Meet Amanda Moody | Cake Artist and Baker

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

Hi Amanda, how did you come up with the idea for your business?
I started Manda Bakes initially as a way to bake for friends and family. My baking journey officially began in 2008 when I attended culinary school at the International Culinary School at the Art Institute of California San Diego. I have always loved baking and finally decided to officially pursue a career I the field.
I graduated in 2011 with honors and received my Associate Degree in Baking and Pastry. I went on to work in such fields as catering chef, line cook, and pastry cook at some of the top resorts and restaurants around San Diego County.
My family and I relocated to the Los Angeles area in 2014 and I hung my chef hat up to start my beautiful family.
The passion for baking never left however, and once friends discovered my culinary past it was almost a seamless transition to creating cakes and treats for their birthday parties and events.
It is this small but mighty village of mine that truly helped bring Manda Bakes to life and without their support and encouragement I would have never taken the leap to get back into baking again.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Manda Bakes is a Cottage Food Operation that is all about custom scratch made cakes and treats for all occasions. Everything that leaves my kitchen is made from scratch and with high quality ingredients. One of the challenges of owning a Cottage Food Operation is that we are limited to certain offerings, such as no custard or perishable cake fillings. This means I have to make sure my flavors and decorations stand out so customers choose to return to Manda Bakes! That being said, one of the things that keeps me most busy is that I have had pleasure of being apart of so many personal and momentous occasions for people over the years. I think it truly speaks volumes of a business that is asked to create a custom cake for a bridal shower, then the wedding, then the baby shower-all for the same family. Growing with my clients and being asked to be included in so many milestone events brings me the most joy, and it is because of those relationships being built that Manda Bakes has experienced the growth that it has.

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.
Being that I am a newer resident of Los Angeles County I’m still experiencing the excitement of exploring all that it has to offer. From concerts at the Hollywood bowl, Dodger games, fresh seafood in Malibu, playing in the snow in Wrightwood, the is so much diversity in being a Southern California resident. Locally I have also enjoyed exploring Santa Clarita and have loved the restaurant scene in Downtown Newhall. There are also so many amazing hiking trails and one thing still on my list is to explore Vasquez Rocks.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Every single client I have ever had the pleasure of creating for definitely deserves a shout out. Clients are the backbone of small businesses and without the word of mouth and continued support from my local community I would not have the success that I have managed to have thus far. Most importantly however I have to shout out my husband Kenny and my children Breydon and Madilynne. They are the reason I do what I do, and their unwavering support and encouragement day in and day out is what truly drives me.

Website: Www.mandabakes.com

Instagram: Manda.Bakes

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/profile.php/?id=100087236225798

Yelp: Check out Manda Bakes! https://yelp.to/eQBU_AWcAc