inthekitchen
Business boomed, prompting her to rent kitchen space from a former employer, Fude, on Osborne Street, and build her customer base. Soon it was time to take the fledgling business to the next level and open her own shop, relocating to the historic downtown core, where Kirkpatrick signed the lease on a vacant 600 square foot bakery two and a half blocks from Portage and Main.
Cake-ology opened in April 2009. Almost immediately, the wafting scent of cake drew out eager customers.“ The first year was crazy,” she recalls.“ People started falling out of the buildings in the spring, eager for fresh air, and then the Fringe Fest started.” Patrons snatched up cupcakes so fast that they were still hot – demand was so great that Kirkpatrick couldn’ t cool
Creating a destination bakery hasn’ t been a cakewalk. The location offers little parking and many clients live in the suburbs. Fostering relationships has been key to the shops success, and Kirkpatrick’ s ability to bring a community together has been an asset. At start-up, neighbouring businesses received sample packs of her baking. She has participated in fundraisers like the United Way’ s Baconfest, the St. Norbert Farmer’ s Feast and Taste of the Nation – where she wowed the crowd with mini red velvet donuts glazed in sugar. She also uses her website and blog to engage customers and market her wares( gluten free business along has increased by 100 per cent over the last few years).
All this growth is translating into a
Patrons snatched up cupcakes so fast that they were still hot
them fast enough to keep the icing from melting.
In the beginning, the tiny kitchen produced a variety of baked goods, but Pam soon realized that she and a staff of two couldn’ t sustain a large product line. A switch to concentrating on a selection of cupcakes and slices for the walk-in trade as well as custom order cakes for weddings, birthdays, and other special occasions ensured that the bakery was able to offer a high standard of quality for every product.
It may seem unconventional, but less really is more for this cake-loving bakeshop. A handful of standard cake flavours topped with a variety of fondants or buttercreams provide a strong base for bespoke designs fueled by muses as diverse as photos, a piece of fabric, or even a child’ s toy. Kirkpatrick recalls one of her favourite projects, a replica of the Nonsuch made for The Manitoba Museum. The three foot long marble cake took two days to bake and decorate, a concoction of a fondant covered hull, gum paste masts, and buttercream waves. shop expansion in the works at the time of this interview. A partnership with long time client and neighbour, Bodegoes, will allow for a much needed shop renovation, opening up the floor plan to carve out a spot where the process of icing cookies or dipping chocolate can be showcased. Some of her products will be sold at Bodegoes’ satellite locations in Cityplace and the baseball stadium.
Pam’ s social media savvy has led to another new partnership as well. She met Lisa Dyck of Cornell Crème online and knew that her top quality ice cream a perfect pairing for cake. The shop expansion will allow Cake-ology customers to try out a dozen scoopable ice cream flavours, with irresistible freshmade cookies on hand for ice cream sandwiches and waffle cones made on site.
Partnerships like these show that Kirkpatrick’ s community building is good for her business and her hungry customer base. In a market loaded with big players and stiff competition, this little bakery has cut itself a thick slice.
16 ciao! / apr / may / two thousand fifteen