Meet Catalina Glesige of Sweet Fabula in Southeast Denver

Today we’d like to introduce you to Catalina Glesige.

Catalina, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Hello. My story is a love story. Love of art, love of sweets, love of a family. I’m originally from Colombia. I was born and raised in a small family where I learned that when you do things with love, they will always be exceptional. I went to college for graphic design, where I learned a lot of little secrets that shaped me into the artist that I am today. I started working in the corporate world where I used all my skills and started having a successful career, but something was missing. I wasn’t getting full satisfaction after completing a project. I was turning in my work to my customer and I was getting money in return. You would think that’s enough, I guess money is what we all work for, but it wasn’t enough for me. I needed emotion and that thank you and gratefulness in your customer’s eyes that just make your day.

So, I quit my job and started a wedding planning business with my best friend… which was great… for a while… but I wasn’t using my artistic skills as much as I wanted to… but I always paid special attention to all the cakes and desserts and cupcakes and cookies and it didn’t take me too long to realize this is what I wanted to do. So, I reached out to the person who taught me everything I know. The owner and Baker of an amazing bakery back in Colombia called Cake Home. She doesn’t know it but she was an angel in my way that guided me into this beautiful world of art and sugar.

Then, my life changed and I had to go through something extremely difficult. I was chit chatting at that time with someone I had met online and he is the other angel in my life… he was there, every step of the way always motivating me, loving me and telling me those words that I needed to hear to not give up… after everything started getting better, he flew to Colombia and we clicked immediately. A couple of months later, I took a few weeks off and came to visit him… five weeks into my trip, he proposed at sunrise at the top of a snowy mountain… and I never left. I closed my business in Colombia and my new adventure began.

Starting my business over in a new country, where I didn’t know anyone, where I had a network of 0 people, where the market is so different was certainly a huge challenge for me… but he was there, again, every step of the way guiding me, introducing me into this culture and loving me. Its gonna be 5 years since I moved here and the journey has been amazing… networking, getting customers, learning new techniques every day. I’m a work in progress… like everybody else… every day you learn something new, you meet people that teach you new things… but I love it… I love this… I will sit on my kitchen table for hours and hours drawing on my cookies and cakes, adding details, trying new things… and it makes me smile… so much.

You know how they say that when you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life? Well, that’s 100% true. I wake up every morning with a smile on my face, loud Latin music in the background and start creating. My reward? That enormous smile from my customers when they open a box and see inside something that will move their heart and the look at me and hug me and tell me this is what they were dreaming of… and more.

It’s been four years and finally, my business is thriving. Sometimes, I wish I didn’t have to turn away so many people wanting to share a box of cookies with their loved ones, but there’s only so much one girl can do. I feel blessed to be here but this doesn’t come so easy. It’s a result of very hard work and lots of sacrifices.

So, this is me! And I’m so excited to share just a little bit of this with you.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It’s not the first time I start this business so I kind of knew what I was doing… only I was in a new country where I didn’t have a network and that’s where the challenges began. Opening a market, networking, dealing with a different culture…

You think you know what you’re doing and then you realize that everything is different and everything that you thought you knew, you had to learn it again. But with a good support system, it’s definitely easier to overcome the hardest things.

Please tell us more about what you do, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I’m a Sugar Artist and I specialize in custom cakes and cookies. For some people, I’m the cookie lady, for some, I’m Catalina, for some, I’m Sweet Fabula… what I really am is a crazy dreamer who took all her chances at a happy future and dove in deep in what I love the most, art and smiles.

I spend as much time working for my corporate customer’s cookies as I do making a free cake for a child or for my best friend’s baby girl… it’s not about the money, it’s about the result.

My slogan is: “The secret behind our exquisite deserts is the amount of love put into baking them.”

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
In the future, I hope I can have my own studio with a commercial kitchen and a beautiful place where my customers can come and create with me. Also, a place where I’m able to have my children around while they’re growing up, just like I was able to be around my parents and share my best moments with them.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.sweetfabula.com
• Phone: 720 467 4064
• Email: Sweetfabula@gmail.com
• Instagram: Www.instagram.com/sweetfabula
• Facebook: Www.facebook.com/sweetfabula

Image Credit:
Chocolate cake by: GERFOTO

Getting in touch: VoyageDenver is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.