Hi there,
Cakes have been
feeling pretty neglected on the
Forrager Podcast recently.
My
first podcast interview was with a wedding cake maker. My
second was with a cupcake maker. But since then, my last ten episodes have not featured any cakeries and cupcakeries.
I'm not sure how that happened, since
custom cakes are (by far) the most common type of cottage food business, and they are some of the most lucrative as well.*
So... cake has some catching up to do! Not to worry though, because my
next four podcast guests just so happen to be custom cake makers. And as you will see, each of their businesses are
VERY different.
To start,
check out my newest podcast episode with Kathy Cherie, who has been decorating cakes since 1982 with her cottage food business, Cake du Jour.
The only problem for Kathy is that she lives in Illinois, which is
one of the few states that still has no statewide law allowing home bakeries like hers (despite their
very good law for farmers market vendors).
Illinois does have a law that allows some people to operate home bakeries.
Kathy has been a major advocate for improving the laws in her state, and she talks about having to run her business somewhat under-the-table (despite the health department knowing about it).
While she can't always sell her cakes legally, she does love to give them away. She has been
very involved with the charity Icing Smiles, which serves families that have a critically ill child. She has now made over 20 "dream cakes", and she talks about how you can get involved too.
She also
specializes in creating sugar flowers that are so realistic, you could put them in a garden! She talks about how she learned these techniques, and how she prices them for her cakes.
Listen to Episode 13: Baking A Difference with Kathy CherieUntil next week,
David
* I haven't confirmed this through extensive scientific research, or anything like that. This is just based on what I see. However, the
Institute for Justice's 2018 survey found that 69% of respondents sold baked goods with their business. The next highest categories were confectionary and pastries, at 16% and 15%, respectively.