A Generational Baking Legacy With Odette D’Aniello and Guest Host Milana D’Aniello

Odette D’Aniello is the Founder and CEO of Celebrity Cake Studio, a family-owned and operated retail cake boutique. The company has received numerous awards, including winning Best of Western Washington several times. With experience in the food industry, business strategy sales, and marketing, Odette has obtained additional skills in product design and brand development, event management, and team building. 

She is also the Owner of Dragonfly Cakes, the wholesale sister company to Celebrity Cake Studio, designing, developing, and manufacturing delicious handmade and clean-label petit fours, tea cakes, and mini desserts. Odette is involved in various other ventures, including being a US West Accelerator Expert for the Entrepreneurs’​ Organization, the Owner of True Nature Distribution LLC, and a Managing Partner for 26th St Holdings.

In this episode…

Odette D'Aniello has owned Celebrity Cake Studio for nearly 25 years. Although she’s experienced much success as a baking entrepreneur, including receiving several awards, Odette's journey began with humble beginnings. So how did an immigrant from the Philippines overcome adversity to own one of Tacoma's most revered bake shops?

Odette’s career in the baking industry began at age 10 when she worked at her uncle’s bakery in Guam. Witnessing her family’s financial struggles and growing up underprivileged, her experience in baking wasn’t pleasant. Odette vowed never to work in the industry again and left at 18 to pursue a degree from the University of Arizona. When she couldn’t obtain a teaching job after graduation, Odette returned to her culinary roots and founded Celebrity Cake Studio in Tacoma after a brief stint as a cafe owner. Odette reveals that she manifested a better life by creating a vision board and having ambitious dreams. She also shares that earning a degree empowered her to believe she could live a bountiful life.

Join Odette D’Aniello on today’s The Celebrity Gourmet Podcast as her daughter Milana D’Aniello, Director of Marketing at Celebrity Gourmet Ventures, interviews her about their family’s baking legacy. In this inspiring conversation, Odette reflects on emigrating from the Philippines to Guam at age 10, overcoming adversity to become a successful baking entrepreneur, and the origin of Celebrity Cake Studio. Plus, Odette and Milana announce their latest business venture.