Meet Lesly Ordonez | Bakery Co-Owner / Manager

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lesly Ordonez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lesly, how do you think about risk?
Risk has been a mainstay in my family. My parents came from Honduras 28 years ago with nothing but $3 to their name. That is a risk unimaginable to most, myself included. The need for a better life was worth every moment of that risk for them. 12 years later came the idea of opening our own bakery and we risked everything we had for this dream.

I went to college to become a teacher and then pursued a master’s degree in Educational Leadership all while working with my mom in running the bakery. This eventually led to taking the biggest risk in my life. I decided to leave 8 years of a career that I thought was going to be the rest of my life for another career that paid half my salary, worked more hours and provided no health insurance. This was a RISK I was willing to take to grow a family business that now has become my pride and joy! What’s been said many times over and will be true for many years to come, FORTUNE FAVORS THE BOLD, THE DETERMINED, AND THE DRIVEN!

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Cakes D’ Sabores is a family owned and operated bakery cafe.
We have a myriad of items and services including breakfast, lunch, smoothies, bread, cookies, pastries and much more! However, we specialize in custom cakes for weddings, birthdays- baby showers, & pretty much any occasion you can think of.

We focus primarily on:

1. The quality of and craftsmanship of our cakes
2. The level of detail and care we exhibit because this is our shop, our operation, and our livelihood.

We believe that passion shows up in everything we produce.

Neither my mom or I had any background in business prior to this pursuit. We jumped in head first determined to make our dream come true. It was that trial by fire (proverbially speaking) that forced us to grow and learn, VERY quickly.

Starting this business was not easy. In fact, it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever accomplished. With the help of YouTube and google, I was able to educate myself enough in the initial part of our cake designs and from there I was self taught. Not self taught where I could all the sudden create a 3-d mermaid out of cake but enough to make a small 3-d spongebob topper! Fortunately we have been blessed with talented cake decorators and an amazing team that stays true to quality work.

There is no one thing that is particularly the hardest but I found the most difficult thing to overcome was having to wear so many different hats when I started this business. My Mom and I successfully produced cakes out of our house for nearly a decade and we thought we could simply do this from a shop of our own. Nobody tells you the licenses you need, the inspections from health Dept. and their stringent requirements, why our GL policy doesn’t cover what we need and there’s a separate professional liability policy we need to purchase. Things like those; how to negotiate our lease, how to create a website, where to put the marketing dollars, what to spend on infrastructure and the list goes on. As a business owner you become a jack of all trades out of pure necessity and through the help of various people in my life- I was able to find a lot of the answers I needed to get me where I am today.

This bakery represents the culmination of my moms dream to come to an entirely different country, start over, learn the language, raise a family, survive, and start a business. It is through sheer power of God’s will that we have this place and I want people to know that when they buy from us, they support our livelihood and our dream of having a successful bakery in America!

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?
Deerfield Beach, Fl. has so much to offer for those who love the beach. Whether you’re going to surf, kayak, or just tan on the warm sparkling sand, the beach welcomes it all. You can enjoy the beach at night just as much with its upscale restaurants right on the beach and their live bands that will have you coming back! Quiet Waters Park is a great place to check out as well. The park has so much to offer from water-skiing to biking, splashing in a water park, and camping. This is by far one of my favorite places to hang out with family and friends.

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 is no doubt that my shoutout goes to my mother, Aleida Ordonez. I would NOT be here if it weren’t for her words of encouragement and determination. Growing up she has always had a vision and she worked endlessly to make it come true. I am more than grateful to have started this business alongside her. She has motivated me to make the decisions that have led me here. Becoming a team together has created the best mother/daughter dynamic I could ever dream of. She has inspired me to work hard for the things that will fill my heart with happiness. When I reflect on her journey and how far she has come with one goal: to give her children a better life than her own, I can’t help but to aspire to see my parents retired happily without a worry in the world reaping the benefits they have worked so hard to achieve. She is and forever will be my biggest inspiration and motivation in life.

Website: www.cakesdsabores.com

Instagram: @cakesdsabores

Facebook: Cakes D’ Sabores