At a Giant Food store in Vienna, one baker has turned ordinary cupcakes into viral works of art — and he’s bringing extra joy to the community along the way.
Adam Wald, a Giant associate for eight years, has captured the hearts of the Vienna community with his elaborate pull-apart cupcake creations. Wald transforms simple treats into dinosaurs, dragons, unicorns, and firetrucks. What started as a small creative experiment during the pandemic has grown into a full-blown bakery sensation.
Wald began working at Giant after graduating from culinary school. “I learned about cake decorating from culinary school towards the end, and I decided I really I liked it,” he says. “I didn’t realize the creativity that you could do with cake decorating.”
During the pandemic, when custom orders slowed, Wald found time to experiment with pull-apart cupcakes. He began with small, basic shapes as a starting point — like baseballs, footballs, and basketballs — then progressed into more complex designs.
“I used the pandemic as a way to improve my craft,” he says. “One thing led to another, and now I’m making cool stuff.” And customers have caught on, sharing pictures of his cakes in local Facebook groups. Wald’s designs have gotten so popular that he’s had to limit his orders and enlist help. He used to make up to 21 pull-apart custom cupcake cakes a day; now he’s limited himself to 10, with two new additional helpers.
“I love my job, it’s very fun,” he says. “I get to interact with customers, and everyone is super friendly in this area.” He also finds creative inspiration in day-to-day conversations with customers. “Chit chat is the best way to think of creative designs. Customers usually come up with the ideas, and you just have to think about how to execute it.”
Wald says his job has also helped him come out of his shell. He initially pursued a culinary career so that he could work in a kitchen away from the customers. “Now I can’t stop talking,” he says, adding that talking to customers is one of his favorite parts of the job.
He also loves seeing their reactions to his work. “I love seeing the customers’ reactions, especially the little kids,” Wald says. “Their faces light up, and they get so excited to see their creations brought to life.”
Feature image by Emily Campos
This story originally ran in our August issue. For more stories like this, subscribe to Northern Virginia Magazine.
