Fae and her fur baby, Belle. | Contributed Photo
Cebu City, Philippines—Ever think of getting your fur babies a sweet treat that’s safe for them?
Cebuana Fae Therese del Rosario can make that happen.
The 23-year-old pastry chef from Guadalupe took her hobby in baking to a whole new level by bringing a new dimension to the pastry industry here in Cebu.
Del Rosario, a graduate of International Culinary Arts Academy of Cebu is the owner of Sweet Guilty Pleasures Cebu, which is not just your regular online pastry business. This is because aside from cakes and cupcakes for all sweet tooth people like Fae, Sweet Guilty Pleasures also makes cakes for your fur babies.
But how did she come up with this unique idea?
Fae’s passion for baking started when her father gave her an electric oven when she was 13 years old. From thereon, she never stopped baking.
But instead of working for a restaurant or any establishment, Fae wanted a business of her own.
“When I don’t have homework to do from school, I watch a lot of Food Network cooking shows when I was still younger and then [my love for baking] started to grow and now I have pastry business of my own.”
Sweet Guilty Pleasures Cebu came to life in 2017. Its first costumers were just Fae’s family and friends.
Fearing that her small start-up business would not click because of a lot of competition, Fae thought she needed to step up her game. And so she did.
“So that’s why I came up with the Dog Safe Pastries and Tart Cakes because I’ve noticed no one was doing them here in Cebu,” she said. “I wanted to be different and dli sd ko ganahan maki sabay sa uso.” (I wanted to be different and I didn’t want to just join the fad.)
But just like any other start-up business, Fae still faced different challenges.
“I struggled with getting orders, looking for new customers and also spreading the word in social media,” said Fae.
Fae shared that her shy personality was one of the challenges she faced because in this kind of business, one has to show face and be the face of a business.
But she stepped up to the challenge.
Now, she has learned how to deal with people. Plus, she is getting more orders and referrals from friends and customers alike.
“Business is really good today and I am looking forward to more orders and more pastry discoveries in the future,” said Fae.
Dog safe cakes and cake tarts are among her best sellers at the moment.
For dog safe cakes, Fae makes just one flavor to ensure the good health of the beloved pooches. The dog safe cakes are a mixture of carrots, bananas, honey, oats, peanut butter, oil, egg, and flour.
Dog-safe cupcakes. | Contributed photo
Fae also makes customized cakes, cupcakes, and the famous tart cakes, which comes in different flavors like, chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, coffee, red velvet, matcha, and mocha.
The famous tart cake of Sweet Guilty Pleasure Cebu. | contributed photo
Since 2017, Sweet Guilty Pleasure Cebu has been among the more noted home-based businesses in Cebu. Orders are made from their Facebook page and from the recommendation of their friends and family.
| Contributed Photo
Fae’s dream for her business is to grow even more so it could be a staple name for pastries here in Cebu. /bmjo