By 11 years ago, 47-year-old Albert Daniel said he lost it all.
The anniversary marks the time when Daniel returned home to discover his car was destroyed, his job closed and his home was being sold.
This same month, 11 years ago, Daniel also decided to pursue his dreams of crafting high-end chocolates and confectioneries.
Since then, Daniel’s creations have been seen at Disney, the Grammy Awards and The Ritz-Carlton in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Now holding the winning title of Hulu’s Baker’s Dozen episode one, Daniel owns his very own chocolate factory in Downtown Long Beach.
“With no job, no car, no house …. [I decided] I’m going to start my business,” Daniel said, recounting the difficult month. “Just watch me, I’m going to make it. I’m a fighter, and I never give up.”
Boxes of French gourmet fruit jelly, Pâte de Fruit, can be purchased at the Partake Collective storefront in Downtown Long Beach. Handmade by Chef Albert Daniels, the jellies come in flavors of passionfruit, mango, guava, raspberry, calamansi and kiwi. Photo Credit: Julia Goldman
As a first-generation immigrant from Las Piñas, Philippines, Daniel learned English as his second language at the age of nine and went on to study recreation administration at Long Beach State.
He described his time in college as difficult, working in the service industry to support himself and carefully budgeting an allotted $30 a week to eat in order to make ends meet.
After graduating from college in 2002, Daniel worked at various jobs in his field before beginning his role as a personal trainer at Equinox in Manhattan Beach, where he remained for 14 years.
It was on Easter, in 2013, that Daniel saw cake pops at a coffee shop and said to himself that he wanted to make them.
“10 hours later, I made 40 of them. I was like, ‘No, I’m never doing this again,’” Daniel said. “But I brought joy to so many people – so what if I did it again?”
While continuing to make cake pops as a hobby and simultaneously working as an Equinox trainer, Daniel landed his first customer, Michael Strahan, through a coworker.
The former NFL player, who went on to host ABC’s Good Morning America, ordered cake pops for a party.
This new connection led Daniel to cater his cake pops to famed clients including Bruce Springsteen and the Grammy Awards, all within six months.
Daniel left Equinox at the end of 2013, and began working as a teacher at the charter college Career Colleges of America teaching others how to become a personal trainer while also building his cake pop business.
Then, during his Christmas break that year, Daniel took a three-week vacation to Australia, where he returned to find out that a drunk driver had totaled their car into his home’s garage – destroying Daniel’s car in the process.
Following this, his landlords divorced and decided to sell the property he lived at, leaving him briefly homeless.
Then, a few days later, CCA closed and filed for bankruptcy – meaning Daniel had lost his job.
Within the first two weeks of 2014, Daniel had lost his car, his home and his job.
“I thought, this is it. I’m going to say goodbye to my cake pop business,” Daniel said. “I remember crying and praying, I thought all of this struggles and pain was supposed to be something bigger.”
At this time, Daniel said his siblings, parents and family urged him to quit his business, and told him that he would not amount to anything.
It was this discouragement that served as his motivating factor to invest in his dream and continue forward.
In 2017, Disney discovered Daniel online and asked him to pitch an idea for Guardians of the Galaxy.
“I spent 40 hours making them by hand – then got approval of what figures they wanted,” Daniel said. “[I] spent hundreds and hundreds of dollars, I didn’t have much, thinking, praying that I would land it.”
Placing an order for 1000 units, Daniel fulfilled his order to Disney and catered his cake pops to the back of the studios and the whole cast.
A batch of fossil chocolates with gold dusting for the National History Museum of Los Angeles County made by Chef Albert Daniels on Nov. 19, 2024. Photo Credit: Julia Goldman
Now, Daniel and his creations have appeared across notable Southern California locations and media, from appearances on KTLA Morning News to collaborations with companies such as Netflix, Estée Lauder and Hyundai.
David gives thanks to his friends who supported him during his economic hardship, including 66-year-old David Reynolds, who allowed Daniel to stay at his townhouse for free until he got back on his feet.
Reynolds, who used to work for Long Beach Unified School District, said that during this time, he would often see Daniel pull all-nighters to get work done.
“He was working extremely hard and finding time where he could just sit back was challenging for him,” Reynolds said. “I’m sort of amazed by all the progress he’s made until now…sometimes I tell him – do you ever look back on how far you’ve come? Nothing surprises me with him – nothing will surprise me – I know it’ll be forward, but it’s going to be good.”
Today, Daniel said he typically works 14 hours a day in his kitchen on Elm Avenue, answering phone calls, doing video shoots, developing product menus, cooking and doing dishes.
Still, Daniel said he knows he will soar higher.
“When I was younger, my driving force was anger,” Daniel said. “Now that I am successful – I have a commercial kitchen now – all of it is paid off, no loans, no investors, this is my money. Now, it feels good to be where I am today… I persevered.”
To follow along with Daniel, you can check out his Instagram, @albertspetitesweets.
