Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexandra Danks.
Alexandra, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I am from a big Catholic family with Irish, Slavic, mid-western, and California cultures running deep in my blood. My early years were spent in an apartment building directly behind The Ivy in Beverly Hills. My mom managed the building while my dad worked as a shoe store manager and then later as a high school teacher. The apartment we lived in had two bedrooms: one for my parents and whoever the infant was at the time, and one for the kids. At one point, there were six kids in that one bedroom! We loved it, but it was enough for my parents. They ultimately had nine kids but in a bigger house.
Food was a big part of my life from an early age because my mom learned to make everything from scratch, and we watched her make it. Making everything at home was done not only out of financial necessity but also from a desire to give us children wholesome and delicious food. We were all-natural, preservative and dye free before that was remotely cool. We did not eat any convenience foods; my mom made our bread, and we even grew strawberries on the rooftop of our apartment building. We had a fussy little television set with PBS and the other public channels on it, and we would watch Julia Child’s cooking show in the evenings. I was enchanted by her and by my mother, whipping up beautiful things for us to share.
I need not go through the next twenty years of my life to tell you the rest, because it all began there, in that little apartment. I haven’t stopped baking since the age of seven, and while my skill set has grown, the joy of beautiful baking treats for others has persisted.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
I make what I call fairy-tale pastries and custom cakes out of my licensed home kitchen in Topanga Canyon. I have made wedding cakes, birthday cakes, gluten-free and vegan treats, and hundreds of croissants and morning buns out of a little electric oven in my cozy kitchen. I am also a mother of two little ones, and having a licensed home kitchen makes it possible for me to be present as a mother and bake around my schedule.
I have found that custom desserts often look beautiful but taste overly sweet and focus more on the decoration rather than the quality of the ingredients and preparation. I make just about everything that I cook with except the raw ingredients, and I source my produce, eggs, honey, and even my flour locally whenever possible. I am particular when it comes to finding the absolute best flavor and texture, whether it is the perfect crumb of a vanilla cake or the right flaky layers on a croissant. Using the best ingredients, whether that means freshest or most delicious, is the number one goal for me.
What do you know now that you wished you had learned earlier?
I wish I had started to make this business a reality even sooner. I don’t have much in the way of advice other than “go for it!” Because that voice inside your head that tells you you can’t do something is a liar.
On the practical side, there are so many growing pains that come along with trying to make your passion support you, and I have had difficulty appropriately pricing my desserts since I don’t cut costs on the end of the ingredient. For instance, a pie from the grocery store costs a fraction of what mine do. Why? Grocery stores use canned fruit, thickeners, preservatives, and shortening in their fruit pies, while I use local, organic produce, good butter, and organic tapioca starch. I was worried that folks wouldn’t be willing to buy a pie at that higher price point, so I priced initially at what turned out to be a loss for me. Even after raising my prices to account for the extra cost that comes with making the best, my customers kept coming back because I am able to make the absolute best available to my community.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
I do a thrice-weekly pop-up at LA Chingona Tacos, a gluten and dairy-free organic taco stand right on the boulevard in Topanga. I knew right away when I tried Adriana’s tacos that I wanted to make desserts for her because her philosophy and energy match mine so closely. Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays I am there selling gluten- and dairy-free coconut tres leches cake alongside her amazing tacos. I have been so blessed to work with her, and it gives folks in my community a chance to try what I make.
Otherwise, all of my orders are “custom,” which means they are pre-ordered ahead of time and hand delivered by me. I make so many celebration cakes, and I love to make those because there is no better way to celebrate something special than with a beautiful dessert. You can keep tabs on my work by following me on Instagram @thimbleberrypastry. Seeing what I do is nice, but tasting it is even better!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thimbleberry.co/
- Phone: 619-723-1192
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thimbleberrypastry/
Image Credit:
All photos were taken by myself.
Suggest a story:VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
