DADPRENEUR HIGHLIGHT:  A TALE OF TWO MEN & THEIR QUEST FOR THE ULTIMATE PANCAKE THE ORIGINS OF DADDY CAKES®

-- Dan Byers

It is pretty uncommon that a young man’s childhood dream would consist of creating a "baking mix company,” but little did my half-brother Levi Silva and I know that we would grow up to do just that! Our story does not involve childhood accounts of staying up late at night dreaming of the perfect pancake mix, or of spending hours in the kitchen experimenting with flavors instead of playing with the other neighborhood kids, but it does lead to the development of Daddy Cakes, which has been referred to as “one of the most popular pancake and waffle mixes available today.”

Before going into business together as the creative chefs behind the Daddy Cakes brand, my brother and I always harbored a tremendous sense of family and tradition.  We grew up experiencing an American tradition – the pancake breakfast.  As we started our own families, we grew tired of the many mediocre pancake mixes available to us, and separately, we each began developing our own personal mixes that our families could enjoy.  We utilized real fruit, whole grains and organic flour, creating a variety of baking mixes with flavorful and wholesome flavors. 

When it came time for family gatherings, the two of us experienced a show-down, of sorts, in the kitchen.  Armed with spatulas and supported by armies of hungry onlookers, we demonstrated our competitive spirits and delivered equally delicious products.  After a few of these “Iron Chef pancake breakfasts,” we discovered that we could make better baked goods using our own mixes, which were healthier and tastier than anything we could find in the best gourmet market — that’s when everything changed.

We decided to take our competitive spirits and join forces to make mixes for anyone looking for a great product.  Daddy Cakes® was born! Our goal was to keep things simple for today's fast-paced world, so that breakfast could be more accessible and easier for active families. We also wanted to be sure to keep the lively and fun spirit that the brand was founded upon, so we created packaging that was a throwback to the notion of family unity and togetherness that hot breakfasts stood for in the past.

In July 2007, Daddy Cakes launched its first product to “test the waters” and, after being well received by family, friends and complete strangers, Levi and I decided to forge full steam ahead.

Within a year, the Daddy Cakes® brand came to consist of nine flavors of pancake mixes, all of which are vegetarian, with three 100% organic flavors & six vegan flavors. 

Our complete product line can be found online at www.DaddyCakesBakery.com (coming soon to Amazon.com) as well as at many farmers markets and retail locations (check our website for details).

While placements in specialty stores and markets seemed like the expected result of creating a great product, we never expected the other visibility and exposure Daddy Cakes received within its first year on the market.  The product was the centerpiece at 4-star hotel holiday parties; featured at black-tie fundraisers, including the Roosters’ Monte Carlo Night; and placed in the premier house on Newport Beach’s acclaimed Lido Isle Home Tour.  Outside of Orange County, it was “discovered” by several stores in the jet-set ski destination and home to the Sundance Film Festival, Park City, Utah, and can be found at the world-renowned Golden Door Spa at The Peaks Resort in Telluride, Colorado.

Our charitable contributions extend to supporting Orange County’s AYSO program, for which we hosted a pancake breakfast for more than 1,200 children and their parents at Corona Del Mar High School, and more than 2,500 hungry fans at Ensign Middle School in Newport Beach.  In addition, Daddy Cakes was a sponsor of the 2008 Blues & Brews Festival’s Annual Pancake Breakfast in Telluride, Colorado, where more than 9,000 festival attendees had the opportunity to enjoy Daddy Cakes as part of a fundraiser for various higher education scholarships.
 
For us, Daddy Cakes® is more than a business, but a means to bring families together.  Our goal of delivering a quality product with a healthy dose of fun has resulted in the creation of several online animated clips and songs.  With no signs of slowing down, we continue to develop recipes for using our mixes that extends the Daddy Cakes® brand well beyond pancakes.

For the time being, our foundation line of mixes and more information on the company can be found online at www.DaddyCakesBakery.com.