Albert Daniel had been working as a personal trainer for 14 years when he decided to bring a batch of his freshly made cake pops to his coworkers at Equinox.
He shared them on a whim, just hoping to spread joy with a new skill he’d started honing, but a piece of advice from one of those coworkers would help set his life on a new trajectory.
Ditch the weights and stick to sweets, she told him: “I’m leaving Equinox to follow my passion, so should you,” Daniel recalled her saying. “Her words were very impactful to me.”
The transition wasn’t easy. Daniel began working at a vocational school to support his confection work but lost his job and apartment on the same day in 2014. Daniel slept in his car for a week before a friend lent him a room in exchange for personal training services.
Not long after, while working at an Apple Store and crafting desserts out of his friend’s kitchen, he got a break. Disney requested his services for its opening of the Guardians of the Galaxy ride in the California Adventure theme park.
Daniel went out the next morning and bought a handful of toys from the franchise so he could create molds from them, a technique that turned out so accurate that it required approval from Marvel’s legal department. This reduced his timeline to deliver the job to only a week.
Working out of the kitchen of his San Pedro apartment, he managed to deliver 1,000 units with a mix of characters from the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. The effort paid off. The event was a success and word spread.
Over the next decade, Albert’s Petite Sweets has filled custom dessert orders for Disney, Marvel, Netflix, PGA Tour, Hyundai and the Grammys.
His notoriety has grown along with his skill. In 2021, he won the first episode of Hulu’s baking competition show A Baker’s Dozen, hosted by Tamera Mowry-Housley of Sister, Sister fame. He took home the $5,000 cash prize and a golden rolling pin trophy after beating 12 other dessert experts in three rounds of competition.
In February, Daniel moved into a new commercial kitchen at Partake in Downtown Long Beach. It’s a major upgrade from the home kitchen where he spent the past 11 years.
Now, he can better control the conditions to produce prime confections. Room temperature must range between 68 and 70 degrees with humidity between 50% and 55%.
The 3D molds he crafts himself have to be washed, sanitized and individually polished between each batch. That is what gives the finished product its shine.
Daniel showcases parts of that process on his Instagram, where he’s amassed over 32,000 followers.
Often spending 12 to 14 hours a day in the kitchen, Daniel churns out sweet treats by the thousand for corporate clients, holiday bundles and various special occasions.
These days, Daniel says he can produce a batch of 1,000 chocolates every four hours, a far cry from the week his Guardians of the Galaxy job took.
For retail buyers, he offers treats like chocolate-dipped marshmallows, bonbons and chocolate squares in nearly two dozen flavors — including the viral Dubai chocolate filled with pistachio.
There’s also pâte de fruit in five varieties. The most unique flavor is calamansi, a Filipino fruit with a distinct lemon-lime flavor.
“Making people happy” and a “fear of failure” keep him motivated to perfect his sweets, Daniel said.
Albert’s Petite Sweets sells products online, out of Partake and Chapter II Coffee in Belmont Shore.
Lately, he has expanded his offerings to freeze-dried fruits and added an assistant to help him keep up with orders and production.
Over the next five years, Daniel said he wants to have his own store and expand the chocolate-making classes he offers.
“I always think of life being like a tidal wave,” Daniel said. “You may feel that the water is like descending from you, but then this wave comes and you have to be ready for that.”