Our story.
A little more heart.

It all started with a recession, a box of cake mix, and a dentist’s office.

In 2010, my wife, Carina, and I were rebuilding our lives after losing nearly everything in the recession: our business, our homes, our cars, and the stability we had worked so hard to create. Starting over was humbling, especially with a family counting on us.

We went back to work at Starbucks, where we had first met and fallen in love as teenagers. When that wasn’t enough to make ends meet, Carina took a second job at a dentist’s office, and I worked overnight shifts at a gas station. We shared one car, driving each other between jobs. Sometimes, Carina would sleep in the car while waiting for my shift to end.

Life was exhausting. But in the middle of trying to get by, something unexpected happened.

One evening, I came home to find Carina baking cupcakes for a party at the dentist’s office. She had picked up a box of cake mix and was making her own frosting. The next day, she came home smiling. Everyone loved them, especially the frosting, and wanted more.

One batch turned into another. Soon, coworkers were asking her to bake for birthdays, celebrations, and family gatherings. Carina couldn’t believe people wanted to pay for something she loved doing. Looking back, the special ingredient was Carina herself. Baking gave her a way to make people happy.

One night at our kitchen table, I asked, “Why don’t we turn this into a business?”

Her answer was immediate: “No. We’re not doing this again.”

After everything we had been through, I understood. But I’m persistent. A few conversations later, I suggested starting small with a food truck. This time, she was curious.

We found a used truck in Ojai and spent the next few months cleaning it up, designing our logo, and developing our own recipes. Then we hit an obstacle: we needed an approved place to bake and couldn’t find a commercial kitchen nearby. Just as we were losing hope, we learned that Riverside County would be introducing cottage food permits, allowing businesses like ours to get started from home. That opportunity changed everything.

For our first event, a color run in Murrieta, we stayed up all night baking 400 cupcakes in four flavors: lemon, vanilla, cookies & cream, and strawberry. We loaded the truck, crossed our fingers, and headed out.

We sold every single cupcake.

Customers wanted more, and they wanted coffee, too. We put our Starbucks experience to work, added espresso equipment to the truck, and brought cupcakes and coffee wherever we could. We served local events, met people who became regular customers, and even booked an event at the Rose Parade.

Two years later, we had saved enough to open our first storefront. Our menu grew alongside our customers, adding breakfast and lunch sandwiches, pastries, cookies, muffins, and more. What began as a team of four—Carina, my brother, my sister-in-law, and me—grew into a much larger family.

Today, The Cupcake & Espresso Bar has five retail locations and a central kitchen. Every member of our team, every regular who stops in, and every customer who chooses us for a celebration has helped us get here.

That same care is at the heart of our catering. Whether we’re preparing breakfast for a team, a spread for a family gathering, or something sweet for a milestone, we’re grateful to be part of the moments that bring people together.

We’re proud of how far we’ve come, but what means the most is still what made Carina smile after that first batch: making someone’s day a little better.

Thank you for being part of our story.