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# Bake shop owner meets Martha
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/bake-shop-owner-meets-martha/
- Published: 2008-04-07T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-24T19:09:28.000Z
- Author: Melody Hanatani
- Tags: Business, Downtown, #archive-import

DOWNTOWN Amy Berman sat thousands of feet in the air, a thousand thoughts running through her mind as she flew aboard a redeye cross-country flight from Los Angeles to New York City.

Sitting with her were bags containing boxes and boxes of cupcakes, the best from the Berman family recipe, each adorned with the insignia, “MS.”

The flight last month led to what could some day be perceived as a defining moment in Berman’s relatively young career as a pastry chef, for in the end, the Santa Monica business owner would learn that she had earned a spot on the “Martha Stewart Show,” a guest appearance on the kitchen mastermind’s segment, “Cupcake Week,” which aired all last week.

The owner of Vanilla Bake Shop on Wilshire Boulevard, Berman’s journey on her way to becoming the co-founder of one of the area’s premier cupcake destinations started at a young age, spending afternoons in the kitchen with her mother, baking cookies and delectable mini cakes.

Those experiences with her mother, who passed away when Berman was 14, stuck over the years as the Hermosa Beach resident continued to bake as a hobby, using her mother’s recipes, even as she went away to college in San Luis Obispo and later began a career in the entertainment industry.

“When I’m baking, it reminds me of being with her,” Berman said. “She’s not around anymore, but when I’m baking, I feel like the memories of her are alive.”

Berman was a writer’s assistant on the “Will & Grace” television show when she felt the need to change gears. Her husband, Jeremy, who was also working in entertainment, encouraged his wife to pursue her dreams of becoming a chef, encouraging Berman to enroll in the California School of Culinary Arts in Pasadena, a Le Cordon Bleu accredited institution. Jeremy Berman also decided to make a career change of his own, going for his law degree.

After finishing culinary school, Berman started her own dessert catering business called Amy Babycakes, handling weddings and other private events. It was through this experience that Berman would fine tune her cupcake and pastry recipes, gathering feedback from the clients that she served at the private events.

Then in 2007, Berman and her husband decided to make another career jump, this time as the owners of a retail business in Santa Monica.

On July 10 of last year, the couple opened Vanilla Bake Shop, joining the scores of other cupcake shops in the Los Angeles area, includ-

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/040708-01_01.jpg)

BIG TIME: Amy Berman, left, earned the opportunity to appear on the ‘Martha Stewart Show’ recently. (Photo: Photo courtesy Martha Stewart)

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 7, 2008.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/040708.pdf?ref=smdp.com)