Fill. Squeeze. Swirl. And repeat. Delicate drops of frosting fall on a freshly baked cupcake waiting for the final touch: a dab of sprinkles or the ultimate coat of coconut flakes. Twenty four-year-old Patti Grandidge can handle a pastry bag better than a Prada bag.
Gorgeous and glamorous she is an exotic mix of Filipino and British descent who could have easily turned her life into modeling: instead she became a successful baker and business woman. Patti is not your regular celery-munching fitness-addicted young girl. She craves cupcakes.
Two years ago she found herself with a bachelor’s degree A. in International Business and a fashion marketing job in Los Angeles. A couple of months after her gut instinct told her it was time to turn to her other passion: food. She quit her job and began to work at Sprinkles.
She confides: “In the process of soul-searching and determining how to combine my passions and energy in the ‘real world’ I knew it would be something revolving around my two favorite F-words: food and fashion.”
Patti learned the art of baking frosting and decorating cupcakes at Sprinkles in Beverly Hills which inspired her to open her own business: Sweet Patti Cakes.
“I’ve asked Candace [Nelson] how she started. She told me that no one would believe in Sprinkles at first. Her lesson was: follow your dream.”
And she did. A year after graduation Patti moved to the Philippines with her family. In a matter of months Sweet Patti Cakes was born. A home-based business it’s one of the most popular cupcake places in Manila thanks to the perfect combination of two main ingredients: freshness and flavors.
“People like Sweet Patti Cakes because it’s more-American inspired than most bakeries in Asia: flavors like chocolate and peanut butter are a new thing for Filipinos and they love it.”
The recipe is simple. Eight flavors a classy purple box with the Sweet Patti Cakes logo and a little bit of frosting. The eight cupcakes are to-die-for: Ooey Gooey Peanut Butter Banana Bliss Lotsa Lemon Seriously Chocolate Vanilla Manila Mad About Mocha Coco Cabana and the latest addiction Rock My Swirl. Playful names and delicious taste are Sweet Patti Cake’s signature touch.
The Valentine’s Day edition is one of Patti’s bestsellers.
“We gave it a little extra thought. The chocolate Valentine’s cupcakes are very decadent and opulent and we included pink and red in every box to make it more festive.”
A box of Sweet Patti Cakes is a delectable experience made to delight the eye and the palate.
Every cupcake is baked fresh for delivery in pure Sprinkles style.
“For the first five months it was just me then I finally hired someone.”
With the help of one other dedicated girl she bakes and sells 120 cupcakes a day all hand-made and hand-frosted.
The public’s favorite are chocolate mocha and peanut butter but the fruity ones are becoming competitive. There’s a flavor to suit everyone’s taste. Lemon cakes blend a delicate mix of zesty lemon frosting and a sweet base of fragrant batter; chocolate pieces are a dreamy dark chocolate confection covered in nutella oblivion. Coconut cupcakes are a paradise of cream cheese frosting and Mad About Mocha combines a dark chocolate cake and caffelatte buttercream to make it the perfect early morning treat.
Patti can’t choose her favorite flavor. At Sprinkles she would indulge on peanut butter every day but since she’s started baking on her own she is obsessed with a different cupcake every month.
“I don’t know why maybe it’s because I want to support each cupcake she says.
Patti works around the clock to maintain her successful business. She wakes up at 8 a.m., spends the whole morning baking, then the phone starts ringing: pick-up orders flow in at all hours of the day and emails add to the queue. Around noon, she starts preparing for the next day: jotting down ingredients and running to the store for the essentials of batter and frosting. Then it’s time for business: networking through Facebook and Twitter, budgeting, researching ideas and inspirations, marketing, conceptualizing, testing new recipes and promoting Sweet Patti Cakes at press events. Her day never ends.
Some say cupcakes are just a trend, but Patti firmly believes in what she does.
If you are confident you have a good product it tastes delicious and it’s made with love people will support it.”
This cupcake lover is also a successful food blogger. Her passion for food and traveling brought her to explore the culinary cultures of Singapore Los Angeles and Manila. Pictures of exotic coconut cocktails and flirty fruit compositions populate her blog alongside snapshots of famous restaurants in L.A. and little unknown food corners. Patti tirelessly blogs about what she does best — eating.
“I started because I would always take so many pictures of food just because. People would ask me ‘What do you even do with them?’ and I was like ‘Oh nothing I just show them and keep them to myself.”
When she started Patti’s Palette she gained an instant following of loyal readers.
What’s in the future for this fashionista-turned-chef?
“A store! Everything will be purple: boxes logos bags. I want a very light and pleasant atmosphere with a comfy couch where people can stay have coffee and relax. This is my goal for the next five years. It’s scary but I’m building my way up!”
