Bakery In Florida: In 2009, founder of Cupcake World, Iris Casanova, and her cupcake-obsessed daughter, Sam, signed up for cake decorating classes at their local arts and crafts store. Week by week, Iris fell in love with the art of piping and decorating and realized that this would be more than a hobby (Sam, on the other hand, preferred to taste-test). Once she learned the basic skills, she realized she had to master them, as she has always been her own fiercest competition. She began practicing at home, creating cupcake recipes for her three children, the official taste-testers, and posting her creations on her personal social media outlets. It wasn’t long before her friends and family started placing orders and challenging Iris with extravagant requests, none of which she ever turned down.