UP-CLOSE & PERSONAL are personal short stories from some of our Featured Vendors which offers you a glimpse
into their lives. A way to get to know them better. Each write-up of the UP-CLOSE & PERSONAL are also on each
of their Web Page but we thought it would be fun to have a page of these stories. Enjoy!
into their lives. A way to get to know them better. Each write-up of the UP-CLOSE & PERSONAL are also on each
of their Web Page but we thought it would be fun to have a page of these stories. Enjoy!
KRISTY WOELFEL, Serendiity Cupcakes
I started baking when I was a kid. My first oven was a chest of drawers that my mother painted white and black burners on top of and then used wooden thread spools for knobs. I eventually graduated to an Easy Bake oven.
I always wanted to start a cupcake business, but was working a full time corporate job and financially could not take a risk. In 2010 I married the love of my life and moved from Ohio to California. My company in Ohio allowed me to telecommute, which was great, but after a year of doing this, I really wanted to take a chance and try my hand at a cupcake business. I asked my husband Jay, if I could quit my job of 22 years and open Serendipity Cupcakes and he said YES!
My first event was in December 2011, the same weekend we had a horrible wind storm and hardly anyone showed up for this outdoor food event, except for the vendors friends and families. This wasn’t the best way to start. Thankfully, each year the business has grown.
Serendipity Cupcakes is an online cupcakery and I specialize in custom orders. I work with my customers and their requests for their special events. I have over 25 different flavors on my web page. I offer free delivery to Burbank, Glendale, La Canada, Pasadena and the surrounding area. I do need several days notice when placing orders and more time for larger events. Keep me in mind for your special day!
PHOTO: Kristy with filmmaker husband Jay (aka Mr. Cupcake) & Tucker
I started baking when I was a kid. My first oven was a chest of drawers that my mother painted white and black burners on top of and then used wooden thread spools for knobs. I eventually graduated to an Easy Bake oven.
I always wanted to start a cupcake business, but was working a full time corporate job and financially could not take a risk. In 2010 I married the love of my life and moved from Ohio to California. My company in Ohio allowed me to telecommute, which was great, but after a year of doing this, I really wanted to take a chance and try my hand at a cupcake business. I asked my husband Jay, if I could quit my job of 22 years and open Serendipity Cupcakes and he said YES!
My first event was in December 2011, the same weekend we had a horrible wind storm and hardly anyone showed up for this outdoor food event, except for the vendors friends and families. This wasn’t the best way to start. Thankfully, each year the business has grown.
Serendipity Cupcakes is an online cupcakery and I specialize in custom orders. I work with my customers and their requests for their special events. I have over 25 different flavors on my web page. I offer free delivery to Burbank, Glendale, La Canada, Pasadena and the surrounding area. I do need several days notice when placing orders and more time for larger events. Keep me in mind for your special day!
PHOTO: Kristy with filmmaker husband Jay (aka Mr. Cupcake) & Tucker
Chef ELISABETTA CIARDULLO CRIEL, Think Italian! Events
Law school didn’t inspire me to be a lawyer. After getting married I pursued more than one career, as interpreter/translator first, and as Italian instructor after. But the thing I loved doing was entertaining,. My husband’s job required a lot of socializing, and I was very much at ease opening up our home to friends and guests. Our parties were always sought after – and I loved to take on more and more challenges.
Parties became bigger and bigger, the food more and more sophisticated. My friends were constantly telling me I should start a business – and in Los Angeles the opportunity presented itself, 5 years ago. I gave it a chance and founded Think Italian! Events. I immediately understood that I had found what I was looking for all my life: an exciting, fulfilling, creative, and always different activity. Certainly not a 9 to 5 job! In this activity, I liked the wedding planning more than anything else, as it is an area where I feel I can make the difference.
I believe in marriage, and I think there is nothing as powerful as declaring your love in front of all your family members and friends. This day deserves all the attention, and has to be carefully planned in every detail to ensure that the bride and groom are able to enjoy every single moment.
The most exciting aspect about my profession is that it gives people moments of real happiness; I always try to think as if I were the bride or the hostess of the party: what would be essential for me, which would be the little extra personal touch that would make a difference; I like to give to my clients the guarantee that each detail will be taken care of as if the party was my own. And I’m a very detail oriented person! I’m also blessed with an incredible team of dedicated professionals, who can make the transition between ideas and reality.
Law school didn’t inspire me to be a lawyer. After getting married I pursued more than one career, as interpreter/translator first, and as Italian instructor after. But the thing I loved doing was entertaining,. My husband’s job required a lot of socializing, and I was very much at ease opening up our home to friends and guests. Our parties were always sought after – and I loved to take on more and more challenges.
Parties became bigger and bigger, the food more and more sophisticated. My friends were constantly telling me I should start a business – and in Los Angeles the opportunity presented itself, 5 years ago. I gave it a chance and founded Think Italian! Events. I immediately understood that I had found what I was looking for all my life: an exciting, fulfilling, creative, and always different activity. Certainly not a 9 to 5 job! In this activity, I liked the wedding planning more than anything else, as it is an area where I feel I can make the difference.
I believe in marriage, and I think there is nothing as powerful as declaring your love in front of all your family members and friends. This day deserves all the attention, and has to be carefully planned in every detail to ensure that the bride and groom are able to enjoy every single moment.
The most exciting aspect about my profession is that it gives people moments of real happiness; I always try to think as if I were the bride or the hostess of the party: what would be essential for me, which would be the little extra personal touch that would make a difference; I like to give to my clients the guarantee that each detail will be taken care of as if the party was my own. And I’m a very detail oriented person! I’m also blessed with an incredible team of dedicated professionals, who can make the transition between ideas and reality.
KIMI WAKAMOTO, The Kimi Collective
Putting a Little Love in Letters
I’ve always been a creative person at heart. When I was younger, a big part of my childhood was tinkering around with Adobe Photoshop/Illustrator on my dad’s computer. I vividly remember doodling on notebooks, notes, and yearbooks all throughout my school years. Looking back now it’s crazy to see the little beginnings of The Kimi Collective and that it was there the whole time - I just needed to bring it to life!
After college, I dabbled in many different industries throughout my career. But at the heart of it all – I noticed that I just really enjoyed trying to understand where the person was coming from and how to help them make their lives easier through their every day technology. People come from all walks of life and it was so interesting to me to see how technology shaped their lives.
The one thing that was missing was the ability to come up with creative solutions and actually doing the work to make technology better so that people could use it to their advantage. I wasn’t able to be as creative as I wanted and I found myself putting more effort into the tiny small business I had at the time.
As time went on, I came to a crossroads and had to make a decision – to see where The Kimi Collective could take me or try to find a stable 9-5 job. Everyday – I am so thankful of the choice I made – and the opportunity to not have to wonder “what if” about pursuing my passion. I have to thank my mom and dad for being so supportive of this tiny little dream I had and still believing in me. Being able to put my love for others and my love for letters has been a fulfilling and rewarding gift and challenge that I face everyday. I’ve learned so much about creating your own brand, owning your own business, and being your own boss.
But at the end of the day – it is so rewarding to help bring my client’s visions to life. I love getting together with clients and learning about their love story and what their inspirations are. Together we create something that they'll love for years to come!
I hope to always create things that are inspiring, fun, real, and most of all - filled with love. Let’s create something pretty and wonderful together!
Putting a Little Love in Letters
I’ve always been a creative person at heart. When I was younger, a big part of my childhood was tinkering around with Adobe Photoshop/Illustrator on my dad’s computer. I vividly remember doodling on notebooks, notes, and yearbooks all throughout my school years. Looking back now it’s crazy to see the little beginnings of The Kimi Collective and that it was there the whole time - I just needed to bring it to life!
After college, I dabbled in many different industries throughout my career. But at the heart of it all – I noticed that I just really enjoyed trying to understand where the person was coming from and how to help them make their lives easier through their every day technology. People come from all walks of life and it was so interesting to me to see how technology shaped their lives.
The one thing that was missing was the ability to come up with creative solutions and actually doing the work to make technology better so that people could use it to their advantage. I wasn’t able to be as creative as I wanted and I found myself putting more effort into the tiny small business I had at the time.
As time went on, I came to a crossroads and had to make a decision – to see where The Kimi Collective could take me or try to find a stable 9-5 job. Everyday – I am so thankful of the choice I made – and the opportunity to not have to wonder “what if” about pursuing my passion. I have to thank my mom and dad for being so supportive of this tiny little dream I had and still believing in me. Being able to put my love for others and my love for letters has been a fulfilling and rewarding gift and challenge that I face everyday. I’ve learned so much about creating your own brand, owning your own business, and being your own boss.
But at the end of the day – it is so rewarding to help bring my client’s visions to life. I love getting together with clients and learning about their love story and what their inspirations are. Together we create something that they'll love for years to come!
I hope to always create things that are inspiring, fun, real, and most of all - filled with love. Let’s create something pretty and wonderful together!
REVEREND ROXANNE HUNT, Weddings by Roxanne Hunt
Being a wedding officiant found me~!
I have a background as a Speech Pathologist, Life Coach, Speaker and Actress/Spokesperson. Looking back, I suppose that my enthusiasm for life and people brought me to this. I remember giving a heartfelt speech one day and afterwards, someone from the audience came up to me and said he was very moved by what I had just shared during my talk and that I was an excellent and very motivational speaker.
He mentioned that a friend of his was getting married and didn’t have a wedding officiant and would I consider it? I had no experience or thought of doing this at the time, but his request intrigued me. As I pondered his request, I decided to first see what I would need to do to legally be able to officiate weddings. I did what I needed to do and realized that officiating weddings would be a wonderful segue and use of my gifts and talents. I was already used to being up on my feet in front of people speaking and performing and my background as a Life Coach was due to my love of helping people move forward in their own life. I have endless joie de vivre and have been told that this radiates when I speak.
So, I eagerly said yes to performing his friend’s wedding. It was a wonderful experience. I loved it and I had so much positive
feedback that I couldn’t wait to do it again. I had absolutely no idea that I would grow this into a highly successful business that I loved. Soon after that first wedding, someone who had attended referred a friend to me. And soon after that another. I was loving my new venture and decided to grow this into a thriving business.
I am so passionate about what I do. I am here to change the world, one wedding at a time, and want each prospective bride and groom to know that there is no need for a “template” wedding. The only “legal” requirement is to sign a license at the end of the ceremony. That’s it~!
I take great pride in offering highly unique and customized ceremonies that are one of a kind. My secret is in getting to know details about each couple beforehand and then offering creative ideas that are unique to each couple. My signature wedding and most customized is called, “The Story of YOU”, where I conduct private interviews with the bride and groom separately and then write their love story. I make sure that there are both moments of heartfelt tears and laughter thoughout. My weddings also tend to focus more on love and the couple’s relationship than about religion. I also offer assistance with writing what I call “love notes”, which are my version of “vows”. I don’t have my couples repeat their vows after me, I help them to write their own. I feel so blessed to do something I love so much.
Being a wedding officiant found me~!
I have a background as a Speech Pathologist, Life Coach, Speaker and Actress/Spokesperson. Looking back, I suppose that my enthusiasm for life and people brought me to this. I remember giving a heartfelt speech one day and afterwards, someone from the audience came up to me and said he was very moved by what I had just shared during my talk and that I was an excellent and very motivational speaker.
He mentioned that a friend of his was getting married and didn’t have a wedding officiant and would I consider it? I had no experience or thought of doing this at the time, but his request intrigued me. As I pondered his request, I decided to first see what I would need to do to legally be able to officiate weddings. I did what I needed to do and realized that officiating weddings would be a wonderful segue and use of my gifts and talents. I was already used to being up on my feet in front of people speaking and performing and my background as a Life Coach was due to my love of helping people move forward in their own life. I have endless joie de vivre and have been told that this radiates when I speak.
So, I eagerly said yes to performing his friend’s wedding. It was a wonderful experience. I loved it and I had so much positive
feedback that I couldn’t wait to do it again. I had absolutely no idea that I would grow this into a highly successful business that I loved. Soon after that first wedding, someone who had attended referred a friend to me. And soon after that another. I was loving my new venture and decided to grow this into a thriving business.
I am so passionate about what I do. I am here to change the world, one wedding at a time, and want each prospective bride and groom to know that there is no need for a “template” wedding. The only “legal” requirement is to sign a license at the end of the ceremony. That’s it~!
I take great pride in offering highly unique and customized ceremonies that are one of a kind. My secret is in getting to know details about each couple beforehand and then offering creative ideas that are unique to each couple. My signature wedding and most customized is called, “The Story of YOU”, where I conduct private interviews with the bride and groom separately and then write their love story. I make sure that there are both moments of heartfelt tears and laughter thoughout. My weddings also tend to focus more on love and the couple’s relationship than about religion. I also offer assistance with writing what I call “love notes”, which are my version of “vows”. I don’t have my couples repeat their vows after me, I help them to write their own. I feel so blessed to do something I love so much.
KEN COHEN, Barista/ Poet, The Cappuccino Connection
serving Southern California since 1989
A friend of mine asked, almost three decades ago, if I could help him serve cappuccinos during intermission at the Lobero Theater in Santa Barbara. I said, “sounds like fun”. Who knew back then that those three simple words would become the seed beginnings for all the many weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs, corporate clients, fundraisers and celebrity galas I would be serving at through today, including the Emmys, Golden Globes and the Governors Ball at The Academy Awards.
So, here I am as the founder of The Cappuccino Connection wondering if I will be serving you an espresso, cappuccino, chai or mocha latte and many hot or iced blended beverage selections more at your next wondrous event. It would be fun!
In the meantime, as one of the earliest Yoga teachers in the United States, as a student of t’ai chi and zen meditation, as a producer of morning ceremonial hikes into the mountains to celebrate the earth and rising sun and as a published children’s book author and visionary in the transformational growth movement, I will offer a poem for your reading enjoyment today called: The Earth Speaks In Cricket!
serving Southern California since 1989
A friend of mine asked, almost three decades ago, if I could help him serve cappuccinos during intermission at the Lobero Theater in Santa Barbara. I said, “sounds like fun”. Who knew back then that those three simple words would become the seed beginnings for all the many weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs, corporate clients, fundraisers and celebrity galas I would be serving at through today, including the Emmys, Golden Globes and the Governors Ball at The Academy Awards.
So, here I am as the founder of The Cappuccino Connection wondering if I will be serving you an espresso, cappuccino, chai or mocha latte and many hot or iced blended beverage selections more at your next wondrous event. It would be fun!
In the meantime, as one of the earliest Yoga teachers in the United States, as a student of t’ai chi and zen meditation, as a producer of morning ceremonial hikes into the mountains to celebrate the earth and rising sun and as a published children’s book author and visionary in the transformational growth movement, I will offer a poem for your reading enjoyment today called: The Earth Speaks In Cricket!
|
THE EARTH SPEAKS IN CRICKET!
The Earth speaks in cricket And often in frog, In the meows and bow-wows of cats and of dogs. The Earth speaks in owl In wolves and in bears In the hootings and howlings And fierce sounding grrrs. |
The Earth speaks in horses
And eagles that fly In the clip clops and flip flaps That soar through the sky. The Earth speaks in thunder, In lightening and rain, In the booms and, pit-patters Till sun shines again. The Earth speaks in water In ripples, in waves |
That comes crashing on beaches,
That’s how it behaves. The Earth speaks in breezes And strong hurricanes That goes screeching through orchards And screams through the plains. The Earth speaks in wonders From below and above Ah, the Earth speaks in beauty And always in love. |
I hope you liked this poem and it you choose to have me at your next social or corporate event, I will recite a poem for you if you’d like and bring a signed children’s book I have written as well!
Warmest wishes from the heart,
Ken Cohen
Warmest wishes from the heart,
Ken Cohen