Meet Sadaf Mehdizadeh

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sadaf Mehdizadeh a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Sadaf, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.

If someone had told me a few years ago that my life’s purpose would be found in a handful of flour, sugar, and poetry, I would have smiled politely and dismissed it. At the time, I was a researcher at UCSF, deep in the world of cancer immunotherapy. My sister Morvarid and I were both fully immersed in academic science. She was preparing for the MCAT while conducting her own research on type 1 diabetes. Our lives revolved around data, discovery, and long hours in the lab.

But life has a way of reshaping even the most carefully planned paths.

During our time at UCSF, our father fell seriously ill dealing with a very rare yet aggressive cancer and was hospitalized at UCSF, in the same building as our research facility. That period was devastating and disorienting emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. We spent long, uncertain hours by his bedside, clinging to hope and trying to stay strong for him and for each other. In those moments, we both needed a break from the heaviness we were carrying, but we didn’t know how.

Morvarid, with her sweet tooth, found comfort in the familiar rhythm of mixing sugar and butter. I had always gravitated toward visual art—painting, sculpting, shaping ideas with my hands. So we began baking together, quietly at first, using it as a way to decompress and breathe. Morvarid baked everything, and together we assembled, built, and designed. We didn’t know how to bake professionally. We relied on YouTube videos, Google searches, and late-night trial and error. Slowly, something shifted. The process began to feel like a language, a way to express unspoken love and care.

Art had always been part of my life. From as early as I can remember, I painted, sculpted, and created using every medium I could get my hands on—from watercolor and pastels to charcoal and oil paint. I was entirely self-taught, but creating was always second nature. That instinctive connection to form, texture, and emotion became the foundation for everything I now do at Itty Bitty Patisserie.

As we shared more of our creations, we started receiving custom requests for sculpted cakes—elaborate, one-of-a-kind designs that neither of us had ever attempted before. But we said yes anyway. That leap of faith became one of the most defining parts of our journey. My background in sculpture and visual art became our secret ingredient. We would accept the order, then immediately dive into research, figuring it out step by step, often building something completely new on the spot.

One of our first sculpted cakes was for a client’s pet turtle’s birthday—a full turtle-shaped cake made in its honor. Then came a camera cake, and later, a hyper-realistic peach cake inspired by the film Call Me by Your Name. Every project pushed us to learn quickly and trust our creativity. What we lacked in formal training, we made up for in passion, vision, and the belief that if we could imagine it, we could bring it to life. And we always did.

Over time, we expanded our craft beyond sculpted cakes to creating luxury wedding cakes, combining elegance, artistry, and intricate design to celebrate life’s most special moments. Our work began to travel, too. We had the incredible opportunity to bring our cakes all the way to Southern California for weddings and special celebrations. One memorable highlight was creating a custom cake for Jenn Tran’s birthday—an experience that blended artistry, precision, and joy, and reminded us how far we had come.

That’s when creativity fully flowed back into my life. My artistic instincts reawakened, and I began designing cakes and cookies as tiny canvases for memory, meaning, and culture. I blended Persian poetry and heritage, family stories, and intricate design into everything we made. When we started sharing our creations on Instagram, people didn’t just see baked goods. They saw emotion, story, and identity. Orders started coming in, not just for birthdays or weddings, but for deeply personal moments—anniversaries, cultural holidays far from home, or quiet celebrations of resilience.

As our lives evolved, Morvarid was accepted to Harvard Medical School. It was an incredible moment of pride for both of us. She had worked tirelessly toward this goal and stepped fully into her path as a future physician. In doing so, she encouraged me—without hesitation—to continue pursuing the creative work that had come to define my sense of purpose. Her belief in our vision gave me the confidence to take Itty Bitty Patisserie seriously. Without her support, and without our shared history of turning pain into beauty, I’m not sure I would have had the courage to keep going.

Itty Bitty Patisserie was never just about making dessert. It was about honoring the past while creating something new. Every design I make, whether it’s a cake covered in handmade calla lilies for a mother’s 70th birthday, a Persian-inspired cookie infused with saffron and poetry, or a Halloween collection laced with humor and shadow, is rooted in intention.

My purpose didn’t arrive like a lightning bolt. It revealed itself slowly—in the sweetness of sisterhood, in moments of bold improvisation, and in the hands-on, deeply personal act of creation. I found it by returning to myself, to my art, my heritage, and the people I love.

And every time someone bites into something I’ve made and feels even a moment of joy, memory, or connection, I know I’m exactly where I’m meant to be.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I’m the founder and creative director of Itty Bitty Patisserie LLC, a heartfelt bakery where every cake, cupcake, and cookie is crafted as a one-of-a-kind piece of edible art. Each creation blends design, storytelling, and flavor, turning desserts into joyful, meaningful experiences that celebrate individuality and imagination.

Before starting the bakery, I worked in cancer immunotherapy research at UCSF. At the same time, my sister Morvarid, now a student at Harvard Medical School, was working alongside me while preparing for the MCAT. We’ve always supported each other’s dreams, and when she left for Boston, she encouraged me to keep pursuing this creative path as the bakery began to grow.

What truly sets Itty Bitty Patisserie apart is how we bring imagination to life through cake. We actually started with sculpted cakes, even though we had no idea how to make them at the time! Leaning on my self-taught background in painting and sculpture, Morvarid and I figured things out on the spot, embracing creativity, improvisation, and a whole lot of late nights. Whether it was a turtle-shaped cake for a pet turtle’s birthday, a camera, or a giant peach inspired by Call Me By Your Name, we dove in and made it happen. Honestly, it was so much fun!

As we grew, we expanded from sculpted cakes to creating luxury wedding cakes, blending artistry with elegance to mark life’s most special moments. Our cakes have even traveled beyond our home base, including deliveries to Southern California for weddings and special celebrations.

We’ve also used cake as a medium to support causes close to our hearts. We created a sculpted cake in honor of Black Lives Matter during the height of the movement, using our art to stand in solidarity with the call for racial justice. We also made a cake in support of the Woman, Life, Freedom movement, honoring the brave individuals who have lost their lives fighting for justice and equality in Iran. For us, cake isn’t just celebration, it’s expression, connection, and sometimes, a way to say something important.

I’ve been painting and sculpting for as long as I can remember, since childhood, and although I never had formal training, I’ve always loved experimenting with different mediums like watercolor, oil, clay, and now… cake and cookies! Everything I do today was learned through passion, curiosity, and lots of trial and error.

Today, I focus on crafting whimsical, meaningful designs, often drawing inspiration from Persian culture, poetry, and symbolism. One of our proudest releases is a collection of Shahnameh-inspired cookies, featuring hand-painted illustrations, delicate marzipan, and flavors like saffron, rosewater, and pistachio. They’ve already been shipped across the globe!

We offer both traditional and fully vegan and sugar-free cakes and cookies that are just as rich and satisfying, so no one ever has to miss out on something beautiful and indulgent. I’m also excited about our growing menu of vegan, gluten-free, and low-sugar/sugar-free options. Our goal is to create desserts that everyone can enjoy without compromise.

At Itty Bitty Patisserie, our mission is simple: to spark joy, celebrate creativity, and turn sweet moments into lasting memories. Whether it’s a sculpted cake or a hand-painted cookie, every piece is made with heart, art, and a little bit of magic.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Looking back, the three qualities and skills that have been most impactful in our journey are creativity and adaptability, self-motivation and perseverance, and a willingness to learn and experiment.

Creativity and Adaptability: Starting a bakery focused on sculpted cakes and edible art required me to think outside the box and figure things out on the fly. we had no formal training in baking, luxury wedding cake or cake sculpting, so embracing creativity and being flexible when things didn’t go as planned was essential. For those early in their journey, I recommend practicing creative problem-solving regularly and staying open to pivoting your approach as you learn more.

Self-Motivation and Perseverance: Building something meaningful from scratch, especially without formal training, takes time and a lot of determination. There were many late nights and moments of doubt, but keeping a steady focus on the vision and pushing through challenges made all the difference. For anyone starting out, cultivating resilience and setting small, achievable goals can keep momentum alive even when the path is tough.

Willingness to Learn and Experiment: I learned everything about cake design, painting, and sculpting through passion, curiosity, and trial and error. Being comfortable with making mistakes and seeing them as opportunities to improve has been invaluable. My advice is to embrace learning in all its forms — whether it’s from books, mentors, or hands-on experience and never be afraid to try something new.

Advice for Folks Early in Their Journey

Be patient with yourself and stay curious. Develop habits that encourage consistent practice, reflection, and openness to feedback. Surround yourself with supportive people who inspire you and challenge you to grow. And most importantly, remember that failure is part of the process—each setback is a chance to learn and improve.

What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?

Since starting my bakery, I continued to pursue my research career—first at UCSF and later at a biotech company—so my days were often split between the lab and the kitchen. Balancing experiments with early‑morning baking shifts and late‑night bookkeeping took a lot of discipline, and it sometimes felt like I was living two separate lives. When Morvarid relocated to Boston, we adapted by dividing responsibilities based on geography: she handled tasks remotely, while I took on everything that required being on site, This arrangement kept the business afloat, but it also underscored how thinly I was stretched.

About a year ago, I realized that if the bakery was going to reach its potential I needed to commit to it fully. Walking away from research, something I’d been involved in for years, was a difficult decision, but it gave me the space to focus on growth. The shift from simply keeping the doors open to actively scaling up brought its own challenges: I had to develop a growth strategy, secure additional resources, and expand our capacity without compromising quality. I spent time seeking out mentors in the food industry and taught myself more about marketing, finance and operational efficiencies.

The biggest hurdle was knowing where to begin—figuring out which processes to streamline, how to increase production, and how to position the brand for a larger audience. There were moments of uncertainty, but expanding output while maintaining quality forced me to strengthen my strategic planning, time management and problem‑solving skills. Looking back, navigating this transition has been hard yet incredibly rewarding: stepping out of my comfort zone has helped me grow as an entrepreneur and a leader, and it has given me a clearer vision for turning the bakery from a small side business into a thriving company.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

cake #2 – the pinkwedding cake – Tiya Studios
cake #5 – the rosette wedding cake – Navid soheillian – Navid Studio

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