I’m Vera, Founder of the Franz. I was born and raised in Munich and moved to Houston in 2016. I thought it would be nice to bring a German tradition to Houston.

I missed German sourdough bread. Not everyone is familiar with sourdough, but when baking it, you work with what’s called a “starter” that can be used for several years. People tend to give their starters names. We called ours “Franz.”.

With Valentine’s Day coming up, I wanted to make a little treat for my husband, Max. Using my special bundt cake molds that I brought from Germany, I baked some cake bites. While baking, it occurred to me that a tiny cake would be a great addition to the Houston pastry scene. Sometimes I crave sweets and don’t want a whole cake, just one bite. And I thought I might not be the only one. That was the day Lil’ Franz was born.