Conversations with the Inspiring Italia (“Lia”) Battaglia

Today we’d like to introduce you to Italia (“Lia”) Battaglia.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Italia (“Lia”). So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I’ve always had a passion for baking ever since I was thirteen years old. Three years ago, I was able to meet the winner of Master Chef, (Dino Luciano) and I told him about my passion for baking; to my surprise, he loved my work! This gave me the confidence to start an Instagram dedicated solely for my desserts. However, baking became a bit more difficult when I stopped eating gluten due to my intolerance. Soon afterwards, I became vegan for ethical reasons and because of my love for animals. I believe everyone deserves to indulge on desserts regardless of their food allergies. For this reason, all my desserts are gluten free, vegan, and some are even keto.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
A few months into creating my Instagram, many people continually asked if they could purchase my desserts. I was amazed by the positive reactions my desserts were getting so I decided to look further into becoming a home bakery. The process took a while, but it was so worth all the hassle! Since beginning my business, I’ve had the grand privilege of being a part of a few pop up events in San Diego, along with hand delivering my lovely customers their orders.

The most burdensome aspect of running a business by yourself is that you have to rely on yourself for everything. It can be difficult to bake when I’m not feeling well or when my schedule is chaotic. Also learning how to keep track of all the expenses, and food inventory. What has helped me through this is trying to stay positive and remind myself that I’m doing what I love. I also try not to overthink since that is my greatest weakness. It can be overwhelming launching a business because you’re so excited yet vulnerable. You’re unaware of how well your business will do, yet you’re ambitious enough to see where it will lead you. The advice I’d give to other young women would be to always believe in yourself and never ever give up!

What should we know about Little Dolcini? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Little Dolcini is known for creating 100% vegan and gluten free treats made fresh upon order from all natural ingredients. There are also many sugar free options, this way everyone can enjoy a treat. I take pride in the fact that all my desserts are completely gluten free since it’s not very common for vegan bakeries to have many gluten free options. I always seek to be innovative and accommodating. My style of baking is diverse because my desserts are cute and rustic. All desserts are baked, designed, and photographed by myself.

It would be great to hear about any apps, books, podcasts or other resources that you’ve used and would recommend to others.
I enjoy watching cake decorating tutorials and reading baking articles since I’m always trying to improve. I follow many vegan Instagramers who are extremely talented who inspire me. Lastly, for editing pictures, I use Lightroom to brighten and enhance the pictures.

Pricing:

• 6 cookies $9.50
• Galette $16
• One 8’in cake $25

Contact Info:

• Address: San Diego, California
• Website: https://littledolcini.com/
• Email: littledolcini@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/littledolcini/

Image Credit:
Little Dolcini

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