If your one of those people whose version of ‘a little piece of heaven’ comes in the form of a pastry then you will know what I’m talking about. There is nothing like going to reward yourself after a good work out, a good grade or for just falling prisoner of the delicious cravings that some of these treats create. Whether its vanilla cupcakes topped with chocolate ganache, the classic red velvet, or a seasonal pumpkin spice treat every single one of these little creations can give you instant joy.
If your mouth is already watering, fear not because at Chapel Hill, UNC students are able to reach all of these delicacies on a quick trip to Franklin Street. However, very little people know how much time and dedication are behind the making of these pastries. We can only get a small glimpse of what happens behind the scenes through shows like Cake Challenge, and Ace of Cakes, but they do give us the idea that each kitchen is a unique, but most importantly that it is filled with passion.
“When I was little I always liked art but I never liked any of the mediums, so I decided one day that I wanted it to be icing and so I started doing cakes,” explained Lauren Ivey, Head cake decorator at the Sugarland bakery.
Ivey had to train herself to be able to make her intricate creations, even before she went to culinary school. Starting by decorating cookies and by then helping her mom make all the desserts from scratch.
It is not a surprise that baking is a form of edible art and like all artistic areas it takes more than just practice, but instead it must be complimented by talent and creativity. Being a baker comes with some sweet deals, and no I don’t mean just getting to taste all the amazing treats. Because it is such a hands on work bakers, pastry makers and decorators get to express their creativity and look back on their creations.
“I am really satisfied to see what I have done in a day, see what I’ve created,” said Mya Jones baker at the Bliss Boutique café.
The baking industry lets those who work in it, to play with their materials and make amazing creations, but at the same time they also have to satisfy the client and whatever absurd ideas they might come up with. These factors pose incredible challenges for the creators of the cakes, because they have to make the treats not only delicious, but at the same time beautiful.
“We did a cake… and it was three TVs stacked on top of each other but they were all like crooked…they were really really intricate,” explained Ivey who also adds to her resume having built a castle and a nurse themed cupcake.
As fun as this all seems do not be misled, since this industry is very demanding and intense. Therefore in order to be successful bakers must be able to carry on their specific job with high precision and discipline.
“I get here at 4 (AM) and I go ahead and start making our breakfast and then I go ahead and make a list of all the production that we have to do today. That’s every component, that’s icing, cake, every little thing we need,” said Michelle Chavis an experienced baker from the Sugarland bakery who normally bakes around 12 cakes a day without counting the wedding cakes that could take days to make.
As the incredibly early mornings were not hard enough, people involved in the industry must deal with the fact that they have to work at a fast pace and still deliver a quality product.
“It is a high stress job, because everything always has a deadline…its not like most people when they turn in a paper and they’re done… with us is more like we have a deadline at four and a deadline at five…its forever going,” explained Ivey
In order to make the delicious creations that we enjoy every day the bakers at this stores must know how to work as a team. This is why in both the Bliss and Sugar land bakeries have a hard working team, that have divided they’re jobs in order to deal not only with the management, but the baking, preparing of ingredients and decorating. Its no surprise that with all these movement in one kitchen things can get a little out of control.
“…Back there its small, its crammed, everybody is biting each other’s neck half the time,” explained Ivey.
Pastries face some hard competition, not only due to the state of the economy but because they must compare their product, to those in supermarkets or chain stores. According to Chavis from Sugarland, the bakery makes their products from scratch and by hand, guaranteeing a high quality product, but at the same time a harder one to produce. They must do this while keeping an affordable price fro their costumers.
“You are always going to have competition with grocery stores…because most people don’t plan a ahead for their kids birthday parties, and they just run to the store… Harris Teeter has a very good bakery department,” said Ivey.
Despite the obstacles that these two bakeries might encounter, there is no doubt that they are both heading towards even brighter futures. As Sugarland, plans an expansion where new bakers will be coming in, and the Bliss Café, which embraces its early success offering a ‘cool’ vibe for and delighting us with any cupcake imaginable.
So if your stomach is growling and asking for some dessert I suggest you pay a visit to either one, or you might as well go to both of these bakeries. You can be sure that what you are getting is made with passion, great ingredients, and it will taste amazing.
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