Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Julie McDaniel. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Julie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you tell us about a time where you or your team really helped a customer get an amazing result?
One day I received a consultation request from a man who wanted a custom designed cake for his mother’s birthday. This wasn’t just any birthday, it was her 90th birthday and he wanted something special for the momentous party. He told me his mother had grown up on a farm and when he would visit the old homeplace as a child he remembered seeing bushel baskets. He knew she had helped in the garden on the farm and would pick tomatoes and place them into the bushel baskets. There was a certain style and color to the baskets and they always looked worn because they were reused until they were repaired or fell apart. The birthday lady loved red velvet cake and cream cheese frosting. I was able to design a custom, one of a kind cake that was completely edible and her favorite flavor. I began with stacking and filling the cakes with frosting, then I carved and sculpted the tomatoes on the top, covered the entire cake with cream cheese frosting, and then with fondant. After it was covered I was able to use multiple techniques in order to paint the cake and make it look realistic. The first was an airbrush filled with edible food dye and then I followed that up with a paintbrush. When Ms. Elise saw her birthday cake, she was thrilled with the result and hardly believed it was cake and not a basket filled with tomatoes.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Back in the 90s I began baking cakes for some of my roommates in college. They lived far from the school and didn’t have family close by to make or buy them cakes for birthdays. After I got married and had children I began baking and decorating cakes for my family’s special occasions. As the years went on the cakes got more detailed and elaborate. I was in a large homeschool group with my children and many people would see the cakes I decorated. More and more often I would be asked to bake for events or friends’ children. I made my first wedding cake in 2009 for a friend’s daughter and by 2013 I was taking orders several times a year. I wanted to make sure everything was in order so I got my cottage food license from the Georgia Department of Agriculture, my business license, sales tax license, and checked all the other boxes. Now I focus on wedding cakes, grooms cakes, and other special occasion cakes. I really enjoy designing a one of a kind cake for my clients instead of them just picking a cake from a book. Once I get to know clients and see their style and interests, I sketch out a design, or sometimes more than one for them to look over and approve or choose from. I love being able to provide unique and specialized cakes. I also make dessert tables including items like cupcakes, cake pops, custom decorated sugar cookies, mini pies, macarons, and other desserts in order to please more palates. Designing cakes that are out of the ordinary helps provide showstoppers and centerpieces for any event, leaving your guests to remember your cake for years to come.
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
Recently the best source for new clients has been specific wedding marketing platforms and bridal shows in my area showcasing a variety of wedding vendors. It is an excellent way to get in front of couples looking for wedding cakes and desserts.
How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?
I always try to follow up with each client within a week or two of their cake order to make sure they are happy with how everything turned out. I focus on personalized customer service and try to go above and beyond on each project putting my all into each creation.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.artfulcakery.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/artfulcakerybyjulie
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/artfulcakerybyjulie
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/julie-mcdaniel-ab1b30139
- Twitter: https://x.com/kahulamae
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@artfulcakerybyjulie
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/artful-cakery-by-julie-flowery-branch?utm_campaign=www_business_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct)