THE ICING ON THE CUPCAKE

       She made her name as an actress, but now the girl nicknamed Namfon is baking cupcakes and other fabulous creations which taste as great as used to be known as Wanwalai Posayanond to many Thai people,and it was not only her prestigious last name that made her famous,but also her roles as an actress and TV presenter.
       "I have starred as the lead actress for 10 years, in all TV channels,"said the 33-year-old.
       The mother to two young boys,Mrs Wanwalai chatted after filming a live morning television programme for housewives called 30 Young Jaew [30 and Still Splendid].She was being pulled along by her eldest son, three-year-old Purich,and was also with her handsome husband Anusorn, a pilot for Thai Airways International.Her youngest son, one-year-old Jinn,was at home.
       The former actress is the owner and managing director of Fin-ish Me Cupcake (www.cupcakerie.blogspot.com). As she spoke about her business, she opened a box of cupcakes decorated with all kinds of colourful and pretty flower toppings.
       "The TV show asked for all these flowers because it was a woman's show."
       Her three mobile phones rang nonstop during our entire conversation, as the show had aired her mobile number on TV as the point of contact.
       Mrs Wanwalai said:"At night I run a cupcake business. During the daytime I'm a full-time mother to two naughty boys, and also do accounting, buy ingredients to bake the cakes, and take the kids to school."
       This is partly why she does not have her own shop, despite the increasing demand."I bake at home so that I will have time to be with my sons. If they want to cuddle, then I will still have time for them."
       She talked about how her business started."It started from a hobby, which turned into a cupcake business, which evolved into catering. Now my business is also about customised cakes, such as ones shaped like Chanel and Hermes bags, Barbie dolls, footballs - anything a client wants.
       "The first bag I baked, a Birkin bag, was a total disaster. When I was on the highway to deliver it, the straps and buckle fell apart! This made me want to study about it more, to make it better. So YouTube became my best friend. I search for clips such as 'How to Stack a Cake', or 'How to Make Your Own Butter Cream'. You can say my cakes are made by the heart and the hands."
       It's almost a family business, she laughed."When my husband is not flying, he would help me deliver the cakes. I would, of course, bake them, and my sons would help with the decorations."
       Indeed, as we were having lunch, Mr Anusorn hopped over to the nearby building to deliver a gorgeous Chanel handbag cake."Well, cakes are delicate. You can't just let anyone hold it and deliver it," she said.
       When her husband is away flying around the world, he buys ingredients for his wife,such as top quality chocolates from Belgium, Germany and France which cannot be found in Thailand, or the best pure vanilla extracts such as Nielsen Massey.All the eggs used are organic."We are able to keep this high grade since we are a made-to-order bakery. Everything is fresh and homemade, with no preservatives,"she said.
       Her steady supply of imported ingredi-ents may never have become available if her husband had not noticed a large billboard at a bus stop. That was where he first saw Mrs Wanwalai, who was featured on the billboard. He even told his friends this was the kind of girl he likes. When he saw his mother watching a television soap opera starring Mrs Wanwalai, he told her that this was the girl he was going to marry.
       "We still laugh about that until this day," she said with a chuckle.
       Fate brought the two together on New Year's Eve in 1998 through a mutual friend.They went to the same party, where Mrs Wanwalai noticed a man staring at her all night. She said:"He was a friend of a friend. He seemed very shy and didn't talk
       to me all night. However, before we all left, he asked for my number.I thought he seemed nice, tall and clean - not the harmful type - so I decided to give it to him."
       The next day Mr Anusorn called,and the two have been talking on the phone every single day up to now.
       "Once his plane touches the ground, he calls me. We dated for six years. All the best years of my life were spent with him, and they are still spent with him," she said with a sweet smile.
       She started acting because a friend who worked at a modelling agency asked her to come in for a casting session. Mrs Wanwalai was driving and the traffic was very heavy, so she decided to stop by the modelling agency as it was on her way home. She was chosen for a part in a cosmetic commercial,which led her to starring roles in soap operas and movies and becoming a TV host and presenter for many products.
       "Through acting, I have been to places and did things I've never done in my entire life, such as rowing a boat in the river," she said.
       Her acting background has also helped her business. She admits that her fame opens doors, with many customers recalling her acting days.
       Her biggest fan however, is her husband."Even when I didn't know how to bake, he told me to try and make it a real business. We put up posters in an expatriate community,and that was how I got my first P:P order. I was really excited and spent hours and hours baking just one Obox of homemade cupcakes," she said.
       Her specially-designed cupcakes Shave proved to be very popular."I think they're going to be here for a ;L long time. When people think about cupcakes, it brings a smile to their faces. Cupcakes are convenient to Oeat. You also don't have to eat a lot if you're on a diet. I think they still have a long way to go.B"I get orders from Brunei. They would fly over to pick up the IT cupcakes. They discovered me from my blog site. They said they never Btasted any cupcakes that are as good as mine," she said with a smile.
       "There's also a demand for my niche, customised cakes such as the handbags. I can even make them in the shape of my customers' favourite sofas.Many people order them through my blog,and they communicate with me through my blog, so I get a more personal touch about my products. They'll leave testimonials and send pictures."
       Some of the most popular products from Fin-ish Me Cupcake are carrots, honey and cream cheese; cookies and cream;banana and peanut butter and chocolate fudge and strawberries and cream. Other popular products are strawberry shortcake,chocolate fudge cake, blueberry cream cake and New York cheesecake. She caters to weddings, birthdays and various product launches.