On December 7, Gourmand hosted Barnard alum Gigi’s Little Kitchen, where she discussed her viral cakes, shared the business she’s launched, and imparted some words of wisdom.

Columbia’s culinary interest club Gourmand hosted a panel with guest speaker and Barnard alumnus Gigi of Gigi’s Little Kitchen, whose passion for baking cakes transformed into an online business, with clients including Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa, and Harry Styles during performances at Madison Square Garden. Gigi began baking cakes in her home kitchen during the pandemic, often fulfilling requests by Columbia students. Then, one of her cakes, which she nicknamed the Clown Cake and which has since become her signature design, went viral on Instagram. Orders for cakes came flooding in and Gigi built a website to supply the demand. Ever since, Gigi has been supplying events and pop-ups with her creations, baking in her home kitchen after her full-time job in digital marketing at a New York City-based non-profit addressing hunger. 

Gigi explained that she enjoyed providing cakes to clients because she feels her creations help with the celebratory nature of events, which she finds particularly rewarding. And she has also found that this wild experience has been particularly instructive: Gigi says she learned not to commit to requests she doesn’t have time for, which is advice she would certainly give to other people. When asked if she would do anything differently in building her cake business, Gigi laughingly exclaimed that she would “Buy in bulk!” She also shared that she would keep her finances more organized and be more money savvy generally, something that she told the audience they should keep in mind when imparting on any projects. Gigi also realized that as a woman, she was undervaluing her own work: she noted that imposter syndrome for women is very real, and that it is important for women to validate themselves and their work in whatever endeavors they pursue.

Speaking about her time at Barnard—where she majored in Urban Studies and Sociology—Gigi noted that her experiences taught her to be savvy and on top of stuff, and that Barnard introduced her to very good friends. If Gigi could repeat her Barnard experience, she would take it slow and admire the things around her slightly more, and also emphasized that valuing friendships in college and beyond is so important. Gigi’s biggest piece of advice after her experiences at Barnard and starting her business is to be honest with yourself and stay as organized as possible. And tips for making cakes? “Buttercream is your best friend.” But also, Gigi noted that she has no formal training in baking and that the barrier to entry is relatively low, so she advised that if you are interested, just practice and you can certainly get there.

Barnard Gates via Bwog Archives