inthekitchen
inthekitchen
for cake’ s sake
Fearless, young entrepreneur Pam Kirkpatrick hangs out her cake-shaped shingle in the city’ s arts and culture neighbourhood, building a business as creative as it is sweet.
by Arvel Gray
On a frigid winter afternoon, the black lacquered doors at 85 Arthur Street push open, letting in a swath of icy air. A mother and her daughter pause in the warmth of the shop, drinking in the sweet, buttery fragrance of sugar cookies and the intoxicating aroma of chocolate cupcakes freshly retrieved from the oven. They ooh and ahh over baking cases lined with gluten free lemon slice and caramel pecan bars, and a dreamy, double layer cake cloaked in pink buttercream roses, and finally decide on a selection of rumball-sized cakettes – a mix of cake and buttercream dipped in white and milk chocolate – a signature staple of this boutique bakery.
This family scene seems like a novelty in the midst of the ultrahip, arts focused Exchange District, and this is what makes Cakeology so special. The small, sweet shop is more than a bakery: it is a community cornerstone that appeals to a range of customers from every area of the city, another building block in the revitalization of Winnipeg’ s downtown neighbourhoods.
Pam Kirkpatrick, the brains, heart, and hands behind Cake-ology, opened the bakery five years ago after learning the restaurant trade as a chef in local establishments. After the birth of her first child, the rigor of restaurant hours were no longer appealing, and she decided to concentrate on her love of baking.
“ I was hitting 30, and there was a niche market,” says Pam.“ Friends and sisters and brothers were getting married and needed cakes for showers and social events. Their children needed birthday cakes.”
14 ciao! / apr / may / two thousand fifteen