Bala started his professional life as a flight attendant, but he always loved to cook and bake. “I came to this country and made a career change toward cooking, then I liked this more,” said Bala, referring to baking pastries. He found his way to the Bay Area, where he got his start in the culinary world, working as a chef at Campton Place Meridian, Creative International Pastries, and a short stint in New York City. He went to pastry school, and while cooking at the Cliff House he got his chance to become its pastry chef, a position he held for seven years. 

During his stint at the Cliff House, Bala had an opportunity to make wedding cakes. “I liked that more, because it was more artistic and more creative.” It was then he decided to branch out.

In 1999, Bala found a baker on Third Street who let him rent space in the kitchen. He was able to build his business, and in 2002 he acquired the Hayes Valley space where the Cakemaker stands today. Business went well enough for him to hire on two employees the very next year. 

“As a business, it’s actually quite good," he said. "It’s hard work, long hours, but the profit and the margin is good. And the responsibility is quite great because you have to be on time. You cannot miss things. It’s very, very stressful in that sense, but it pays off quite well.”

Bala’s business largely relies on word of mouth, either through wedding-related sites like The Knot, through Yelp, where his business has five stars across the board, or through past customers recommending him to friends. He’s the contracted vendor at several San Francisco institutions, including The City Club of San Francisco, The Fairmont, Hotel Whitcomb, and the Presidio Golf Club, among others, and he’s also won many accolades, including Best of Weddings by The Knot. 

“I’ve been asked to go to the Food Network, but I don’t have time, it’s too much” said Bala, referring to the cake competitions the Food Network hosts. “I’m always busy ... I’m not really interested in competitions right now because my business is established and I’ve got so much work to do. I’m not too egotistical or crazy about all that publicity."

Bala and his team do as many as 10-12 weddings per week, though he prefers 6-7. In the off season, he does cakes for any occasion. “I’m trying to operate on a lower scale next year. Working less. We’re trying to reduce production.” He says he’ll try to do this by reducing the number of clients he takes per week. “We’ll see how it goes.”

To prepare for such a hectic schedule, Bala and his team often prepare the molds and decorative pieces beforehand. Dated boxes store the accents. “We have to do that. We can’t make flowers [every time we make a cake]. We make them during the slow times.” He also uses the slow times to test new products and techniques. On the day we stopped by, he was experimenting with a lace mold.

When a client comes in, they start with a tasting. Once they pick their flavor, they can look through The Cakemaker’s vast portfolio for decorative ideas. Bala pulls inspiration from magazines and art to come up with his creations. “Any image or object can become a cake, even a storefront window.” 

Sometimes the client leaves the design up to him, and other times they collaborate on a design. The Cakemaker’s signature cake is also his most popular: a white chocolate cake wrapped in a basket weave design, pleated and handmade. Each cake takes about 2-3 days to bake and decorate, and he and his team delivers each cake in an air-conditioned van. 

When asked if any cake has ever fallen during transport, Bala responds “I’ve never had any accidents.”

To find out more about the Cakemaker, visit the cake shop's website or Facebook page.