This week I thought a sweet treat was in order, so I would like to say thank you and welcome to Kate Wotherspoon from The Cake Table. I think you will agree that her cake designs are beautifully made and I am sure they taste as good as they look!
Name: Kate Wotherspoon
Business Name: The Cake Table
Online storefront/s:
Facebook: The Cake Table
Twitter:
Questions:
1. So, tell us about yourself……
I am obsessed with chocolate…I am a cake lover…I am a sweets connoisseur…I am a wife and mother of two who is trying to combine all things I am passionate about - a love for baking and creating cake "masterpieces" and my family.
I have the greatest memories of my grandmother and my mum baking and remember pulling at their apron strings asking to help, and of course lick the bowl! Cooking, baking, celebrating and sharing food is love in our family!
I started my working life in the corporate world, marketing for some of the major banks and insurance companies….and I was the one in the office that always brought in homemade treats to share at staff meetings and gatherings in the early days! I successfully worked my way up the corporate ladder for a good 15 years, while madly baking behind the scenes until a life changing move in 2008.
I am also a keen traveller and camper, so when I am not in the kitchen, you will find me exploring Australia with a campervan, kids and bikes in tow!
2. Why handmade?
Homemade food from scratch, with love and the finest quality ingredients tastes best! There is a huge difference in taste between shop bought and homemade, not to mention home baked usually averages 6 ingredients…..shop bought can have up to 40 ingredients, mainly preservatives, colours and chemicals that do nothing more than increase shelf life.
There is a quality in handmade, not just in cakes, but craft, sewing, art and the like, something you can't get at the major stores or through mass-produced channels. I love the effort and patience people put into handmade. It can't be beaten.
3. What influenced you to start your business?
It was a desert change! We moved our family from Mornington to Alice Springs in 2008, at a time when we were looking to inject something different into our lives. Before the move, I was travelling in and out of the city from Mornington each day and found myself dreaming of living a life where I could do what makes me smile each day, be involved in my children's life and the community - not sitting on a train for 3 hours a day, madly rushing from one thing to another.
The move to Alice Springs was amazing! It changed our thinking and life goals and forced us to look at our lives differently. I decided a complete career change was overdue and to live a more authentic life doing what I love so much - baking. I started off catering to workplaces for morning teas and brunches in Alice Springs, with a selling point of "made from scratch" and word spread quickly. The catering work afforded me some petty cash to fund some further training with Planet Cake in Sydney, to be able to concentrate on my first love, bespoke cakes and cupcakes. When we moved back home at Christmas in 2010, I relaunched The Cake Table and haven't looked back.
I am also "a little" addicted to the feedback and joy I get from people who eat and enjoy my creations.
4. What type of products do you sell?
Bespoke, individually handmade and homemade from scratch, special occasion cakes and cupcakes. Anything from delicate wedding cakes with handmade roses to Thomas the Tank novelty cakes and cupcakes.
5. What are your inspirations for making your products?
As with most art, inspiration is everywhere. From a beautiful flower you pass on the way to dropping the kids at school, or some of the gorgeous greeting cards out there, or even a movie. I recently saw The Lorax and could not stop looking at the trees in the movie, I am sure they will make it onto one of my cakes soon!
I also believe in homemade/handmade and want to make sure the traditional continues in my family and my customers, so this inspires me to grow my business.
6. Where do you sell your products?
The majority of my cakes are wedding cakes, so they are arranged by appointment and tastings. I also take orders for cupcakes and birthday cakes via phone, email and Facebook, as well as the occasional local market or school event.
7. How much time do you spend making your products each week?
Every week is different, depending on the cake designs, but it averages around 25 hours a week.
8. Do you have a dedicated craft area or studio in your home?
Yes, I have a registered kitchen and a custom built cake studio to store my tools and equipment.
9. Are you self taught or have you had a good teacher?
My cake decorating journey began over 20 years ago in a cold church hall in the back blocks of Geelong, learning old style skills such as lace work and brush embroidery, from amazing ladies in the Cake Decorating Association of Victoria. However, cake decorating has changed enormously since then, and over time, lots of my skills have come from playing around in the kitchen and trying out new things. Along with more recently, the occasional training with some of the amazing cake schools and teachers that have began to visit Melbourne in the last few years.
