There might be some unexpected benefits from the pandemic after all: When 11-year-old Alissa Telusca was quarantined, she devoted her time to baking at home. Her efforts morphed into Issa’s Cake Dreams, a budding business focused on cupcakes and cakes to order.
“I’m self-taught,” she says. “It all started with a Father’s Day cake I baked for my dad. He loved it, and I realized I wanted to create the same feeling of happiness for others.”
Telusca currently spends 10 hours each week on her business, turning out between one and three cakes. Her mother, Emmanuela, admits there were some rough spots, such as the five tries it took for her daughter to master the carrot cake. “We’re turning down a lot of orders because she’s only 11,” she says. “It’s important that we don’t take the fun out of it.”
While her career path hasn’t yet been finalized, right now, Telusca wants to go to pastry school and become a baker. Her goal is to compete on the Kids Baking Championship, a competitive reality show produced for the Food Network. Currently in its eighth season, the show is hosted and judged by Valerie Bertinelli and baker Duff Goldman of Charm City Cakes.
Telusca’s motto is “God, family, cake,” and her approach to the craft has an element of spirituality. “God blessed me with this talent,” she explains, “and I feel excited to share it.”
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