Paris, 1994. My cheeks alight from the glow of the oven. Hypnotized by the heat turning the tart to gold. Apricots release from their skins in the pot: the air is thick, sweet, warm. I stand, captivated into stillness, alongside the knees of my grandparents. Quiet wonder at the world we have created consumes me. I am 5 years old.

My father designed this kitchen: the cool gleam of glass and steel surrounds me as I stir, spill and savor in lieu of doing homework. My mother is a doctor who tends to my oven burns, my younger sister is always by my side, wide-eyed with curiosity and questions. I bake every day.  

My childhood passion has become my career: I spend a decade building The Caker. My sister Anouk has gone from peering over my shoulder to becoming a co-owner. What started as a made-to-order cake business at a brick & mortar in New Zealand has turned into a global brand with a cult-following. The Caker’s success and inherent overlap into the worlds of fashion, beauty and entrepreneurship opens up a world of opportunities—not only for the business, but for me personally. I move to Los Angeles in 2019.

Los Angeles, 2024. While my passion for cakes has not waned (and never will), I have also learned that knowing when to let go of something you love is an act of grace. In 2024 Anouk and I made the decision to sell The Caker as we both sought horizons that transcended culinary confinement. Making cakes has always been a product of the heart. The Caker may have evolved, but the life-source remains the same.