In this week’s focus on a local business, I’m very excited to speak with Chelsea Gore from Blue Bird Bakehouse. Chelsea makes the most amazing cakes EVER. She designed Ellie’s cake for her first birthday and it was to die for!! I sat down with Chelsea to talk cakes, because seriously, who doesn’t love cakes?

 

 

 

 

1. Tell us about your business

I design custom special occasion cakes for customers of all ages all over the upstate and sometimes beyond. I have delivered cakes to Georgia, North Carolina, and one even went as far as Tennessee. I am licensed and insured to work out of my home under South Carolina’s cottage food law. I have no employees unless you count my three kids, Townes (7), Mateo (6), and Abilene (4) who are my COOs of cake sampling!

 

 

2. How did you start Blue Bird Bakehouse?

Like lots of small businesses, mine started out as a hobby. I got my degree in Culinary Arts and Baking and Pastry and then worked for some local bakeries here in Greenville while creating a few cakes for friends and family on the side. I started getting so many orders that I was able to quit my job and start working just for myself. It was really scary at first, but I knew I just had to follow my heart.

 

 

 

 

3. What is your favorite part about what you do?

Most days I can’t believe I get paid to have so much fun! If I wasn’t creating with cake and icing, I would be working with some other art medium because I love working with my hands and creating something from nothing. Cakes are a challenge, structurally and artistically, and I love a challenge.

 

(this photo came from Chelsea’s Facebook page)

(photo from Chelsea’s Facebook page)

 

4. How do you come up with the designs?

Most of my cake designs are custom created by me from a customer’s party invitation, color scheme, or theme. I usually ask a customer to send some photos of cakes they love so I can get an idea of their likes and style and then I sketch out an idea from there. Sometimes a customer has fallen in love with a specific cake design and asks me to copy it exactly. Those cakes are fun as well, because I have to figure out how someone else put together each element of their design.

 

(photo from Chelsea’s Facebook page)

(photo from Chelsea’s Facebook page – this is Chelsea’s own wedding cake!!)

 

(photo from Chelsea’s Facebook page)

 

5. What is it like managing such a successful business AND taking care of three small kids?

I have a wonderful support group when it comes to my kids. I have friends and family who love them and help out when I have a late night of work or a distant delivery. Owning my own business allows me to set my own hours and create holidays and breaks around my kids vacations and activities which is a real bonus. I just have to stay organized.

 

 

 

 

6. What’s your source of inspiration?

My biggest source of inspiration is my customers. My ideas come straight from their imaginations most of the time. It could be a six-year-old girl dreaming of an Aladdin cake with ruffles and sparkles or a bride who loves the look of birch trees. I love to take little sparks of ideas from customers and make their dreams become reality.

 

 

7. What’s been your favorite cake you’ve ever designed?

I designed a wedding cake for a wedding planner two years ago. So intimidating! She wanted to use gold, ivory, and antique rose colors and just let me run with the design. I knew she wanted a romantic, princess-inspired design and I had four tiers to work with. The end result was this dreamy creation with sparkle and texture and when I walked into the venue on her wedding day, I felt like I was delivering the final piece of her design puzzle. It was just perfect.

 

 

8. Where do you see your business in 5 years?

My business grows and changes as my kids grow and change. My youngest will be starting school next fall and I will have more free time during the week to design and have consultations with customers. I want to keep the volume of cakes the same, but move toward designing more wedding cakes and larger event cakes.
I am also considering creating some little tutorials for creating beautiful cake designs at home. I think most of the information out there is geared toward professionals and home cooks just want some tips to take their home cakes to another level.

 

 

9. Give the reader 3 tips they need to consider when making their own cake.

First, I would say that cold cake is much easier to work with than room temperature cake. Stack your cake layers, wrap them in plastic wrap, and refrigerate them for 2-3 hours before trying to ice and decorate them. You’ll find that you have a lot fewer crumbs to deal with and your icing will stick much better.
Second, I would recommend skipping the store-bought icing. Make your own buttercream icing from scratch instead. It takes a little practice, but fresh buttercream is much easier to work with when filing, icing, and decorating cakes and it takes color much better than the store-bought kind.
Last, I would say don’t be afraid of trying something new! If you see a piping tip or some sprinkles at the craft store that you love, buy them and just see what you can do! You may end up with something beautiful. Even if you don’t, you’ll still have a pretty delicious mess!

 

(this was Ellie’s cake. Pardon the poor photo quality, this was my first time using a camera, lol)

 

10. Tell us something fun about you, not related to the cake business

I don’t know how to sit still. My husband calls me a hummingbird. He always takes a quick tour of the house when he gets home from work to see how much of the furniture has been moved, how many rooms have been painted, and how many design projects I have completed during his absence.

 

 

11. How can the reader contact you about a cake for their special event?

Emailing me at cisforcake@gmail.com or messaging me through my facebook page at https:m.facebook.com/chelseasbluebirdbakehouse

 

As always, thanks so much for reading