OCALA, FL (352today.com) – In this edition of 352eats, we’re satisfying your sweet tooth.
While tiny is baked into the brand, don’t let the name Smallcakes Ocala fool you. The individually-sized desserts are BIG on flavor.
Vol. 2 – Meet Hamza Castillo, Owner of Smallcakes Ocala
In 2014, Hamza Castillo and his wife, Rasha Elmallah, had just had their second baby and had recently relocated to Ocala.
Castillo was on a corporate career track and Elmallah wanted to breakout of the corporate IT world she’d spent a decade in.
That’s when they decided to try something new and Elmallah opened up Smallcakes Ocala.
They ended up selling the business because an out-of-state move for work seemed imminent.
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Fast forward a decade.
Baby #3 had arrived. Elmallah was well-established as an entrepreneur and Castillo was getting restless from a seven-year stint in the defense industry that included a daily commute between Ocala and South Tampa.
Since they experienced initial success with their first Smallcakes franchise, they decided to go for it again and re-established the cupcakery in 2023.
Dig In:
Castillo says the mini desserts are baked fresh daily, and the flavors rotate daily too to keep things exciting. There are traditional flavors like Carrot Cake and Red Velvet but then there are more creative confections like strawberry margarita, coconut butterscotch and Rolo candy. Fans find the flavors listed on their Facebook page.
And, if you need cupcakes for a holiday party, you can count on being able to order a patriotic design.
While cupcakes are their mainstay, Smallcakes Ocala also sells a variety of cookies, brownies, cake pops and ice cream. Castillo says they want to be a one-stop-shop any higher-end, sweet-tooth craving. They plan to expand ice cream offerings which are made fresh, in-house every week. They’re also planning on adding new products like Basque cheesecake and churros.
And, so that the four-legged members of your family don’t feel left out, they also offer puppy-friendly treats.
Before we go into a sugar coma, we’ll let Castillo share the rest of the story in his own words.
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What do you love most about what you do?
Castillo: “Self-employment is a different animal. My favorite aspect of running my own business has to be the limitless aspect of it. Limitless possibilities for improvement, for creativity and for success.”
Conversely, what keeps you up at night?
Castillo: “The 12,649,871 moving parts of a small business! It’s a lot to keep track of, and every single part is moving in a different direction at a different speed!”
What’s the one thing you think you do better than anyone else?
Castillo: “Attention to detail in both quality of product and how we want our customers to feel. With Smallcakes we were going for a certain ‘hits different’ factor to desserts when we opened the store. The motivation for that is what separates the head from the pillow every morning!”
What’s the one thing that would surprise people about you/your business?
Castillo: “When running a cake/dessert spot, you have to try so much cake and icing to make sure flavors are correct that you quickly get sugared out. Our staff stocks pickles and olives in the employee fridge for their snacks and I go home and douse everything in lime juice and hot sauce. Even fruit!”
What else do you want people to know?
Castillo: “Grab some cake. Grab some ice cream. If you really want a ‘wow,’ grab a Biscoff Tres Leches. Have a chat with me or the staff and see, taste and feel what small town hard work mom-n-pop feels like. See you there!”
Smallcakes Ocala is open seven days a week – except for a few holidays – and is located at 4701 SW College Road.
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