Q&A with Cakes Cove
Cakes Cove is a shiny, brand new food art designer and baker, based out of our very own Toronto that specializes in geeky and genre-themed treats.
We recently got to chat with Samantha Anderson, the talent behind this new business and pick her delicious brains about her craft:
Q: Where did you get the idea to start your business?
A: By accident, actually. I knew I always wanted to do something in the baking industry. I originally wanted to do bread, but I realized I love making it for myself, but it’s different for other people. I’ve always loved playing games and going to the Ren faire. And one day I was looking at a drawing of a pirate ship that a friend drew, and I had this epiphany, I wanted to make it come alive. I want to bring some wonder back into the world. It’s depressing for me to see at Halloween, less people dressing up, but then you have things like FanExpo where everyone does it. I want to encourage people to play more games and use their imagination.
Q: How long have you been baking for, and how did you learn your skills?
A: I’ve been amateur baking since I was 3 or 4 with an EasyBake oven, and moved onto an actual oven when I was 6 with help from my mother and grandmother. Professionally, for about 8 years. I went to George Brown for Baking and Pastry Arts but there wasn’t focus on cakes and chocolate at the time, so I learned from various work in the industry. A lot was self-taught using Youtube videos and trial and error. I went to Bonnie Gordon for their cake decorating courses; I discovered my sense of style there.
Q: What’s been your most challenging creation so far?
A: The most time-consuming was the life-size R2-D2 cake.But the most challenging, I’m not actually sure.
But my favourite thing I’ve ever had anyone say about a cake was hearing someone saying, “This is gorgeous, I don’t want to cut it.” But someone else replying, “But Cakes Coves made it, so you know it’s good, so you have to.” And they didn’t even know I could hear them, I was in another room!
Q: If you had to create a cake for any famous person, whom would you choose and why? What would it look like?
A: I have 6 different answers and I’m trying to decide which one I like best! I’ve already designed a cake inspired by Nathan Fillion, and each panel is a photo of his different work, and I actually took it to him at FanExpo and got him to sign it. He thought it was fantastic!
I think I’d like to make a cake for Mark Hamill, and it would be … really complicated. It would be at least 18 inches wide with a gigantic Joker face with the smile wide open, with the inside of the mouth detailed to look like a Funhouse. And on top of the head I’d have a hexagon shaped layer that looks like a circus tent with a Batman motif.
Q: What sorts of cool things can we look forward to seeing from Cakes Cove in the future?
A: We have a newsletter that you can sign up for whenever we post awesome new things. Our website has launched and has ordering, it’s still in the early stages so we’ll be updating it over time to make it easier to order, and there will be more products. We’ll also update the blog with different fun things like videos and photo shoots. We love to cosplay and often mix the two. Our latest blog post is Dexter for the series finale. We’re also looking to be at a few other conventions.
Be sure to like Cakes Cove on Facebook and check out their website for order forms, news, and blog posts all about their sweet endeavors!
