Cake! Magazine by Aust Cake Decorating Network August 2020 | Page 42

From humble beginnings back in
2013 in her small home kitchen,
Cara Tonkin has recently opened a
storefront and wholesale cupcake
bakery. It was quite the journey for
her to arrive here, and I sat down to
chat with Cara about her transition
from cakes to cupcakes, how she
manages a work/life balance and
her emphasis on providing an
inclusive workplace for her staff.
Like many bakers, Cara didn’t set
out to become a cake decorator.
It was an organic passion that
grew exponentially, until her and
husband Andrew became wellknown
for their hyper-realistic
sculpted cakes. Several went viral
worldwide, and business was
booming.
The demands of working around
a young family, battling post-natal
depression, juggling other jobs,
and managing a child with special
needs took its toll on Cara and in
2016 she attempted to take her own
life. “I had a mental breakdown,”
says Cara. “We worked ourselves
to exhaustion and pushed past a
point that we shouldn’t have. One
day I had a good friend’s wedding
cake collapse on me in transport
on a 46 degree day. Two days later
I decided to end my life”.