When we last caught up with overnight Instagram sensations Liz Roth and Jayme Wisneski this June, they were at what they thought was the pinnacle of their viral baking success. Born out of the COVID-19 pandemic, their joint bakery Little House Confections — known for its "bomb ass olive oil cakes" and charitable, give-back component — was exploding with online orders from Hollywood heavy-hitters like Shay Mitchell and Laura Harrier.
When asked what was next for the entrepreneurial duo, they told UncoverLA that they hoped to open a new space with a pickup window. Two months later, Roth and Wisneski knocked that dream out of the park.
On Tuesday, Aug. 18, Little House Confections opened their first physical pop-up bakery at the Platform in Culver City. Located across the alley from Blue Bottle, the sleek-and-sweet kiosk, offering a variety of powdered cakes (starting at $12 for a "SMoL" cake), spongy Cloud Bombs (starting at $30 for a pack of six), and tastefully branded merchandise.
LHC's new, permanent location is no small feat considering the idea for the business first came to fruition in April. Both out of work at the time, Roth (an interior designer) and Wisneski (a producer) were merely looking for a distraction from the all-too-familiar feeling of boredom and an abundance of newly found free time, just like so many Angelenos whose lives and lifestyles have drastically changed this year. So, they settled on a hobby equal-parts scrumptious and time-consuming: baking cakes.
Initially, Roth and Wisneski conjured up their citrus-infused, minimalist olive oil cakes for friends and family, then transitioned to raising money for Covenant House, a nonprofit organization that supports homeless youth. But, as 2020 internet culture so often dictates, an overnight endorsement from the Kardashian-Jenner clan cemented Little House Confections as an influencer-hyped delicacy with additional stamps of approval from Camille Rowe and Phoebe Tonkin.
LHC's blazing success is a glimmer of hope for local small business-owners in an otherwise gloomy year. Roth and Wisneski's Platform pop-up reveals a promising blueprint: A genuine love of sugary confections paired with a propensity for charitable giving can, in fact, produce a viable business in the midst of a rocky economy.
You can visit Little House Confections at the Platform Tuesday through Sunday from 12 to 5 p.m. Cakes will be available for walk-up purchase on a first-come, first-served basis, or you can pre-order products by 1 p.m. the day before your intended pick-up (either from the shop or via the Platform drive-through).
If you're in the giving mood, you can also purchase donations of the powdered pastries ($36), which will be donated to frontline healthcare workers every week via nonprofit delivery service Fueling the Fearless.
Delivery is also available for customers in the Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles, and Orange County areas Tuesday through Saturday.
Photo: Little House Confections
Little House Confections Pop-Up at Platform, 8850 Washington Blvd., Culver City, 90232; Tuesday through Sunday from 12 to 5 p.m.
