Today we’d like to introduce you to Natalia Bagai.
Natalia, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve always baked with my mom, Lulu. She would call me her Little Lulu and we would spend hours with our face in Betty Crocker cookbooks. She was the one that started this passion, as it is hers as well and when it came time to choose a path after high school, I chose a trade and went to Culinary School. I knew that I one day wanted my own bakery and my mom would come work with me.
When I started school, I also started working at Albertson’s grocery store and slowly but surely made my way into their bakery department. After about a year I started my first real bakery job at a cupcake bakery in Solana Beach called Cupcake Love. I was 19 and so excited. I fell in love with this bakery and by the time I left I had learned the responsibility of being a manager at a very young age and I believe it absolutely shaped the rest of my career. A few months before my 21st birthday, I had decided that I needed a change, I wanted to grow and cakes were the real reason I went to culinary school. I also felt like San Diego at the time just wasn’t the place to learn what I was looking for – so I had applied to a few jobs in LA. Landed a position with a new concept that came to West Hollywood owned by Duff Goldman, Duff’s Cakemix. I came home, packed my bags and left to LA.
I had always loved his show on the food network so for me, there couldn’t have been anything more amazing! At Duff’s, we as cake decorators would teach different parties how to decorate their cakes. At this company, I went from Floor Decorator, Trainer, to Production Lead. It was so fun and a great experience but again just wasn’t exactly what I wanted to do.
A little under a year later, I felt it was time once again grown my craft, so I applied and started working as a Pastry Cook at SOHO House West Hollywood. SOHO was the best Culinary school I could have ever dreamed of. Working side by side real chefs, top chefs of LA. I was in heaven. It was the first industrial kitchen with a hotline behind me and a full pastry line I had worked in and I walked in every day in awe, besides the fact we were 12 stories up on the penthouse floor on Sunset Blvd.
“This is the reason I came to LA” I remember always thinking. I soon became Pastry Lead and our line served pastries for two restaurants and event space, it was the largest amount of pastries I ever had to manage and produce. But I have to admit that I am a workaholic and a bit of a kitchen adrenaline junkie. I’ve missed a lot of holidays and a lot of birthdays being a part of this industry but I live for these days in the kitchen.
After a few years, I decided I wanted to return back to the bakery and I moved around to three other bakeries in LA: La Fleur, SweetE’s Bakeshop, & Lark Cakeshop – I learned a variety of things from each bakery. Wedding cakes, set up & production, sugar cookies, sculpting, etc. Throughout these years, I also made small cakes for people here and there – co-workers, friends and were paid for some as well. Without me realizing, I started slowly growing this company and at one point, we’re making cookies for the company Shoe Palace off Melrose & Hollywood.
I was working full time in a bakery and start taking on orders and before I knew it, I was always in the kitchen just completely drained.
I felt myself unhappy because I was putting so much time and energy into someone else’s company that sometimes mine would slip. I started to think about what I really wanted and what was going to make happy and the last thing I ever would want was a bad reputation for my company. I knew that my chapter in LA had come to an end. The goal I set out, which was to go and learn everything about my industry so I could come home and start my company, I felt I completed. I finally made the terrifying decision to leave a bakery position completely, the only thing I’ve ever known, and it was the best decision of my life.
January 2017, I took that leap of faith and I have never looked back. The concept for this company has always stayed the same, private, fresh & family owned. However, the menu has been so rewarding to create – pulling all five years of knowledge into one menu. I feel truly blessed for every step of my career and for every person that I met and learned from along the way. I believe that you can always be better than yesterday and tomorrow is a new day. Although those really were the hardest years of my shaping adult life, and while friends were partying I was getting to the bakery at 3:30 am, I also had one goal in mind. I knew that one day this sacrifice and hard work would pay off.
Today, I am self-employed and run my own dessert catering company. I specialize in custom cakes however make a range of things from petite pastries, custom cookies, etc. I had a set a goal for myself at 20 to be back in San Diego running my company by the time I was 27 and two months shy of that date, I can successfully say that I made that goal happen. I work from home and a beautiful little apartment a block from the beach in Oceanside and have to pinch myself every day that this is my life.
When I chose trade nine years ago, I asked myself what I could do for the rest of my life that doesn’t feel like work. And I feel truly blessed to be living the life I’ve always dreamed of already at my age.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I think the hardest thing for me was just pushing yourself. I missed a lot of family events, every weekend I worked. I gave up a lot in my early 20’s. In a bakery “8 hours” doesn’t exist and saying “tired” just mentally made it worse. Calling out was never an option when you work on small teams – but the responsibility I learned and endurance I taught myself I believe was all training for owning a company. The reason why I wanted to start this company was to provide a family one day with security I never had. I often lived/live by the phrase work hard now play hard later and I believe that a large portion of my life has already been a struggle so every day it’s that, that encourages me to keep pushing harder in my work.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Little Lulus CC – what should we know?
My company’s name is Little Lulu’s CC, Specializing in private events from Weddings, Showers, Communions etc. Custom Cakes are our main love however the menu is very broad from all types of patisserie & custom cookies.
We are known for our Carrot Cake & Cheesecakes.
One dessert that sets us apart are our Lulu’s Signature Petite Flavors – these 12 flavors are a modern twist on your traditional cake layered with different curds, custards baked on tart doughs, pie doughs, etc. all coated in a different glaze or sauce. These decadent 2×2 desserts are the perfect balance of the Baking & Pastry.
Every component of all our desserts are baked from scratch and everything is baked to order. At Lulu’s, we like for our clients to think of us as a personal baker.
We deliver from San Deigo > OC > LA > Palm Springs & there truly isn’t anything we won’t do for our clients!
Lulu’s trademark is a beautiful clean rustic cake topped with fresh flowers.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Determination, Loyalty, Drive. Every company I’ve worked, I’ve tried to attach myself to the strongest people I knew I could learn from. Learn skills that I didn’t have or wanted to perfect. I believe that being humble can be your biggest help in an industry like this. I was told by one chef in culinary school that no matter where you go your reputation will follow and you leave your ego at the door. I’ve held on two these two words of advice my entire career and I think it’s propelled me into different levels of my career.
Passion I believe is the most important. Without my absolute dying passion for this craft, I would never be where I am today.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.littleluluscc.com
- Phone: 760.580.7205
- Email: bagai@littleluluscc.com
- Instagram: @littlelulus_cc
Image Credit:
@jessieleighphoto
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