Meet Karen Zambrano | Head decorator and Founder

We had the good fortune of connecting with Karen Zambrano and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Karen, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Sounds cliché but my own business began as a hobby that made me discover a creative self that I didn’t know before.

I fell in love with the decorating part of the custom cake process. So much that I would indulge in countless hours on my kitchen counter workings with new materials and utensil discovering and learning new techniques to bring a design to life.

I found peace in my creativity, a creative side of myself I didn’t know existed. I was attending the University of Houston in Downtown at the time so working throughout the night on a project was nothing new to me. I found peace and time to reflect and truly express another side of me that I really never knew. Delivering the finished product and seeing my customers reaction and appreciation was the absolute cherry on top and made think, SCALE!

I didn’t know exactly what I wanted right away, but I knew what I didn’t want it to be; hence our first concept and slogan “kiss boring cakes goodbye!”. I wanted a more personal connection to my client more like a boutique, where attention to the details and of course taste would be appreciated.

So finally after outgrowing my kitchen and 100’s of returning customers later, Pastel Boutique is born!

Like anything new and out of my expertise the fear of opening a brick-and-mortar was daunting. But together with my husband we learned and managed to open our doors September 2017.

Although running a business, being a mother of 2 divas and nourishing my marriage may often feel like everything is moving at 100 miles an hour, Not much has changed since those days in my kitchen. I am still in love with decorating and it is still where I find the most peace, it’s my outlet to create something unique and delicious.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
For me it was always about the neatness the details and esthetic of the cake. My sole purpose is to bring my clients idea to life. Although most of our customers have an idea of what they want, most trust our designer eye and encourage us to fully design their cake. We have developed a personal relationship and trust from our clients after years of service and that’s what makes me most proud.

This emphasis on our customer has made me hyper focused on customer service. We go above and beyond to make sure every cake that leaves the bakery has met our self-set high standards.

When our product quality and customer service is priority, making business decisions becomes so simple.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My dream bakery wouldn’t of came to fruition without the help of my amazing husband, Daniel Zambrano. He too could see my vision and that made me fearless. He was my source of positivity and support through the beginning stages and after. Doubling as a general contractor and handy man he helped design our efficient workspace and helped me and our team get the ball rolling!

Website: www.PastelBoutiqueHTX.com

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