By LOIS KINDLE
Carmen Galarza has come a long way since emigrating from southern Mexico with her parents and six siblings in 1982. They settled in Balm, and the entire family labored in fields as farmworkers in harvesting tomatoes, strawberries and citrus fruits.
Today the Wimauma resident has achieved the American Dream her parents sought for her as the owner of Custom Cakes by Carmen, a privately owned business she opened in 2019 with the help of the Enterprising Latinas.
Custom Cakes by Carmen offers cakes and cupcakes for any occasion – weddings, quinceañeras, birthdays, business conferences, luncheons, graduations, anniversaries, even a tres leches for Mother’s Day, like the one shown here.
What young boy wouldn’t love a themed birthday cake like this one, recently created by Custom Cakes by Carmen?
This lovely wedding cake was made by Carmen Galarza for a couple who celebrated their marriage in March 2023
Galarza worked hard to get there.
After graduating from East Bay High School in 1998, she became certified in childcare and worked full time at an RCMA daycare for five years. In 2003, she was hired by Hillsborough County to work in a variety of administrative positions for a number of different schools and programs and remained until she was required to leave in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic.
Ironically, a family tragedy in 2004, in which her husband and 18-month-old daughter, Gemma, almost died in a head-on crash with a drunk driver, led her to consider other options for making ends meet. The experience triggered her long-held desire to become a professional pastry chef.
When not at work, Galarza acquired self-taught baking and cake decorating skills and learned the basics of running a business.
“I came to the Enterprising Latinas in 2016 and began taking courses in digital literacy and financial management, took its entrepreneurship course and earned my ServSafe certification,” she said. “With the educational opportunities and the support the Latinas provided, I registered and officially opened Custom Cakes by Carmen in 2019. It’s licensed, insured and certified by the state.
Carmen Galarza and her company, Custom Cakes by Carmen, were featured on NBC’s Todo Tampa Bay in September 2002. She started the family business in 2019 and dreams of one day opening a local brick-and-mortar storefront.
Want to spoil your favorite pooch? How about a custom birthday cake made with pet friendly ingredients by Carmen Galarza? Seen here is her family’s dog, Scar, enjoying his own special cake.
“My entire family is involved in the business,” Galarza said, “Gemma, 22, is assistant manager and handles technology, networking and social media; son Julian, 25, is the artist who designs cakes and cake toppers; and son Jozuel, 16, preps pans and is color coordinator of our frostings. My husband, Miguel Ramos, structures cakes and makes deliveries.”
Galarza, the face of the business, bakes, makes fillings and frostings, also designs and is responsible for customer service. She performs her magic at Eli’s Commercial Kitchen at the Enterprising Latinas Wimauma Opportunity Center.
“I love the creative process, the flavors I get to explore,” she said. “It’s relaxing. It’s like therapy for me.
“Cake decorating is my favorite part,” she added. “It’s a privilege to make someone’s dream cake a reality.”
Custom Cakes by Carmen serves Hillsborough and Manatee counties. The company offers cakes and cupcakes for all occasions – weddings, quinceañeras, birthdays, business conferences, luncheons, graduations, anniversaries and more.
Galarza even makes special cakes for canines, including her family’s own English bulldog, Scar. She also creates dessert bars, which feature a variety of desserts and dessert shooters.
COURTESY PHOTOS
This beautiful cake and dessert table was created by Carmen Galarza, owner of Custom Cakes by Carmen, for the Ramirez family for their daughter’s 15th birthday celebration to mark her transition into adulthood.
Prices start at $35, and all major credit cards, Zelle, Cash App and cash are accepted forms of payment.
Examples of her creations can be found on Facebook under Custom Cakes by Carmen or on Instagram at #customcakesbycarmen/.
For more information or to place an order for your special occasion, call 813-504-0866 or email customcakesbycarmenorders@gmail.com/.