By Natalie Tran
With COVID-19 comes crushed dreams, but that didn’t stop Fountain Valley High School (FVHS) senior Joelle Pham from finding new ways to earn money as a high school student. Consider Pham your dedicated friendly confectioner with her charming cakes that will surely satisfy your sweet tooth.
Unable to work a summer job due to the pandemic, Pham decided to “create her own work” and launch Light Lunch with her sister in early November.
“Light Lunch is a small business that makes sweets casual,” Pham said. “We offer unique seasonal flavors and desserts.”
And that they most certainly do. Light Lunch offers a selection of flavors ranging from classic carrot cake to blueberry matcha cake. Delicately wrapped in miniature boxes accompanied by a small fork and handwritten note, it is clear that Pham puts much effort into each customer’s order.
Getting the business up and running was no easy feat. It took a lot of time and planning for Pham to get where she is today.
“I run this business with my sister and she actually brought this business from an idea to a reality,” Pham said. “And so, we started doing research, planning out menus, ordering things and packaging.”
Despite what you may think, running a cake business is not all sugar and spice and all things nice. It goes beyond baking and decorating. The business has presented a variety of obstacles to Pham.
“Each week provides itself with a different set of challenges,” Pham said. “Sometimes the dessert doesn’t turn out the way it should and we have to redo the whole batch or something out of our hands [happens], like not having our packaging prints print out correctly.”
All of her hard work does not go unnoticed, however. One bite of their cakes will leave you wanting more; their customers can definitely confirm that. Once the home-based cakery opened, they were immediately bombarded with compliments galore.
“What I love most about [Light Lunch’s] cakes is that [they’re] not too sweet, but just enough to satisfy any dessert cravings. The sizes are dainty and perfect to share with a friend or indulge by yourself,” said Faith Nguyen, one of Light Lunch’s customers. “My favorite [cake is] their carrot cake, which I’ve already settled as my future wedding cake because it is that good.”
Light Lunch’s carrot cake is a bundle of joy that will leave you wanting more! Photo courtesy of Light Lunch (@lightlunchco on Instagram).
Another customer expressed her love and obsession for Light Lunch’s carrot cakes. It seems to be a fan favorite around here!
“I would definitely recommend ordering from Light Lunch to anyone who loves sweets and aesthetically pleasing packaging,” FVHS senior Thaovi Nguyen said. “The carrot cake is [amazing]! Chef’s kiss!”
Despite all the difficulties and challenges that come along with opening Light Lunch Co, Pham loves her business. Light Lunch provides Pham a creative outlet for her hobbies and interests.
“Our business hasn’t been really successful moneywise,” Pham said. “However, [it] has given me the opportunity to expand on some of my hobbies, such as baking and creating graphics.”
Pham also says that the community has played a huge role in her baking pursuit.
This chocolate génoise with whipped frosting from Light Lunch is a taste of paradise. Photo courtesy of Light Lunch (@lightlunchco on Instagram).
“I find it encouraging to see the community support us each week when we take orders,” Pham said. “So in that way, I get to do some of my favorite things and provide my community with things that they enjoy. I guess I can say that’s a success.”
And with that, it is definitely a success.
Treat yourself and head on over to Light Lunch’s Instagram @lightlunchco to order one of their decadent sweets.
