Let Me Introduce Myself

My name is Amanda, and I am a Cake and Cookie Artist. Like most in my field, my journey did not originally start on this path. Let me tell you a little about where I'm from.

I grew up in a small town in NE Ohio called Salem. Quiet town, great place to raise a family just not busy enough for me. Growing up it was always expected that you go to college right after high school so you can begin your career in a field where you will be able to support yourself and family.

So I attended Kent State University with a major in Athletic Training. I had hoped that this would be a good prerequisite to get me into the Physical Therapy program. Unfortunately, plans do not always go as we hope, and after completing most of my junior year, I decided I needed to reevaluate my goals.

I worked at our local hospital as a Lab Secretary for about four years while bringing up any grades that may have slipped and trying to decide what I was doing with my life. While working there I started making cookies, sugar cookie bouquets, and cupcakes for people. I always got great feed back and was told I should open a bakery. Me being a realist, have seen several boutique bakeries come and go in my small town and was not ready to risk that.

After much thought and self-reflection, I realized that I really did have a passion for making desserts. I loved seeing the reaction to how pretty things were as well as how good things tasted. I enjoyed trying different flavor combinations together and seeing what people liked best and then how I could go further to improve on that. This brought me to culinary school. I said if I was going to pursue this then I was going to do it right.

Somehow, Le Cordon Bleu seemed to be the right fit for me. They had locations across the country. None near me, so this also meant I would be making a big move. My mom has a cousin who lives in Marietta Ga, and so Atlanta felt like the best fit. That way, if I ever needed something, I at least knew two people that could help me. They are lovely people by the way.

In September of 2012, with the help of my parents, I made the move to Georgia. Best decision I have ever made, and I will not return to the frozen tundra that is NE Ohio. I attended Le Cordon Bleu and graduated with honors.

My first real bakery job was at a bakery in Midtown Atlanta called Metrotainment Bakery. They do a lot of high volume cakes, cheesecakes, cookies, pies, and all other types of desserts. Some of my favorite cheesecakes still come from here. I learned quickly how to assemble and frost cakes and then how to bake all the different items that they offer. I worked here through most of my year while in school.

After graduation, I was ready for more responsibility and wanted to expand my skills when it came to cake designs. I was notified that Gigi's Cupcakes at the Forum was looking for a Kitchen Manager and someone to help start their cake program. After interviewing and really liking what I saw there I accepted that position and worked there up until May 2020 when Covid unfortunately caused them to close their doors. Deena is an amazing person and mentor and had hopes of me one day taking over and making it my own. She even went so far as to offer me the equipment and supplies I would need to get started. This was my first push at going on my own.

HOWEVER, starting a business when the world has been turned upside down wasn't really the easiet thing to do and I had given myself until October 2020 to see if I could make it work and it just didn't come together. At the time I had student loans and a mortgage and could not get a small business loan to get a store location started.

This brought me to a position at It's A Sweet Life Bakery. Deena had let me know that the owner there was looking for a new General Manager. One of our other staff members was also working there and she had reached out to let me know how excited she was to be working with me again before I even had the interview. So I met with Amie the owner and accepted her offer.

I truly think I learned the most here. I was able to refine my cake decorating skills, really master royal iced sugar cookies, and continued to meet with brides and design their amazing wedding cakes. I handled almost all of the consultations, emails, and then a good chunk of the decrorating as well. I have always put the customers first and made sure that this bakery was opperating at the highest level I could.

May of 2025, she announced to the public that she was closing her doors and would be transiting to a cottage-style bakery. This is something I have also been looking into for probably the last year and seeing how I can make it happen. My mom was retiring at this same time and we had discussed her moving down here with me so I can purchase a larger house with a separate space to make into a kitchen.

So here I am now, trying to move my Mom to the south. While also trying to get my business up off the ground truly started. She's just listed her house and I'm getting all the things together to operate on my own.

My hopes for the future are that I can do this and be sucessful, supporting myself and keeping my mother entertained in her retirement years. She's the one who first introduced me to baking and is excited to learn and help me where she can. I also have an amazing group of friends and former employees who have all also offered there services when and if I need them. I would love to be busy enough that I can hire 1 or more to help me full time and then also be able to do festivals and farmers markets where I can introduce myself and my delicious cakes and cookies to my community. The Atlanta Wedding Extravaganza and Georgia Wedding Circle have always been big supporters of me and I look forward to being more involved in their networking and Bridal Show events as well!

There is so much amazing potential as to where this little bakery of mine can go, and I hope to be able be apart of so many amazing celebrations that people have to come. Please check out my social media pages and like to follow along on this new adventure with me.