Sweet treat: young Halifax mother turns COVID challenges into custom cake business
New mom Hanlyn Barlomento-Fuentes has turned her pandemic pastime into a busy cake-making business.
“It’s for a graduation party, and we’re putting white and gold designs all over it. And we’re going to be adding a grad hat after everything is done,” explains Barlomento-Fuentes as she designs an intricate graduation cake shaped like the letter ‘R’.
Originally from the Philippines, Barlomento-Fuentes immigrated to Canada in 2008. But she says she never expected to be baking cakes for a living.
“I graduated as a cardiology technologist, but because of COVID, I decided to just stay home and look after our little one,” says Barlomento-Fuentes.
It’s been a stressful year for the 26-year-old, who has been raising her infant daughter in Halifax while waiting for her husband to immigrate to Canada.
“My family is one of the badly affected by the immigration backlog. I sponsored my husband in 2019 and still haven’t heard from immigration, so that’s why I just decided to be home and be with my daughter for now, since my husband is not here,” said Barlomento-Fuentes.
But as the old saying goes, when life gives you lemons, make cake!
Rather than feel sorry for herself, Barlomento-Fuentes has found new ways to keep busy.
“It was because of my postpartum depression that I started looking for ways to ease my mind. One day, about six or seven months ago I decided to make cakesicles for my little one - pretty much cake pops but just a different, bigger style,” recalls Barlomento-Fuentes.
What started off as a delicious dessert for her daughter quickly turned into a blossoming business.
“I posted them online and they grabbed a lot of people’s attention, so after that I just started selling them. After two months I started adding cakes; first letter cakes, then cupcakes and also custom dipped strawberries,” explains Barlomento-Fuentes.
Her custom cake business ‘Memiswirls’ continues to grow with popularity, and Hanlyn says the experience has inspired personal growth as well.
“This is a very big thing for me, because I’m a very shy person, but doing this business helped me open up to new opportunities, even getting interviewed,” she says. “Customers keep coming back and that boosted up on my confidence.”
Delicious desserts that have helped make a tough year a bit sweeter for a young business owner, and her customers.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trend Line Anger, pessimism towards federal government reach six-year high: Nanos survey
Most Canadians in March reported feeling angry or pessimistic towards the federal government than at any point in the last six years, according to a survey by Nanos Research.
B.C. child killer's lawyer walks out of review hearing
The lawyer representing child-killer Allan Schoenborn walked out of his client's annual review hearing Wednesday – abruptly ending proceedings marked by tense exchanges and several outbursts.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
How to avoid the trap of becoming 'house poor'
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
Juror dismissed in Trump hush money trial as prosecutors ask for former president to face contempt
Prosecutors in the hush money trial of Donald Trump asked Thursday for the former president to be held in contempt and fined because of seven social media posts that they said violated a judge's gag order barring him from attacking witnesses.
Why drivers in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada will see a gas price spike, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
It's the biggest election in history. Here's why few Indians in Canada will take part
In the Indian general election that gets underway on Friday, almost a billion people are eligible to vote, but a vast majority of the overseas Indian community in Canada won't be casting a ballot.
McDonald's customers left with 'zero value' collection of free hot drink stickers after company ends program
It took years for Vinnie Deluca to collect more than 400 cards worth of free McDonald's McCafe coffee, a collection that now has "zero value" after the company discontinued the program.
Getting the lowest mortgage rates in a high interest rate world
The challenges facing home buyers mean it's all the more important to do research and negotiate on rates, mortgage experts say, though they also caution that there's more to focus on than just what looks like the cheapest upfront option.