A 26-year-old culinary enthusiast from Cranbrook, Danielle Cardozo combined her ambition and cooking skills to establish herself as a successful business owner. Cardozo was formerly an English teacher at Parkland Middle School in Cranbrook, but in late 2011 she gave up her teaching contract to spend more time with her children, and to pursue other opportunities. Ultimately she decided to delve into the world of specialty cake designing.

Her new business, Crumbs Cakery, has already seen enormous community response in the short time it's been in existence. 

"A great deal of the current success of Crumbs Cakery has been a result of our networking strategies," said Cardozo, "which has included developing relationships with local wedding and party vendors—in particular, our new partnership with St. Eugene Golf Resort & Casino, who will be offering our wedding cakes in some new all-inclusive wedding packages."

Self-taught talent

Cardozo is entirely self-taught, and uses original recipes that she has created from scratch. Her passion for cuisine led her to take a scientific approach, learning the chemistry behind cooking and ensuring that the final products taste as good as they look. Crumbs Cakery was a favourite at the recent St. Eugene Bridal Fair.

"When a bride you've never met says 'oh my gosh' with her mouth full, and her groom gives you a thumbs-up, a head nod and a huge smile full of cupcake—and they say they can't wait to have your cake be a part of their special day—you know you have a product to be proud of," said Cardozo. "Since the fair, we have booked 11 weddings."

Local support has been overwhelming, both from other business owners and from the public in general. Cardozo dreams of someday opening a storefront location, and hopes to do so by January 2014. In the meantime, the Crumbs team has set up a blog where everyone can follow the evolution of the business as it progresses.

"We will share the good, the bad and the ugly, in every step of the process," said Cardozo, "from the inventory lists, to the menu, to the bank meetings. At this point, the majority of our sales come from our Facebook page. We have also recently launched our website, www.cranbrookcakes.com."

Passing on the legacy

The entire family seems to be blessed with the foodie gene; Cardozo's father is the owner of Funky Pizza in Sparwood and a 2008 Best in Business award winner. Even the youngest generation is showing promise in the field.

"My own seven-year-old prefers Iron Chef, Chopped and Cupcake Wars to any cartoons," she said.