Mama was a great cook and an even better baker. (I’m pretty sure my mean sweet tooth comes directly from her.) I wish she were here today so she could eat one of my cakes. I know she’d be so proud.

Although it’s always exciting to design a new cake for an editorial photo shoot, this one has a special place in my heart. Brooke Allison and Stefanie Kapra, who conceptualized and photographed the shoot, called it Something Blue(berry). They incorporated buttons, birds, and books, rustic decor, and lots of blue elements. Thanks to Brooke and Stef for asking me to create the cake, which includes antiqued fondant birds and, of course, lots and lots of fondant blueberries.

1. White-on-white cake. Nothing is more classic than a white-on-white wedding cake, yet for me it’s a real challenge. As much as I try to restrain myself, virtually every cake I make seems to have a pop of color.  I have been designing cakes for over 15 years, and of the hundreds of cakes I’ve made, the two white cakes below are literally the only white-on-white cakes I’ve ever done. (For some reason, I find winter-themed cakes a little easier to execute in white.) So, my first goal for 2013 will be to create a cake, all white with no other colors, that is not winter-themed and is just splendid.

2. Show my girly side. A designer friend of mine once called one of my designs “masculine”. I was horrified. Yes, the cake featured bold geometrics in blues and greens, but masculine? I had never thought of my cakes as gender-specific, and definitely not masculine, but when I thought about it, they weren’t particularly feminine either, and  not at all girly. I do appreciate girly things, but for some reason my cakes rarely reflect that side. This year, I want to lean towards more feminine, girly designs.

3. Use a lighter touch. I really like cakes that look airy and light, but I always find my cakes are heavy handed. This year, I plan to work with colors, designs, and materials that give my cakes a sense of weightlessness.

4. Use my lace molds. I purchased these fabulous jewelry findings at Jo-Ann Fabrics forever ago and used my food-grade silicone to create fondant molds from them. They’re pretty fabulous–lacy and girly (just perfect for Design Goal #2)–and I’ve been meaning to get around to creating a cake with them. This year, I’m gonna do it.

5. Sugar dahlia. The one below, to be precise: It’s the cafe au lait dahlia, and it’s my absolute favorite. I’ve been playing with dahlias for a while now, and am ready to perfect my design. This is the year.

6. And while we’re at it, the Juliet Rose. I’ve seen several pretty good Juliet roses made of sugar, but never a great one. In 2013, I will make one. Part of the challenge is finding a good one to use as a model. The other part is finding the time to do it. With kids, a growing business, and a beat-up old house we’re restoring, time is my biggest challenge and really comes at a premium. Luckily my family is really supportive.  The Juliet rose, with it’s multiple components, will take several attempts and lots of time to figure out, but I’ll do it.

7. Further explore what interests me as an artist. I’m an artist, but I’m also a business person, and I have to admit I sometimes feel pressured to create designs that are consistent with current trends, rather than the ones that interest me. I would love to find the time to do both the crowd-pleasers and the me-pleasers (there goes that time issue again). I’m hoping I’ll have the opportunity to do some editorial work this year in which the design is left completely up to me.

I had actually done another pop art cake a few years back, also inspired by Lichtenstein, and I wanted to make this one completely different. I really like the color block trend, and thought a 1960s mod design would work well with the primary colors Lichtenstein is known for. Here’s the design I came up with:

The editors liked my original design and didn’t change a thing. Here’s the cake in the Fall/Winter 2012 issue of The Connecticut Bride.

And a few shots that I took with my camera:

This was definitely a departure from my usual style (it really stands out in my consultation studio among  the pastel and white display cakes) and very unconventional for a wedding cake, but I liked it just the same. (In fact, I kind of loved it.)

Thanks to Connecticut Bride for the opportunity to make such a fun cake.

I immediately sat down to create a sketch to submit to the Bride’s team. (I should mention that I was in the thick of my Summer-of-2012-Berry-Phase, so I felt compelled to include some blackberries. I also did this raspberry cake and a blueberry cake–which hasn’t yet been published–last summer.) I always like to do a sketch when I work on a magazine shoot to ensure that I’m on the same page as the art/creative director(s). Here’s what I came up with:

I didn’t know that the cake was for their “Get the Look” column, which features products similar to those used in real weddings. Bride’s felt that my design was actually too similar to the original cake, and asked me to make it more modern and streamlined. (I do plan to execute my original design at some point. Perhaps I’ll go through another berry phase in the Summer of 2013.) I came up with a traditional-meets-modern concept: a spin on appliqued flowers, extending them off the cake and incorporating some 3-D elements and the shading seen on traditional sugar flowers.

This is the cake. (Photo: Aaron Dyer)

And the article in Bride’s Magazine October, 2012. You can see more of the article here.

Special thanks to Aaron Dyer for generously sharing his photo.

In June, Kate, our front-of-the-house assistant, noticed the bench missing. It was a Wednesday. Jessica immediately went next-door to the bank to ask if they had the surveillance video from the night before. They did, but the bench wasn’t in it. Rewind the tape a few days to Friday, and there’s the video of the bench-stealing in progress. Okay, so it took us till Wednesday to notice it missing. Whatever. That’s not the point.

An actual photo of the crime in progress, courtesy First Niagra Bank.

We called the Hamden Police Department and they immediately dispatched Officer Manning. We excitedly told him that this would surely be a boon to his career and more than likely lead to a major promotion, as we had the actual video surveillance of the crime in progress. Officer Manning went next door to the bank, watched the video, took a report, refused a cupcake, and left after promising to keep an eye out for the bench.

And that was that. Or so we thought.

Jessica, Mayor Scott Jackson, and me at our grand opening. Behind us, the bench in happier times.

Enter Frank. Technically Frank should not be in this story at all. A year ago when I was leaving California, I wrote a blog post about Frank and how much we’d miss him. Frank can fly a plane, goes prospecting for gold, and can easily fix your alternator with a glue stick and some duct tape. Add the cute British accent and the fact that he follows up almost all of his zany ideas with “mate”, and he can convince you that even the most outrageous scheme is a solid plan. So when Frank offered to buy a truck and drive all of our belongings from California across the country to Connecticut last summer “in under a week, mate. No problem”, we thought nothing of it.

Once he arrived (two new tires, a replaced fuel filter, and a brand new ignition, all done by him, later) and saw what a wreck our new house was, he offered to stay for a week or two to help out. The sun porch that we planned to tear down became “No problem, mate, we’ll just build new walls, put in a new bathroom, move the laundry upstairs.” August quickly turned to December, and we had a new housemate, mate.

It was around this time we noticed that Frank and my mom were spending an awful lot of time together, and before long he had moved in with her. Frank is now here permanently, being all mushy-gushy and in love with my mom. They’re perfect for each other and we couldn’t be happier.

Anyway, Frank bought like a few hundred or a million of these vintage metal things (he told me what they do but I forgot) and wanted to get them polished. So last week he drove to a local metal shop, pulled into the parking lot, and there, right there in the back of the metal shop, was our bench!

Jessica called the police to report the return of the bench, but wasn’t sure of the name of the officer. She spoke with dispatch: “Hi, um, yes, we reported a stolen bench to, um, I believe it was Officer Manning?” The man on the other end of the line responded with an assured (or was it amused?) “Oh, yeah, it was Manning alright,” and said Officer Manning would meet us at the shop.

The next day, after Manning failed to show up, we called the police again. This time we arranged to meet them in the parking lot at the metal shop. Frank and Scott parked in the lot with a full view of the inside of the metal shop, and sat in the car doing some sort of stake out. “Frank!” said Scott “That one has a gun!” And he did. Scott called 911, and within seconds several police officers showed up. They immediately arrested the one with the gun (it turned out to be a BB gun, but he had other outstanding warrants) and all but one officer left with the arrested guy to settle the bench issue. The non-arrested guys at the metal shop said it belonged to the kids next door. The kids next door came down, examined the bench at length (we’re not sure what they were looking for), and said it belonged to one of their brother’s friends and that they didn’t care what happened to it. And with that, the bench was returned to us.

Below, the bench on the day of its return disassembled in Frank’s truck.

Our bench, fully assembled once again, in the back of the shop.

Welcome back bench!  We missed you (even though we didn’t notice you were gone for a while) and are so happy you’re back.

P.S. The bench is now bolted to the ground.

While these two cakes couldn’t be any more different from each other, they’re both definitely very different from my earlier work. The first is sleek and blingy with different shades of gold and a brooch hand-crafted by my wonderful intern-turned-assistant Callan. (Check back in a week or so for a post all about her.) The second is soft and vintage with an antiqued sugar dahlia. Although I don’t necessarily feel either one represents me as an artist, I definitely like–but not necessarily love–them both.

Brooke Allison took all the photographs. You know those skinny mirrors that make you look thinner than you do in real life? That’s Brooke. Her photographs make my cakes look better than they do in real life, and I love her work.

Enjoy.

First, you should know that I do not come from entrepreneurs. My mother was a teacher and my father a social worker. Both earned a predictable and steady salary and retired with sizable pensions. My mom ingrained in me from a young age the importance of having health insurance and saving for retirement, so the thought of opening my own business–with unpredictable income, no retirement plan, and no company-supplied health insurance–essentially scares the shit out of me. I probably would not be doing this were it not for two people. Brian Smith of Ample Hills Creamery has been hugely inspiring to me. He is married to one of my best friends, Jackie, and for years we both talked about opening up our own respective shops. I didn’t realize he was serious, since no one I had ever known actually started their own business. I just thought it was something we both dreamed about. Then he actually went out and did it, and he’s wildly successful. That was the first indication that maybe it was something I too could actually do. I also would not be here without my sister, Jessica. We are sharing the kitchen at my new space (the front will be divided between my consultation space and her soup and salad retail area). She is just as scared as me, but we encourage and support each other, and it all seems okay.

We signed our lease on December 15th and expect to be open February 15th. Here is a brief (and in no way comprehensive) outline of the process, which is still very much in progress.

1. Write a business plan. I know this is something you don’t want to hear and don’t want to do. I didn’t want to do it either, but I’m so glad I did. Writing a business plan helps you focus on your goals and form a business philosophy, anticipate potential pitfalls, analyze the competition, and take inventory of your finances. It’s not fun, but in the end it is vitally important. I needed some ass-kicking to get started, so I took an online business plan course that was structured and gave assignments with deadlines (I need deadlines) so that I got the bulk of my plan written. I still needed help with the financial section (See Step 2).

2. Meet with advisors. Your local SBA and SBDC have advisors who can help you write your business plan, obtain financing, create a marketing plan, etc. Most of their services are free of charge. The SBDCs also offer inexpensive and worthwhile classes in everything from promoting your business using social media to Quickbooks.

3. Obtain licensing. A few of the local agencies in your city or town you’ll need to get to know could include the buildings department, health department, water department, water pollution authority, zoning department, and fire marshall, to name a few. You might also need a city-issued business license (in Long Beach I did; in CT I don’t).

4. Contact your state. The state might require additional licensing (in Connecticut the Department of Consumer Protection oversees bakeries. This is in addition to the local health department). Also contact your state taxation or franchise board. If you want to incorporate, it is done at the state level. You might also need a food handler’s license.

5. Obtain a federal Tax ID. Easily done online.

6. Obtain financing. Do this before you sign a lease. The SBA provides low-interest rate loans to small businesses. Many startups have recently opted to fundraise instead of taking business loans using websites like kickstarter.com

7. Find the right location. A pre-existing space that needs only some renovation is the most cost effective. My sister and I, because of our unique needs, could not find a space that worked for us, so we are doing a complete buildout.

8. Get contractors who are reliable, punctual, licensed, and insured. Get at least three bids for each job. Your contractors (plumber, electrician) will pull the appropriate permits and schedule inspections of their work. Other inspections, such as the health department inspection, you might need to schedule on your own.

9. Signage. Most cities regulate the maximum size of your sign and other design elements. Work with a sign company familiar with the regulations that can guide you through it.

10. Prepare to work your ass off. If you’re not willing to put the blood, sweat, and tears in to get your space off the ground,  you’re either super rich or you might want to reconsider. This is your baby. Treat it as such. Be there every step of the way so you know what is going on and know that it’s done right and to your specifications.

Here are some photos of our progress.

Pendant lights in the front window are up:

Dry wall is up, taped, and mudded on Jessica’s side:

All the brick is exposed on my side. Walls and pendants are up. We still need to install the floor:

I painted the hutch I bought at a thrift store. I’ll be using it display my cakes and stands:

We have almost all of our kitchen equipment, but it’s not all installed:

My consultation space still needs floors and paint, but I just had to see how some of the furniture would look:

The tin ceiling is completely exposed, primed, and painted. I love it:

 View from my studio to the front door:

I wish you the best of luck.

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Below are two images I found on Pinterest that I just had to turn into cake. The first cake is a loose interpretation of the image. (I plan to revisit the sunset rose in the near future.) The second is pretty much a reproduction in sugar. All the decor on each cake is made of gumpaste and is edible–right down to the pine cones. And, just for fun, I’ve included a little Pin It button above each image. Enjoy.

Pinspiration # 1: Sunset Rose. (Original Source: Xanga.com)

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 Pinspiration # 2: Winter Bouquet. (Original Source: Cava Weddings)

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You create a cake with fondant billy balls, gumpaste butterflies, and hand-crafted sugar succulents.

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And if you’re really lucky, the team from Branco Prata takes the photos. Dying to see more of their work? You can see the complete Branco Prata gallery here. Special thanks to Sofia and Andre for their beautiful images.