She received the necessary license from the Health Department in April to start baking in the shop, but she still couldn’t fully open. She needed further approval for that, and the COVID-19 pandemic impacted that timeline. The shop opened for the public (with limited capacity) in mid-June.
 

“I was so very happy (to open),” Ruby said. “I was just overjoyed. I just couldn’t believe that I am the owner of this cake shop. It’s just amazing.”

When she opened the shop, the first thing she baked in the oven was cupcakes to donate to the hospital, fire department and police station. She said it was a blessing to open the shop, and she thought giving back to front-line workers was a good way to start.
 

All of Ruby’s cakes are made from scratch, with no artificial ingredients. She said she doesn’t have an item that’s significantly more popular than the others. Two of her specialties are her mango cake (a seasonal item) and her strawberry cake. For the strawberry cake, she uses pureed strawberries in the batter instead of water, which creates a red cake.
 

Ruby has spread the word about her business in multiple ways. She relies on word of mouth, as many who try her cakes tell her how much they like them and tell others about the shop. She also maintains an active Facebook page. She posts a picture of every cake she makes on the Ruby’s Cake Shoppe page.
 

Years after the birthday party, Ruby and Peteris went back to the Desserts by Rita shop in Ocean City. They thanked the staff for giving Ruby the inspiration to start baking. Ruby’s inspiration meant a lot to owner Rita Curry.

“It’s a compliment,” Curry said. “It really thrills me that someone would open a shop because of me.”

Opening the cake shop was a big deal for Ruby. But her lifelong dream came true long before she baked her first cake, when she first stepped foot in the United States in 2005. Originally from the Philippines, Ruby worked as a nanny in Hong Kong for 10 years. She met Peteris, who was raised in Tacoma Park, on a dating site in December 2004. He was her first boyfriend.
 

Peteris spent eight days with Ruby in Hong Kong when her employer went on vacation. When he returned to the U.S., he sent her a package with chocolates, photos of their time together, and an engagement ring. She was happier about the chocolates than the ring because engagement rings aren’t as common in the Philippines as they are in the U.S.

She said yes, and in December 2005, she came to the U.S.

“My dream came true when I stepped on American soil,” Ruby said. “That was really my dream, to come to America, to live here. This is part of my life. I love being here. I’m so lucky to live here.”
 

Ruby carried a green card for four years before becoming a U.S. citizen in 2010. Her citizenship is a big source of pride. When she went home to the Philippines three years ago to see her family, she beamed with pride as she showed her U.S. passport to immigration officers.

“When I was a kid, my dream was to get here to America,” Ruby said. “That was my dream. Every time I watched the TV, showing something in the U.S. I always prayed that one day, when I grew up, I would be able to go to America. It’s my wish to myself to get to America. I was so so proud of myself when I became a U.S. citizen.”
 

So while baking cakes and owning her first business was a leap of faith for Ruby, it hasn’t felt that way. Her leap of faith was just getting to the U.S., and everything that’s happened since has been a bonus.
 

“I never in my life thought that I would be the owner of a cake shop, and here in America, not in my own country,” Ruby said. “That makes me very proud of myself. And I’m thankful for my husband for taking me here and making my wish come true. My dream came true.”
 

The shop has been busy since its opening. They’re holding a ribbon cutting at the shop on Saturday, July 11.