Meet Aracely Vega | Pastry Chef

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

Hi Aracely, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
As a child I was always in the kitchen, and as I grew out my apron, I knew that I wanted to open my own business. I knew I wanted to become a pastry chef. When I was 6 years old I discovered that baking and decorating desserts have been my passion and it wasn’t just something fun but it gave meaning to my everyday life. I felt like I found my spark. My family and friends would always get together and I would always bake cupcakes for them. I love seeing smiles on people’s faces, so why not bake a smile, prepare the flour, crack the eggs, pour the milk and a sprinkle a dash of love, set the oven temperature to 350 degrees, and serve a delicious sweet tasty smile in a wrapper, that will not only warm your heart, but also your stomach. I began my Chelys.Pastries journey and started dipping and decorating strawberries for fun, until someone approached me and asked how much I sell them for. That question made me realize, why not make money and satisfy customers while doing what I love the most.My love for baking will never change, it has only grown as the days go by. I attended a culinary school and got my diploma in Baking & Pastry Arts. School felt like a kitchen filled with friends and we would bake for fun. It was a dream come true. One more check mark off my list when I walked across the stage.Taking these little steps really made me look back and question myself, why am I doing this? Well, I really enjoy dipping strawberries and decorating them. I am a perfectionist and detail is so important to me, something I can never let slip away is a terrible piping mistake. From piping chocolate to piping frosting. If I mess up, I need to start all over again. A satisfying customer is a satisfying night of sleep. Acknowledging the responsibility of how many smiles I can bake, and how much my pastries will impact someone’s day by making it not just better but sweeter, really motivates me to sell more. I don’t just do it for myself, I do it for all those little girls that one day realized how impactful baking was. I was that little girl and for all my future customers just know that when you taste one of Chely’s Pastries you’re not just tasting a cupcake, but a piece of history.

Please tell us more about your art. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
I am most proud of my journey and how I have grown into becoming a better pastry chef than I have ever been. I am at my prime. All the challenges I faced to get to where I am right now have taught me so many lessons. Lessons that sometimes made me want to quit but I pushed myself no matter how difficult that situation was presented. Not everyone talks about the struggles that come with your ambition. It was not easy getting to where I am today. There were days where I doubted myself a lot and didn’t think I could get out of it, but I did and I proved myself wrong again and again because at the end of the day it’s me against me. I am my strongest opponent. I came to the realization that If I can get myself through these tough times, I think I can get myself through almost anything. Unfortunately, I would get some negative comments on my work at the beginning, but I did not let that stop me from growing my small business. I told myself that those comments were constructive criticism and that my audience didn’t want me to fail but wanted me to learn. Why would I let one little negative opinion take over 20 positive comments? I was not only worried about my final product, but about my pricing. I would be scared to charge the right amount, because I felt like my work was not as valuable. I took a step back and realized, how is this not worth it? I started upping my prices and customers were still buying from me. That was the moment I knew that whatever touched my hands will touch people’s hearts including their pockets. Every message I would get to place an order would turn my frown upside down. The biggest challenge I faced was not giving up. In school, there were times where I thought I would never get the product the way I wanted it to come out, but I kept showing up and giving it my all. I even showed up on days that were not mandatory, because I was so set on one thing. “Perfection” The day I had to present my final product, I knew that the hours, the energy and the stress I put into it would be worth it in the end. I was so nervous for the first order I ever made, but now I get so excited when I get a notification for an order. I feel like I can demonstrate to customers my talents especially when they give me their trust. Advising me that I have the freedom to do what I want with the order, putting my creative abilities to the test when it comes to details and themes and let’s never forget the fun of just having the opportunity to be myself, at the end of the day feeling confident enough to present all my work that is made with sprinkles and love. Oh and did I mention more sprinkles? Extra love.
I am proud. I am happy. I am Aracely Vega.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

The best place would probably be my part time job. It has the best atmosphere. I work at a bakery called Nothing Bundt Cakes and make thousands of cupcakes and cakes a week that are distributed around the entire city of Los Angeles. They’re always creating new flavors. At the moment they have 11 delicious flavors, white chocolate raspberry being my favorite that one always hits the spot. I would give my best friend a tour of the kitchen, where I, the baker, bake all the cakes and cupcakes in. We would hang out in the bakery while smelling the cakes baking in the back. It’s so nice to see customers leave with a smile, so hopefully my best friend enjoys it as much as I do and I’m sure she will leave with a smile, as well as a cake. I might even teach her how to frost the cakes. The best part of it all is once we are finished we can head home smelling like a cookie.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I am so thankful for everyone that has been there for me since the beginning and have supported me in all aspects. My family is I think not just the most loving but the most supporting family, not just on the planet but in the entire universe. My mother and father have never doubted me and with all my abilities and skills. My parents encouraged me to do what I love and never forced me into an industry I did not enjoy. Instead, they always made me feel like the cherry on top of their ice cream and for that I would like to say thank you for making me delicious. My mom would always drive me to the store to buy ingredients, no matter the time of day. While roaming through the aisles at the grocery store with my mom, she would always remind me how good the product will come out if I focused on quality instead of quantity. If I ever had trouble with anything, they were always there to lift me up by my shoes covered in flour. Whenever I had questions about baking, my parents were always there to guide me through the recipe. Not just in the kitchen but in life. When I say I would not be where I am if it was not for my parents, I would not be wearing my apron to work everyday at Chelys.Pastries established in 2021.

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