Meet Maria Del Carmen Guzman | Owner and Chef of Carmel Cakery

We had the good fortune of connecting with Maria Del Carmen Guzman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Maria Del Carmen, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Are you familiar with the quote ” If you never try, you’ll never know” by Jo Miller? I always go back to this quote when a new opportunity presents itself. My latest endeavor is Carmel Cakery LLC. Even though living in the middle of a pandemic, I chose to start up my home based business not knowing if it will gain popularity. I took that risk to prove to myself if it’s meant to be, then so be it! Life is too short to stay inside the comfort zone.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
In my mission statement, I state ” We only use high quality ingredients to create products that are both lively and flavorful.” I want to make sure every person visually eats with their eyes first and then when they take their first bite, it matches what they envisioned. I enjoy making 3D cakes, that is what I think sets me apart. The best part is when clients see the little details. It could be the stitching patterns on Shoe cakes to accurate constellations drawn on a galaxy cake. After graduating from The Art Institute of Dallas, I had the opportunity to work in prestigious restaurants. Working with Executive Chef Denies Shavandy at Cafe Modern was an amazing experience. She showed me how I can improve my skills and explore more ingredients. Cafe Modern opened another door for me to work in a different restaurant within the company at a private cafe in a corporate building. This cafe molded me even more into the chef I am today.
In both restaurants I was able to cook meals for various celebrities. This included multiple political representatives, artists like Kaws and Matisse, at some point Owen Wilson was in the building! Throughout this whole time, I kept baking cakes on the side for friends and family. When I noticed I started getting a high demand, I decided to officially start a business.

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?
I started my career as a savory chef, therefore I would take them out to eat! I just need to ask them one question, “Which country of food do you want to eat?”. There’s too many to list but here are my top 5 as of today: – The Meridian (Brazilian Cuisine)
-Havana Cafe – Mojito Bar (Cuban Cuisine)
-Yama Sushi (Japanese Cuisine)
– Kalachandji’s (Vegetarian Indian Cuisine)
-King Tut (Egyptian Cuisine)

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are many people in my life that I have great gratitude towards. For starters, every single past, present and future client that trust me for their special events. They always put my skills to the test by sharing their ideas and allowing me to bring them to life! I couldn’t go far without them! A big special shutout is to my husband, Mr. Guzman. He is the one that has motivated me and reminds me to do anything I set my mind to. He is very patient and down to earth. Did I mention he is my personal accountant for our bakery?

Instagram: @carmelcakery

Image Credits
Sarah Blaze