Today we’d like to introduce you to Elfie Astier. She share her story with us below:
Born in Paris, France, to a family of cabaret artists, Hotcakes Owner Elfie Astier witnessed firsthand the beginning of the crazy and iconoclastic spirit of cabaret. Her father, Paco, aka Henri Astier was one of the founders along with Jean-Marie Riviere and Marc Doelnitz of the Alcazar. The famous cabaret in the heart of St. Germain des pres where Elfie spent her youth was one of the central revolutionary and mythical places of Parisian nightlife.
Elfie started working in entertainment at the age of seven and had a very substantial career as an actress and singer in Paris by the time she was eighteen. She then moved to Los Angeles to continue her career, but she slowly realized that entertainment was not the only passion that she shared with her parents – baking was always at center stage.
Elfie’s father used to work as a pastry chef when he was a young man in Paris in order to pay for his dancing lessons at the Paris Opera. Elfie’s father shared with her his love for preparing the essential bread and “sweets of life.” Elfie trained primarily with her father as well as in Paris’ renowned bakery Gerard Mulot and Laduree.
In 2005 after having baked privately for many clients, Elfie decided that it was time to revive her family roots and opened a bakery with a little entertainment flair — Hotcakes Bakes!
Alright, 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?
I opened Hotcakes in 2005 when Mar Vista was not a very popular neighborhood. It took a long time for the business to take off. The producers of Cupcake Wars came in one day and asked if I was willing to be part of the pilot episode. Knowing my entertainment background, I said yes right away. I won the first competition and then the food network bought the series. That certainly helped the notoriety of Hotcakes. Of course, I had to change everything, the way I was producing my baked goods the amounts, etc., I had to restructure the bakery completely due to the demand after the show aired. Some of the struggles were purely financial it is hard to open a business with no backup finances or investor but it is not impossible, it definitely takes longer to reach success or goals.
We’ve been impressed with Hotcakes Bakes, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Starting from a small bakery Hotcakes is now a full-service bakery cafe and wine bar. It has been in operation since 2005, it started really small with just me baking to a team of 20+ employees and it keeps growing. During the pandemic, we restructured the brand and opened our cafe for breakfast and lunch and now in 2022, we have launched our new Natural Wine Bar Evil Twin. We serve beer and natural wine and we serve appetizer-type food from 4 pm to 11 pm Wednesday thru Sunday. Hotcakes Bakes is about enjoying life to its fullest always in moderation, it is about nurturing community and creating memories through great coffee, clean food, and yummy cakes! Hotcakes Bakes is sweet and salty, it is sunrises and sunsets, it is recipe making and rule-breaking, it is food as flow and not fad.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
Come and enjoy the Hotcake’s way of life!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.hotcakesbakes.com
- Instagram: @hotcakesbakes @eviltwin.la
- Facebook: hotcakes bakes
