Hey party people,

I am so beyond stoked to welcome you to the first edition of “Food & Feelings”, a weekly newsletter where we get to share and feature all of our favorite things. Food, fashion, trends and all things Party Girl Bake Club.

If you’ve been with me for a while, welcome back. And if you’re new here..hi! I’m Mallory Valvano, founder and operator of PGBC.  

I grew up in a little town called Ellwood City, in western PA. There wasn’t much to do besides ride horses and find trouble of my own. I was born into a large Italian family, one, of course in which, no boundaries existed. My childhood was a swirl of sweet treats, cured meats, and giant bowls of pasta, all while trying to keep up as the youngest of three (with two older brothers, naturally).

After high school, I packed up and made my way to the “big city”, not NYC, as you may have guessed from my dramatic intro, but Philadelphia, the biggest small town with all the energy I needed. I studied textile manufacturing at Philadelphia University, and that became my first creative love.

After college, life led me all over the place and I went the route of learning by doing the damn thing.

Peace out Philly, hello Los Angeles and a big girl job at American Apparel. Cue the lights, camera, action and let the damn party commence. Stints in NorCal, the south of France and the coast of Spain did not let me down as I sought out all that life had to offer and spent these times not saying no to much. 

Those wild, formative years, some might say they went on too long, but I’d argue they were just long enough, formed the mission behind PGBC. That mix of grit, curiosity, style, culture, creativity, refinement (lack there of sometimes) and pure passion is what built both the brand and the woman behind it.

Eventually, I made my way back to Philly and cooked my way through restaurants and bars, living the Party Girl lifestyle until 2020 hit and the hospitality industry screeched to a halt.

Party lifestyle had to take a backseat and the business came forward, and hello corporate America, let's go pay the bills. I somehow convinced people to give me jobs that, as you can imagine, didn’t last long and when my previous employer and I decided to part ways at the end of ‘24 I decided to hell with it all, who am I kidding, because I sure as hell wasn’t fooling myself.

For four years I operated PGBC as a side hustle while managing a day job, for four years I considered it just a hobby and for four years I was lying to yself. PGBC was born from the craving of creativity and connection during a year when we all needed it most. I wasn’t meant to work for someone else, clock in, push paper, and play small. 

I’ve tasted too much of life…
Cheese from over there, wine from over here, sunsets on the Mediterranean, barefoot on Barcelona beaches, 2 a.m. alleyway snacks in Madrid, cold beers with comrades after long shifts in hot kitchens. I knew there was more for me. So I tore off the blinders and entered my Boss Bitch Era™

Fast forward to summer 2025, and PGBC is evolving fast. We’re figuring out how the hell to run a business, social media, P&Ls, PR, accounting, no one warned me, but I wouldn’t trade a second of it.

At this very moment, I’m trying to not melt in my small cake studio while midst airbrushing a cake, planning my pickups for the day and then trying to squeeze a workout in before an event this evening. We’ve been growing into the modern catering world and will be sharing more of that with y’all soon, so keep your eyes peeled for some artistic & delicious spreads.

If you’ve made it this far, THANK YOU. I love you. I can’t wait to keep sharing these weekly check-ins, and all the cake, magic, and wild food we’ve got coming your way.

As a thank-you for reading, here’s a little something I’ve been loving.
I’m deep in my gym girl era, and this quick recipe has been my nighttime sweet fix that keeps me feeling sexy as hell.

Go eat something delicious and live unapologetically.

Love,

Mallory