Founded in Brooklyn, now based in the East Village, SOMA CAKES proudly presents the artistic vision of owner / designer Hiroyo Ruiz; an accomplished custom cake designer and pastry chef.

Hiroyo followed her passion for the art of pastry from her hometown of Tokyo, Japan, all the way to New York City to attend the Institute of Culinary Education. While watching Iron Chef on television in NYC, desperate to secure a restaurant internship to complete her culinary training at ICE, Hiroyo decided to write a letter to the great Iron Chef, Morimoto. In what seems like something out of a movie, the letter reached chef Morimoto (who was working at the prestigious Nobu restaurant in Manhattan at the time) and Hiroyo was hired to work alongside him in the kitchen of Nobu. She transitioned from Morimoto, to the kitchen of the talented pastry chef Eric Bedoucha, as well as the fast-paced kitchen of Financier Patisserie. The hard work and long days only fueled her love for elegant pastry technique, and what better place to refine her skills than Paris.

Her proven tenacity, coupled with inherent passion and strive to continuously improve, and ultimately master, her craft continued to open doors in Paris. Hiroyo worked in several esteemed pastry shops in Paris, including the famed French Patisserie, Ladurée.

Eventually Hiroyo returned to New York City, the city she feels most embraces her international experience, innovation and style. While working in several of the top custom cake shops in the city (including Betty Bakery and Empire Cake) she was able to refine her cake sculpting and decorating skills, incorporating her years of experience in classic pastry technique.  

A mother of two, Hiroyo understands the needs of her clients and the importance of the trust they place in her to create a unique experience, just for them. She loves and lives for every step of the process: baking delicious cakes, designing, sculpting, painting, and most importantly, making her clients smile with her meticulously crafted creations. She is honored and grateful to play a role in creating beautiful memories that call for cake.

Satoko Newman is Co-owner and Business Manager for SOMA Cakes NYC. Over more than the last decade, she was the owner of Like Butter Entertainment, one of the top custom cake businesses in Manhattan. In early 2021, SOMA Cakes NYC and Like Butter Entertainment merged to expand complementary vision and skillsets in order to accommodate ever-increasing needs of clienteles.

Satoko left Osaka, Japan as a teenager. Even though she initially only barely spoke English, she graduated from University with Summa Cum Laude in three years. She then worked on Wall Street first as a Programmer and eventually as a Vice President at Citi and subsequently at JP Morgan. While she was highly competitive, she grew tired of chasing numbers. With the stock market crashing in 2008, Satoko gladly took the chance to leave it all behind to start her second career in baking from scratch.

Satoko’s reboot began in Anguilla, British West Indies where her family was riding out the economic storm. She initially started baking there for her husband and two young sons for fun, but her baking became popular locally quickly. Within a year she was creating cakes for Her Majesty’s Governor, Anguillan government officials, and several local World Class resorts. When it was time to leave paradise and return to NYC in 2011, she had a choice to make between the Wall Street or baking. There was no contest. Satoko, now finding new life’s calling, built her own kitchen, Like Butter Entertainment.

Hiroyo and Satoko met in Manhattan first as competitors. However, they quickly began admiring each other’s work and vision, finding ways to collaborate on several lucrative projects. After a decade in custom cake business, Satoko decided to partner with Hiroyo to produce cakes that neither of them alone would be able to produce. Their passions for creative collaboration convinced both Satoko and Hiroyo that merging two businesses would be their destiny, even in the middle of the pandemic.

Today, they work together every day to create first class design with world class flavor for a plethora of private and corporate clients. Having each other’s back has allowed them to unleash their desires and to keep pushing the boundaries of creativity. Their business is now known to consistently produce innovative and high-quality cakes.