“The cupcake baking business appeals to anyone at all ages as it quenches our thirst for nostalgia. Children love cupcakes when the size seems especially designed for them and adults on the other hand love them as they are reminded of the time when they were children,” explained Sonja Ocampo, a young entrepreneur who owns/runs Cupcakes By Sonja located at Serendra, Fort Bonifacio.
Sonja wanted to pursue her baking skills, so she packed her bags to study cake decorating at the Wilton School of Decorating in Illinois then eventually flew to New York to take up Culinary Arts in the Institute of Culinary Education (formerly Peter Kump’s New York Cooking School). “It was there where I did my apprenticeships, at restaurants such as Verbena, Good, Oceana, Monkey Bar, Union Square Café and Tabla. My big break came when I was sponsored for a working permit as a Pastry Assistant in New York’s longest running four-star restaurant/bakery called Bouley, where I worked for two years,” she shared. “Working at Bouley sharpened my expertise, it was there that I had the privilege to work closely with renowned chefs such as Bill Yosses, Marc Aumont and David Bouley; where I learned to source the best ingredients and the painstaking process to produce these quality desserts,” she adds. Sonja was also very lucky to study under Spain’s Pastry Chef Oriol Balaguer and Paco Torreblanca. “It was one of my most wonderful experiences as it opened my eyes to a different trend in pasty making that involves molecular desserts,” she explained.
Sonja always wanted to have her own business but it never really occurred to her what she wanted to fulfill, so on another trip back to New York, Sonja did a brief stint at Magnolia Bakery, where she worked for a month. “I was amazed at the number of people in line to buy cupcakes. I realized that I could use my baking skills and create different desserts such as pies, tarts, etc. but to serve them in cupcake form. I like the concept behind cupcakes, that it is individually portioned, that no one has to argue on the last bite. That’s how my idea came about,” she shared.
Starting with the product testing, Sonja said that both her family and friends played an essential role in getting her cupcake business started. “They were my best critiques and supporters since I didn’t have a marketing budget at that time. I was even taking orders from home”. Since word of mouth is the best way to advertise, Sonja’s business started picking up so she eventually hired trained staff members to help with the baking.
Sonja wanted to stay true to the concept that cupcakes conjure childhood memories so she designed a store that would reflect a warm cozy kitchen with butter, fresh eggs and other natural ingredients in abundance, just lying about. “At Cupcakes by Sonja, the baking is done in a tiny kitchen with just one oven. I do not mass-produce so we make the cupcakes in small batches to ensure that consumers get them fresh and because of this, we run a 24-hour kitchen as it is the only way we can produce enough,” she pointed out.
The best sellers are the Red Velvet Vixen (P70), Vanilla Sunshine (P55), Valrhona Flourless Chocolate Cupcake (P100), Berries and Cream (P80), Choco Cream Pie (P100). New flavors released are Blondie Bars (filled with Reese peanut butter chips and marshmallows), Compost Cookies (a mixture of Valrhona Chocolate Chunks, cornflakes and marshmallows) and the Chocolate Overload (a rich and moist Valrhona Chocolate Cupcake filled with creamy chocolate ganache topped with velvety chocolate cream). “I’ve also done seasonal flavors with the use of coconut, banana, mango, calamansi and passion fruit. I always like to add more flavors to the menu as often as I can and play around with fruits that are abundant and in season. I always try to whip up my own take and develop my own version and look at the trends in the industry. I even had one very strange request, to make an Adobo flavored cupcake,” she laughed.
“Both travel and eating out inspire me. I am very grateful for the opportunity to be doing something I am completely passionate about and being able to share it with others. I have learned to be devoted and patient in what I do and I never let anyone stop me from believing in my own dreams. I believe that if you try hard enough, anything is possible and because of this, it shouldn’t take too long for someone to take notice of your talents,” she concluded.