Most of my life has been about making money.  As much as possible and as quickly as possible.

 

It's not that i'm materialistic or greedy, it was more about to possibility of enjoying financial security and ultimately freedom.

However when I lived in Paris, I quickly understood that being an employee for a Big Boss only leads to misery and disenchantment. So, I created my own business: a mobile app for healthcare professionals.

And It worked very well! In fact, way beyond my expectations.

I realized I became the Big Boss that I had once despised. It was impersonal, I had no connections with my products, nor my employees, it was exhausting and unfulfilling. Being of a creative temperament, I had had a lot of fun building the product and the business, but once it was done I found it all wearisome.

Our business had about 25,000 customers. I didn't know any of them.

They were just number, 25.000 potential problems, constantly calling customer service. 

Whenever I happened to meet a client unexpectedly, I was always a little uneasy. I didn't know what to tell them.

They were always enthusiastically talking to me about the software I had created and I realized I was bored or even worse, annoyed. Not because of them, but because I was bored with the world I created for myself. (Let's face it: medical software is no one's passion). And I felt like I was falling into the stereotype the misanthropic frenchman. 

So after two years it was time to burn everything down and start all over again.

Maybe I made some money, just enough to move to LA, buy a little house in the Hollywood Hills and stuff myself with breakfast burritos by the pool, but it didn't made me happy.

However, the most interesting thing in life is not to continue it passively, but to start it over and over again. So, I launched CanneLA, and thereby decided to be, or rather to try to become, the perfect opposite of my previous professional life. My new goal: to do something creative, and make people happy doing it. It's that simple, and yet so satisfying. 

The pandemic, the uninterrupted succession of crises that we are experiencing, the impending war, this perpetual sensation that the end of the world is near, has had an impact on people, including you, I am sure.

 

So i am bringing it back to the basics: flour sugar, eggs, and lots of amour. that is what cannela is all about.  Making people happy by baking them cakes is the best life I could have imagined. 

It's now been almost two months that I`ve driven all over Los Angeles distributing my french desserts made with as much love as possible.

How this pastry business in Los Angeles has therapeutic virtues.

And you know what? I have not been disappointed. I've met so many warm, caring people, who are curious to learn more about my pastries and my European culture.

I think of Holly and her husband who are always so nice and friendly, I think of Maggie, who was my first client, or my friends who constantly encourage me and flood their social feeds promoting me. Michael, who found no other way to plump up his paper thin grandmother than to order two boxes a week. Each delivery is an adventure, a different destiny, contrasting paths, inspiring encounters. I really like that.

That's why I have to tell you that there is one thing that is sometimes a little disappointing : when i dont get to meet my customers. Nothing is worse than putting a package in front of the door and leaving, without being able to exchange a word, or knowing if they even liked the canelés, or for what special occasion (or lack thereof) they have ordered them.  

I'm no fool. I know I'm not entitled to form a deep friendship with everyone who orders a cannele. People crave something sweet, they order and wait for their cakes, that's it. You can't turn everything into a romantic experience.  

However just know I'm putting my heart into this, and it's nice to meet the people I am sharing my heart with. I guess perhaps after so much isolation for two years of pandemic, (an isolation which, curiously, hasnt seemed to abate much with the disappearance of the virus),  

If you remember only one thing from this article, it is that I encourage you too to open your door and have a quick small talk with the delivery guy. He just might be me :)

Xoxo,

Gaël.