Saturday, July 25, 2009

Management

This blog isn't only about pretty pictures, I also like to discuss running a small business, the ups and downs... 

I've worked a lot of jobs... a lot of restaurant and retail while I was younger. I'd go in, do my job, and leave. If a nice sunny beach day came up... well, maybe once in a while, I'd call out to do something fun. It didn't really matter... it was just a job. 

Then, during college, I worked for a restaurant that handled things differently. We had a quick staff meeting before every shift. They would have us taste the specials of the evening, introduce a new wine or cocktail, tell us how much they made the night before and what they needed to make that night. They would let us know how the budget was tracking, whether hours were too high, sales too low, etc. They would have upsell contests to raise check averages, all kinds of things to make us feel a part of the company, and I loved it. I really felt like part of the team. It made me feel important and responsible to the company. If they were slow you knew you could ask for the day off and not be hurting anyone, if you knew they were busy, you went in even if something better had come up. You tried your best to upsell drinks or add on dessert to the check. Knowing all that information made me want to do more.  

So, that's how I've decided to run my business. The staff knows how much each cake sells for, how much it costs to make them and what kind of profit we make on them. They know if we're having a bad week or a good week. They hear the praises and complaints of customers. I try to make them feel like they're part of the business. I also hope that it will give them some useful background and insight if they ever decide to open their own store. (Far away and a long time from now ! ;) 

Some people don't agree with this style. They believe your business should be yours, your profits or losses should be yours, staff shouldn't know how much is coming in and out. I don't know why they feel this way, but it seems like a common practice. 

Personally, I like the open discussion. 

Friday, July 24, 2009

Way to make an entrance....

This takes about 5 minutes... but it's worth it... This couple looks like they're really going to have a fun time together.... (video)

Saturday, July 18, 2009

A guy's life...

So for all you guys out there, here are some fun cakes: 

For the rocker:









For the golfer: 












For the sandwich and beer guy: 









For the Red Sox Fan: 

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Wedding Cakes

Here's a few of the wedding cakes we've done in May and June: 





"Simply FAB-ulous" 










Blue and Green Petal Cake












Galaxy Wedding Cake... a very interesting cake. We airbrushed buttercream for the cool galaxy effect. I would have liked to see the bottom tier more galaxy with possibly the earth or the moon peeking out of the bottom. 



We did a similar cake in buttercream a few years ago. Very simple and clean. 







A cute 2 tier mini wedding cake with light pink buttercream, chocolate fondant ribbon and chocolate fondant ball. 











Light blue fondant with flowers and vine piping. 











Gold painted piping gives this a very elegant look. 


Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Down the rabbit hole....

I am so late with this post! One of our brides, Samantha, wanted a really original wedding cake. It was one of the only things she really wanted, unique and different. She wanted an Alice in Wonderland Cake. Not just the Tilty, Mad Hatter feel of a cake, she wanted actual Alice in Wonderland. So.... She got this... 

It's a bit hard to tell exactly what's going on from the photo, we weren't able to get a really good one, but the bottom has the card soldiers, the Cheshire Cat is the 2nd layer, the Mad Hatter's hat is the 3rd and the teapot is the top layer. There was a door mouse on one corner and the half painted roses on another. 

She loved it, she said that she thought more people were taking pictures of the cake than of her! (I doubt it, she was a beautiful bride!) 

The reception was at the Renaissance Hotel  in downtown Providence. They have the most helpful staff there, we love going to that venue! 

Thank you Sam, it's been the most unusual and most fun wedding cake we've done! 

Update: Samantha sent us another picture showing some more of the details.... 
You can see the painted roses, the watch and the mouse...