The Artistic Soul of Lima Cakes: Sona's Journey in Edible Storytelling and Empowerment

Embark on a soulful journey with the enchanting Sona, the mastermind behind Lima Cakes, as she weaves her Armenian heritage into each exquisite design. In the sanctuary of the kitchen, we uncover the emotional layers of cake artistry, where confections aren't merely sweet treats but an exploration of one's inner landscape. Every crafted cake is a tale steeped in personal stories and cultural nuances, and Sona's philosophy of never replicating a design underpins the uniqueness of her edible artworks. As we chat, it's clear that for Sona, cakes are more than just flour and sugar—they are vessels of a thousand tales, each one reflecting a distinct soul.

Delicate icing and elaborate decorations become the canvas for Sona as she delves into the art of teaching, sharing the trials and triumphs of nurturing creativity in her students. Our conversation transcends the mere techniques of cake decoration, touching upon the delicate balance between mentoring and allowing for artistic freedom. It’s a dance of passion and patience, echoing Sona's own journey with Lima Cakes—a symbol of her relentless pursuit for innovation and the sweet taste of success in a career that has evolved as richly as her designs.

This episode is a testament to the empowering force of cake artistry, serving as both a personal refuge from life's cacophony and a beacon for women striving to find harmony between their ambitions and family life. Sona's narrative resounds with the message that dreams are within our reach, inspiring listeners with the courage to embrace their own creative urges. Whether it’s instilling confidence in the next generation or crafting a legacy that transcends sugar and flour, join us for a heartwarming exploration into the transformative power of baking—and the women who rise like the cakes they so lovingly create.

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:03

Welcome to the Cake Therapy Podcast a slice of joy and healing, with your host, Dr Altricia Foster. This is a heartwarming and uplifting space that celebrates the transformative power of baking therapy. The conversations will be a delightful blend of inspirational stories, expert insights and practical baking tips. Of inspirational stories, expert insights and practical baking tips, Each episode will take listeners on a journey of self-discovery, emotional healing and connection through the therapeutic art of baking. There's something here for everyone, so lock in and let's get into it.

Speaker 2: 0:41

Hi everyone. Welcome back to another episode of the Cake Therapy Podcast with me, your host, Altricia Foster. Today's slice of joy and healing does not require much of an introduction, but I'm going to tell you about today's guest. Though she is dope, she's friendly, she's one of the best cake artists in the world really, she's going to tell you that she isn't when she comes on, but believe me, she is. So she has like one of the cleanest websites and if you go on her website, what you're going to see on there is art, works of art and a stunning Armenian in custom chef jacket and an otherworldly cakes. The masterpieces that this cake artist produced are often described in her bio. That she loves art and it shows in her work. It shows in the masterpieces that she produces. She's world-renowned and she teaches all over the world. Her work is published. She works in medium and texture and life and movement, and if you take one of her classes, you talk about movement. It has to move right. So today's guest is none other than Sona, owner of Lima Cakes. Welcome, Sona.

Speaker 3: 1:59

Hi Altresha, Thank you for the amazing introduction. I feel like a celebrity now.

Speaker 2: 2:07

Oh, girl you are. You are a celebrity. You're a celebrity in my eyes, but you're also like one of the greatest teachers that I've ever met, so means a lot, thank you, thank you, thank you for coming today. Even so, I met Sona in February when I went to Canada to do a class in her new cake academy it's called the Lima Cake Academy and then I went back in the summer to do a one on one with her and I was like, oh my God, she is so fun. So I want girls and I want you, or listeners, to hear from her, want girls and I want you, our listeners, to hear from her. So, sona, again, welcome. And what our listeners know if they go to your website is that they'll see that you're Armenian. Yes, I would like to know who is Armenian, sona.

Speaker 2: 2:59

And who inspires Sona in life in general.

Speaker 3: 3:05

Who inspires Sona in life in general? Who is Armenian Sona? Well, armenia is my country, where I was born and raised and spent most of my life like half of my life, I would say before marrying my husband and immigrating to Canada. I had a beautiful, beautiful childhood, lots of friends.

Speaker 3: 3:32

We grew up in streets, if I can say so, and I believe it formed my character. And also I think my country had a big impact on my artistic life, because my family and my culture actually has this big how can I say Art and music and culture is very important for us. So every child who's growing up in Armenia they have to attend some kind of art or music classes, and forcefully, even, like I've been forced to do music classes, which I hated my entire life to this day. But my parents would always take me to opera houses, they would take me to theaters, they would force me to read books and then later on, I started to love reading so much and I am a big believer that whatever, whatever I had in my early childhood affected my creativity a lot.

Speaker 2: 4:51

So in what ways? How do you see your early development and your early history in Armenia? How do you feel it impacting your cake designs? How does it show up for you? How do you feel it impacting?

Speaker 3: 5:05

you know your cake designs. How does it show up for you? Well, to begin with, I think, because I always dreamed to be an artist, since I was very, very little, or I remember myself. Because of that, I've tried many different art forms and because, you know, you could find teachers who wanted to teach you and the classes weren't very expensive like in US or Canada. It was very accessible. I think because of that I was, I was able to try many different art forms and to see what I like, what I don't like.

Speaker 3: 5:45

That's one of the ways the reading books and attending to music or like opera houses, listening to music or theaters that developed my inner soul, I would say, or like intelligence that developed a lot. What I actually try to do for my kids now, and I take the art in a completely different way. I feel the art and the music in a completely different way. I think that's when you're a kid. You don't realize that, right, you don't understand, you don't want to go, you don't want to listen, you don't want, you just want to play. But I'm very, very thankful for my parents that they forced me and made sure that I am exposed to that world.

Speaker 2: 6:36

Yeah, exposure is important. So you didn't mention like your soul, right? And it shows in every piece that you do, that you're really putting your artistic soul and your personality into your cakes. How important is it really to feed your soul in the process of making a cake?

Speaker 3: 6:55

no, it's very, very important. It's one of the reasons I started Lima cakes, because my monster, creative monster, I like to call him, but was about, you know, like it was ready to come out and my soul was hungry to create. Staying at home for five years, not being able to create, not being able to be exposed to art, I was so hungry to just start creating that I promised myself that if I'm going to do whatever I'm going to do, it has to be unique, it has to be next to art, and I kept my promise. Like, after seven years doing my work, doing my cakes, I kept myself the promise and I'm very happy because every time I create a cake, it must bring me the happiness, the butterfly.

Speaker 3: 7:52

If I don't feel it, if I don't just smile every time I step back and look at my creation, I would not do what I'm doing. Definitely, this is not a for me, it's not a business, it's not a way of earning money, or you know, like I don't really care about the popularity, I don't really care about, uh, what people think, um, about my art, what I think, what I enjoy, what it brings to me. That's what very, very important.

Speaker 2: 8:24

first place, so, so I, I like that and I, I like that. You know you mentioned about you you've always wanted to be an artist, but, like many of us, we we don't start where you know, where we eventually end up and like for me, you know, my background is really science, science, science, right, but you have an interesting story. What did you study in college? And tell us your journey from what you studied in college, your experience there and how then we start talking about how you got to Canada.

Speaker 3: 9:02

Well, my master's degree is engineering in technology, which is very, very funny because I have nothing to do with that degree. I don't know how I ended up finishing getting the university and finishing the getting the degree, but when I was young, I was graduating the university, the school. Honestly, I was confused. What, what I want to do? I never attended any art classes, even though I always dreamed to be an artist. Somehow I never get a chance to attend to art classes. I would do like you know, like meetings or macrames or you know something that connects to art, but not maybe what I would love to do, which is drawing, painting, you know, being in visual art. When I decided, when I was about to choose the university, I was very influenced by my dad because I admired him so much and I wanted to be in finance, which is crazy. I have no connection with math. I have, like I hate. I hope my kids are not listening to this because they don't know that but then I realized I went to college to see if I like it and I didn't like. So I came back to return to school and when I graduated, I found this university that teaches multimedia and design, which you know oh, great. By the way, I also pursued law. I wanted to become a lawyer. I actually studied to see if I will pass. I've tried everything. I'm a Gemini, I would try everything. And then when I found this university that offers this faculty of multimedia and design, I'm like, okay, great, this is something that will be great for my future. You know like I can earn money because it's connecting to computers plus design, what I like. But it was an experimental faculty. It was very, which is all coding and C++, nothing to do with me at all. It was my second year, actually, and I went to my parents. I asked them that you know like I don't want to go to that university anymore. I want to go to art university, which was very big in Armenia. It's a very good university. And my dad actually both of them, they told me that I can pursue it as a hobby. You know like parents, old schoolers and I can just finish up the university because this is a great opportunity, it will bring you a great, it's a great career and moneymaker. I've tried, I listened to them, I've tried for a year to pursue it as a hobby. I like, obviously you don't have time for that. And then I came back to my parents and told them, made a deal with them that I'm not going to attend to the classes, but I'm going to pursue graphic design, but I will finish the university. So, like you will not ask me how I'm finishing the university, about my grades, because I'm not going to attend the classes, I'm just going to attend the exams. So I did.

Speaker 3: 12:43

I actually started to work as a freelancer everywhere, wherever they would hire me. I went to a printing house, I worked as a packaging, you know I was. I worked in a magazine, I worked everywhere. Um, during the five year of my university life, I was working nonstop. Um, when we graduated, actually, I graduated pretty well. Somehow, once I graduated, I got a job in one of the international companies graphic design companies which was very rare because once you graduate it's very difficult to find a job because you don't have an experience. They won't experience people right to work, especially in the international company. But I had five years of experience and they hired me and then just, my graphic design career continued. From that point on, again, I've been a self-taught graphic designer.

Speaker 3: 13:43

Then what happened was there was this opportunity to compete and apply for the scholarship to Milan, in Italy, to study as a graphic designer. I did, and I won the scholarship, I bought the tickets. I started to learn Italian. To you know, like, study Italian, everything was ready. Italian, to you know, like studied Italian, everything was ready. My parents I had to pursue them to make sure that, like, convince them so that they will let me go.

Speaker 3: 14:13

Then I met my husband on my birthday and it was a love at first sight. In 12 days, he proposed me. I said yes and I gave up all my plans, all my future plans be becoming, that you know, famous worldwide graphic designer that I was dreaming about, and came to Canada. Came to Canada, a cultural shock, obviously, is completely different what I was envisioning for my life. I got pregnant, um, I had my kids stayed at home, uh, for five years to raise my beautiful daughters, which was, um, a beautiful opportunity because, um, the first years of their formation is, I believe, it's very important. Um. But then then, um, when they started to go to school, I was ready, like I, as I said, I was hungry, right to create. I was ready to start working. So, just a little bit.

Speaker 2: 15:20

No, no, that's good. So when you decided, decided to start baking. Right, our listeners might be. Well, I'm curious. I'd love to know how much has your graphic designing background influenced who Lima Cake is? You know your cakes today. How much influence does that have?

Speaker 3: 15:42

I believe a lot. I would say a lot. I had a mentor when I was doing graphic design. He taught me a lot of stuff that helped me during the creative process. When I was in a block, whenever I was creating I couldn't see the design remember what he was teaching me, how I can get out of that block and what I should do to continue creating. He also taught me a lot how to train my brain to see designs and I transformed it into seeing the cakes, seeing different objects as a cake and trying to recreate it in a cake form. So I would say a lot like the knowledge of color theory, composition maybe, although it's a little bit different when you work with three-dimensional objects, definitely like there are differences, but I do apply it a lot.

Speaker 2: 16:47

Okay, okay. So I guess that brings me into the question like what exactly is your process?

Speaker 3: 16:51

the process starts with the client, um, obviously, each client. I don't repeat any of my designs, I don't repeat any of my cakes, um, so, um, when I meet with the client, we, we have to click first of all. It's very important for me that we click with the client first, and then after that we discuss a lot, we brainstorm together and then I get excited because, you know, each client brings their own creativity, their own. They influence me a lot with their personalities, with their souls, with their characters, with their stories, with their tastes a lot. Um. Then, when we have some ideas like, uh, we agree on a design, um, I started the process of creating, definitely the baking part, and then, um, you know, right forms, the, uh, the right heights, uh, paying attention to the composition of the cake, of the design, um, and then I it's a bit difficult for me to explain because I go through so many stages of creating. It's not just I can't say like, this is first stage, and then the second, and then this, what I realized that I go into a meditation zone when I'm creating, and that's one of the biggest revolutions, that like things that I've realized about myself. Recently I was reading about, um, how to um, get to the creative meditation zone, and I realized that I actually do that without having that knowledge, that I'm into that zone and I'm so connecting with the cake at that moment, with the design it just starts building and like I start with a small part and then I, I will, with that small part, I will go up and down to find what, what I. I feel it's difficult to teach that moment. I we talked about it, I think, um, when I was teaching. It's very difficult to explain the feeling, but when you have that feeling you will know that you're in the right track.

Speaker 3: 19:12

Sometimes I would send the picture to my sister-in-law and she would say, oh, the Lima magic is lacking, like there is no Lima touch. I don't see the Lima touch. And then I'm like, what is Lima touch? Like I could never figure out what's the Lima touch? That's what she was calling. The reason I was sending the pictures to her is because I couldn't connect with the cake. I couldn't see it. So once I was connecting with the cake, once I was seeing it, that's when I was getting the Lima touch. But it takes a lot of time. It takes a lot of thinking. My classes, my cakes, my process takes a lot of brainstorming and going deeper into what you feel. I would say I think it's all about feelings.

Speaker 2: 20:06

Yeah, definitely about feelings, but you did mention there something I heard that was pretty interesting is that you don't repeat cakes. Could you like share with us why? Why don't you repeat cakes?

Speaker 3: 20:20

I like to say I'm a Gemini. I don't want to. I will get bored, like you. But the first year when I decided to pursue Keike's career, I promised myself that I had three promises like goals. I wanted to be best in my field. Best in my field, I want to do only artistic designs, not copy any other artist or myself. And I don't want to do kiss cakes. Sorry guys, whoever is doing kiss cakes, I just don't like.

Speaker 3: 21:09

I'm very moody and dark. I have a dark personality, so the colorful cakes are not for me much. And one of the reasons is because, again, I get tired very quickly when I have to repeat something, something else, even though sometimes, for example, I will come up with a technique with a texture. For example, I will come up with a technique with the texture. I will put it out there on Instagram and everybody will start copying the, the cake, or the texture, the, the technique, and then somebody will take it and develop it more and they will say it's their technique. But I can probably say that I started it. But because I don't continue, I don't repeat the technique, I don't repeat the design, I don't repeat my cakes. It's not staying as Lima's signature.

Speaker 3: 22:09

Yeah, okay it goes up, which I don't mind, by the way, because every time I've tried a couple of times to copy the cakes, I hated every second of that process. I hated it. I didn't enjoy working. I delayed, actually, the starting process. I delayed it so much that I physically couldn't delay it anymore because I had a deadline to finish the cake and I realized that I'm resisting, you know, working on the cake and I didn't like the feeling that I was feeling. So every time I create a new design, it's a challenge for me. I challenge myself, I compete with myself, not with other people, which is very difficult. You can't outdo your cake, you can't outdo what. At that moment you felt so proud, but I do. I think I'm in a search of that feeling all the time.

Speaker 2: 23:10

It's like getting high, no high no, it's true, we're constantly seeking that pleasure.

Speaker 3: 23:15

That's me in the, in the kitchen, I'm constantly seeking the pleasure from my last best cake, or something like that exactly, exactly, it's, it's, it's interesting, um, and I love that, I enjoy it, and one of the reasons also that I don't have repeating clients as well, which is again like as a as a business owner, you can say it Um, I, because I do enjoy working with new people, I do, I want to discover their creativity. I don't, I want to discover their souls and their characters, to put it, because every cake, by the way, I named my cakes, uh, every time I post it, I try to give names to my kids because the soul of my clients goes into the cake. I can see the cake, I can see the client with the cake.

Speaker 2: 24:01

Yeah, yeah, um, you know what I've? I I've had the opportunity to really hang out with you, um, talk, chit, chat, like really design and develop ideas. What I like about you is that you give so much. You really give when you're in a space, even when I remember our first class. You know you help to pull and push things out of your students and that I can appreciate about you. And I want to talk about what made you decide to start teaching. Yeah, it is a gift, it's a talent to teach and you give so much. But what led you there?

Speaker 3: 24:47

I've never thought about it. Actually, it just happened. There was an opportunity to teach. I didn't think that I'm ready if I'm being honest and you know I'm always honest but I took it and I taught first time. It was in Paris, actually, and I really enjoyed sharing my knowledge Because I realized that you can, um, you can give so much like whatever you learned, and at that time when I was teaching, you know, the teaching was not very popular.

Speaker 3: 25:24

Traveling was not very popular. Uh, you know, like these online classes now that everybody offers, um, you didn't have much information about artistry, cake art and when I was sharing my knowledge, my techniques, I was getting so much good feedback from my students that it just kept me going. I did elevate my teaching, actually, I would say that for sure. Now, what I try to do is, instead of teaching you techniques or mediums, I want to teach you creativity. Very, very difficult to do that, but I believe that's what we're lacking, uh, in the classes, because you can learn the all the techniques that everybody teaches on on Instagram or on YouTube or by the books. There are so many platforms right now that you can attend and you can learn and you can become whoever you want to become.

Speaker 3: 26:26

One of the biggest things that is lacking in our community is the ability to create, the freedom to create, because your clients are not ready to give that to you. Your teachers for sure. They don't want you to have that, because it's very difficult to control 15, 16 students in a group and give them full creative freedom. It's a mess. It's a psychological mess. It's not just a creative mess. It's a psychological mess because you can see people breaking down and then rebuilding again and you only have six, seven hours to pull them together, to pull yourself together to understand their characters, to not offend them with your honesty and with your pushing to not offend them with your honesty and with your pushing but at the same time, to push enough so that they can actually feel like maybe create a safe place for them to be able to open up to you. It's been so rewarding.

Speaker 3: 27:29

I've seen so many students like just blooming, blooming, and I could see that moment that when they were breathing with the sigh and just smiling like they couldn't hold their smiles. I've seen students crying. It happened to because it's a difficult, it's a. It's a process that you need to experience. That's what I'm. If you come to my class. You want to see, you want to know how I work. Right, this is how I work. I cry, I laugh, I doubt myself and then at the end, I create a cake, a beautiful art piece that I'm so proud of.

Speaker 2: 28:14

Yeah, and from my own personal experience, it's how you manage to get the best out of the student right. I remember coming into your class and I'm like, oh no, I don't want to do color. You're like, but where's the colorful clothes? It's your personality and I was like, nah, but then we created that magic right, and I, I really enjoyed it and I I thought then that man this lady is is blessed. She has a calling to teach and to and to push people beyond their own expectations, you know, beyond what they see for themselves. And let's face it here, sona, as humble as you are, popularity, followers, comments likes, those things don't faze you. I've met you. Those things do not move you. But my question to you is right now how do you manage the success you know of Lima Cakes, and did you envision this success for yourself?

Speaker 3: 29:16

I did, I did. I did envision the success. I dreamed about it like I didn't. I didn't see it coming. I didn't see it coming so soon for sure, but I dreamt, I dreamt about it. I dreamt, I dreamt about it. I dreamt to be, to travel all over the world. I dreamt to be the best. I wanted to be recognized for my art, not for others, but to for myself. I think to myself and to to my family. I think that was the driven point. Um, because I wanted to show my family that, um, I can be who I want to be, and we all have that.

Speaker 3: 30:12

Gaps in in our hearts are the holes that you don't know. What's the reason that you can't feel like getting married, having kids. That's amazing, but one of the biggest holes in my heart was not being able to pursue my career, and I'm a very career oriented person. I asked my husband. He would always say you're, you know, you're like a man, you work like a man, you think like a man, and I think that was one of the driven points that made me like, made me so stubborn to, despite all the obstacles, all the difficulties, all the problems facing while I was trying to build Lima Cakes.

Speaker 3: 31:03

I just stuck with Lima Cakes and continued. It is amazing, it's very rewarding, I mean, at the end, when you see what you um, what you're growing, when you see it's blooming, the flower that is blooming, it's very rewarding, it's very beautiful, it's very touching, um, I would say, but I also, also, um, really miss the time when I was just starting. I am missing the drive a lot. I always tell my students, whoever just starting, I'm like, I'm so jealous of you. You know, like you have this opportunity, like you can start. You know you don't have a name yet, but you have the passion and you can create that name yet. But you, you have the passion and you can create that name. Um, when you do for a long time the the passion, as much as you try to keep it, it also dies down a little bit oh, I see.

Speaker 2: 32:05

Could you just for a moment describe the drive, the difference between the drive when you were starting and the drive now having to maintain Lima Cakes the brand.

Speaker 3: 32:18

Easy, I was a cake zombie. I was walking, talking, seeing, eating and whatever I was doing, in my eyes I would just see cakes. I stopped cooking, I stopped, you know, really being with my family 100%, being a perfect wife, and I would not sleep, I would not eat properly and whenever everybody was sleeping, I would continue working until maybe even 6 am in the morning to be able to finish up the cake that I need to finish. I would not have a day off. I would not want to have a day off. I didn't want to go on vacations, I didn't want to do anything, I just wanted to create. Now, every opportunity I get for a rest, I take it. Every opportunity I have to be with my kids, I take it. It's an excuse. I don't have a client great, you know, I can clean the house.

Speaker 2: 33:37

Let's say, so that's good. So do you think this is rest that is earned? That's why you're taking it, or I don't know.

Speaker 3: 33:51

What do you think?

Speaker 2: 33:53

I don't know. I'm just asking if you think, I think, know, I think you've earned it, so go ahead and take your vacation.

Speaker 3: 34:02

I don't know if I earned it or not I do feel guilty every time I'm not working, which is, you know, like I think it's common feeling or for the workaholics like myself, maybe, or for the artists, uh that you feel like if you're not creating, if you're not working in the studio, you're missing out a lot. But at the same time, I really enjoy. I really enjoy my downtime and as much as everybody says that you need to rest, your brain needs to rest to regain the powers again, now I'm starting to understand it Also. Also like the physical shape is not the same, like I have a lot of pain in my hands, wrists, you know, like the tools that I use, my hands, lots of tools, the back pain. So I guess that's also a little bit slowing me down.

Speaker 2: 34:59

Yeah, do you work alone? Is Lima Cake like a one-woman show?

Speaker 3: 35:06

Yes, yes. Well, I have a manager who does all the stuff that I hate doing, but the creative process is sauna only. Again, let's go back to meditation zone. If there is anybody in my studio, I can't meditate. I can't go into that creative zone and start seeing the design. I actually I tried a couple of times had interns and I realized that I can't wait for them to leave so that I can create, so I can start my work. That's the feeling I was getting. So I've tried For the academy. I have an assistant. She is amazing, I couldn't do without her. So I've been trying to learn also to delegate. I have assistant. She is amazing, I couldn't do without her. So I've been trying to learn also to delegate, which is working Like now. I'm trusting her almost a hundred percent. She's doing amazing. But when it comes to my cakes, for now I don't think I'm ready yet.

Speaker 2: 36:09

Yeah, absolutely so. You talk about delegation, you talk about the academy and interns. My question to you now is what is your message? Because those interns are obviously individuals who are watching you, watching the magic that you present. You know on a daily basis. What is your message to anyone who wants to enter into this cake artistry? You know this profession of baking and cake design.

Speaker 3: 36:46

First of all, don't start the cake artistry, cake design, cake business because you want to be with your kids. That's the number one thing. Because you want to be with your kids, that's the number one thing, because you never will be. It's a. It's a to be a little bit funny, because every time I'm teaching, when I ask my students, like what drove you, drove you to become a cake artist, they would say that, um, you know, I, I didn't want to pursue my career anymore because I wanted to be with my kids. Um, it's misleading. Like you, you don't have time, um, especially in the beginning. But to be more serious, um, I would say stay true to what you want to do. Like why, always remember why you started it. Like, for what reason you started it.

Speaker 3: 37:44

Don't compare your beginning to somebody else's middle or the end. That's another one of the biggest things that goes in the artist's mind. We always compare ourselves. It's very difficult. Maybe compare, but don't close yourself down when you're comparing, but versus. Make it as a driven point so that you can continue and become like the person you you're admiring so much, or you want the person to be. Um, maybe have goals, uh, dreams, actually have one unachievable dream, break it down to the uh goals, that you can be closer to the dream. There are so many things that I can advise so many, so many things. One of the just one of the things is if you want to be baker, be a baker. If you want to be an artist, then you should be an artist. You should find ways to become the artist, not to be in that cycle of pleasing the customers, earning money and burning yourself out and not being able to do whatever you initially wanted to do.

Speaker 2: 39:05

Yeah, yeah, you talk, you talk. You speak so much of feeling your personal soul through your art and and, and I love that and that's a good message to impart to individuals who want to enter into the baking arena. But you know we have a foundation over here in Minneapolis that's called the Cake Therapy Foundation for Women and Girls and the foundation really teaches women and girls to bake bake through their trauma, you know, for those girls who are obviously listening, what, how has baking impacted, how you respond to your own personal trauma, whatever it is, you know or to bake through your anxiety or whatever. How would you encourage a girl? You know who's listening, who's got some stuff going on encourage a girl.

Speaker 3: 39:55

You know who's listening, who's got some stuff going on. First of all, I really admire you for what you're doing. It's a very it's a God-given thing that you're doing actually for those girls and for people that maybe lost their hopes and now they can regain, or maybe they can find a safe place to forget about their traumas or maybe talk about it, or maybe just release through the art process, or maybe just release through the art process. It's something that not many people could do and you did it. I'm very proud of you. I admire you. You're an inspiration for a lot of women.

Speaker 3: 40:46

And to say how it will impact, or how it impacts me not the baking, uh, but the cake decorating, the designing part I think it silences down a lot of noise in my head. Um, I'm lucky not going through traumas. I, I, I do have childhood traumas. Well, who doesn't you know like having a lot of traumas? Well, who doesn't you know like parents having a lot of traumas, but nothing major that would impact my psychology personality or my choices. But I do have a lot of noise in my head. I have a lot of voices, a lot of you know ups and downs. I do go through depression uh, creative depression, I like to call it. Um, it is normal as us human beings. So I think cake artistry is helping me to minimize all these noises and silence them down and to feel good about myself and to be proud of myself and to be creative and to actually also, at the same time, inspire other women yep, absolutely so.

Speaker 2: 42:08

It's like there's a stillness. Once you enter your studio, the noise is quieted and you know, and Sona gets to work. What do you want your legacy to be? So tell me how you want to impact and influence the lives of your girls. You have two girls, but then what's the legacy you want to leave in the cake world?

Speaker 3: 42:28

um, I haven't thought about the legacy of living in cake world. It's, it's a very like, it sounds very big. Uh, I would say, um, maybe it's something to dream about. I haven't thought yet, right, yeah, but uh, I can, like bring it slightly down and talk about my kids. I'm raising two beautiful, powerful girls and very independent and very strong. They have their own minds and their opinions. One of the legacies that I want, actually one of the examples that I want to show them that you can have a family, you can have kids and you can be successful. You can be a woman, you can have whatever you need to have, whatever you want to have, and at the same time, you can also have a career and have a successful career.

Speaker 3: 43:24

My daughter, the older one, she's in music, she's pursuing music now. And she came to me older one, she's in music, she's pursuing music now. And she came to me. I was, you know, like giving her hinting the dreams, like what her dreams should be guilty, and I was like, oh, lily, imagine you would go to tours and then you will sing on stages. And you know like I want her to dream big. And then one day she came to me from school I was cooking and she came to me. She's like mama, if I go to tours and I like I really want to have kids, I'm like great, you can have kids. Like, but if I go to tours I will not be with my kids. Like, my kids will be alone, you know, and I want to be that mom who will. When I come, when they come home, they will, mom, will always be home, like you are.

Speaker 3: 44:14

I said, lily, you start the touring, I'll come with your kids, with the to the tour, don't worry, I'll take care of it. There will be always a family support. Um, also another. Maybe the uh examples, or maybe the message that I want to give them is um, you can rely on others, like you can rely on family and ask for help. Um, don't try to do everything on your own because, as people say, it takes a village to raise a kid. It takes a village to do whatever you like to to get to your dream. You can't do it on your own and you can't forget people who help you in the process. You always need to be thankful to them out loud. You always need to tell them how you appreciate their help and always try to maybe help them to get to their dreams too.

Speaker 2: 45:13

Yeah, absolutely. So we can definitely leave on that message like gratitude, live out loud and always rely on people. But before we go, I'd like to ask what's in the works for you, like what's next? What's you know you have a lot of kid classes coming up. I keep you busy, but what's next? Let's you know you have a lot of kid classes coming up honestly, I don't know.

Speaker 3: 45:37

I don't know, every year being something new, I would say I achieved a lot of goals I set for myself. Maybe, maybe next we'll be teaching the younger generation. That's what now I'm thinking Maybe teaching the kids? And you know, I've been teaching adults for so many years and I've seen that the adults come with a baggage, with a lot of issues, with a lot of problems, and when you give them the blank page to create, to draw, they are stuck because of all the baggages that we have, all the rules and regulations and lessons that we've been taught since we were kids.

Speaker 3: 46:24

I want to experiment and see how the kids think. You know, maybe if I give them all these mediums and I teach them all this, like, give this, all this information, how, what would they come up? Yeah, and I'm, I'm planning to do it, maybe, like with my younger daughter's class We'll see and she actually came to me and was like, well, mom, what if they will not follow the rules and they will just do whatever they want to do? I'm like, yeah, that's what I want. You know, I want to see what if you will not follow any of the rules.

Speaker 2: 46:59

Maybe that would be fun. Yeah, my son is definitely into. My son is into art, so we pay for, like, an extra art program for him after school because he wants to. It's something that he's interested in, so I would love to see how that develops for children. And then gives me a reason to come back to canada, right um?

Speaker 2: 47:19

we will spend time, laugh, eat if you go to, if you go to Canada, sona does provide the best lunches, the best food and the best conversations. So, sona, let me tell you something. You could have done anything else today, but I've been waiting to speak with you and I'm so honored that you took the time to come and spend some time with me to talk to my listeners about the beauty of cake, the artistry, what you present to the world, your gift to the world, and I'm really, really appreciative that you really carved out the time to talk to me because, let's face it, you are Lima Cakes, right, you are the top 21 wedding designer around the world and you're on cake therapy, a slice of joy and healing. And this was really exciting for me because I get to see you again and talk to you, although we talk all the time, but I'm excited that you came on to share with us. So, thank you so much for being here.

Speaker 2: 48:27

And before we go, you can find, if you don't know, lima um sona's instagram. It's lima cakes. It's easy to find, and so is her website, right, um she you. What you will see there is breathtaking cakes. So thank you so much again, sona, for joining us thank you too.

Speaker 3: 48:47

Actually, you're telling me that you know I carved the time. It's my honor to spend extra time with you and to spread my message or my love. Or maybe, if I can help in some ways to all these women that you're helping, maybe I can give a little bit help to them. That would be a big, big um. You know it's, it's something big to me, for my heart. Um, I do appreciate that you invited me. I really, really enjoyed our conversation.

Speaker 3: 49:22

Um, I love you, like you know, since the day one in the academy and I'm very honest, I can feel people very quickly. I can detect the personality, I can feel those people. We clicked the first moment we met. We clicked, we laughed. I never felt awkward with you. I never felt like I have that I have to behave in some other way. You know, you know all my quirkiness, you know my the other Lima side that the world doesn't really know, um, so I I really love you and I'm very thankful that you invited me. Thank you, alfrecia. Um, I hope that we will do this again, or we will meet again and we'll spend time, and if you need my help with anything, you know I'm here.

Speaker 2: 50:16

Yeah, thank you, I'm going to. I'm going to hold you to that and I know that. I know that I can hold you to that because I've learned and gotten to know you over the months. So thank you so much for being here. So, thank you, listeners, join us again on the next episode of Cake Therapy. Your slice of joy and healing today was Sona from Lima Cake.

Speaker 1: 50:39

Bye-bye, thank you. Thank you for tuning in to the Cake Therapy podcast. Your support means the world to us. Let us know what you thought about today's episode in the comment section. Remember to subscribe wherever you get your podcast and if you found the conversation helpful, please share it with a friend. Also, follow Sugar Spoon Desserts on all social media platforms. We invite you to support Cake Therapy and the work we do with our foundation by clicking on the Buy me a coffee link in the description or by visiting the cake therapy website and making a donation. All your support will go towards the cake therapy foundation and the work we are doing to help women and girls. Thanks again for tuning in and we'll catch you on the next episode.