I'll be honest you guys... I never used to be a cake person. For Cody and my wedding we even did pies instead because cake just wasn't our thing. Until one day... I worked with Kendall from Florida Peach Sweets Bakery, located in Tacoma, WA. When I tell you that my mind has forever been changed on the cake front, I am telling you the truth.
Kendall has lived in many different states, however, she considers Georgia and Florida where she grew up. Hence her business name Florida Peach Sweets. When asking her some questions for this blog post she said she went back and forth for ages about choosing a name for her business. She knew wanted it to be a reflection of her roots, where she came from. She said, "While I may be a born Georgia Peach, my time as a Florida Orange really shaped who I am today. So I just combined the two!"
Kendall just recently moved to Washington in 2019 from Alaksa. Her and her sister have been in the wedding circuit together for almost 10 years now. Her sister owns her own Cakery in North Carolina and is that one who got Kendall interested in the world of baking. Her sister has been doing custom cakes for over 15 years now and is very sucessful. So Florida Peach Sweets has been in the making for some time now, but over the last three years its really grown into its own identity.
Kendall has always loved working in the kitchen, after she completed culinary school she knew she wanted to focus more on pastry and baking. She said, "It's so methodical for me and such a great way to destress and focus on detail-oriented tasks." I can completely tell by the cakes I have seen of hers in person that her attention to detail is something that she takes very seriously and it makes for the best experience for us as clients.
I asked Kendall a series of questions and here are her answers below.
Q. What is your favorite thing about what you do?
A. "Oh gosh, haha. I think what I love the most is bringing the creativity of the design and flavors together with that Southern homebaked feel and creating a happy customer. There's no better feeling. I get anxious and excited every time waiting for a customer to try their cake, like it's the first time."
Q. What is your all time favorite cake you've made?
A. "Oh lawd! That's difficult! As much as I love the more alternative themed ones I have done, I think my most recent fave would have to be your birthday cake! I had SO much fun picking out all the candies and chocolates and then of course hand-tweezing the placement of them all! All my OCD dreams came true, haha."
Q. What is your favorite flavor of cake?
A. "Gosh you know how to ask hard questions. Is it even allowed to have a favorite as a baker?? If I had to choose, favorite to eat: Red Velvet, favorite to make: probably Strawberry Pink Champagne.:
Q. What inspires you to work in this industry?
A. "I think I enjoy the challenge, trying the newest trends, pushing the boundaries for flavors and styles. I love being able to surprise my customers and really see that "wow" on their faces."
Q. Tell me about a time when you felt like a hero at work.
A. "Anytime I get a vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free cake haha. They're always a challenge, and when I can really impress a customer with one that actually tastes good, I can toot-toot my own horn a little bit!"
Q. If you had an unlimited budget, what would you want to create?
A. "Now we're talking! I would probably do some major fondant sculpting. I absolutely love it. Do a crazy horror movie theme like Beetlejuice or The Shining."
Q. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
A. "In five years I will be committed to doing my day job in the US Navy but if you know me, you know I don't know how to slow down. So I'll probably be sneaking some cake baking in there on the side!"
As of now I have hired her three times for personal events and she never disappoints. We have asked her to make a birthday cake for my mom that was German chocolate and oh so tasty. She has made a strawberry champagne cake with a buttercream that was to die for for a girls night in event. And most recently she made the most epic cake I have ever seen/tasted for my 30th birthday. It was a chocolate and Oreo cream cake (featured above) with the most amazing specialty chocolates on top. I have gone on to refer her to every client I have for Wedding Planning that is still looking for that Vendor. I highly recommend her to you all! Hire her for your next event and I promise you will not regret it.