Lucila Venet Jiménez likes to think of herself as artsy and creative, not as a savvy, high-powered businesswoman. The idea of breaking the $1 million mark in sales this year may make her smile, but the green dearest to her is the creamy one that decorates her cakes.

“This is a hobby, not a business,” says the owner of the two Sweet Art by Lucila bakeries in Miami. “I’ve been cooking and baking since I was in Cuba.” Childhood memories stir up visions of mixing, whipping and kneading alongside her mother, and later leaving her island home when she was 15. Creating in the kitchen remained a passion as she grew into adulthood. “I liked baking and making cakes the best. When I would plan a meal, I would start with the dessert first, then the pork.” Every local cooking demonstration she heard about could count on her attendance. When she became Mom to Andrés Jr., Javier and Cristina, her cakes and other goodies became fast favorites in school classrooms as well as at birthday parties, family gatherings and friends’ weddings.

As the kids grew up and began heading off to college, Lucila started asking herself, “What am I going to do with my life? I’ve always been a mother, a wife.” Her friends asked her a different question: “Why don’t you sell your cakes? We’ll pay you for them.” But the idea of accepting money for something she enjoyed doing so much was embarrassing. “I would bake the cakes, then leave the house. I’d tell the maid, ‘You take the money they come,’ ” she recalled with a chuckle.

By the time her youngest child was graduating from high school, she had a full-blown business operating from her home, with the dinning room table serving as a display area. She took on a partner and four years later struck out on her own, opening her first shop in July 1996. Three months later she was holding a second grand opening and now has 28 employees.

“People who see me working say I have a knack for business. For me it’s an art, because I love to do things with my hands.” Her art work keeps getting tastier and more sophisticated. Trips to France for lessons in creating new desserts and pastries have become an annual pilgrimage.

As her sweet-toothed fans continue finding their way to the nearest Sweet Art by Lucila, the artist who paints with sabor says her biggest supporters are those closest to her heart. Husband Andrés, a psychiatrist, dons a different hat when he joins Lucila at the bakery on Saturdays, and son Andrés Jr. stops to help every day. While her life is filled with love and laughter, Lucila’s cakes and pastries are filled with only the best ingredients and a dash of fun.