Meet Yvette Cortez of Endless Creations in Silverlake and Glendale

Today we’d like to introduce you to Yvette Cortez.

Yvette, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Growing up in an immigrant household, family and tradition were values ingrained in me by my parents. My mother exposed me to recipes handcrafted from generations before me. That is where my love for baking was formed, and I have my mother to thank. She grew up very poor and took pride in making my sisters and I birthday cakes from scratch for our birthday parties, and they were the best. They weren’t perfect, but as a child, all you needed was sprinkles and icing, and it was the perfect cake. I remember spending lots of time in the kitchen with my mom making all sorts of foods, especially these handmade sweet cinnamon tortillas; they were my favorite.
When I was a child, I used to like playing in the backyard making mud cookies. I would use dry dirt and add just the right amount of water to mold it into the perfect cookie shape, and then I would let it dry in the sun to “bake.” From that moment, I started checking out books from the library and experimenting at home. I remember the first real pastry I attempted to make like it was yesterday, a cinnamon roll. The first batch was too salty, the second batch was rock hard, and not until the third batch I began to get the hang of it. I started baking cakes for friends and family just finding any excuse to get in the kitchen.

Split between doing what I love and what was expected of me was one of the scariest moments in my life. The week to get my classes at CSUN came up, and that was when my older sister pulled me aside and asked me why was I not pursuing what I want to do? So I, of course, gave her a bunch of reasons why I wasn’t. She then told me she had booked me a tour at Le Cordon Bleu in Pasadena. The tour day came, and I remember having this feeling as if I belonged there, and that was the moment I decided I would be going to Le Cordon Bleu in Pasadena to study Occupational Studies in Baking and Patisserie.

So, my journey continued after graduation as I worked in various places growing my knowledge and gaining more experience. I worked in 2 high-end bakeries, a fine dining restaurant, and a luxury hotel all while growing my own business on the side. I wanted to be able to create my own menu and designs, which is why I decided to form Endless Creations. The name came to me one day as I was in my kitchen experimenting with new recipes, and I thought it was perfect. It means that for whatever I’m creating, the possibilities are endless, just like my love and passion for this craft.

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?
Being an entrepreneur is not easy at all. Starting off a business on your own is definitely not the smoothest road, but it has all been a learning experience. Being a one-man business doing everything can be very exhausting and overwhelming. Starting with consultations with clients, to the baking, decorating, cleaning, packaging, photographing, and then the delivery it definitely becomes a lot of work. I’ve realized when you have the passion for what you do you get all the energy you need to complete all these tasks by their deadlines. There have surely been days where I’ve broken down due to complete exhaustion and felt like I couldn’t do this anymore. Thankfully my loving husband, along with my family and friends have always been my support group, always motivating me to follow my dream and never give up.

Endless Creations – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
My business is based on Mexican American cuisine. I really wanted to incorporate my Mexican heritage into my desserts since growing up I loved eating all sorts of pan dulces. I really wanted to create a menu where you could enjoy delicious flavors from Mexico combined with America’s favorite desserts. Everything I make is made from scratch with the highest quality ingredients and baked fresh to order.

I specialize in custom cake and dessert orders. I love creating fun designs for my customer’s special events. My customers have the option of creating their design or having me sketch up a design for them. I make sure that love and time gets put into everything that gets decorated whether it’s a cupcake or a large custom cake.

I am most proud that I have kept my identity and heritage incorporated within my company, allowing me to showcase who I am and where I’m from through my desserts. Being able to do what I love while making people happy is the best part of the job.

What sets my business apart from others is that we offer multiple dietary options including vegan and gluten-free items. I’ve created a menu with vegan options so those who can’t consume dairy or other animal byproducts can also enjoy my sweets. It all started when my little sister became vegan about 12 years ago. That’s where the challenge began, as I tested out so many vegan recipes until I was happy with the results of the flavor and texture. It was challenging but now I have developed a very popular vegan menu for all to enjoy.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
There is not one moment but many that I am proud of. From registering my business name to buying equipment. Every small step meant I was that much closer to achieving my dream of having my own storefront store.

Pricing:

• Custom cake orders start at $100
• Cupcakes range from $48-$60 a dozen

Contact Info:

• Website: www.endlesscreationsbakery.com
• Phone: (323)559-9920
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @endlesscreationsbakery

Image Credit:
Some images are by Viansa Images

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