From tech to baking; FilAm woman is having her cake and eating it, too

CAKE PICKNIC

Elisa Sunga proves that there's life after Google.

The world of high tech is no picnic but a Filipino American has learned a way to sweeten her life by sharing and eating cakes -- lots of cakes.

Elisa Sunga and her global dessert phenomenon, Cake Picnic, took was featured on CBS News Sunday Morning recently, showcasing the vibrant proliferation of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) small businesses.

Speaking with correspondent Faith Salie on the May 24, 2026 broadcast, Sunga shared how she transformed a simple pandemic hobby into an international community baking sensation. For a movement dubbed the "Met Gala of Cake," her strict rule remains beautifully democratic: no cake, no entry.

I remember Elisa as a quiet, studious high schooler when I managed the intern program for a local office holder. She was soaking up everything about how government worked. Seeing her command a national television audience to discuss building inclusive, global communities through sugar and flour is a testament to the incredible trajectory of modern AAPI entrepreneurs.

Sunga is just the tip of the iceberg of the impact of Asian American women on the US economy.

“According to Forbes, Asian American women own 1.7 million businesses in the United States—10.6% of all women-owned businesses—and grew that number by 21% between 2022 and 2025, the second-fastest growth rate of any demographic group. Their businesses generate $355.8 billion in revenue and carry the highest average revenue per firm among all women-owned groups at $213,000. ”

From Google to sweet dreams

Sunga’s journey from a Philippines-born immigrant who didn't see a traditional Western frosted cake until her youth to a powerhouse entrepreneur highlights the unique dynamics driving AAPI small business growth today.

CAKE PICNIC

That's a lot of cakes to sample at a Cake Picnic held in San Francisco.

Sunga spent years sharpening her logistics and organizational skills as a Senior UX Program Manager at Google, balancing her budding baking empire on nights and weekends. She recently left tech to pursue her culinary brand full-time.

Under her creative portfolio, Salted Rye, she introduces cross-cultural flavor profiles to Western baking structures—spinning childhood memories of Southeast Asian treats into ube halaya scones and sweet corn basque cheesecakes.

What started in 2024 as a hopeful 15-person park gathering in San Francisco has exploded into a global tour. Cake Picnic has popped up in London, New York, Mexico City, and Sydney, with tickets regularly selling out in under a minute attracting thousands of lovers of cake.

Sunga's one rule: "No Cake, No Entry."

True to her community-first roots, Sunga used her early pastry box sales to raise nearly thousands of dollars for anti-racism and social justice mutual aid funds.

With the release of her debut cookbook, "Cake Picnic: Recipes for the Love of Cake & Friends," Sunga is proving that the future of AAPI business proliferation isn't just about selling a product—it's about reclaiming space and baking a bigger table for everyone to share. She writes in her book the step-by step process how anybody can organize their own event and create their own community.

Her next event is August 7 where she will have a book signings followed by a Cake Picnic.

Elisa Sunga’s journey from a young immigrant from the Philippines to a culinary force is mirrored across the American landscape, where Asian American small businesses serve as a primary engine for job creation and economic growth. 

The changing face of "Main Street"

Just as Sunga uses her platform to spark local micro-fulfillment boxes and crowd-sourced picnics, immigrant business owners are disproportionately anchoring physical communities. Research from the Immigration Research Initiative highlights that immigrants make up 34% of all restaurant owners and 33% of grocery store owners nationwide.

According to data from the SBA Office of Advocacy and the US Census Bureau, Asian Americans own over 3 million total businesses, which collectively generate a staggering 5.4 million jobs — representing the highest employment contribution of any minority-owned business group in the United States.

For a quiet high schooler who once spent her summers observing how local government shapes society, Sunga has discovered a way to host your own cake party and is sharing her knowledge in her book.

 Her evolution from the tech world into community entrepreneurship isn't just a feel-good story for national television — it is a textbook reflection of how Asian immigrant small businesses are quite literally feeding, employing, and rejuvenating the modern American economy; and how one individual can bring joy  and community to the world, one cake at a time.

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