Cake! magazine by Australian Cake Decorating Network May 2014 | Page 166

Our Member Monday winner for Summer was...

Cakes for Mates
Alina Ahmad

My Name is Alina and I am 30 years old, mother of 2 daughters 11 & 7. Cakes for Mates
is a hobby business of mine that I run from her home in Sydney’s North West.

Thanks to Cake Decorating

Solutions for sponsoring our

Member Monday competition

with a $250 voucher each

quarter! Members, make sure
you enter each Monday on our Facebook page
wall for your chance to win!

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facebook.com/pages/Cakes-formates/366784146768387

I have a degree in Science and was always keen to get involved in something that
could keep me occupied while keeping my creative mind satisfied. While the girls were
younger and I was a full-time mum, I was not able to spare much time to do anything
else as many of the readers and full-time mums would agree. But once both girls went
to school, I started to try things to satisfy my creative side. I had a go at embroidery,
stitching, carpet weaving, leather embossing, reading and a few other things but could
not find the groove I was looking for.
One of my daughters became unwell and doctors
put her on restrictive diet. This presented a
challenge for the entire family especially around
my little girl’s birthday. I then decided to make a
cake myself rather than buying from a shop. It
was here that it all started for me and the entire
process of preparation, baking, decorating and
presentation of cake made me realise that this is
worth pursuing. I started with cakes for family
in the very beginning and more I did it better
I felt and the cakes were very appreciated by
everyone who tasted them.
This was the start of my journey and before I
realised, I was getting orders through word of
mouth. At this point in time I decided to take
a some courses in cake decorating and she
started my Facebook page with name Cakes
for Mates. As per the name, it was intended for
family and friends but this took off more than
anticipated and in a short time of 2 years, I am
finding it almost impossible to keep up with the
orders.

Alina