Copyright Santa Rosa Press Democrat
Four months after opening the doors to her dream cupcake shop, Palm Natthaparn says she’s only had two days off. But she wouldn’t have it any other way. “Even if I don’t have to do that much here, I just want to be here,” Natthaparn said, smiling outside the storefront of Palmie’s Cupcakes in the Sonoma Plaza’s El Paseo Courtyard. “You don’t feel like this is working. You just feel happy.” For Natthaparn, who moved from Thailand to the United States three years ago and opened Palmie’s Cupcakes with her husband, Graham Rubin, in late June, gratitude is baked into everything she does. The couple weathered a whirlwind first summer: sold-out weekends, long hours and the challenge of opening just as tourist season hit full swing. “The first month was massive,” Rubin said. “We were selling out left and right. Then summer ended, and suddenly it got really quiet — we were nervous. But now, things have stabilized. We’re seeing regulars, more special orders and people who tell their friends to come back. That’s what’s really kept us going.” As the crowds thinned, Rubin and Natthaparn found their rhythm. Even now, they sell anywhere from a dozen to more than a hundred cupcakes a day, in addition to special orders and catering. Through the chaos — managing pickup orders, baking and decorating hundreds of cupcakes, making sure each one arrives intact — they’ve learned to improvise and adapt, balancing stress with a sense of humor. “New problems are inherently stressful, but they’re also interesting,” Rubin said. “I take on a lot of stress, but Palm is always as cool as a cucumber.” The shop’s growing popularity stems not only from its creative cupcakes, such as the autumn seasonal Pumpkin Bliss, filled with pumpkin pie cream and topped with homemade whipped cream, but also from the warmth that fills the space. Anahi Calderon, one of Palmie’s first baristas, started just a week after opening. “I told my boyfriend, ‘I can’t believe I’m starting with them,’” she said. “They’re just so nice. It’s such a great environment. I love seeing the regulars come back — it makes me happy for them.” Calderon is learning the craft of both coffee and cake. “I want to learn how to decorate cupcakes,” she said. “Palm makes it look so easy, but it’s really like an art.” Natthaparn’s calm and artistry have become part of the shop’s identity. While Rubin calls himself “pretty okay at the front,” he admits that in the kitchen, “I was actually making things harder.” Now, with two baristas and a baker on board, Palmie’s runs like clockwork. “Every challenge that’s come, Palm has met,” Rubin said. “Her capacity to just keep going — I’ve always known her talent, but her endurance and calm are what impress me most.” Natthaparn’s creative process often begins with a simple question: What would I want to eat? “I don’t like pumpkin pie, actually,” she said with a laugh. “But I thought, if I’m going to make a pumpkin cupcake, I need to make a version that I like. And people love it.” She’s already sketching out winter flavors — something citrusy, maybe orange-spiced — and expanding her line of cupcake bouquets for weddings and events. “I hope we get more weddings,” she said. “The cupcake bouquet is so beautiful. I want to spread the word — it’s something new.” Beyond the buttercream and the buzz, the couple says their gratitude belongs to Sonoma itself. “The community has been so welcoming,” Rubin said. “The other businesses here in the El Paseo shops have been fantastic and so supportive. We really couldn’t have asked for better neighbors.” That sense of community — and the customers who keep returning week after week — is what motivates Natthaparn to arrive before dawn to bake and decorate each cupcake by hand. “When people come in and smile, that’s everything,” she said. “It means they feel what I feel. I’m just thankful.”
