Today we’d like to introduce you to Diana De Leon
Hi Diana, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Hi! I’m Diana, the Deaf and Latina owner of Buttered & Sugared, LLC., a cottage food custom confectionary company located near Jersey Village, serving the Greater Houston area. I have been decorating cakes since 2015 and created Buttered & Sugared in 2020. My specialty is custom cakes made from scratch with fresh, quality ingredients, as well as cupcakes, macarons, and cakesicles, all with individual needs in mind. I also offer cake and cupcake decorating classes in American Sign Language with voice interpreting.
Aside from creating sweet confections, I am also a blogger and creator behind Find Your Cake Inspiration, which focuses on cake decorating, cake inspiration, and all dessert-related content. I work with brands to deliver their campaigns through my videos and photography and connect with the baking community on social media on all of the cake and baking related topics.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I started my business right before COVID-19 happened. The world shut down for a year after that. It took me quite some time to launch my business after COVID-19 and find quality customers who appreciated my products and services. My biggest challenges are managing my time for my business and my creator & blog business and caring for my children. I am always making sure to dedicate my time wisely to my business to provide quality service for my customers, whether it is responding to emails and messages on social media, planning out my production for cake orders, shopping for quality ingredients, and ensuring my cakes meet my quality control standards. A bit of work goes into every order to make sure the customer is happy with their special order!
In late 2023, I launched my ASL cake classes, which come with a cake or set of cupcakes to take home and use the decorating tools in a fun & relaxed social setting. Finding voice interpreters willing to give their time to interpret my classes has been a struggle if my mom, an interpreter, is not able to provide her voice interpreting. This is an obstacle that I will have when teaching classes, so I’m always looking for solutions for this aspect. Also, naturally, people are hesitant to book a class with a Deaf instructor because they may feel that the knowledge or quality of the class is not equivalent to a class taught by a Hearing instructor. To combat that notion, I try to demonstrate that the classes are fun and educational through ASL. I hope that people are more open to taking classes and enjoy cake decorating and learning something new along with any knowledge I share about the Deaf culture or American Sign Language. My future plans include cake & cupcake decorating camps for kids during holidays and the summers.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I specialize in custom cakes from scratch with fresh quality ingredients, ranging from 3-tier to 1-tier, quick-to-order cakes (less than a week), letter & number cakes, custom cupcakes, custom cakesicles, and macarons with an array of delicious flavors. There are lots of more details and images on my order menu.
No two orders are ever alike; each is made with the most personal touch. I love creating confectionaries that delight my customers and their guests, taste-wise and sight-wise.
I also ensure my cakes and desserts are photographed and edited in a beautiful setting to attract potential customers and businesses.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
I am grateful to my amazing husband and my kids for their tireless support and my mom, who has been helping me with my ASL classes by providing voice interpreting! Thanking all of the wonderful people who support my small business by ordering, sharing my cakes, and giving me love! I also thank my fellow bakers who helped me bounce my ideas off them and provide feedback.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://butteredandsugared.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/butteredandsugared/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/butteredandsugared
Image Credits
Diana De Leon
