Sweet Beginnings
There is more to it, than just cake
Yaneth got her start in entrepreneurship in 2007
A hobby turns into a business
Yaneth enjoyed hosting and planning themed parties for friends. Through that hobby she created her own full service off-site catering company called “Island Luau” in 2007. (That story is another whole tale on its own, perhaps for another time).
Her delicious cuisine, creative fresh ideas, and the ability to set up beautiful and unique buffet presentations led her to cater one event after another.
2009
Word of mouth & reputation spread
Catering to local community and beyond
Before Yaneth knew it, Island Luau had a clientele that had been built by word of mouth and a reputation for providing quality catering services along with event set-up/breakdown, rentals & staffing for all sorts of events island wide. Not only was Island Luau serving the local community but was also gaining clientele from all over the world as couples and vacationers use Island Luau to cater their destination weddings or intimate luau dinners.
2010
Reaching more venues and locations
Provides catering services to exclusive and exciting new venues.
Island Luau catered indoor and outdoor events at various locations on Oahu such as military bases, museums, company businesses, private estates, ranches, beaches and was also chosen to cater an episode on the hit T.V. show “The Biggest Loser” - See episode click here
Among being featured on the Biggest Loser, Island Luau was also featured in a Midweek article - click here to read
2010 Cakes gain popularity
Specialty Cakes given name - Hula Cakes
It was during the catering events that Yaneth's specialty cakes began to gain popularity.
Yaneth simply added the cakes to the catering menu as a dessert option.
She was amazed how many people wanted to order cakes beyond the catering events.
She soon found herself delivery cakes and gaining cake clientele.
As the clientele base grow so did the request for different assorted cake flavors, Yaneth began adding additional cakes to the menu. Yaneth called line of specialty cakes “Hula Cakes”. She came up with that name from an event in which a two tutu's asked "what bakery did the cake came from?" Because it is so yummy that it makes our taste buds hula! Yaneth thought it was a fitting name for the collection of specialty cakes she created and the name "Hula Cakes" also fit well with the catering company's branding.
2012 Hula Cakes hits farmers markets
Promoting the cake business and reaching new clientele
In 2012 Yaneth took Hula Cakes to farmers markets which quickly gained a local fan base.
Between catering events and participating in farmers markets, the cakes were being
requested and delivered to folks island wide for all special gatherings
from Weddings, Military Functions, Corporate Events to all types of social gathers
2014 Exciting opportunities arise
Local restaurant showcases Hula Cakes
The success of the farmers market led to a couple of opportunities to showcase the specialty cakes in local restaurants. A few of the specialty cakes were selected to be featured on the menu of LongBoard’s Restaurant at Marriott Ko’olina Beach Club as well as at The Olomana Golf Course in Waimanalo.
Aloha Yaneth,
You have a great product and we look forward to utilizing your company for future events and projects.
Mahalo for sharing your gift with us.
Respectfully, John Sado, Resort Chef
Marriott Ko'olina Beach Club
The Big Kahuna Cake at Olomana Golf course that was a BIG HIT with my friends. Absolutely the best, most delicious moist cake and heavy, too. You were given many compliments --
especially from friends who said they don't eat frosting -- then proceeded to eat your delicious frosting; all of it. Thank you so much for making my after-golf-social a HUGE SUCCESS.
Joan Machado
We were at Olomana for Friday Night Happy Hour & Music. After dinner we all ordered your cakes. Wow! Onolicious!! We had the chocolate, raspberry chocolate, and lilikoi what a perfect treat after our dinner. Just had to let you know.
Lynette Dasher
2016
Embrace Change
Stepping away from catering company and Hula Cakes
But after nearly a decade in the industry, she found herself at a crossroads. The long hours, the constant hustle, and the demand of running a business began to weigh on her. As much as she loved what she created, Yaneth felt a pull toward something different a need for change, a shift in seasons.
Making the decision to step away from catering & baking was not easy. It meant letting go of something Yaneth had built with her own hands, something that had become a part of her identity. It was more than just a job it was her passion, a creative outlet, and a way of bringing joy to others. Every cake she decorated and every event she catered carried a piece of her dedication and aloha. But deep down, she knew it was time.
In 2016 Yaneth accepted a role as a catering sales manager, choosing to set aside her passion for baking to focus on this new career path.
She sold most of the catering equipment but kept the baking supplies. Thinking...who knows? Maybe one day, she might find her way back to it in a new and exciting way.
She chose to focus on her new career and reminded herself that sometimes stepping away doesn't mean giving up, it just means making room for something new.
Ambition to make extra money, leads to baking again
Then just like that, Covid -19 came along and as fate would have it, gave her the time, ambition and desire to pursue her passion again.
In April of 2020 Yaneth found herself unemployed for over a year by Covid-19. During that time, she began baking again to make extra money and before she knew it, she had orders lined up.
Yaneth found herself once more in love with baking and the desire to start her cake business again.
With no income coming in, she started baking and selling her specialty cakes again to earn money. For the next year, Yaneth found herself staying busy fulfilling cake orders as one month led into another. With the newfound time, she decided to leverage her love for baking into a business again and took the opportunity to reestablish and rebrand the cake business she started years ago.
As Yaneth began rebranding Hula Cakes, she realized that she missed the energy & excitement of being involved with events, so Yaneth began developing a concept to combine her love for baking and decorating cakes into an interactive experience.
Yaneth envisioned offering innovative cake decorating events that offer something sweet....inspiration, creativity and hands on learning as well as encourage other women entrepreneurs along their journey.
By sharing her love for baking, she discovered that Hula Cakes was not only creating a wide variety of onolicious cake products but was also helping women & young girls to develop their potential and creativity along the way.
The concept of providing a unique way to inspire women & girls excited Yaneth but the “Icing on the cake” was when she realized that the name “Hula Cakes” had a deeper meaning and that the business name was chosen years before the concept of inspiring women & girls came to be. At that time, Yaneth didn’t know the name “Hula Cakes” stood for something. Years later, during the rebranding of the business in 2020, Yaneth realized what started out as “a piece of cake” transformed into a whole lot more…. tiers and tiers of inspiration! Hula Cakes is more than just cake it is…It stands for
Helping Unique Ladies Achieve
Confidence Ambition Knowledge & Encouragement for Success!
2025
Cakes to Confindence
A Sweeter Mission
What started as a passion for cake has blossomed into something sweeter!
Along the way something began to rise - a passion for inspiring women and young entrepreneurs.
Now instead of selling cakes, Hula Cakes has shifted from selling cakes to focusing on motivational speaking, empowering young entrepreneurs and hosting fun, interactive cake craft events that inspire women of all ages through cake decorating.
The custom cakes may be gone but the mission to uplift and inspire is just getting started! While we may not be selling custom cakes, we hope you will join us for one of our fun and inspiring events!
Thank you for being part of our journey. We can't wait to continue inspiring and celebrating with you in new ways!
Stay tuned for fun events, inspiring stories, and ways to sprinkle a little extra motivation into your life!
Whether your craft is in the kitchen or elsewhere, I hope by reading our story, you’ll be encouraged to venture and share your own creativity or start that business. It would be great to see what you bake up and where your sweet idea takes you!
Would love to hear about your sweet idea! Let's connect to get you started.
Yaneth