Would You Like Some Birthday Cake?

What is more appropriate for a birthday than cake?

Classic yet inspired, designed yet delicious, trendy yet rustic—Oh how I enjoy cake and the many varieties I can find!

I’ve decided my little slice of the blogging world should really begin documenting the baking adventures I embark on.  This conclusion was reached after I considered my current pursuit of a career as a pastry chef and the world-changing dreams that come along with the new title.  Like I tend to frequently say, it’s best to use your passions to change the world and that is what I intend to do!

The journey to accomplishing every dream starts with a step. My first step was to acquire employment in a bakery. Being an individual whose only experience baking were moments in the welcoming kitchens of friends and family, I was a little hesitant on my ‘hire-ability’ in this new field. To amp up my resume I planned to hand in to prospects in our new city of Hamilton I decided to add in a portfolio.  What better way to show ‘hey, I might not have professionally learned anything, but I enjoy doing this a lot and sometimes things look nice and sometimes other people really enjoy eating the creations!’ With the decision of a portfolio underway I dug up a Pin on Pinterest regarding a potential baked goods photo shoot idea the lovely and incredible talented Lani Elias and I said we would do together. She was in and we were both excited.

During a weekend cabin getaway with my wonderful husband, Lani and her husband, and another couple inspiration in the form of wine, Baileys, Pinterest and our own personal tastes combined to a rough sketch on how we wanted the shoot to look! The only thing we needed, aside from the goodies to be shot, was a table scape worthy of Pinterest itself! Enter the marvelous Meg from Bloom. Such a lovely gem to work with who believed in the vision for the shoot and brought her own amazing creative flair—ripping full, lush heads of perfect peonies off just so we could scatter the petals! Heartbreaking for anyone who appreciates the rich look of the incredible flowers.

Since the date of this shoot my fellow collaborators and myself have been truly blessed to see where this shoot has gone. First off, the portfolio came together in free time over the summer spent in Dominican Republic and landed me a position as a pastry chef in the bakery I had my eyes (and heart) set on. Next came an instant moment of joy when the shoot was featured on Best Friends For Frosting! It was surreal to see something I was personally invested in be featured on a site where so many people visit and appreciate the time and heart that go into creating such a spread. Even Pottery Barn pinned a picture from the shoot!!!!

It’s truly amazing to see how one basic idea turned from a simple spark to a dazzling firework. And while to some this accomplishment may seem small, I believe the simplest accomplishments are worth celebrating and every moment to count a blessing is a step towards living life the way we are intended to—thankful, gracious, spreading love and extending our blessings with all those along our path. So today, on my 26^th Birthday, instead of a “life so far” post, I figured it’s best to look forward and share with you some dreams over cake.

Images by Lani Elias Fine Art Photography

Florals by Bloom Petals and Gifts

Edibles by myself