Meet the Founder

Hello, I’m Mili

Hi there! I’m Mili (“Mill-ee”).

It’s fun to share the joy in my work through custom dessert catering via Mili’s Sweets, florist services through Glorified Hobby florist services, and personal recipes shared as the author of Glorified Hobby food and recipe journal.

Here’s some of my story…

Becoming an expert baker stemmed from being blessed beyond my dreams. The worry of having a son with severe peanut and tree nut allergies fueled my passion for developing my own recipes at home. I self-taught while being a stay at home mom with two little ones. With a lot of work, and the encouragement of my friends and family, my confidence clicked-in and I took the leap to become a full fledged professional.

Mili’s Sweets was established

Back in 2010, (when cupcakes were trending) Mili’s Sweets won the title, “Best Cupcakes in San Diego” on a local tv news channel. It was an incredible opportunity to put myself out-there and grow. From 2015-2018, I was at retail while still catering, with a shop-in-shop storefront in Vista. From 2018 through today, I’m back in my comfort-zone of custom dessert catering with production from a commercial kitchen facility in San Marcos.

Over the years my hands have made hundreds of cakes. Each year I produce thousands of dessert servings. I am constantly working at developing my own recipes, elevating what I already know, and cultivating relationships that span the many reasons we celebrate with dessert.

preferred vendor in San Diego County

For several years, Mili’s Sweets is a preferred vendor for several venues throughout town. I am a go-to in my community for wedding work, bespoke cakes and curated dessert tables, with an extensive menu of small-batch, custom-recipe desserts, that are always made free of peanut and nuts, with both celiac-safe gluten free, dairy free, dye-free, and vegan options. Mili’s Sweets offers delivery service, convenient pick-up at the parking lot of our San Marcos commercial kitchen facility, or fully-catered and serviced dessert tables. Most of our work is fulfilled for weddings.

floristry

In 2019 I expanded my work-life by establishing a second vendor-business, Glorified Hobby florist services. Through my passion for floral design and weddings, I partnered with my dear friend, master florist, and long-time collaborator, Karen. Our team of trusted assistants help us fulfill full-scale florist services and installations for weddings and events in San Diego County and beyond.

joy in hands-on creating

Being hands-on creative is beyond a passion for me – it is a need, woven into my DNA. I was raised as a first-generation American with the most influence from my Italian-born mother. I share her love of faith, family, food and all things homemade. I love to write and share so in 2013, I started a blog to share some of the depth and details about the process in my work and recipes.

I wouldn’t realize until more recently, the most important aspect of the blog has been documenting my mom’s food and cooking with her. She wouldn’t let me touch much in the kitchen as a child, but we are like sisters in the kitchen when she teaches me the ropes of her food. Learning from my best friend has been a most fulfilling part of my life.

Some of our best memories revolve around good food that we make at home. I’ve learned a lot along the way and truly enjoy sharing personal recipes in the Glorified Hobby food and recipe journal. My recipes are little gifts to anyone who wants to see how I create things in my work, or in my kitchen, with my experience-level, full transparency, and with my equipment at home. If you would like to make my recipes in your home kitchen, with your experience, it would be at your own risk, as results may vary. You can see a little more behind the scenes in clips via the Glorified Hobby YouTube Channel.

in the background

Family is where my heart is. The loves of my life are my husband, our grown-up kids, our precious grand-baby, and my mom, whom I have the privilege to now care for. Outside this space, I want to be at the beach or in the mountains. I’m like a child when it comes to nature and to seeing the world. Taking big trips is an amazing gift, but I feel that same excitement while exploring on a local hike right here, in my hometown, and throughout our beautiful state of California.

Before any of this small business-business, and before I was a wife and mom, I had a several-year career as vice president of marketing and public relations, managing licensees worldwide for lifestyle and apparel brands. I earned degrees in journalism and marketing from San Diego State University.

If you have questions or comments about any of my work or posts, please reach out to me.

Thanks and take care,