For a housewarming party, she built a house out of a watermelon.
For baby showers, she's done strollers and bassinets with a baby doll inside.
She makes fruit cakes for birthdays, weddings, anniversaries and for people who just want to say I love you -- with fruit.
Irene opened Platinum Fruit Creations this time last year but her adventures with fruit actually started in 2006 when she went to buy a fruit bouquet and suffered sticker shock.
So she thought she'd do it herself, even though she'd never even seen one being made.
That first fruit bouquet was for her pastor who was so impressed he immediately wanted to place an order for 19.
Feeling over her head, she offered instead to make chocolate covered strawberries.
She nailed it, word spread and business took off.
For years, she treated her fruit sculpting like a paid hobby. But during the pandemic, she decided to turn her side hustle into a main hustle.
The name Platinum Fruit Creations reflects her commitment to quality. Sometimes her customers will share their vision, but usually they trust Irene to just get creative.
She set up shop in a former plant store, and she's made it a one-stop spot for special occasions with balloons and cards offered for sale.
She makes fruit smoothies along with fruit salads, chocolate covered pretzels and chocolate covered apples.
But it's the fruit cakes, that she first started crafting in 2020 that are her biggest seller.
Platinum Fruit Creations | Facebook |Instagram
2732 W Girard Ave, Philadelphia, Pa. 19130
267-773-7113