Meet Victoria Fisk | Co-Founder & Confectionery Chef

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

Hi Victoria, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
There were multiple factors to starting my own business. First, after becoming a mom, I needed something extra to occupy both my brain and hands. The physical aspect of actually making something manually was an added bonus. It’s not exactly exercise, but it definitely requires your full mental presence if you want to succeed in piping flowers. And while I’ve always had a knack for baking, my favorite part was the decorating. Zefir ended up being the perfect medium – it allowed me to skip the lengthy dessert-building process and do it all at once: create a delicious treat that is also a decoration.

Second, it was right after COVID. Things were shifting economically, and it felt safer to become a business owner and depend on myself rather than rely on the job market. On a personal level, I also needed to pivot and step away from a rather sporadic and unreliable career in the entertainment industry.

Finally, I had a longtime friend with whom I’d already had a successful working relationship. She loved the zefir flowers I showed her, and we realized it was a great niche product: health-forward while also highly decorative and exclusive. We thought we’d partner up and give it a shot.

That’s how Bouqedibles was born.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We started Bouqedibles in early 2022 as a cottage bakery specializing in zefir and other baked goods adorned with floral decorations.

What sets us apart in the local market is our product. While we have always made, and still make, floral cupcakes and custom cakes, zefir (or zephyr) flower arrangements have become our signature and most in-demand offering. Zefir is an Eastern European confectionery, a perfect hybrid between a marshmallow and a meringue. It’s a gluten- and dairy-free treat that can be used as part of a cake decoration or served on its own. It’s healthier than marshmallow, which is essentially whipped corn syrup with gelatin (sometimes with added flavorings or egg whites), and lighter than meringue, which is simply egg whites whipped with sugar. Zefir sits somewhere in between, generally made with fresh fruit or berry purées, sugar, egg whites, and agar-agar as a jelling agent.

What makes us most proud as owners of Bouqedibles is that our product is always made with the best organic and natural ingredients available. While it is a confectionery, it has well-balanced sugar levels thanks to our health-conscious approach: never overly sweet, always defined in flavor. We are also thoughtful about using food coloring, avoiding it when possible, steering clear of controversial ingredients, and using natural alternatives. We believe our product looks exceptionally beautiful, and with every order, we remain mindful and push our skills to new heights. At this point, we can confidently say we can create virtually anything with our zefir flowers; from luxurious, realistic floral arrangements to whimsical objects like a tennis ball made of zefir roses. Within the first year, we built a loyal clientele, and our customer satisfaction rate is high enough that 70% return to us.

Currently, the most exciting part is the development of our online educational branch. Over the past year, Bouqedibles has introduced multiple recipes with thorough instructions and created a support group for everyone who has purchased any of our educational products, as well as courses and classes. We are developing a series of upcoming tutorials and courses, including a Christmas Special on how to make a Floral Zefir Christmas Wreath and our signature Peonies course. Additionally, we go live on TikTok twice a week to share the fun of piping flowers. One of my favorite parts of these live sessions is sharing interesting food history facts and discoveries.

I don’t think any business is easy. It’s always a leap of faith and long hours. During high seasons, or when preparing and teaching classes, the hours stretch even longer, bringing the most challenging part of running a business into focus – finding that elusive work-life balance. (If anyone has the recipe, please send it my way.) It’s also challenging to stay focused when working on long-term projects that don’t produce immediate results. I’m learning to overcome this by prioritizing tasks and staying agile on both personal and professional levels.

The most valuable technique I’ve discovered is articulating an anchor. Something that keeps you grounded and brings you back on track during turbulence. In my case, it’s the strength of our partnership. I’m not a loner; I thrive in relationships. With Bouqedibles, just as in my personal life, I’ve learned that you have to commit. In personal life, you commit to your partner. In business, you commit to the work. As partners, we chose each other because of our shared values, which created trust, and because of our work ethic. On top of that foundation, we have a shared commitment to building Bouqedibles into a leader in floral desserts and educational content. You must exercise that muscle of commitment every day. I find it deeply motivating. We are people, we are mothers, we are friends: we have emotions, worries, and countless distractions. But choosing to stay focused on our work, despite everything, makes the company and the partnership stronger every day, helps us reach new heights, and, I believe, makes us better people.

We are proud to bring our heritage into the story of Bouqedibles. While zefir is not a well-known dessert in the Western world, both of us grew up with it, and we are happy to bring something different and health-conscious to Los Angeles’s diverse dessert culture. Through our brand, we want customers to experience the joy of gifting beautiful, thoughtful, health-conscious treats. We want our dessert clients and students to feel unique and valued—every single one. As educators, we are committed to remaining curious about what we do and to inspiring both our audience and ourselves. There are always new flavors to discover and new techniques to learn.

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.
I find LA an exceptional cultural space. Depending on the season, I always recommend local open air events: Cinespia’s Hollywood Forever experience, KCRW summer music shows, and LACMA Jazz. During the winter that would be the museums themselves. Besides the main museum titles there are also smaller ones that are fun for both kids and adults. Museum of Arts and Crafts, Barnsdall Art Park, Skirball Cultural Center and Museum of Jurassic Technology are thoughtfully curated hidden gems.

For coffee I really like Blue Bottle and Alfred, yet there are plenty of obscure coffee shops in LA anywhere you go, and most of them are good. For daytime brunch gathering I love Mood on 3d, or Republique on South LaBrea. Gjelina on Abbot Kinney never fails. Actually I prefer the takeout sandwiches, especially the tuna melt, rather than a sit down experience, and a walk by the beach.

I would definitely go on a hike: for the view, and to tease the visitors who aren’t used to climbing uphill. Runyon Canyon would be my first choice for a city view, and one of the Malibu waterfall hikes for nature.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
First and foremost, my family, especially my husband, gave me the freedom to choose what I wanted to do. Second, my partner, Elena Serebryannaya deserves credit. Bouqedibles is an equal partnership, and both of us are vital to the company’s success. We deliberately chose to build a brand based on our personal values: healthy food habits, ecological consciousness, care for our customers, and a sense of what’s beautiful.

Educationally, I’d give a shoutout to two books that have influenced me tremendously and remain my go-tos whenever I’m searching for answers. The first is, “Lean In” by Sheryl Sandberg. I like her perspective on being a woman in business: maintaining a woman’s identity, learning flexibility and strength, while facing the same challenges, and often more, than men on their journey. The second is, “The Effective Executive,” a classic by Peter Drucker. His focus on opportunities rather than problems helps me maintain a positive attitude and stay focused on the right things.

I’m fortunate to have a diverse group of longtime and newer friends with backgrounds in business, the arts, and education who support me, sometimes involuntarily, simply by being there and sharing their stories, journeys, laughter, and more. I believe in the compound value of experiences that shape you as a person and bring ideas or eye-opening revelations when you least expect them.

Website: https://www.bouqedibles.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wearebouqedibles/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bouqedibles

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Bouqedibles

Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@bouqedibles

Image Credits
Bouqedibles