Today we’d like to introduce you to Victoria Rodriguez.
Hi Victoria, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Ive have always loved art and expressing creativity in all different forms, especially when it comes to food and baking, so I attended St. Phillips College for Baking and Pastry Arts and spent several years learning to bake and decorate cakes professionally before starting my own business. In 2020 I began taking custom orders from home and over time that passion grew into what is now LoFi Pastries. Today I specialize in whimsical cakes and conchas with designs that are often inspired by pop culture, anime, music or whatever myself or my clients are into. One of my favorite parts of running LoFi Pastries is creating fun designs that people cant help but stop and look at. The excitement I see in people when they spot their favorite character in my designs is such a thrill.
Throughout the years, ive had the opportunity to appear on local television, collaborate with coffee shops and businesses around San Antonio and have even begun to host themed community events that bring together local artists, vendors and nerds such as myself. Building connections has honestly been the best part of both attending and hosting markets. It helps me feel more connected to my city and community.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely has not been a smooth road in the years ive spent running my business. When I first started taking orders in 2020, I was living in my parents home, working out of their kitchen. I practically took over the entire family kitchen with my growing amount of supplies and tools as I grew my little bakery, called Milk and Honey at the time. After moving into my own apartment my business hit an unexpected pause. I was working full time as a cake decorator at HEB and my apartment didnt have the space to support me baking and decorating custom orders anymore. My business went quiet. For a long time it felt like I was stuck in the grind of work with no way for me to express my creativity.
Everything changed when my boyfriend and I moved into a home with an extra room that we transformed into my own dedicated cake studio. Having a space specifically designed for my business reignited my passion and motivation that I had felt from the very beginning of my journey. I genuinely cried at the thought of resuming my creative outlet in an even bigger way. Around the same time, I rebranded from Milk and Honey to LoFi Pastries, a name that felt more authentic to who I was and what I wanted my business to represent. I finally felt like I had the environment, confidence and skills to build the business I had envisioned from the very beginning of it all. Now that im able to run LoFi Pastries full time, I genuinely feel like im living my dream life with my dream career.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Everything started with cake. Specifically nerdy cakes. Some of the very first custom orders I made were Animal Crossing and Doctor Who themed, which I was thrilled about. I was able to do any basic cake at the time but nerdy cakes were what excited me. For a long time, cakes were the only thing I worked on, but once I moved into my home with my baking studio, I started experimenting with other pastries I thought I could give a whimsical twist to. I was adamant that anything I baked needed to be unique, colorful or exciting. I tested rainbow cinnamon rolls, cosmic brownies and other pastries but conchas caught my attention the most. I realized that conchas could be just as nerdy and colorful as cakes. I worked over a year developing my very own concha recipe, ending up with the perfectly soft and flavorful conchas that I offer now. I would say that many clients now know me specifically for my fun conchas that often reference pop culture, memes, music and films. I never wanted to be the bakery that sold only plain pastries, I knew I would burn out creatively that way. So I created the whimsical bakery of my dreams and have had the most fun this way.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I think ive been incredibly fortunate to have such a strong support system. My family encouraged me from the very beginning, even when I was taking over their kitchen with baking supplies. Im especially grateful for my boyfriend, who has supported me in ways that made pursuing this dream possible. Because he was able to provide financial stability while I transitioned away from a full time job, I was able to dedicate my time and energy to growing LoFi Pastries instead of trying to balance it around a 40 hour work week. Thats truly a privilege I dont take for granted. Of course, luck alone doesn’t make a business successful. I spent years developing my skills, putting myself out there and taking every single opportunity I could but I know that having people who believed in me and supported my dream gave me the opportunity to turn the hard work into something sustainable.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://lofipastries.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lofipastries/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lofipastries/
