Name: Tess Levin
Age: 23
Title: Founder/CEO of Fluff Cups
Married/Single: in a Relationship
Kids: none
City you live in: Los Angeles
A typical day in my life includes…
oh man, it feels like my days never end, but in the best way possible. I get up at 5:38am; yes, I am one of those people who can’t get up at a normal time like 5:30am. I work out, eat some breakfast and am at work by 9:15am. I work at an entertainment print advertising firm in Los Angeles. Once finished at work around 6:30pm, I make it home to start my second full-time job as Fluff Cup’s only baker. Depending on how many orders I have to complete each week, I will bake anywhere from 3-6 hours once getting home from work. Then, I go to bed to do it all again the next day! Dreams never sleep kids, haha.
I was born…
in Phoenix, AZ! My family still lives in Arizona and I spend a lot of my time going back and forth from LA to AZ.
My favorite thing about Arizona…
THE SMELL AFTER THE RAIN! It is literally so fresh. You forget how beautiful and natural Arizona is when you leave, but it floods back every time I come home.
I’m listening to…
Save Me Tonight by ARTY. Also *picture this* I am blasting this in my car, while pointing at other cars in the heinous LA traffic serenading them to EDM. Priceless moments.
My family…
is the most supportive unit I could ask for. My parents and brother would support me even if I wanted to be a plumber. My dad would say, “Just be the best damn plumber there is”. Luckily, I chose a much less…stinky dream. My mom will fly out to LA just to help me set up pop-up shops for Fluff Cups. Even if it’s just a day, they will travel to the ends of the earth to help me.
If I could have dinner with anyone, it would be…
Christina Tosi. Her episode on “Chef’s Table” lit a fire under my bum to do something legendary in this industry. I love how down to earth she is, how she has a stellar work ethic and a positive attitude about everything. I would love to grab dinner, or some cake, and pick her brain.
One thing I cannot live without…
ah shit, ice cream for sure. You’re probably reading this and thinking “fitting for a baker”. I think I would actually go through withdrawals if I couldn’t eat ice cream.
When I was younger, I wanted to be…
famous…HAHA, seriously, I would cry to my mom about how badly I wanted to be famous. And she would ask me, “but for what”? I wasn’t in theater, I have a voice of someone who just got throat punched, and I was born with 2 left feet – dancing wasn’t an option. I vividly remember watching the music video for “Year 3000” by the Jonas Brothers and tears falling from my eyes because I wanted to be famous like them. That was definitely a low point (and now I’m broadcasting it to AZ Foothills) but hey, I can now say I have a talent!
I’m inspired by…
everything around me. I could walk down the streets of Downtown LA and see a gorgeous wall mural and be inspired for my next cake design. The music I listen to, the books I read, the people I meet; they all have an effect on my creativity and inspire me in different ways.
The one person who motivates me is…
to be honest, myself. I have an amazing support system but I am also extremely independent and rely on myself for a lot of my motivation. I’m my own hardest critic but I’m also my own best friend. I am always working on myself and with each step and adaptation I make, I motivate myself to do more, be more, see more.
If I could change anything in the world, it would be…
I would like to see more women empowering women. Like, girl I see you rocking it over there, I want you to keep rocking it and I want to help you keep rocking it. There is never harm in helping others succeed. Frankly, there is reward in helping others get to where they want to go and I like to help women see the world as their oyster. You can do anything you set your mind to and I want more women to help each other see that.
The perfect day would be…
it would for sure start with a work out and then a slow morning. I am a huge breakfast and coffee person. I’d love to just sit, enjoy some bomb breakfast food and a large cup of coffee. Then bake a cake, or éclairs or anything that is sparking my interest that day. After, I’d love to just spend quality time with my boyfriend and family. Also, it for sure would be raining, because watching movies under piles of blankets are made 10000% better by rain outside.
My first job was…
the first paycheck I had ever received was from Brick’s Dance Studio across the street from Arcadia High School because, I think, I answered one phone and wrote something down. I had to be in middle school and I think they were just humoring me because I wanted to work…jokes on me. Who wants to work at 12 years old? (hardest of eye rolls)
My favorite escape…
THE GYM! Surprisingly? Or maybe not surprising to some people. I love going to the gym, blasting music and getting a solid sweat in. Any stress that I feel at the time melts away with the sweat and my body that is tense from anger or stress, relaxes after pushing myself at the gym.
My life…
is an adventure. Each day I wake up and I think, “Well, what’s going to happen today? LET’S GO”.
I’m currently working on…
myself! I think I will always work on myself. We may be our best selves now, but there is always room for improvement, especially as the times change and we experience new life adventures, I always make sure I am adapting to the world around me.
Always…
remember how far you have come, not how much further you have to go.
Never…
believe you deserve something just “because”. Earn the things you have and remember the process. No one is handed anything in life and if you are, it probably isn’t that valuable.
Favorite Quote…
“She’s been to hell and back. And something about that smirk on her face tells me she is the boss down there, too.”
Biggest Dream…
to be happy. However I get there, that is what I hope for. I want to be able to look back 40 years from now and say I followed my dream, I didn’t let people silence me and I am happy.
My Pet Peeve(s)…
oh my gosh, I really dislike when servers take my plate before the rest of the table is finished with their dishes. For some reason it makes me feel uncomfortable! Also people chewing with their mouth open…don’t even get me started.
More about Tess…
I am a 23 year old professionally trained Pastry Chef. I grew up on the sunny streets of Scottsdale, moved to LA to attend USC for Marketing and Psychology, graduated and went straight into working a desk job at Fox Television which I quickly realized wasn’t for me. I then moved to my current position as an Account Executive for an Entertainment Advertising Firm. But, my true passion since I was in high school was to bake. I legitimately would come home every night from my job and bake dozens of cupcakes, cookies or cakes. There would be no fridge space, so I’d leave them on the counter. My roommate (shout out for being a champ and letting me turn our kitchen into a bakery) finally said, “you have to get these desserts out of here, sell them!” So, I did just that and in May 2018, created Fluff Cups Specialty Desserts and launched my brand on Instagram. The rest is history.
