Friday, June 21, 2013

Katie's Kakes: Another great Buffalo small business!

Property of Katie's Kakes
I love sharing local businesses that are thriving in Western New York. It just makes me feel good to see the creative floks working it out in WNY!!!  I found this next gem by accident, and I am so happy that I did. I am thrilled to present to you Katie's Kakes.
As I often do, I was looking through numerous pages on Facebook, dreaming of my future nuptials someday. And as I  looked through some local wedding vendors, I came across Katie's Kakes, run by Katie Ferenc. This local business specializes in all sorts of baked goods, including cupcakes, special occasion cakes and , my personal favorite, wedding cakes!

Property of Katie's Kakes
As I looked through the pictures of Katie's Kakes creations, I was very impressed. The cakes are just delightful, just beautiful. I was so pleased with what I saw, that I referred a friend to Katie's Kakes, as she was looking for a new "cake lady" because her current vendor would be moving out of town soon. I knew that Katie's work would be right up her alley. And sure enough, my friend started following Katie's Facebook page immediately. I was very pleased.


Property of Katie's Kakes
So, since I am always thrilled to share local businesses with you, the reader, and I fell in love with Katie's Kakes, I felt compelled to reach out. Katie was gracious to answer a number of questions about her business. And I was so happy that she agreed to allow me to write this article for you.

I myself, have always had a passion for bake goods, and as mentioned previously, wedding cakes in particular. Katie Ferenc has always shared in the same passion, from a very young age. In fact, she started baking as soon as she was old enough to use the oven in her childhood home, at the age of 14.

Property of Katie's Kakes
Immediately Katie received accolades from school for her baking talent. And as she grew older, her passion for baking and creating continued.Katie explains the beginning of her journey, "I started selling Christmas cookies about 15 years ago after making so many that we couldn't eat them all... I worked at a restaurant in the neighborhood I grew up in and brought tins down and sold them all in less than 10 minutes."

 Quickly word of mouth spread about Katie's Kakes. As soon as people heard of Katie's work, and tasted the delicious treats on their own, emails and phone orders started coming in, in a pretty feverish pace.
As orders continued to come in, Katie decided to start a Facebook page, primarily to organize pictures of her cake creations. From that point forward, the business took on a life of it's own!

Property of Katie's Kakes
Katie is not only hard working, but also ambitious, but I guess those go hand in hand , huh? Anyway...  Her first wedding cake was a four tier fondant cake for her father's wedding! Ambitious indeed, as fondant is not an easy medium to work with, not even for the most experienced bakers. To Katie's great pleasure, the cake turned out wonderfully and was a great success. As of 2011, Katie began making wedding cakes for her clients. And as you can see from the pictures sprinkled throughout, Katie is doing a fantastic job!

Property of Katie's Kakes
She believes wholeheartedly that a cake should be as beautiful as it tastes. Both taste and aesthetics are equally important to making a successful cake. I couldn't agree more. Katie states, " I believe that a cake should not only look pretty... It should taste amazing as well! I make each order that I receive within 48 hours of the event to make sure it is fresh. I do not make cakes months in advance and freeze them. It takes me a little longer to do it this way, but I believe that is why I have grown so fast." Kudos to you Katie! 

Property of Katie's Kakes
 Katie can take anywhere from 3-5 orders per week depending on the size and complexity of the orders. And again, as you can see from the pictures throughout, Katie Ferenc is quite talented. And she is very passionate about her work (as you must be when you are doing your own thing). Per Katie, " I really enjoy turning cakes into a work of art. I treat each order as if it was for myself and I over critique every single second that I am designing the idea out. I love being a part of a person, (in most cases) I have never met, for their "most exciting moments"... And I have become friends with a lot of my customers" AWESOME KATIE! AWESOME!!!

Property of Katie's Kakes
It is my pleasure to share Katie's lovely creations with you, and I hope that you will contact her if you are ever in need of a beautiful and delicious cake for your special day! You can contact Katie via her Facebook page. Go to FB and copy the following address: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Katies-Kakes/110947754884.
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Katie it has been a pleasure to work with you for this article and I know that not only I, but also my friends, will be contacting you to make our delicious and beautiful treats in the future!