Gabriela Oporto has carved out a name for herself as not only a popular baker, but also a baker to the stars with her business, Bakealicious. She counts the likes of Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran and Harry Styles amongst her clientele.

Baking Business caught up with Gabriela to hear how she got started in baking, and just how you create the perfect cake for a pop star.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I am a very passionate about what I do. I consider myself very hardworking and love sharing my food with others. I make a point of keeping fit and regularly run and do HIIT.
I love music, reading, dancing and being social. I always get along and prefer hanging out with older people, I feel they have so much to share about life and this beautiful world!
I’m definitely an old soul.

How and when did you discover baking? Can you remember what it was that you loved so much?

I have baked since I was two, helping Mum and Dad in the kitchen. My parents never got take-away and we hardly went out for a meal. Everything was always made at home from scratch.
Until today, my dad [he is 74] makes his own bread every week! Mum always cooked and baked cakes for us to have for a traditional afternoon tea/meal that we have in Chile where there is always something sweet.

You grew up between Chile and Australia, and have also spent time in Italy. How have these very diverse culinary scenes shaped your approach to baking?

I feel I have learnt so much in terms of cooking various dishes. There are so many ways of preparing the exact same thing and also so many new techniques. The knowledge you can gain from living in a different culture is just incredible. Not only when it comes to cooking but also culturally, relationally, linguistically and educationally.

Gabriela with her creations

From a career perspective, you began studying economics and management, and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Food. Now you’re carving out a name for yourself in the baking industry. How do you apply all this knowledge to Bakealicious?

There are so many day-to-day tasks that need to be organised, managed, overseen, planned, then executed and afterwards reviewed! So there has honestly been a lot that I have used from my business and nutrition background.

The numbers are so important for a business to thrive, and it’s what allows you to plan ahead and make key strategic decisions . And in terms of nutrition this knowledge has allowed me to create so many healthier alternatives with less fat, sugar and artificial preservatives like many other bakeries out there.

Bakealicious – and yourself – have gained a reputation for being a go to baker for the likes of Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, Ed Sheeran. Can you share about this opportunity? What does your process look like when baking for such high-profile people?

It is very exciting but at the same time I feel a lot of pressure. I don’t want to ever let anyone down with my cakes, so I make sure if we are creating something unique that we research the person and then we start from there.

The quality of the ingredients, presentation and taste are the three most important things that I think about when I bake.

How this came about originally was that the catering company that organises all the food at the concerts for back of stage said they had found my website and loved the look of all my cakes. They also loved how they were handmade from scratch and were amazed at the fact that I could also cater to many dietary requirements like gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan and sugar-free.

They started by ordering a few cakes and then kept ordering for various artist like the ones I mentioned above.

What do the next few years hold for you?

I have a few things that I will be working on. A Baking Channel and/or show, a new factory and a second store in a central location. I would also like to give back to the community by helping orphanage children in Chile.

I volunteered with them while I lived there and have always had this desire at the back of my mind.

What’s your favourite thing to bake? And to eat?

I don’t have a favourite – I like baking anything that has some kind of sugar in it!.I must say I am not a fan of making pastry from scratch. My favourite things are muffins, dulce de leche, chocolate and apple pie with ice-cream – yum!