start with something you find delicious. When I’m working on something I personally enjoy eating, my creativity flows!
Gregory Matthew Rodriguez of @casadeorodulce
“My love for baking and decorating started when I was very little, around 5-7 years old. I made cakes and cookies out of pre-bought box mixes with my grandmother.❤️
Baking has been my passion. Making delicious desserts, having my name tied to them and getting praises for the works I’ve done, I wouldn’t trade them for the world! Baking is forever evolving, and it lets you paint any picture your heart desires. It gives you the freedom to create and that’s what I identify with – being free.
I have so many memories and experiences that have made an impact on my baking today, from making a life-size gingerbread house display to wedding cakes and animation macarons (very difficult to make if you ask me, haha!).
Among the projects I’ve done, I’m most proud of the jelly volcano cake that I made on the first season of Baketopia on HBO Max. This cake paid homage to my family, who is from Sonsonate, a city in El Salvador that is known for its active volcanos. The cake had the tropical flavors of my home country, like passion fruit and lychee. My display was more rustic, and I wanted to give it a realistic approach with underwater sea life and made the volcano look active with dry ice. I’m also proud to say that the cake won the top prize!”
Janet Chavez of @berry_unique_treats
“My love for baking started as an accident. I went to a jewelry party at my cousin’s house and she asked me to bring dessert. I happened to see a commercial on TV for Sherries Berries chocolate covered strawberries, so I thought, “Why not make those?”. Mind you, I had no baking experience at all. I took my chocolate covered strawberries to this small gathering and a woman asked everyone in the room who made the strawberries. I raised my hand of course, and she insisted I make these treats for her son’s wedding which was a week away. I told her I didn’t do this as a business and she insisted that I make them anyway. Long story short, she saw something in me that I didn’t see. She saw the potential that I didn’t know I even had. I’m thankful that she was persistent because I now do this full-time ?
My signature style is my drizzle! “Every drizzle matters” is my slogan? You can see that beautiful drizzle in my photos above!
A helpful tip I like to share with beginners is that if you are wanting to make cake pops and are following the box recipe, use 1/3 cup of veggie oil instead of ½ cup. This will help your white sticks not have a yellow oily drip on them ?”
