Meet Nosizwe Moleah | Pastry Chef/Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nosizwe Moleah and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nosizwe, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?

I believe that creativity chose me. My parents are creative entrepreneurs so I was always around music playing whether it’s from artists we all know/love or from local artists that my dad would meet and produce for. My mom would always have fresh pressed juices ready for breakfast and homemade vegan meals available all day. At night, we would have herbal tea time and watch inspiring movies or documentaries. My parents always encouraged me to love Christ, learn about the world and be happy in everything I do.

Before pastries I dreamed of becoming a veterinarian, architecture, and choreographer. I’ve always known I wanted to be of good service to the world, always learning, and having fun while doing it. Being a pastry chef I get to do all of those things. The joy on everyone’s face when being presented a beautiful pastry is priceless and the moments they have within last forever.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
It all began at ten years old baking with my mother when my family & I resided in Johannesburg, South Africa. We started with cookies, brownies, and cakes. To me, the passion of baking hadn’t really hit just yet; it was just great bonding time with mom. She’s such an amazing cook and has inspired me my whole life to do what my heart desires.

Towards the end of my 7th-grade year, my school Reddam House hosted an Entrepreneur Day for the students, where I decided to sell brownies. All the teachers & students loved my brownies so much, they made sure to let me know the day of and the next day. It wasn’t until we moved back to the States where I truly began to love baking; I was 14 years old. My mother gave me this cupcake book called Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World and my life has been sweet ever since. I baked every cupcake in that book. During that time, I was being homeschooled so I was able to attend summer baking programs and baking/pastry classes throughout my years in high school, baking pastries every single day. I was able to create my own pastry high school to say the least.

After graduating high school in 2012, my family & I decided to move to Los Angeles, California where I would pursue my dreams of becoming a Pastry Chef. Chef Eric’s Culinary Classroom & New School of Cooking is where I studied for Baking & Pastry. After culinary school, I immediately started to intern in kitchens such as Platine Cookies, Shortcake LA, Melisse & Nic’s Beverly Hills. I knew if I wanted to win in the pastry business, I had to work for the best and do my best.

Madeline & Pearl was originally founded in December 2013 after I hosted my own dessert event called The Sweet Hour in Beverly Hills. I chose to name the business after my grandmother’s because I wanted a name that was classy with boutique vibes, a sweet boutique.

After completing culinary school and my internships, I was ready to showcase all I had learned. The Sweet Hour was hosted at Nic’s Beverly Hills, where I was just finished my internship. I thank Larry Niccola for giving me the opportunity to showcase my work, it was truly a Sweet event. In the beginning stages of my pastry business, I was only offering artisanal vegan ice cream ranging in flavors from Cookies n’ Creme to Banana’s Foster, Strawberry Cheesecake & Chocolate Covered Pretzels. While running my business, I took on an opportunity to work at a restaurant called Hinoki & The Bird in Century City. During my time there, the business began to grow and I was able to create over 40+ flavors. After my time at Hinoki, I moved on to work at Chef Wolfgang’s Flagship restaurant Spago Beverly Hills under Chef Della Gossett. During my training at Spago, I decided to go on a hiatus with Madeline & Pearl to fully focus and hone in; knowing my training would make my business much better in the long run.

Now Madeline & Pearl has been running for 3 years and it has grown more than ever. I’m super grateful for all the support and opportunities that have been given. I’m super grateful to have been blessed with such a creative customer based business. I’ve been blessed to make so many delicious, new, and fun pastries. I specifically love making pastries from another country and seeing it come out a success. Being a pastry chef allows me to connect with everyone on an international level. My paternal grandfather gifted me with the name Nosizwe which means “Mother of the Nations” and through pastries I get to bake for all nations of the world.

I’m here to stay in this sweet business and I’m excited for everyone to experience Madeline & Pearl for themselves in the near future.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
FIRST Stop! Cha Cha Chicken in Santa Monica! I love going to the beach and eating afterwards so Cha Cha is the perfect place for that. During the week we could also check out Eataly in the Century City Mall. Eataly has some of the best Italian pastries, pizza, breads and more. Hope Kitchen in Studio City would also be a must for us to visit and then maybe some bowling down at PINZ. The Nook in Sherman Oaks is a great breakfast spot. If my friend is down for mini golf then I’d take them to the Sherman Oaks Castle Park, really fun place to hang with friends and family. I’d show them around Pasadena and we’d stop by to see my friends at Bone Kettle for a delicious meal. Two days left for my friend so we HAVE to go down to Cecilia’s DTLA , Grand Central Market, Little Damage, and The Broad. I’d have to show them a new vegan spot I found called Srey Vegan. Delicious vegan cambodian food in Mid-City then afterwards we’re going to Van Leeuwen Ice Cream, Bar Nine, and then we’re hitting the grocery store by the end of the day. One of my favorite things to do with my friends is baking with them so I would do that with my friend before they leave. On the plus side, they have delicious pastries to board the plane with and great memories to remember.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would love to shoutout my good friend Beyond. He is such an amazing artist, singer, rapper, dancer, friend, healer and overall loving human. Since we’ve met in 2019 Beyond & I have grown a wonderful friendship. I can come to Beyond about anything and it’s always love. I’m also glad that he is an entrepreneur like me so we also connect on a business level. I think it’s very important to have inspiring healthy friends around and a big part of success.

Beyond right now has a great song out called “Go Get It” and it’s perfect for the year 2022. I think we should all go get our dreams and make them a reality. Let no one stand in your way. Beyond stands and lives that. I wish him all the best on his life journey.

Website: madelineandpearl.com

Instagram: @madelineandpearl

Facebook: facebook.com/madeinpearl