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Photo: Courtesy of Bake-tique 212
Looking for customized, one-of-a-kind baked goodies just in time for Mother’s Day? Look no further than Bake-tique 212. Though they don’t have a store front yet, Bake-tique works with many clients all over the city, providing beautiful and delicious treats ranging from corporate events to private parties. Downtown recently spoke with the owner, Ashleigh Blackman, about her business.
- How did you get started in this business? What made you pursue a career in baking?
I didn’t originally start out baking; I was a designer for a lingerie company for almost 10 years, but decided to kind of take a different direction. I knew I wanted to do something that was still creative, and I had always enjoyed baking as a kid, especially with my grandmother. A lot of my family are in the restaurant and catering business, and my mom knew of a restaurant that needed someone to do desserts. So we set up a tasting, and after that it just really took off. I love every aspect of it, especially decorating because I like a challenge, and I like coming up with creative ideas pertaining to a theme of some sort.
2. What type of clientele do you normally attract?
Right now, I mainly do events and parties. I work with a lot of event planners to help create custom desserts for their clients…really people who are looking to wow their guests with a beautiful presentation of desserts.
3. Does Bake-tique have a pastry or dessert that it is very well-known for?
Probably our Ghuvikelz, which is actually a family recipe. It’s an Eastern European pastry that my grandma would make all the time, and I still use her recipe for the dough today. But it’s a flaky, crisp dough that’s tender and then rolled with a filling. The original is what my grandma would make, which has strawberry preserves, raisins, cinnamon sugar, cranberries, and chopped walnuts. But I’ve also expanded to experimenting with other flavors, like the banana Nutella and MCM ghuvikelz.
The smidgens are also popular. It’s like a mini cupcake, but layered. The base is either a graham, brownie, or cookie base, and it can be layered with a variety of different things. We have the s’mores smidgen, which is a graham cracker base, and it’s layered with a marshmallow and topped with chocolate.
For Mother’s Day in particular, the cake pops are extremely popular. We make them all nice and pretty with a customized stick, and then package them really nice.
Photo: Courtesy of Bake-tique 212
4. What advice can you give to someone who is looking to start their own business or break into this industry?
Just really, really believe in yourself, push all the contacts and people you know to get the word out, keep busy and have people try your product. Be positive and work your hardest. You can get there as long as your heart is in it.
5. Describe Bake-tique 212 in one sentence.
We are a custom bakery boutique that caters to our clients needs and wants, and creates one-of-a-kind and beautiful presentations that taste just as good as they look!!
-by Jackie Hart