We had the good fortune of connecting with Gabriela Perez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Gabriela, have you ever found yourself in a spot where you had to decide whether to give up or keep going? How did you make the choice?
The question that every small business owner asks themselves on a daily basis! Ha. Till this day I still wonder if I am delusional for thinking that I could be successful in my little baking business. But even on my worst baking fail days, I always walk away from my oven knowing this is what I want to do. Baking brings me so much joy and inner peace! I can’t imagine letting that go!

To put it simply – I wanted to create something that would bring joy to others.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
When you are a small business owner you are the main role for each department. I manage my social media, photography, website, bookkeeping, inventory, recipe development, and responding to customers. There is so much practice that goes into creating art and being creative. I find this to be the most challenging part of my career! I want to create a certain style of cakes, but in order to really gain customers you have to be able to keep up with the trends. This has been a hard reality for me because I want to be able to express myself and create a more complex cake flavor profile and a more unique style of cake decorating. But your art isn’t for everyone and thats okay! Learn to be okay with that.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Tucson is the best place on earth! There are so many places to eat that you *almost* can’t go wrong. For a lovely fancy dinner I would go to Bata – must try the malawach! To go drinking I would start the night off or end it at Tough Luck Club and then head over to 4th ave and grab a drink at Ches! Must visit the Desert Museum and Sabino Canyon! Any restaurant located on the South side of Tucson is guaranteed to be delicious. For great coffee definitely Exo, Presta, and Heemee!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would love to dedicate my shoutouts to my fiance, Zach, who is painfully honest when taste testing my baked goods, my future mother-in-law for always being willing to try my crazy concoctions, and my family for always supporting me and hyping me up when I need support. There are countless books that I could name pages of that has help inspire me, but it is really my fellow bakers that inspire me. The baking community here in Tucson is really amazing and everyone is so supportive of one another.

Website: lacremasweets.com

Instagram: lacreamsweets

Image Credits
These are my own photos taken by me.

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutArizona is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.