0:12

Hello everybody. I am super happy to be here this evening.

0:18

Every time anybody walks through the door and has a box in their hand and there could be cake inside their hand.

0:30

So super excited to be here tonight because we have the famous Abby with us.

0:38

And what sets Abby apart from everybody else is she is an actual cake artist.

0:45

She is not your traditional cake artist.

0:48

She is a true artist, specializing in smooth butter creams, not bumpy.

1:04

And what sets her apart is the fact that it's all abstract art.

1:22

So it's not just hey heres a really pretty cake and it's so incredible. She is a beautiful white style.

1:26

She uses color, she uses flowers, she uses texture, she uses weaper papers.

1:34

She had a cake on top of a little clear box with flowers in it, with another cake underneath it.

1:50

So Abby's new taste elegant art and just I don't know awesomeness

1:54

defines her.

2:11

I remember this time last year I was driving up the.

2:13

Catskills and I had to stop and take pictures of some of vistas because because of the way the fall foliage was just like I want to paint that.

2:24

Yeah, sometimes I'll just I'll see other artwork and that'll inspire me.

2:33

flowers have you always been involved in the art world no.

2:39

No, no, there's no question.

2:43

I took a very hard detour. I did paint on my walls as a kid.

2:49

Me too.

2:51

I did paint on my walls, but I went to the United States Merchant Marine Academy, which is a good service academy.

2:56

So there's five service academies and I was a Merchant mariner for over a decade.

3:02

That was great for work.

3:03

Yeah, cool. So very procedural, very regulated, very technical, very.

3:13

Not fake art, not fake art.

3:16

Yeah, so that's what I did for a long time.

3:19

How did you go from that to that to this?

3:21

I always knew that that was just a being to an end.

3:23

I know there's a lucrative career, and so I had a financial goal and I always wanted to come ashore and find something that really fulfilled me.

3:33

I came ashore without a plan, so much.

3:38

I worked for the college for a while I started.

3:41

I came ashore with a job at college, running their research vessel Kalanecti.

3:46

So that requires a license to captain, and so I did that only for a year.

3:51

Oh my God, you worked with.

3:53

Doug.

3:54

Yep, yeah, that's why your face is so familiar to me.

3:58

You would wear the real thin yellow life vest when we would go out.

4:06

So I was a teacher at the high school for years and years and he had glasses where he would take the teachers and we would get on the Kalanecti and we would do all of those things.

4:16

That's why I'm going with the face.

4:18

He's driven me crazy. Every time I see him I'm like I know you're from somewhere else, but I could never wow.

4:28

It's hard. Everybody kind of does a lot of different things and you're like hi, I know who it's from.

4:40

I felt like I was better.

4:41

Wow, yeah, so I did that.

4:45

I tried to make that program.

4:47

I tried to make that position full time when I worked on building the programming.

4:50

But I mean and I dedicated a year to really like work on getting that together, and it didn't work.

4:57

And so then I, through mutual friends, I was asked to work at Evergreen, and since she's a local paper but I was looking for.

5:06

Oh yeah, they have the best sunline. They have the best little short friend honey treats.

5:15

And so I started working there as well.

5:18

So I was working at Evergreen and running the Kalanecti together for a year and a half or two years something like that I worked at the college for three-ish years overlapping with Evergrain.

5:31

I worked at Evergrain in three and a half.

5:33

That's awesome.

5:34

I was working full-time at Evergreen and running the Calendak season and eventually I was like, wha, it's a little much, yeah.

5:39

So yeah, sometimes you have to take that pause and do it.

5:42

Okay, who am I? What am I doing?

5:45

Well, it's just like wow, I'm getting up at three every morning and also going and being on the water all afternoon certain times of the year, and things like this is a lot.

5:54

Yeah, yeah, yeah, cold it's hot, yeah yeah, that's very mentally demanding.

5:58

Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, 100%.

6:00

I know it's a lot of percent.

6:03

Yeah, wow, wow, wow. So did you work at Evergreen and kind of get your feet wet, no pun intended, but did you like, did you start kind of working with cakes there, and that's where you kind of got started.

6:15

So I've always been a home baker and.

6:17

I always made. I knew I made delicious cakes.

6:21

Yeah, and I was like I made delicious cakes.

6:24

When I started working at Evergreen, I was like I'm gonna help the pastry chef here, like only my job is to help you.

6:29

However, you need help. But I was like I also like making cakes and I'd love to like start making cakes here if that would be possible, and so I started the cake program at Evergreen and so your talk would be the one in the window right.

6:44

Yeah, there was a dessert case.

6:47

I'm not sure if it's still there.

6:49

Yeah, it's like the one in the setup. Yeah, connecting all the dots.

6:53

Yeah, yeah, interesting, yeah.

6:56

And then I really just like fell in love with cake decorating, and that was not the right place for me to do that, though it's time for me to leave.

7:04

I feel like there's so much more like breads.

7:07

They're so bread focused, they're pastry focused and pastry and like mass quantity production.

7:14

Yeah, yeah, there's no individuality to it.

7:18

There can be. It can be a very free place to explore and to develop yourself, but you know there's a lot of work.

7:29

There's like a lot of space, so there's a limit, there's a set in there.

7:32

There's definitely a limit and there's and it depends there's a really space, space, and it also depends on.

7:39

There's a lot of fluctuations within the business, like feel and time of year and what's happening and all that.

7:45

Yeah, chesertown tea party.

7:50

I got all of it. Yeah, all of it. Schools sometimes.

7:54

All of it, you know all of it. That's.

7:57

I mean, I feel like that's like 100%, 100%.

8:01

So you come in with this adorable box which, oh again, so excited, how do you decide what size cake you're making?

8:12

Like when you sit and you talk to somebody and they're like hey, I need a cake, take me through your process.

8:17

What do you do?

8:19

Well, size-wise, how many people are you serving?

8:22

And generally, like I don't know if you've had my cake before, but many times it's okay, it's, you know it's rich, it's heavy, it's not like I wouldn't call it dense.

8:36

I wouldn't call it dense, but it's like it's filling, it's.

8:40

You know you don't want a huge piece of it.

8:43

So, and I tell people that I'm like my portion sizes are based on modest adult portions, like if you have boys, if you've got you know big cake eaters, or you want leftovers, like let's size up.

8:54

Yeah.

8:55

But when people say oh my goodness, your six inch cake speeds 15 people.

9:00

I'm like yes, it does. Let me teach you how to cut it and I have a cake cutting video that I send to people were like when you do that and you just want my questions Because your cakes are also tall.

9:10

They're tall Like I don't know.

9:12

I look at those and I'm always like how do you do that Right here?

9:17

Yeah, oh, I'm so glad I don't have to do that.

9:18

I'll have to do that. Yeah, so I sent a cake cutting video and I'm like this is the way that you serve people and not have waste, because a lot of people like cut a big wedge and then it sits on a plate and people eat like a couple of it, a third of it, and then a lot of it goes in the trash.

9:33

And let's know, don't do that.

9:34

You want to go back for seconds, you can go back for seconds but no judgment, yeah Well yeah, exactly.

9:40

Like no judgment. Some people are like, no, this is going in the freezer, and then they're like no, so that's part of like, that's how I say size-wise.

9:49

But like for weddings, I say, well, I'm having a sit-down meal, which everyone will be served dessert.

9:54

Well then, plan to serve everybody cake because you don't want to have not enough cake for people who sit down like where's my dessert?

10:02

Yeah, I'll get my cake. I feel like the trend that we've seen is there's dinner and then dessert is done later.

10:09

And there's a lot more selection. It's not assumed that, ok, it's going to be cake, right, there's a lot of other things there can be.

10:18

I mean every couple is doing their things differently.

10:21

I actually had somebody just turn me down because they were like so like I want a cake, but we're going to do ice cream instead.

10:27

I'm like, ok, yeah, fair enough, yeah, got it.

10:31

But generally I tell people like, let's plan to serve 80% of your guests, because if not, everybody's going to eat it, you're going to want to take some home.

10:41

A lot of people come back to me later and they're like yeah, I was so full I didn't have any cake, and then it was gone.

10:48

Yeah, yeah. Yeah Well, sorry, I can't work anymore hey.

10:55

Yeah. So that's yeah, that's just my go-way.

11:00

Interesting For size of cake. Well, that makes sense.

11:03

That makes a lot of sense. I mean, how do you? You're right, it depends on the number of people and as you said, it's not like an act me hey here's your birthday cake.

11:10

It's very specific. Yeah, I think it's done differently.

11:13

Do you use a different flour to?

11:15

achieve that. No, I have good recipes that I develop myself.

11:20

So yeah, that's cool.

11:23

That's very, very cool. And then what you do with those?

11:26

I.

11:29

Who have dairy issues.

11:31

Yes, so I'm working on your dairy issues.

11:35

Please throw a big ol' runner in there for ya.

11:39

Right now for, like the dairy, I had a wedding scheduled in March.

11:45

Who the bride can't have dairy but she?

11:47

can have butter. It's interesting because I can have dairy as long as it's baked, but I can have butter cream, I'd say Well so, but in yours, so hers, I'm only using, and she's getting a chocolate cake which doesn't which only has milk in it.

12:03

So I'm using oat milk for her cake.

12:05

But I can use my regular buttercream for her cake.

12:08

But it's also gotta be gluten free which I use a one-for-one gluten free flour, which is great.

12:12

That's one of my questions. So that's kind of saying do you like?

12:15

would you do it that, yeah, and dairy free like yeah.

12:18

Uh-oh, I have a great gluten free one-for-one flour which I can just use any of my regular recipes with but you know, for yours it's like I'm using oat milk and dairy free sour cream and dairy free butter and trying to get the butter cream right is the biggest issue.

12:36

Yeah, that's so different.

12:37

That's the best consistency, yeah.

12:40

And dairy free butter has a taste.

12:43

Yeah.

12:44

It's a different flavor. So when you it's.

12:47

You've got like avocado oil, you've got palm oil, you've got coconut oil, you've got all these oils, yeah, like well, you know what, and they all have a very specific flavor.

12:59

And avocado, like butter based stuff, like does have a taste to it.

13:04

It is very different.

13:06

Like it's, and coconut too. I definitely taste the coconut in anything that's made with coconut oil.

13:10

Yeah, yeah. And it's like you know it's not underlying you know, and how do you?

13:18

I'm a test monkey.

13:19

Yeah, how do you? I don't want to say mask it, but if you're doing vanilla, do you expect to taste vanilla, not coconut vanilla, right, I mean, how do you get those ratios?

13:31

It's all trial like great, I'm just the newest trial.

13:35

I'm very hopeful about it. I'm using this plant-based butter.

13:40

That's kind of a bunch of different stuff in it and one of the things that I have to think about is consistency.

13:45

So, like the stuff that you said, I like to use the country crock or whatever it is, but it's soft.

13:52

It's not gonna hold up. It does melt within like two seconds if you just let it sit on the counter.

13:56

You'll see room temperature in like five minutes yeah oh, wow.

13:59

Really normal butter just chilling in your stomach, Not slow, it's like so hard.

14:05

Yeah, so that's like it's one thing to get the taste right but to get the structure right.

14:11

You know there's stability considerations for cake that's on display.

14:16

And on a hot day yeah, in June, june first, yeah, yeah.

14:21

June, august three yeah. I don't know about you, but there's been many times where we've walked into a tent in.

14:27

August, July. We walk in and we're like, oh god, like yeah, and we're careful with what we use and structure for that reason, if we know what the tent is, or if it's windy that's another thing that like what do we do yeah.

14:42

Well, I have it in my contract about temperatures.

14:45

You know, it's like I recommend that you don't have a cake outside and over 72 degrees.

14:51

Yeah.

14:51

If you do good on ya, you know.

14:54

Yeah, good luck.

14:56

And I see it in a warm room as well, because it's like it's a winter wedding and I'm like well, I want to have a fire in the fireplace.

15:01

I'm like don't put the cake next to it, don't put the cake there, you know, next to the cool window, yeah.

15:07

So and with no sun. Right no direct sunlight and I say that as a contract as well.

15:11

But, like I worked with the couples that I'm working with about like well, what is it like and how can we make this work?

15:17

I have not had anybody say my cake collapsed.

15:22

There was a wedding here on the other side actually at morning, at Laurie Mcintyre's house on August 12th and it was like 95 degrees and I was like, well, here it is, sitting right in front of the air conditioner in the dining room for this beautiful outside wedding.

15:45

I was like bye.

15:48

Good luck.

15:49

And I, like I was so worried. I went home like cool, everything's okay, you know and the next morning I saw the planner post.

15:56

She's like she's up, so I was like how'd it go?

15:59

It was okay. And she emailed right back. She's like it was great.

16:02

I was very nervous when I got her in the hand and she's like there were pictures and I was like great great, Okay go.

16:09

All it matters is like the pictures, and as soon as you're able to sit down and eat it, that's all that matters.

16:14

After that, you're good, yeah, like you're, you take it outside, take pictures of it.

16:17

They caught it. You take it back inside. We're good to go.

16:19

Yeah, and they're like just grab it from the fridge.

16:31

Or the freezer! I was like, um I need a tooth pick to chisel a holes for flowers.

16:36

I tried to put the flowers in and they were like,

16:45

Oh yeah, I'm so glad like okay and you just have people like okay, so you arrive, your box is enclosed, it's nice like it's clean, it's a great presentation.

16:57

There are sometimes where we've been at venues and listen wedding day.

17:02

There's 900 things going on and everybody's 900 directions and you walk in you can smell the bride from the hairspray, but many times the cake is just kind of like dropped off and tucked in the kitchen, and sometimes people are excited so they take it out of box.

17:20

So it's sitting there.

17:22

Exposed and things are happening. I know that worries me.

17:25

Oh my god, there was one day we were, it was on the counter and it wasn't set up yet, but it was still on its little platform thing.

17:32

There's a stink bug on it. It was like.

17:36

was like we'll just wipe it off and no one will ever know I was like one of the girls we were working with and I was like don't tell anybody.

17:43

She's like, okay, she's like I got it, yeah, yeah.

17:48

There was a wedding I went to recently. Well, not that I went to, I set it up.

17:52

There was a cicada on a table. I had to grab it with a piece of plastic and take it outside.

18:01

There's one behind the scenes thing that you just don't know, that and everybody's fine.

18:05

It's a little extra protein once in a while and it's all good.

18:08

Totally, totally, totally good. Do you have any good cake stories of, like when you were learning about how to actually Like, how, like, how do you build those heights?

18:20

Like how I would break the cake.

18:22

There is no way.

18:27

No, no, I gave line my tins with parchment and so the bottom.

18:33

There's a parchment round the bottom. I don't do the sides, but you know I run a knife around when it's done some people just have it like that.

18:47

And I know, for a while there was the trend of the naked cake.

18:54

I will do sheer buttercream which is semi-naked, but no, no.

19:05

I.

19:06

Personally, yes, but also it just it's weird.

19:10

Yes, we're yeah.

19:13

The only need to kick I think I would have ever enjoyed the moment in one picture of is a pancake.

19:18

So it's like icing in between literally pancakes, and they just put berries and powdered sugar all over it.

19:25

I was like that Okay.

19:29

Yeah.

19:31

But I don't, I remember when it was really starting to come through and it's kind of down a little bit and it was yeah what do?

19:40

You do that, yeah, and you've got the the tough edges on the sides.

19:45

Yeah, like, like, can I and cover like that's.

19:49

That's to me is always like when I have screwed up the cake and it means that I don't have enough icing and I pulled it too hard or something.

19:56

You know what I mean. Like yeah, I just I don't make them because, yeah, there's there's no artistic flair to it.

20:04

It doesn't show us who that couple is, you know.

20:07

Yeah, well, and yeah, I judge people.

20:10

Did you look at my portfolio though?

20:19

Yeah, I think you might decide like you want more.

20:25

Yeah for sure. Yeah, I mean and I know that's why I can deal like I Before like I saw your stuff.

20:34

It was like, yeah, we'll have a cake, it'll be fine. I know, like working with you when you come in and do flowers, and like seeing your Instagram.

20:41

I like that one that actually send you a picture of like it was like, wow, that that's, that's real.

20:45

I want that. Like I I literally have rented its own, like just for the desserts and it's literally just because it's it's a showcase, like that's what it's for and the stuff that you've been able to create and, thank God, your local, like I don't think I've seen anywhere else.

21:08

Like, how do you transport it? I just realized you said you're local.

21:11

How do you transport?

21:12

that Well, so bigger cakes.

21:15

I have something called a cake safe. I actually have two.

21:17

It's a specialty transportation box, so a tier cake is Structured with supports so there are dowels in it and generally sticks right yeah so.

21:29

Yeah they're just, yeah, wooden dowels. Some people use plastic.

21:32

I don't like plastic, so I use wooden dowels or bamboo, and each tier has its own set of supports for the next tier above it and and there's usually a central dowel to keep everything in place and you get moving side to side.

21:48

Well, if somebody's picking up the cake from my house to tier or less and it needs structure, I will put a central dowel in it, but if I'm transporting it myself, I don't put the central dowel in.

22:02

The central dowel is in the cake, so it has a metal rod that goes all the way through the cake into the bottom of the thing, so it's completely Secured in the box by this one metal down, and then when?

22:16

I get to venue, I take that out of the cake and replace it with, you know, you know the the color buttercream of the cake, smooth it down and that is.

22:34

It takes so much stress out of delivery like bumps and traffic and the fridge and all of that.

22:41

Like you know, if I happen to trip and drop it, it's gonna be fine, basically because it's so secure in that.

22:49

Like other people doing that yeah and so like, but it was like a safe and it was totally fine.

22:59

So, um, who knew that a cake safe was a thing I was gonna be like she prays.

23:03

I don't know what you tell you.

23:06

So my bigger one, um it's.

23:10

The inside can have almost 23 inches of height and the base can be 17 inches diameter.

23:22

And then my smaller one will do 14 inches and 23 inches.

23:27

Okay, huh Interesting.

23:30

Okay, safe, yes, yes.

23:32

I love it.

23:33

I had. I last year when I had a delivery near DC, I was like, oh my gosh, those roads, and it was a really tall, slim cake.

23:42

I'm like what am I going?

23:43

to do? How am I going to do?

23:44

this. I'm going to go ahead and like, invest in this cake.

23:47

Yeah, which was, you know, quite a chunk of change, and it was like, yes, that was needed.

23:52

And yeah, totally worth it.

23:54

And then this year I started getting like multiple of like well, I've got this big cake there.

23:58

And then I got a driver there again Like here we are again.

24:02

I'm just going to get another one. I'll just get out?

24:05

Yeah, and then I'm going to do these. You know multiple deliveries.

24:09

Do you have to like see fill it in. No, no, just sit.

24:11

Just sit in the back.

24:13

I'm really fascinated.

24:14

Yeah, google's cake safe.

24:17

I've never seen one before. I don't see what it looks like how does it have that?

24:20

How does it look like then Google cake safe, wow.

24:25

So it's like a whole thing.

24:29

Yup, it's a company. They have other things besides the cake, safes, but that's their like the premier product.

24:35

They have multiple sizes.

24:37

Wow, that's genius.

24:40

Yeah, that's pretty great. I remember the first time I used it I just made like a practice cake and drove around the county with it because I was like hit your brakes and well, yeah, I don't know about this Like.

24:51

I'm going to go through the cake and then taking it out.

24:55

And what about? And yeah, yeah. After I thank goodness.

24:58

It was like I mean a practice cake and didn't like practice on a wedding you know, I was like.

25:03

I know how to do this.

25:06

Oh, and it's actually got like a little see through yeah.

25:11

The front, the front panel is sort of see through.

25:13

Oh, that's cool. I take pictures of my put back my car with cakes yeah, yeah, my kids go to school Interesting Okay.

25:28

That's awesome.

25:30

Wow, yeah, okay.

25:32

So how would you do that if?

25:35

If do you do any of your cakes with feelings?

25:39

Oh, yes, yeah most of them. I mean when people only want butter cream.

25:43

I'm like okay, because you know I like to have extras.

25:48

Oh yeah.

25:51

That's my favorite filling layer. But um but, so everything gets so as the rod is going through the cake, each tier is supported on its own cake hard.

26:03

And so it. It's the rod that I'm putting through with a cake State is punching a hole in each of those cake parts and it goes through.

26:10

So it's basically cleaning the rod as it goes through, and then same on the way back up and then I just look at, with it out, so I'm not worried about because I'm not worried about Contamination, right?

26:24

So I'm like, well, it's a tiny 30 in there, it's already in there, it's all cake.

26:29

Yeah, nobody's been like oh um my chocolate caramel tasted like raspberry.

26:33

Why, yeah, okay?

26:36

So the Dow goes through and it just like punches a hole through the cake right.

26:40

What happens to all the cake inside of the Dow?

26:43

It kind of just squishes. Oh, there's nothing inside the Dow.

26:46

The Dow solid Okay.

26:49

I was like wait, you mean you get to make all these cakes and at the end of the day you take the Dow out and take some cake home with you, yeah.

26:54

Exactly.

26:58

That's what I was thinking, that's what I thought I'm like how do you?

27:03

get thought yeah, I'm like what's your what's?

27:08

your finger feeling to work with.

27:10

Like? Are any of them like harder or like slipperier than others?

27:14

Raspberry, oh God, naturally yeah.

27:18

So I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like. I'm like I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like I'll literally absorb in the Dow.

27:27

Yeah, so a lot actually lately I've been.

27:30

Um, if somebody gets a cake with Raspberry filling and I kinda know what their party is going to be like I will put a central Dow and I did a small cake because I had somebody who picked up a cake for me in the morning, like nine AM.

27:44

They had the people coming over, they started cooking and they're all in the same room the rooms getting warmer and then, as they were halfway from dinner, the cake fell over.

27:59

I was like was it out all day.

28:01

Were you cooking and the room was warm?

28:03

Yeah, probably I was like okay, well, sorry about having to you I will put it in my terms and conditions about cake care.

28:12

Thanks for helping me learn.

28:14

But now when people have that, have like a fruit filling, that's slippery I will put a central dial in there, just so it's like yeah, it's not going to be like this.

28:22

Yeah, absolutely.

28:24

If you can't tell, she's shirming from side to side.

28:27

So so now I have a question what are your like?

28:31

I'm going to ask about flavors, what are your like?

28:34

Seasonal, like, like flavors, like from spring to summer, to fall, because I'm sure you get some like caramel sultans, but it's not like.

28:43

Is that like a spring flavor?

28:46

Is that more fall?

28:48

I don't, I don't change my menu really.

28:51

I have flavors that will work for better, for different seasons.

28:55

Like a lot of people ordering spice cake right now.

28:58

Oh yeah.

29:00

You know, in the fall, fall or spring and summer, people are like, oh, I haven't heard.

29:04

Yes, it is delicious.

29:09

I have a very picky fiance that might not like that.

29:15

So I don't, I, yeah, I don't really change my menu.

29:19

That much I just if people are like, well, something for the season, I'm like, well, how about this?

29:24

Yeah, great.

29:28

Okay, so Liz has mentioned before that people come in to pick out flowers for their cakes.

29:32

How do you pick flowers for cakes? What is your favorite flower to go to?

29:37

Oh, I think I can answer my close.

29:40

She always likes coming in and getting dallias.

29:44

Dallias are nice. Dallias are great because they're sturdy, they're beautiful.

29:49

Their standings are like straight.

29:50

And they keep and they keep opening, Like they just keep blooming.

29:53

Yeah, they last a long time.

29:55

Like they're such a statement and they're very nice yeah.

29:59

I tend to do roses a lot as well.

30:06

Yeah, the same thing. They're sturdy, they last a long time.

30:09

They're asking a lot for a flower, like realistically.

30:11

Yeah, we're going to cut you off, we're going to cut your head off.

30:14

We're going to do nothing to eat or drink.

30:18

Not cut your head off, cut your body off, use your head.

30:20

Yeah, you know like you have to be really careful with what you use.

30:25

Yeah, yeah, I can't say that. I can't say that.

30:28

Yeah, yeah, I use emeralds, brush emerald for the first time and did all the seeds go everywhere?

30:37

No, it was, it was really well, like it wasn't shedding at all, okay, and.

30:41

But I've only ever used dried and I didn't realize that this one basically like, even after a few hours it was like.

30:50

Oh yeah, it was like yeah.

30:53

I saw the pictures of like they were all very, very happy with everything, but I was like that's not what it's supposed to look like.

31:01

That's not what I did, so let's learn on that one.

31:05

But yeah, I mean, it's constant.

31:08

There's so many varieties of flowers and there's, you know.

31:13

I'm not gonna know, all of it.

31:17

But yeah, it's one of those things like like with anything, you're continually learning and I was like, well, I'll tough that little nugget in my mouth.

31:25

I feel like, don't use fresh amaranth pepper.

31:29

Yeah, yeah.

31:31

I think, um, I think one of the things that we start with and I'm sure you see it too is people will bring us a picture from like Pinterest or something like that, but the reality behind it is like wow, I'm really going to use these flowers and have like.

31:45

No, they're poisonous. That inspiration picture is wrong.

31:49

You're not going to speak, your lips burn. You cannot like if they're not edible.

31:54

Yeah, yeah.

31:56

So, or even when it's a delphinium, like, oh, that's gonna burn.

31:58

Yeah, yeah.

32:01

Delphinium larchsperl, like all of these Poxbugs yeah, they're beautiful and magical Adgeranum Yep.

32:08

Adgeranja.

32:10

Yeah, they're beautiful.

32:13

Yeah, they're beautiful. So you know they're not happening.

32:16

Yeah, so Not happening. Have you had people bring in inspiration pictures from, say, pinterest or Instagram?

32:24

That?

32:25

are from like style shoots where they've used Styrofoam cake and something like that is not at all possible on a real cake.

32:31

I haven't had something given to me as inspiration.

32:33

That's not possible, okay, but that's awesome and it's like if you see a cake and it's not on a drum and you don't see anything underneath of it that it was actually transported on.

32:53

That's a fake cake. Yeah, and it's covered in fondant so that you can just grab it and move it around and it's like well, if you want real cake, it's going to be on a drum and don't take it off the drum to try to put it on your stand.

33:07

Excuse me, no yeah.

33:11

That's not what's in it?

33:12

That is not good 110%, like it just yeah.

33:21

So there's, there are those conversations, or yeah, I think that in this context.

33:24

I think that In this area of people haven't really they're not used to more artistic cakes and very are, you know, very elaborate design, yeah.

33:38

So I haven't gotten those requests yet, where it's like well, that's just not possible with real yeah.

33:46

I'm surprised to hear that you end up in DC and all the more things like that.

33:50

So level of artistry that you do or perform or put together, however, whatever that is.

33:56

But I'm not surprised at all.

34:01

You know well and you know I like this, the tall style that is kind of my signature.

34:07

Like a lot of people don't see that, and so I always ask the caterer you know, there's multiple tiers in each tier.

34:19

Yeah.

34:20

Oh, they're like oh thanks, great, yeah, that's a really good point.

34:24

Wow, wow, I never even thought of that. Like, here's this absolute showcase and you're like, hey, you've got to cut that.

34:34

Yeah, one of my favorite cakes.

34:36

I have a relationship with just the baby club and I just had this like wonderful ride.

34:45

Who just saw what I do?

34:47

And I'm like I want that, and also the cake that I made for her was one of my favorite cakes.

34:52

And when I brought it in why.

34:54

What made it your favorite? It was very tall and slim.

34:57

It had like all of my favorite techniques on it.

35:01

So my, my abstract, painted buttercream the way for paper style that you asked for and as you also was kind of like can you try some new to and do like abstract paper flowers.

35:15

Okay, great yeah so.

35:17

I just I was in love with how it turned out, like it just really it was more than I had imagined.

35:22

There's also something special about connecting with the bride like that.

35:25

Yes, when a bride puts their trust in you and says, hey, make it pretty.

35:29

Yeah.

35:29

Well, that's where, when it's the same thing with us, whenever I'm right, I'm like oh hey, you do what you want, just want some mouthfowers.

35:36

Like it turned out the best. Yeah, like that is our pick up, an alipens one, and no offense to me to write down there, but there's some of my favorite ones that we've ever had, and then we don't get to share.

35:50

And I went. I was like so this is how it's structured.

35:53

To the event stuff. I was like I know this is a little bit smaller than you're used to but, like there's where the board is and there's another board is, and this is another one and and they were I heard from the staff later they're like, once they cut it, we like had to take the top here off and then take it in the back because we were worried with fall over and I was like, oh, it's not going to fall over, but good job, yeah, yeah appreciate the little chair.

36:19

Yeah, yeah.

36:22

Wow, oh my gosh.

36:24

You know looking at your website and just kind of stopping your Instagram.

36:30

We all do it yeah 100%, but I love the fact that a everything is artistic and that makes this thing out, and I also love the fact that you also have some square piece, so it's not just the traditional.

36:48

Okay, you've got like the rounds and you know the large we get to small and all that kind of stuff.

36:54

But it's just different.

36:56

You know it's square and squares and it's offset and I just I really really appreciate how you look at that lens so differently.

37:06

It's just very, very cool.

37:09

So so I'd love for you to tell us where folks can find you and if they might get in touch with you for a phenomenal cake.

37:24

I can find my website wwwcakesbyabbynet and you spell Abbey, abby.

37:31

Okay, just check it. Yes For my Instagram.

37:35

Cakes by Abbey Brotson, abby RODFON.

37:38

And I'm also cakes by Abbey on Facebook.

37:43

Got it? Yes, all right guys. Thank you so much for listening again this week.

37:47

We look forward to seeing you next week. You can find us everywhere you stream your podcasts Spotify, apple podcasts all of the platforms.

37:54

You can also find us on Instagram and Facebook under the flower files or wildly native.

37:59

You can reach us on our website, wildly native flower farm dot com, or you can just give us a shout.

38:07

We'll see you next week. We're here.

38:14

I feel the green cake.