Filipina nurse quits job to become international jelly cake artist
MANILA, Philippines — From injecting arms with vaccines, Filipino nurse Rochelle Santos is now into injecting “gulaman” (jelly) with natural food color.
Although providing healthcare is fulfilling for Rochelle, she finds it very stressful and tiring, so she decided to quit last year to take a completely different path that has nothing in common with being a nurse except for using syringe.
“Nagresign na ako sa work. Tapos sabi ko, kailangan ko ng pagkakaabalahan,” Rochelle told Philstar.com in an exclusive interview.
After only a one-day workshop in 2022, Rochelle learned the art of three-dimensional jelly cake making. Since then, the registered nurse has been churning out creations that soon went trending on social media.
Using a clear block of jelly as canvas, Rochelle injects milk-based, natural colors to create designs inside the jelly. The natural colors come in different flavors like mango, strawberry and caramel, while the cakes vary in sizes and designs – from four-inch flowers to 10-inch portraits of people, cartoons and animals. It takes her only minutes to finish the four-inch flowers, while complicated designs are done in one to two hours.
Each creation lasts for seven days in the refrigerator; longer if in the freezer. According to Rochelle, a 3D jelly cake is the same as a baked one, only that the jelly cake needs to be chilled all the time.
Soon after, Rochelle moved to Manila from her hometown Isabela because like her flower designs, her business has been blooming. She charges up to P3,000 for 10-inch cakes with intricate designs. From starting with very minimal capital and equipment, Santos is also now a jelly cake materials supplier.
Apart from getting orders for three to five cakes a day delivered anywhere in the metro, Rochelle also now teaches the art for a P10,000 workshop fee per day per person. So far, over 20 have graduated from her workshops.
“Okay naman po kasi nagwoworkshop na rin po ako sa ibang bansa,” shared Santos, who has been giving workshops in as far as Malaysia, where the jelly cake masters are, she said.
Although originally from Mexico, 3D jelly cakes are very popular among her Chinese clients in Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan – especially since lotus flower motifs are considered lucky in the Chinese culture. Because the lotus rises beautifully and purely from the mud, the Chinese consider the lotus a symbol of the heart and mind's ultimate purity.
When asked which pays better, being a jelly cake artist or a nurse, she simply declared: “Mas masaya po rito!,” implying that she finds more joy doing jelly cake because she is not stressed and has time in her hands.
Santos’ jelly cakes were among the treats given out by skincare label Grown Alchemist at the recent Rustan’s Beauty Addict event in Makati City.
During the event, Rustan's proudly introduced its newly revitalized Beauty Hall, which is not just a retail space, but a sanctuary of beauty and elegance, meticulously designed with world-class interiors and retail architecture innovations, said Rustan Commercial Corporation President Donnie Tantoco.
Inspired by beauty sections found in key cities across Europe and the United States, Rustan’s newly renovated Beauty Hall aims to be a world-class haven for luxurious beauty brands. It was inaugurated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony led by Anton Huang, President of Stores Specialists, Inc.; Michael Goh, Shiseido Philippines Managing Director; Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray; Donnie Tantoco; and Zenaida R. Tantoco, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Rustan Commercial Corporation.
